The Beauty, The Beast, and The Angel

VII

Word count: 1,900 words

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Chapter 7

I was ignored by both Yuki and Areum for the next moon, with the prince ignoring me, and with Yuki in his room, only leaving to fulfill his duties around the palace. I was with the emperor and Jiwon the majority of the time, discussing our wedding, when it would take place, what it would look like, and who would be invited.

I was sitting in the library, regretting my decision that day to spar with Areum. I'd woken up in my bed in a clean cotton kimono with a glass of water and a white rose by my bed. I'd felt sore the next day, my muscles burning, but I had dragged myself out of bed, only to be greeted by an icy glare at breakfast, and locked doors when I went to Yuki's room.

I tried to see Yuki every day, but the door was never opened for me. I was too prideful to talk to Areum, constantly avoiding him, but it didn't seem like he wanted to see me either. Life around the palace seemed dull, I'd enjoyed my talks with Yuki, listening to his philosophizing, and being with Areum wasn't horrible, even if he snapped at me half of the time. 

I hesitantly knocked on Yuki's door, waiting for a moment, and when I received no answer, I began to walk away, freezing when I heard the lock click. I walked back to see the door opening, hazel eyes peering into mine.

"Yuki!" I said, running towards him, "where've you been?!"

I hugged him tightly, inhaling the familiar sweet scent of magnolias. Worry seeped into my thoughts when I noticed that he was thinner than usual, I could feel his ribs through his shirt. When I pulled away, I was startled with what I saw. His skin was pale, his eyes sunken in with dark purple bags under them, his collarbones and cheekbones quite prominent. He grabbed my hand gently, pulling me inside, as I felt the calluses on his hand.

He covered my eyes, though he had to tiptoe to reach, which I found absolutely adorable, then led me to the center of the room as I stumbled, before regaining my balance. He pulled his hands away, as I took in the newly painted and decorated room.

The first thing that caught my eye was the lack of petals on the floor, so I looked up to see the ceiling painted so that the viewer seemed to be in a snow-covered forest with the moon and stars shining down upon them.

The walls were now a mixture of blue, gold, and grey, blending together and complementing the wisteria, now only growing along the sides of the wall, a painting of it behind the plant, giving the appearance that there was more of the flower than there was in reality.

Above the bed, large magnolias were painted, some fully bloomed, others either buds filled with life, or with petals slowly unfolding, not yet ready to open their eyes. The canopy was the same earthy green, but the sheets were now pearly white and stained a dark plum on top.

The door was painted white and surrounded by the silhouette of trees, sloped so it seemed like the door was in the centre of the tunnel. Strokes of black were hidden in the trees, ethereal and malevolent, hiding in the shadows, causing me to wonder why the swathes of paint were even present in the first place.

"Beautiful," was the first thing that came to mind, as well as, "how long did it take you to paint this entire thing?"

"For about a moon, that's why I didn't talk with you," he said, his voice gravelly with sleep.

I felt him stumble for a moment, before sitting on his bed. I went next to him, pulling him closer to me. He tensed, before resting on my shoulder, before falling to my lap.

I ran my fingers through his hair, the tangled hazel locks slowly unraveling in my touch. He sighed softly, his breathing slowing as he drifted off. I twirled his hair around my fingers, as they stayed curled in my touch, quickly coming undone after I let them go.