LUNA

34: Midnight Meeting

"Kayong dalawa, sa kwarto ko, ngayon 'din"

Yaan kaagad ang bungad saaming dalawa ni Sage pagkapasok namin sa palasyo. Cayden is here already, and he was walking at a fast pace to somewhere when he saw us enter the palace's thresholds. Wicked. I thought. His old image to me came back when I saw how dark his amber eyes were. The Cayden that I've witnessed these past few days is nowhere to be seen, so when I asked him what's the problem, I addressed him with formality.

Your Highness— I said that.

"You will know the second we're in my chambers"

'Yan lang 'rin ang sagot niya saakin habang sinusundan namin siya ng lakad. Nasa likod lang niya kami. Cayden stands like how a prince should be— no. Right now, he walks like he's the king. He doesn't proclaim the title for himself, the title is claiming him already even though he's still the crown prince. Cayden walks so gracefully and controlled even though he's walking fast. Any emotion is stripped off of his face, and only the slight clenching of his jaw right now is the indication that he'd known something horrible for him to be this uptight—without looking uptight.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Sage ng saglit. May kaugnayan kaya ang nangyare kanina sa sasabihin ng prinsipe? Kinuha ni Sage ang kamay ko at bahagya itong pinisil bago tabihan ang prinsipe sa paglalakad.

I hid my smirk and dug both of my hands inside the pockets of Sage's jacket. This guy is the only one who can level the crown prince's stance. Hindi ito natatakot na tabihan ang prinsipe.

Kung tutuusin nga, parehas lang silang mukhang hari kung gumalaw. Like Cayden, Sage is giving off kingly vibes from the way he moves. Strong. Manly. Powerful. Vicious. Respected. Superiority roaring from his aura. Graceful in a manly way. The only difference is— Cayden is entitled to be one, Sage isn't.

"Something happened in your visit?" Dahil sa tanong ni Sage, bumalik ang pagka-attentive ko sa nangyayare ngayon. "Your highness?"

Every sentinels patrolling the hallways stopped and bowed down kahit hindi na namin sila pinapansin. The prince is here. They're just doing their jobs. Curiosity wells up together with their personal scents, and I know that they're itching to know what's happening right now too.

"The dragon king should just drop dead" napantig ata tenga ko sa sinabi ni Cayden. Dragon king? "He's not willing. Akala ko ba napag-usapan na ang lahat? Why is he suddenly backing out?"

"Pumunta ka sa Ladon?" Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili at nagtanong na ako.

Biglang tumikhim si Sage at napagtanto kong may kulang sa sinabi ko.

"Your highness?" Dagdag ko kaagad.

Lumiko kami at saktong nakita ko kung paano dumilin ang mga mata ni Cayden.

"Yes, pumunta siya doon" Sage answered me ng hindi nagsalita ang prinsipe. "Kaya siya wala kanina"

"Should I tell my guards to tighten the security here? You two seem to leave the palace so often now"

Humalukipkip ako sa sinabi ng prinsipe. Sage hides his grin.

"I'm not running away from you, your highness. Kung yaan ang tinutukoy mo" sabi ko.

Cayden waves his hand lazily. "Patay ka na dapat ngayon kung ganoon nga. I know you're smart, Sahar" Tumaas kilay ni Sage sa narinig. "Smarter than this, though—" tinignan niya si Sage ng mariin bago binalik ang tingin sa harapan. "You two are dating now?"

Walang sumagot saaming dalawa ni Sage. Hinintay kong si Sage ang magsabi sakanya, pero mukhang wala ata itong plano. Something like annoyance crawled into me. Why is he not talking now? Is he hesitant? Still skeptical of me? Was I not clear earlier at the lake? I did mention that he's someone... fucking bullshit.