My Enemy, My Love

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔢

×××👑×××

Two weeks later

I folded up the letter with a heavy heart and let it fall on my desk. The words were final despite how many times I reread it, and the truth of it, inescapable: I was to marry Princess Chariya. It was no longer some distant possibility hovering silently above my head; it had arrived and felt more daunting than initially anticipated. For as long as I could remember, I'd known this day would come. Duty, as the heir to the throne, was never an option - it was a responsibility I had carried on my shoulders since birth. And now, that responsibility was becoming a reality that was impossible to avoid. 

I couldn't find a reason to rebel against their wishes, to retaliate, or even anger myself with the betrothal. I should have felt frustrated. There was a small part of me that expected to be furious with my parents for sealing my future like this, especially right after exams; the whole affair felt rushed, as if they had found themselves in some perpetual situation at home that required urgent attention. 

But I wasn't surprised by the letter or Mama's revelation, and I could not loathe her. She had prepared me well for it over the years - the term "marriage" and its significance always woven itself in our conversations and lessons at the palace. It was not love, she said, but an alliance. Duty pressed down on my chest, but this was due to be my life from that day onwards - bound to the crown, with all of its demands and expectations. 

The Princess of Chiang Mai was not just a woman; she was a key to solidifying our kingdom's future. And mother was right - marrying her would bolster trust, trade, and power between our kingdoms. In many ways, it was the perfect match.

So why did it feel so wrong?

I tried to shake off the feeling, thinking back to Princess Chariya. She was beautiful and there was no denying that - her presence stunned a room with an elegance that most women could only dream of. We had crossed paths at Lord Saetiao's party in Kelasin, where her smile had shone like the moonlight through the glass windows. I wasn't blind to her charms. I had even, for a moment, imagined what it would be like to know her better. 

She commanded attention effortlessly, every head turning as she glided into the room with practiced grace - even Lord Saetiao's gaze followed her. 

I couldn't dwell on it. My exams had already drained enough from me. I packed my bags, throwing in clothes carelessly - there would be time tomorrow to sort it out before my departure. 

Tonight, I needed to forget. I needed to be free, if only for a few hours.

=========

I found Meili and Anurak by the courtyard fountain, their laughter echoing through the night. Cherry glasses in hand, they looked so happy, so unburdened. I was content, too, but a part of me still envied them. The orchestra played some festive tune inside the great hall, but we were far enough away that all we could hear were drunken cheers and the occasional sound of someone vomiting into the rose bushes. 

At least they were fortunate -- unlike me, their lives wouldn't be irrevocably changed by the end of the month. Not for a while, anyway.

Meili shoved her glass into my hand. "Some cherry for you, my love!" she grinned, her eyes bright and mischievous. 

I hated the taste of it, but I drained the sweet, red liquid in one go. It was easier to play along than to explain what I had learned only hours ago. The news of my marriage stayed lodged in my throat, unspoken. Tonight wasn't about duty or kingdoms. Tonight was about us three, the end of an Era, and the future of our friendship. 

"I can't believe it's over," Meili said, her voice full of nostalgia. "Exams done, and now...who knows where we will be in the next ten years?"

"Hopefully somewhere without any of those terrible examiners," Anurak muttered, already swaying a bit from the alcohol. "I'll be in bed for the next month, so don't even consider sending me letters. I won't read them," he warned, shaking his head with fervent conviction. A few drops of cherry splashed on his white jacket and he cried out in disappointment. 

"Don't be ridiculous! If you ignore my letters, I'll come straight to Phuket and drag a reply out of you myself, got it?" Meili laughed as she threw her arms around both of us, her embrace filled with a bittersweet warmth. "I'm really going to miss you both."

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. I wasn't ready to say goodbye -- not to them, and not to the life we'd built together here. It felt strange that this was the end -- years of shared laughter, tears, the fights and reconciliations. I loved them both dearly, and more than anything, I wished we could stay together forever. But life had other plans, its inescapable hands already pulling us in different directions. 

As Anurak wriggled out of the hug, he spilled his cherry all over my jumper, mumbling a slurred apology through his drunken haze. Meili playfully smacked him on the arm, scolding him with mock outrage for ruining my clothes. I just laughed it off, gently pried them apart before the squabble could continue, and excused myself, heading inside to clean up.

And that's when I saw him.

Luka leaned against the doorframe of the corridor, arms folded across his chest, watching me with that signature smirk. "Well, well, if it isn't my favourite person ever," he drawled, blocking my path. His eyes glinted with mischief, following mine with a flicker of threat, daring me to engage. "What's the rush?"

I wasn't in the mood for his games, but Luka never gave me a choice. "Move," I said, trying to brush past him, his insolence starting to crawl under my skin.

"Had a bit too much to drink, have we?" he taunted, his voice laced with childish mockery. "You've spilled Cherry all over your cashmere jumper," he sneered, poking the fabric with his finger, his grin widening. 

"Fuck off, Luka," I snapped, pushing past him harder this time, but he stayed close, following me down the hallway like a shadow.

"Come on, Thyme," he teased. "Aren't you going to say goodbye properly? This could be the last time we see each other, you know."

His question ignited a wave of irritation, and I spun around sharply to confront his infuriatingly handsome face. "Isn't that the whole point? Finally, I won't have to deal with you anymore."

He stepped closer, his presence magnetic despite my frustration. "Hm, not sure how I feel about that," he said, voice softening, almost intimate. "Who am I going to annoy now?"

"Literally anyone else," I shot back, trying to maintain my anger, but there was something in the way he looked at me that made it hard to focus. His grin wasn't just mocking -- it was something else, something deeper that I couldn't quite place.

"You'll miss me," he said quietly, a glimmer of something serious behind the taunt.

I laughed, narrowing my eyes at him. "In your dreams, Luka."

He smiled, that infuriating, knowing smile. "Maybe. But you'll dream of me too."

I turned away, anger and something else -- something unsettling -- twisting inside me. I didn't want to think about what he meant by that. I didn't want to feel the way my heart skipped a beat when he spoke. But even as I walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that, somehow, he was right.

And in the days that followed, I hated how much I thought about him.

***=====***

there will be MANY MORE interactions between these two, especially as the story progresses - i'm keeping it light for now, because the more SERIOUS stuff happens much, much later. 

i mean, they will be stuck with each other at some point, right?

and Anurak and Meili are not disappearing either...

don't forget to vote/comment - i love you guys sm!