𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 // ꜱᴀʀᴀᴡᴀᴛ ✕ ᴛɪɴᴇ

xviii

-Tine

I jumped out of the stranger's arms, but not sparing a second to get a glance at the man. It wasn't time to return to Sarawat, not when I had only made a dent in the answer. Holding my bag close to my body, I ran forward at full speed.

"Tine!" The man called out as the sound of his footsteps came close and closer.

"No! I'm not who you think I am!!" I lowered my voice to disguise my real voice, as I sped up.

To my surprise, the man suddenly reached out and pulled me back by my waist, swinging me around to slow me down. But our feet skidding against the rocks were followed by the gravel turning into dust clouds.

Hastily, I grabbed the man's arms and tried to pry them off but he tightened his grasp, and the sudden feeling of his breath against my neck sent shivers down my spine. "Let me go." I panted, trying to steady my breathing from having ran so hard.

"How could you not tell me you were leaving." He was clearly upset, and there was only one person other than Sarawat who would ask me something like that.

"Drake I-"

"-I told you that I'm here for you, what must I do to make you rely on me a little more." He rested his chin in the crook of my neck, making my ears tingle. But as much as Drake could fluster me, he could never make my heart react the same way that Sarawat does.

I pulled myself out of his embrace and faced him. "I-I love the Duke." I wanted to be transparent with him, I owed him at least that much. His eyes held nothing but sadness but he didn't seem phased.

"I know. I've known since you moved to the palace." He sighed, breaking eye contact. "But I also know how he treated you, Tine."

"None of that matters to me. He's the man I'm destined to be with." I felt shameful saying this to the man who's giving me something I couldn't return.

"Does this have something to do with his 'curse'?" He asked, bringing his attention back to my eyes. My eyes widened a little upon hearing this. How did he know about that? I assumed it would've been something confidential. "It's been the talk of the palace for a while."

"Yeah well, I'm here trying to find an answer because neither of us have that much time left." it felt as if I had swallowed a stone. "Sarawat has half a year if I leave him, but I will only have half a year if I stay by his side."

"Fuck, Tine." Drake ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he held a bitter look on his face.

"That's why you can't take me back yet. And you can't tell Sarawat you saw me." I pleaded, grabbing this hand.

"He has a whole search party out for you, I went off on my own. But they're everywhere." He shook his head, rubbing his face. "He's been wreaking havoc in the palace since you left."

"He'd only get in the way and I can't have that. So please, Drake." Drake sighed in response, reaching out to pat the side of my face.

"You'll stay safe?" He asked, moving his hand to my shoulder. I nodded, giving him an assuring smile. "But promise me one thing."

"Anything." I replied, awaiting this request.

"If you can't find the answer. Then leave. Go as far as you can away from him. If that bastard doesn't live then at least you have to." The look on his face just told me that he meant that with his whole heart.

-3rd POV

"I heard Drake came back early," Sarawat looked up from his paperwork. "Bring him to my office."