The Dragon Beneath Me

Princess Reina glanced at Prince Raiver and then back to Naria. "I will go now," she said abruptly, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. Without waiting for a response, she turned and began to run away from the two of them, leaving both Prince Raiver and Naria speechless.

Naria watched as the princess disappeared into the distance, holding onto her dress once again and lowering her head down. She knew that her new friend was troubled, but she didn't know how to help her.

Meanwhile, Prince Raiver straightened his hand and spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. "It's best if we get to know each other," he said, trying to reassure Naria. "Perhaps then we can meet the princess later."

Naria looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. She knew that the prince was right.

"Ye-yes, of course," Naria replied, her voice stuttering as she accepted Prince Raiver's hand. As they walked through the halls of the palace, an awkward silence hung between them. Naria realized that she knew very little about the prince besides the fact that they were about to be married tomorrow. She felt a pang of worry in her chest. How could she marry someone she barely knew?

To break the tension, Prince Raiver suddenly led her to an amazing, breathtaking garden. In the center of the garden was a golden dragon sculpture that shimmered in the sunlight. The garden was filled with never-ending roses and peonies, their sweet fragrance filling the air. There was a small tea table set up in a cozy corner of the garden, surrounded by comfortable cushions and blankets.

Naria's eyes widened in amazement as she took in the beauty of the garden. She had never seen anything like it before. It was as if they had stepped into a fairytale. Prince Raiver smiled at her, pleased with her reaction. "I wanted to show you this place," he said, gesturing to the garden. "I know we haven't had much time to get to know each other, but I wanted to make this moment special."

Naria felt herself relax as she sat down at the tea table. The prince poured her a cup of tea and they looked at each other for a few minutes…

As they both sat there, Naria realized that the prince was kind and thoughtful, and she found herself warming up to him.

Prince Raiver cleared his throat and spoke up, breaking the silence. "I know I dragged you here, and I'm sorry," he said, his voice soft and hesitant. "But the moment I saw you, I couldn't get my eyes off you. Your splendid dance moves, how gracefully you circled around, and those butterflies...oh, the butterflies." The prince hid his face with his hands, getting shy as he spoke.

Naria observed his behavior, wondering why he was like this. Why wasn't he the tyrant that people had described him to be? What exactly was he?

"Could you tell me more about yourself, Prince?" Naria asked, hoping to learn more about this mysterious man.

Prince Raiver stood in silence for a moment, his eyes distant. "I don't talk about myself," he finally replied, his voice heavy with emotion. "People always see me as a prince, but they never see the real me. They see the power and the wealth, but they never see the person behind it all. The person who has fears and doubts, who feels alone in a crowded room."

Naria listened intently, her heart aching for the prince. She could sense the pain and loneliness that he carried within him. She reached out and placed her hand on his, offering him comfort.

"I want to know the real you, Prince Raiver," she said softly. "Not just the prince, but the person behind the title. I want to know your hopes and dreams, your fears and doubts. I want to know you."

As Naria sat next to Prince Raiver, she realized that her fear of men had vanished. Being next to him, she no longer felt afraid of being touched by a man. There was a strange energy pulling her towards him, and she couldn't deny the intense attraction that she felt towards him.

Suddenly, the prince grabbed her hand and asked, "Who exactly are you, Naria? Every time I see you, I can't stop thinking of you. You're like a personal drug that I can't live without. Whenever you're not near me, I feel lost and incomplete. I want to be with you, touch you, own you..."

Naria felt a shiver run down her spine as she heard the prince's words. They were spoken with such intensity and possessiveness that it made her heart race. She couldn't believe that a prince, a man of such power and stature, was confessing his feelings to her like this.

The energy between them was electric, and Naria found herself leaning closer to the prince. She wanted to be close to him, to feel his touch, and to lose herself in his embrace. For a moment, she forgot about everything else, lost in the intensity of the moment.

But then she remembered who she was and what was expected of her. She pulled her hand away from the prince's grip and stood up. "I am your fiancée, Prince Raiver," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. "And tomorrow we will be married. But until then, we must maintain our distance and respect each other's boundaries."