Away ⥃ Nishimura Riki

.Twenty.

A WHISTLE BLEW through the forceful wind and not long after, a throaty rumble vibrated the ground. Daggers of water fell from the sky, puddling the path. There stood three girls in the middle of the field without anything to cover their heads. Their dress was soaked with mud—the hem being coated by a thick layer of dirt.

"Ew!" A grimace squeaked out from the redhead's mouth, "The mud is all in my flats!" She whined.

Haeyul exhaled, her eyes couldn't rest on a certain object as her thoughts grew restless. From the looks of things, they wouldn't be able to reach the castle anytime soon and to make things worse, if they stay in the rain with their heads exposed, they will catch a cold. And they couldn't risk that since they are going to The Ryu Village soon.

Seulhyun tapped her damp dress, thinking of an object that might help their situation. You might be asking, how did they end up here?

Well, at first, Seulhyun had invited Elena to stroll the main garden but along the way, they came across Haeyul who proposed the idea of going out to the field, where the brightest flowers had just bloomed. However a storm brew right after their arrival which led them to where they were now.

Unfortunately, they had tried walking in the mud but Elena had recalled of seeing deadly quicksands around the area whenever the rain comes. So, they decided to stay put for the time being. Though, now they are having second thoughts.

Suddenly, Haeyul's eyes brightened. "Wait! I can call the boys!" She told, confusing both Elena and Seulhyun.
"Huh?"
"Hae, how can you call them when we are miles away from them?!" Elena shouted from the other end of the field.

The trees trembled vigorously above the foreigner. To avoid injuring herself by getting squished by a tree, she slowly marched forward, lifting her dress above her knees. "Seulhyun, stop!"

The next thing she knows, she had stepped into a puddle of quicksand. Shit.

"Oh, my heavens!" Elena exclaimed, gaining Haeyul's attention. The fellow brunette eyes looked like they were about to pop out and Seulhyun could feel her body slowly sinking. Her heart beat in a rapid speed; she doesn't know what to do. She was never taught of what to do in this situation.

"Can you wiggle out of it?"
She heard Haeyul asked. A shriveled hum left Seulhyun's lip as she tried to shook the sticky sand off to no avail. She spun her knees around and pulled her leg out, resulting one leg to arise. "I can! But, I don't think I have the energy!"

"Great!!" Elena screamed, flailing her arms around in frustration. "I'm going to help her out, I don't care what you say." She told before sprinting towards her friend.

Seulhyun shook her jeans, crossing her arms, motioning her to not go near her. "Do not go near me! Besides, I'm not going to die. The density of quicksand is much more compact compared to our body's."

"But you will eventually die if you don't get out soon!" Elena reiterated, her brows stuck together in a line as a forehead folded.
The brunette sighed, "Didn't Haeyul say she can call for help?"
"Yup! I sure can. Jungwon and the others are on their way."

The red-haired vampire snapped her head towards Haeyul, piercing her with million questions as how she managed to do that without having to verbally screaming. "Do you have something you want to tell us?"

Haeyul chuckled.
Amidst the hectic situation they were in, they could still crack a smile. "That's a secret only the royal family can know." She deadpanned.

Both Elena and Seulhyun quirked their brows, showing a ridicule expression over her answer. Then they looked at each other, nodding their heads in understanding. Of course, the grand royal family holds special abilities that sets them apart with the commoners.

Haeyul twitched to the right when a group of horses came into their view; there were three of them. Jungwon, Niki, and Sunghoon. Once they neared them, Niki immediately directed his horse to Seulhyun, who was now half inside the quicksand. Under the horrid light, it was difficult to distinguish his expression but he extended his hand towards her, leaning down on the side of his horse.
"Hurry!"

Seulhyun struggled as her hand slipped and missed his. She swung her hand again and this time, Niki caught it. His strenuous grip pulled her up as she wiggled her legs.
It was much easier with his help.

Successfully freeing both of her legs, the vampire ran lightly out of the puddle of trap and saw Haeyul and Elena already on top of the princes' horses. "Down." Niki tapped his horse, resulting the horse to kneel down.

If they weren't in a rush, Seulhyun would've admired the horse's capability first then ride the horse. However she instead jumped on the horse and rubbed his side, internally thanking him.

"All ready to go?" Prince Niki inquired, earning a 'yes' from the girl.
Without much thought, Seulhyun snaked her arms around his soaked attire. She moved forward and pressed herself onto his back, gripping his waist tightly. For a moment, she could feel his muscle tense but she was too distracted by the well-built abdomen of his.

With a swish of his rein, the horse began to skip forward, effortlessly dodging all of the obstacles that abounded their journey.

Seulhyun closed her eyes as she felt his heart pound to his back. It was oddly relaxing. Although her body was soar from all of the labor she had been doing these past few days, the beat of his resilient heart assuage her pain.

"Why did you do that, Seulhyun?"
The question bounced off her ears as she softly hummed. "Why would you sneak out of the castle like that? I mean, it's alright if you want to do that but next time, you can tell me first. I won't tell on you." He continued.

"What if you decide to sneak out again next time and when that happens, I won't be there to save you? What if I-" His voice tightened and she could hear him dropping the rein, letting his horse ride on its own.

And by now, she knew her heart was not safe anymore. It was trying to jump out of her chest.

"What if I lose you?" He murmured. "I don't think I can stand that."
"You're most likely sleeping, so you won't hear me." He scoffed, "what am I doing talking to myself?" He shook his head.

Seulhyun held her breath. What if I lose you? I don't think I can stand that. Why would he say that? Why is he being so emotional? Most importantly, why was her heart reacting this way?

When they arrived at the castle, Prince Niki had carried her down from the horse and all the way towards her chamber, ordering the housekeeper to keep an eye on her. Thankfully, the castle was deserted that day so no one was there to witness the episode.

Except for the butler, housekeeper and the royalties.

After a (not-so) long wait, I'm finally back!
There's no promise of a routine update though

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