"There's an urgent message!" Hearing the door being knocked on rapidly and harshly, ZH and Mila stopped and looked in the direction of the door. ZH sighed, rubbing his head since the good moment was now ruined by that sudden knock on the door to his office.
"It's okay. When you are ready." Mila smiled with one of her hands laid on his cheek, feeling her face heat up with the previous image running in her head of their kiss. Rubbing her thumb on his cheek, she couldn't help to think that their hearts could be mutual. Their relationship had progressed after so many years of being friends for so long.
"Wait for me." ZH kissed her head, pausing to look at her for a few more seconds before getting up to answer the door with Mila sitting down patiently on the couch. Watching ZH go to the door, he had opened it to see the man who needed to send him important information and left the room soon after. Mila laid back down onto the couch, feeling her eyes droop down over her eyes.
***
"What's so urgent?" ZH remained near the room on the other side of the door which had Mila on the other side, likely waiting for him to return to her.
"I'm sorry your highness, but your grandfather wishes to speak to you." The messenger held a bit of a fearful look, knowing how he possibly disturbed their loving moment by passing along a message.
"Alright, I'll go and see him soon. I do not see the point in him sending you to get me or give me the message." ZH felt annoyed that his old man would start getting impatient now that he was reaching his elderly age. 'What is this old man thinking?' He sighed, rubbing the back of his head to ease himself down a bit. Sending the messenger back, he pondered about why his grandfather would want to talk about the same thing over and over again for the last two to three years now. Going back inside into his office, he saw Mila sound asleep within a few minutes of him talking to the messenger. Going over to her, he knelt smiling to see her sleeping face. 'Every single time I look at you there's nothing, but the warmth that envelops me to see you safe in front of me.' Smiling while carrying Mila back to her room, he had to visit his grandfather, which he preferred to do sooner than later.
***
Once he had taken Mila back to his room, he had made his way to the Zameth palace where he would discuss a few matters with his grandfather who awaited his arrival. Entering inside the throne room, his grandfather sat at the throne making the meeting only a personal meeting to discuss between the two of them than for any other to listen to. "My grandson, you should know why I have called you here at this time of day." His grandfather looked down to see how he still wore his mask hiding his eyes, or most of his face.
"Is it about the matter of the peace treaty between Zameth kingdom and Mireraweth kingdom?"
"You catch on well, but you are your mother's child, so I expect that from you. You are not getting any younger though. It is about time that you get married and take over the throne." His grandfather was waiting for him to say something agreeable since he did not wish to keep the throne forever since he was getting older.
"Grandfather... there is something that I still wish to do." Ambrose had to be honest about it, he did not wish to keep too many things a secret from his blood-related grandfather.
"Ambrose, you've been saying that for the last few years. Every time we talk about this, you will always say something to avoid taking this throne from me. You were given more time ever since you plotted your assassination to get out of the Mireraweth kingdom's clutch and the battlefield. They didn't even know how you looked, not even your background was ever truly known. You should be grateful that your father took part in it. Your older brother doesn't even know about it either." Ambrose's grandfather did not understand why his grandson would still care and worry about them when he had lost his daughter who was Ambrose's mother by the Mireraweth Kingdom.
"Grandfather, this is very important. It's not something that I can openly discuss or tell you about." Ambrose did not want his grandfather to get involved in his matters which he found troublesome for his grandfather. 'This is not something that my grandfather should get involved with.' Hoping that his grandfather would not try to push him to tell him since it was too much to talk or explain about.
"Is it about that woman who has recently come out of her coma?" His grandfather could tell that Ambrose was in deep thoughts once he had mentioned the woman. 'I can see the same expression that you have like your mother. Your mother held the same look of trying to hide a secret just like you did. How can a grandfather not know their flesh and blood?'
"..." Ambrose didn't know what to say at that point since he did not expect his grandfather to know about such matters. He did not wish for his grandfather to know about the matter which would already be considered involving his grandfather.
"Ambrose, this name was given to you by your mother. Your mother was my daughter and I have to take care of you until you come of age to take over for me in the future. This kingdom needs a ruler who is wise and cares about the people and beast. I've seen how you are, and I know that you will never abandon your people when they need you in the direst situation." His grandfather knew that he had a soft spot when it came to his innocent people and beasts who had done nothing to him.
The Zameth family were known to look over and cherish their people and beasts who come to their kingdom. Teaching them right and wrong since long ago, their hearts tend to hold the most care due to their love for their other half who they spend the rest of their life. "I know, grandfather. Although, I can't abandon her from where she is right now. She is far more important than you think." Ambrose never told his grandfather about Mila's background also since she was arranged to be his fiancé long ago when she was very young. His grandfather would want to push their marriage and wedding even sooner since they were now together, but Mila did not even know his real background in the Zameth Kingdom. He didn't even tell his grandfather about marking her as his woman since the curse that ran in their royal family. "If there is nothing more, then I will return to my mansion." Ambrose left quickly, leaving his grandfather alone in the throne room to stare at his back and figure disappear.
"You are just like your mother. Full of secrets." The emperor of Zameth's kingdom sighed, seeing how Ambrose was a hard person to open up to. "I know already that the woman you brought is your fiancé and that you claimed her as your woman. Yet, you still don't wish to tell her about your identity." He didn't think that his grandson would have the same attitude and image exactly as his mother. "If you were still here, then you'll surely have him open up a bit." He then thought about his daughter who had long passed on in this lifetime. "Sometimes, I wonder how you fell for that boy's father." Sighing, there was no helping at that time since he found out that his daughter already claimed that boy's father.
***
Waking up, Mila found that it was night, and she had likely drifted off to sleep once ZH left to hear out what the messenger had to tell him. "Did he bring me back here?" Mila wondered, looking to see that it was the same room that she had been staying in which was likely ZH's bedroom. She rubbed her head, feeling a bit of a headache coming in from taking somewhat of a nap. Then, she noticed ZH was sleeping on the couch that was in the bedroom. 'Why is he sleeping there? Why didn't he sleep on the bed as well? I'm just a guest here, so I do not understand why he didn't put me in another room to sleep in.' Feeling as though ZH was making things a little difficult, she felt terrible at the same time for hogging his bedroom like it was hers.
She got up going over to see that he looked peaceful in his sleep. With his mask still on, she wondered how he could sleep like that since it did not look comfortable. 'Very strange with how there can be someone who sleeps with their mask on. This is kinda... like the first time for me to witness.' Moving strands of hair out of his face all of suddenly. Taken by surprise, Mila was hugged into his arms as he snuggled close to her. 'What the hell is he doing?!' She thought seeing how he was still asleep, feeling as though he was either joking with her or deeply asleep.
"Mila..." He said in his sleep which surprised Mila to know that he thought of her in his sleep.
Feeling relieved to not struggle, she giggled a little to know that he at least cared about her beyond her expectations of him. "You know how to surprise me." She snuggled into his chest loving his familiar warmth when ZH was indeed faking it and still awake, smiling while hugging Mila in his arms.
'You assume too quickly about my behavior. I just came into the bedroom, and you happened to wake up once I laid down on the couch. You cannot leave me now that you came over to my side.' Snuggling with her, he felt ease to smell her scent that made him feel at ease with both of their hearts beating with calmness.
***
"Alec, if I go to see my aunt... then... will you still just remain here?" Ella was hanging out with Alec who was reading a book that was given to him by his mother. Both were in the Royal family library where they usually hung out together where they had read almost half of the books, or rather he had read almost half of the books in the Royal family library.
"Likely, it's not like I can abandon my duties as the crown prince of Maedda kingdom." Alec continued to read the book in his hands, he had his duties as the Crown Prince, and he could not let his family down. He was going to be an older brother, so he wanted to be able to protect his younger sibling when they came into the world.
"Hm, if only you were able to come along. I won't be too lonely there." Ella sighed, turning to face up to see the ceiling while laying on her back.
"Why would you want to stay with me? I have the curse of the Maedda kingdom which was inherited from my father's royal family. I was lucky enough to not inherit my mother's curse from the Gririth kingdom. The kingdoms each have a different curse which none has no way to break, so it makes it hard to cooperate with fate... I guess." Alec was rather truthful all the time with no need to lie about much of anything.
"What's the difference?" Ella looked to Alec who had been gathering more information at his young age than Ella who cared no less about her education than to have fun while they were young since her father and mother preferred that she act her age.
