Royal Façade[COMPLETED]✔

💮Chapter 45💮: Dure's special present for me.

  I was done crying and just here in Dure's arms, my head on his shoulder as he hugged me close.

I just wanted to stay in his strong arms and never let go. But my expectation was cut short.

  "Babe, I'll be right back. Why don't you go inside?... The cold is much here". He said when he noticed I had stopped crying, leading me into the girl's villa where everybody else was.

Did he just call me Babe?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked me, confusion, clear in his eyes.

  "No...no... nothing". I stammered and closed the door behind me.

I probably heard wrong.

I walked to the sitting room where everybody else were.

"She's here. Finally, you've stop crying Nora". Lilou said, walking up to me.

"I love the way you cried into Dure's arms". Tashie said, looking lost in thought.

"Here, take this". Phillips said, as he handed over to me a glass of wine. "That's our apology for scaring you like that".

  "I don't understand one thing. We were together all the time, when did you guys plan this surprise without me knowing?" I asked them, gently shaking the wine in the goblet.

  "It's a secret". Tina said, winking at me.
 
"It's time to make a wish, Nora. Make a wish and blow the candles". Tashie said, winking at me.

  "I wish everyone will always have a reason to be happy". I said out loud and blew the candles.

"Nora, Noooooooooo". They chorused.

"What?" I asked them.

  "You said your wishes out loud. You say it in your mind and blow the candle or else the wish wouldn't come true".  Lilou said with disappointment on her face.

  "There's always a next birthday" I said, waving it off. Tashie cut the cake and gave me a slice.

"Let's make a toast to the most wonderful royal the nation will ever have". Mary said bringing in a tray of empty wine glasses.

  Mary dropped the tray on the table and Phillips poured the popped the wine, allowing some to spill over. Then he poured the wine into each goblet. Everybody took their own wine goblets but I took the wine bottle itself which had half of the contents remaining.

  "Everyone knows Nora lives on wine".
Tina said and I shrugged my shoulders, putting the bottle into my mouth and gulping down the contents.

   Being a Princess isn't easy so when I need to loosen up, I do without restrain.

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"Nora?" I heard someone say, shaking me gently. It took a while for me to open my eyes. When I finally did, I saw Dure's hand stretched forth towards me.

  Even though I didn't know why he was stretching his hand towards me, I still took it.
He helped me up and put his hands on my waist just to keep me from falling. 
 
  "Are you awake now?" He asked. I didn't reply but looked around me instead.

  Everyone was asleep. Phillips rested his head on Tina's belly, Tashie and Olive slept upside down. Their legs on the couch and their heads on the floor. Mary and Lilou seemed to have slept off while drinking wine  while I still had the wine bottle in my hand.

  I looked at the clock and it was 10:43 p.m.
"I do hope it's not too late to show you my surprise for you". Dure said, shaking the remaining dizziness out of me. 

  "What's that?" I asked him.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"I guess". I said unsure.

"Close your eyes" He said, putting a white cloth over my eyes.

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  "Are we there yet?" I asked him for the fifth time.

  I could feel his heartbeat as he carefully dropped me on the floor.

  "Yes, we are". He finally gave me the positive answer I was waiting for. Then he removed my blindfold and I discovered that we were at the highest peak of the mountain Duma.

  "Why did you bring me here?" I asked him.

  "We're going to ski down the mountain". He replied me, giving me a pair of ski and headgear.

  I peeped down the mountain and gulped down hard when I couldn't see the bottom.

  "I can't do this Dure". I told him with all honesty.

  "Yes, you can babe". He replied as he put on his pair of skis. "We're doing this together". He assured me.

"I've never done this before".

"That's exactly why we're doing this. Especially on your birthday". He told me as he rose to his feet. Then knelt before me and helped me to put on the pair of skis.

"What of the poles?" I asked him.

  "I didn't bring any poles". He said, standing up and looking at me.

  "Dure, I have my whole life planned out and dying isn't on the list". I begged him.

"Why will I kill you on your birthday?... I'm not that heartless" He said, turning me around.

  The heavy snow had created a slope that looked more like a slide down the mountain.

"Dure, I can't do this. Let's go back". I begged. His right hand wrapped round my stomach and the second one holding a pole.

"Trust me, it'll be fun". He said and proceeded to the cliff side of the mountain.

I understand that he wants me to trust him, but I'm not the type to trust people with my life like that.

"I'll never let you go". He whispered into my left ear. Then we got to the very edge of the mountain. I looked down and I started having second thoughts.

"Remember when you asked me if I trusted you?... On a second thought, I... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" I couldn't finish my statement because we were already on our way down the mountain.

I kept screaming till I swallowed a bug and started coughing instead. Dure held me tighter as he navigated round the rocks that needed to be avoided. I was in a way, glad that I was doing this. I guess the bug I swallowed made me realize that this was actually fun.

"WO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I yelled excitedly, as I felt the cold breeze rush into my nose.

  Then suddenly, Dure turned me around and before I could react, slammed his lips on mine.  His two hands wrapped round me tightly. I was about to kiss him back when he pulled away and looked at me.

   "I'm sorry, your highness, for kissing you without your-" I shut him up by slamming my lips on his this time. He kissed me back and i was really enjoying this until my ankle was hit by something hard and I stumbled backwards, pulling Dure along with me, which made me bite his lips by accident.

  We stumbled on each other, rolling down the rest of the mountain until we reached the very ground of Earth.

  Dure was lying right in front of me, panting hard while I was also trying to catch my breath.

   Our mouths kept silent and our eyes did the talking. I looked at every inch of his face carefully and was loving the fact that this handsome guy was the one I just kissed. Then I looked at his lips and saw how it was bleeding. My hands came to his lips as I cleaned the blood away with my sleeve. He pulled my hand away from his lips and held it.

  "Nora, I have feelings for you. And it would so please me if you become my girl".

  Am I hearing right or did Dure Henia ask me to be his girl?