Away ⥃ Nishimura Riki

.Twenty-Four.

THE PATH IN RYU VILLAGE was surprisingly smooth. So far, they haven't had an encounter with any dragons. They've seen a few in the sky, but they merely pass by, not caring for the traveling vampires. Since it was still early in the morning, most of the knights had plenty of energy as they pointed out every tiny detail that they find extraordinary.

For example, a few moments ago, one of the knights in front of Seulhyun saw a unique plant and everyone took interest in it. And then, Ryan noticed how the soil in Ryu Village look smoother and transparent causing a session of reactions from almost everyone.

It was quite entertaining if Seulhyun say so herself, but the fun was quick to die when the commander silenced everyone by a quick stare, reminding them of their duties.

The brunette sighed. Weirdly enough, ever since they step foot inside the barrier, a huge urge for her to explore to place coursed through her body. It's as if her heart yearns to search every crevices in the village. Not to mention the growls and screeches she has been hearing in her head.

She can't believe she's hallucinating in the village of dragons out of all places.

After climbing several steep hills, the carriage stopped at an open space; where there was a forest at one end and a lake on the other. Then, King Jungwon got out of the carriage, followed by the other princes.

"Fortunately, we have arrived in Ryu Village earlier than we have expected and so, since all of you have been following our orders without any hitch, we will be giving you time to rest." Jungwon told.

Cheers erupted between the knights as the thought of fully resting their sore body ignited their happiness. Seulhyun noticed the commander grimacing at his teammates, "Silence! The King is speaking!!"

Jungwon looked at the commander with the slightest bit of gratitude and continued his speech, "But, some of you will have to patrol the area for any danger around us." He said, "Have a great day."
The foreigner raised her brow, seeing the chosen knights go to their spots without a complaint while the others immediately began building their tents again. "Huh.." She had forgotten they are well-trained knights after seeing how excited they were in discovering things.

Taking a look around, Seulhyun kicked a pebble out of her way as she thought of an activity to do. Should she follow her temptation and explore the area? Besides, she has her wand and she has learnt decent combat spells before. Tapping her feet, she searched for an opportunity to sneak out of the scene without anyone noticing.

"Felix, don't stand there!"
"No, you're supposed to be standing here!"
"Oh."
Seulhyun muttered a quick silencing spell and sped between the two knights just as they turned their heads away. Feeling giddy, she silently punched her hand in the air as she ventured the forest.

In that moment, she heard it again. That noise. A loud growl boomed her head. It was so loud. She winced at the disruptive sound as she covered her ears, shutting the outside noise, only to hear the growl sound clearer than before. What is going on?

A muffled voice reached her ears as she felt her face being cupped. She opened her eyes to see Niki looking at her with great concern flashing his eyes. His mouth moved, articulating words that she couldn't hear over the loud growling and screeching. "KIM SEULHYUN!!"
As if her ears snapped, everything attacked her all at once. She could finally hear him.

Gripping his arm, her quivering pupils met his. "What's going on with you?" Niki questioned, raising his volume as he was afraid she was still having trouble to hear.

Seulhyun took heavy breaths, nodding her head and spoke, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me." The vampire fought back, "Your previous actions says otherwise."
The latter shook her hands, denying his claim. "I was just zoning out." She made up an excuse and he rolled his eyes.
"Liar."

"Pretty ladies shouldn't speak false truth." Niki said, releasing his grip on her shoulders as he stared at her with a ridiculing look plastered on his face.

However, Seulhyun seemed to take the sentence wrongly as a smirk grew on her face, crossing her arms. And in that moment, Niki knew he had uttered something wrong.

"You think I'm pretty?" Those four words made the prince dropped his sassy expression.

Seulhyun smiled widely, pointing at him. "YOU think I'M pretty!"
"No, no, no, that's not what I said." Niki gone frozen.

"No!" The girl exclaimed, "I clearly heard you say pretty ladies." She repeated as if she had just hit a lottery. A breathy chuckle left her lips as she was in disbelief of the four words that he had spoken.

He thinks she's pretty.

For him, she's pretty.

Pretty.

"That's not the point of the sentence!" Niki tried to strike her thick head, but the girl was not listening to him causing him to grow nervous. Why did he have to include the 'pretty' part?

He couldn't help but whine when she saw the girl twirl in her dress, making annoying faces at him- annoying yet adorable. Niki groaned, giving up on the topic as he let her live in delusions. Well- she's not completely wrong. He did mean it when he said she's pretty, however that is not his point at all.

But goodness... she even looked gorgeous right now. The way her chocolate brown bounced every time she twirls, and how her smile beamed the atmosphere. And her cheeks. Her cheeks carried a soft rose tint as it rose up with her smile. It looked so soft.

And behind her beautiful features, holds her amazing personality, which he has yet to unlock fully. All he knows is so far, she's one of the most interesting people he has ever met.

Suddenly, her face appeared in front of his vision. "See?" She pointed out, "You're even staring at my beauty at this moment." She tusked as she shook her head at his behavior, earning a tired frown from the prince.

Did he mention annoying yet?

I heard it's graduation season so congratulations to all who has successfully graduated!

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