31 Aren't We Friends?

Ronan immediately spun around and sat with his back to Arielle. It made the young woman feel guilty because she didn't realize he would react this way. It was as if she had opened Pandora's box. Arielle touched Ronan's shoulder gently.

The man's body suddenly shook with laughter.

"I look terrible, don't I?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, you look like everyone else, Your Majesty."

"Liar," said Ronan with a snap.

Arielle didn't understand why the man felt so bad that she'd seen his face. Arielle had even admitted to herself that Ronan was very handsome.

To her, the man was more handsome than her eldest brother, Prince Alexis, who was famous for his good looks throughout the South.

Arielle rubbed her face to get rid of the sleepiness and realized she needed to comfort him. She crawled to sit in front of the man. However, when Arielle finally reached and sat down in front of him, Ronan turned his back to Arielle and avoided her.

Arielle kept trying to meet his face, but Ronan kept dodging and prompted the girl to move faster. She was finally able to step in front of Ronan and then cupped the man's face.

"You look handsome. What's so terrible about your face?" asked Arielle as she scanned Ronan's face once more. "I don't understand."

Ronan shook his head and pulled Arielle's hands away from his face.

"No. Just forget it."

"Why? Aren't we friends?"

Ronan was silent for a moment. His red eyes stared at Arielle's black eyes in confusion.

"Friends? What friends?"

"You and I, Your Majesty," Arielle looked at him earnestly. "I thought we are friends."

The man blinked, still unable to believe what he had just heard.

"We're not friends?" asked Arielle frantically. "I-I'm... I'm so, sorry..."

She panicked because she was embarrassed about what she had just said. She might have been too confident about the relationship between them.

How presumptuous! How dare she think she was on the same level as the great king of Northendell that they could be friends.

The princess immediately withdrew her hands from his face because she felt ashamed.

Did she misinterpret Ronan's gestures and behavior? Arielle thought the man treated her well because he considered her as a friend. Wasn't His Majesty willing to teach her to learn to read and write?

Wait. Did Ronan just feel sorry for her? Did he feel sorry because she had such a hard life being the forgotten princess from Nieverdell?

"You want us... to be friends?" Ronan asked with a quiet voice.

Arielle didn't answer. She was staring down at her hands in her lap. She was feeling so confused about her own thoughts.

Ronan suddenly chuckled and then rubbed his forehead.

Friends, huh? Ronan nodded to himself. He liked the idea. He had never had a female friend before. The women who came to him always ended up in his bed, and he left them the next day.

For some reason, when he heard Arielle confess that she thought of him as a friend, his heart fluttered. Ronan gently lifted Arielle's face to look at him.

"Are you sure you don't mind seeing the scar on my face?" he asked her quietly. "You're not scared?"

Arielle glanced at the long scar on the king's face once more, then nodded slowly.

"In Northendell, only William, Lucas, Priest Elis, and Priest Louise, the one who gave me the blessing when I was coronated as king, have ever seen my face. And now you too, Arielle."

Arielle's face reddened when Ronan said her name.

"Is that caused by your battle with the dragons?" Arielle asked him.

Ronan touched his scar sadly, then shook his head. "This is something that my mother left behind before she died."

Ronan unbuttoned several buttons of his shirt. Several scars could be seen across the man's body. Arielle winced at the thought of how much pain Ronan must have experienced when he sustained the injuries that left those scars.

"These are the scars I got from my battle with the dragons."

"Oh..." Arielle touched the man's chest in front of her. Her fingers traced the scars gently.

"It must have been very painful when the wounds formed," said Arielle sympathetically. Ronan's gaze sharpened as he felt her warm touch on his body. It clouded his vision.

The king realized he needed to stop this before it was too late, but his adrenaline kept his lips shut. He wanted to enjoy this some more. He wanted Arielle to continue to touch him.

However, she finally stopped. Ronan sighed in relief when the princess pulled back her hand. Now Ronan sat still quietly as he watched Arielle button his shirt back.

"Thank you for trusting me as a friend and letting me see you," Arielle said with a smile.

Ronan batted his eyes slowly. He grabbed Arielle's body then laid her back on the bed. Then, he turned the girl over so he could hug her from behind. How could there be such a precious princess like this woman?

"Go to sleep. Dawn is still a few hours away," Ronan hoarsely said.

"But I have to return to the Whitethorn palace. Tania must be worried."

Ronan closed his eyes. "I already gave her the news through Lucas. Tonight, you can stay here. I want to celebrate the first day we become friends."

"By sleeping?" asked Arielle innocently.

It made Ronan's already closed eyes suddenly open again.

"I know there are other better ways to spend time together, but I don't think it's appropriate for friends to do that. Maybe later, when you want to be more than a friend, I can give it to you."

"More than a friend? You mean... best friends?" asked Arielle once again.

Her innocent question made Ronan let out a long sigh. The king felt vexed and then he bit Arielle's shoulder from behind which made the princess jump in surprise.

"What are you doing?" asked Arielle and pulled away. She panicked and grabbed hold of her shoulder.

Ronan chose not to answer. Instead, he pulled Arielle back into his arms.

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From the author:

Ronan is soooo enamored by Arielle. Yeah... I know you must wish this scene leads to snusnu.. lol, but at this point, they are 'friends'. He must hold back a bit since Arielle is so young and inexperienced.

Be patient! The right time will come for snusnu and it will be glorious. I promise XD