"You have to stop doing that."
"Stop doing what?"
"Saying things that make me want to kiss you when I can't."
Becoming the prince's personal bodyguard should be a dream come true, shouldn't it? Good pay, palace life, but the real gem that ever...
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"The princess of Vesna?" I exclaim, incapable of hiding my shock.
"Yes but you can't mention her name. Not here at least. No one can know." Casimir shushes me and my lips purse into a thin line.
Then it hits me.
He could not have possibly been behind something like this, could he?
"Goodness gracious Casimir, did you kidnap her?" I question as quietly as I could, fretful of what his response might be.
His irises widen in disbelief and he instantly denies the accusation.
"No, of course not!"
I immediately let out a sigh of relief. For a second there, my life had just flashed before my eyes. If Casimir had been responsible for the abduction of a princess under my watch, who knows what the king might think. Perhaps I would be fired or worse, banished from Acreria.
Of course, it might seem ridiculous to assume that Casimir, a prince, would abduct his ex-lover. Though, I cannot be blamed for my suspicions. After all, he has done lots of questionable things throughout his father's reign.
"Then how did she get kidnapped?" I ask almost inaudibly.
"God knows," he lets out a sigh of defeat and starts to pace around the room anxiously.
"Well, what do you plan to do? She was your lover, wasn't she?" My voice grows softer with each word, resembling a decrescendo.
I cannot explain it. I felt envious.
By no means am I jealous of Rosalia nor did I like Casimir. In fact, to even come close to liking him as merely an acquaintance would be too much of a stretch. However, I cannot deny that I am slightly envious of Rosalia, seeing how worried Casimir is for her despite their failed relationship.
Perhaps a part of me desires for a love as passionate as theirs.
I suppose anyone would.
If only our love had been that. Had betrayal not been so cruel, maybe then we could have been something more than an if.
It seems that I have been dazing off and I quickly come back to my senses when Casimir stops abruptly in his tracks.
"Was," he emphasises, pausing hesitantly for a short while. "I can't just sit by and do nothing, Rissa."
I raise an eyebrow, puzzled by his honesty.
"And what's stopping you? You are going to be king someday. Guards fall at your command."
"It's not that simple." Casimir bites his bottom lip in uncertainty. He then looks at me and explains. "Acreria hasn't been on good terms with Vesna since my courtship with Rosalia had ended. If I get involved in her rescue and word spreads, it could be misinterpreted as an attempt to pursue her again."
