Imprisoned to Love You [Edited]

♦⊱ Chapter 12 - Change of Heart ⊰♦

Ruka pov:

I sat in silence, looking around the huge room that was Kichiro sama's bedroom. It was twice as big as the one I was staying in, and grand in every possible sense. The bed was just as soft as mine, if not more, and the sheets were of the finest silk I had seen in this time period, even better than that of the clothes I wore.

While I waited for Kichiro sama to be done with his shower, I took the liberty to observe the painted portraits on the wall, stepping up close to them. One painting was of a middle aged couple wearing grand attire and crowns. Four others were individual portraits which I guessed to be brothers, sons of the couple in the first painting. The last portrait though was of a boy younger than the rest with an empty, lonely, and cold look in his eyes. I was almost certain that it was painting of Kichiro sama when he was younger and the other portraits were of his family – his parents and three brothers rumored to have been killed by him.

The portrait of Kichiro sama made me mildly uncomfortable and I stepped away from it just before Kichiro sama walked out of the bathroom. He wore night robes and it was tied loosely around his waist, exposing quite a bit of his bare chest. He was well toned and I averted my eyes feeling embarrassed and a little apprehensive about what was going to happen now.

He took a seat on his bed and held out his hand to me with a word of coaxing. Swallowing thickly, I stepped to him and put my hand in his. I glanced at him gingerly only to frown at his appearance – sure, he had just stepped out of the shower but his hair was still wet, close to dripping water at the tips here and there. I retracted my hand a little forcefully and reached for the towel around his shoulders.

"You should dry your hair or you'll catch a cold!" I said in a scolding tone. Bringing the towel over his head, I began to rub the water of the strands.

I did so for several moments before I tensed and stopped suddenly, realizing just how forward I had been. I also noticed that Kichiro sama had taken a hold of my clothes tightly in his fists, as if he was warning me for stepping out of line. A noticeable tremble came to my hands, my heart was racing and my breathing was quick.

Oh goodness, what did I just do? What on earth was I still doing?!

I had always been a considerate person, caring of others who needed help but this was definitely a stupid move. Perhaps others would have been annoyed with my forwardness but I'm sure Kichiro sama was angry about my behavior. I had been doing my best to stay out of trouble but I had really just made a mess out of things now, hadn't I?

I pulled the towel off his head and stumbled back while watching him in apprehension, "I-I'm so sorry, I- didn't mean to be so forward! I was just-"

"Finish what you started, Ruka." The depth of his voice with a velvety touch to it sent another shudder through me. He was watching me expectantly, his eyes seeming to look into my soul. My eyes stung and I swallowed the prickly lump that had formed in my throat.

My heart hammering in my chest, I shifted closer to him and brought the towel over his head again. I rubbed the wetness out of his hair, but more gently this time. When I felt that his hair was dry enough, I moved the towel away and ran my finger through the loose strands once. I then moved away still holding the towel, having averted my eyes to the floor.

I resisted from flinched when Kichiro sama took a hold of my wrist surprisingly gently and tugged me to the bed. He took the towel from my hands and let it fall to the floor beside the bed as I climbed in next to him. He instructed me to lie down and I did just that, though on my side facing him. I sucked in a sharp breath when he wrapped an arm around me waist to pull me closer to himself. He then propped himself up on one arm and touched the strands of my hair while looking over my face intently.