Did We... Sleep Together Last Night?

Arielle's happy face turned into a gloomy one again, as Ronan watched all the changes carefully. What a strange woman, he thought. As a royal princess, she should learn to control her facial expressions. However, this princess didn't hesitate to show her emotions.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and a man appeared. Ronan just looked briefly then got up to leave Arielle without saying anything else.

Arielle opened her mouth then closed it again, hesitant to ask. The small gesture did not escape Ronan's eyes. When he sensed that Arielle no longer wanted to say anything, the king then walked away.

However, after only taking a few steps, he felt his robe being tugged softly from behind. Ronan signaled his guards to leave him alone.

"What is it, princess?" asked Ronan without turning around.

"W-were we... last night ... uhm..." Arielle choked, unable to continue her words. To be honest, she had never been this close to a man before. Especially, sleeping in the same bed.

Did we... sleep together last night? She wanted to ask that question, but her mouth suddenly went dry, unable to utter the question.

"Whatever you are worried about, it didn't happen. Last night your temperature dropped so drastically, I was just helping to warm you up without doing anything," Ronan replied with a shrug.

"Oh…"

Arielle's face turned as red as a tomato. She unhooked her fingers on King Ronan's robe. The man disappeared behind the door leaving Arielle alone with a faster heartbeat than usual.

She hugged her body which suddenly felt cold, then approached the fireplace for warmth. This room was far more luxurious than her room at Nieverdell.

If she was a prisoner, why was she given such a luxurious room? Then King Ronan's attitude toward her was quite friendly… ah, maybe even too friendly to have to warm Arielle's cold body.

Arielle erased her memory of the strong arms that hugged her this morning. She must focus on surviving in this cold place as well as praying that Tania would be found soon.

***

Arielle had been living in Northendell palace for two days. She was a little confused because the servants at Northendell treated her very well. She was given a luxurious room, lots of warm clothes, and served good food. There were no iron bars or ill-treatment as she had expected.

The maids were always ready at all times at the door of her room. Arielle, who was not used to being followed at first, was quite uncomfortable. So she just spent time in her room.

A personal bodyguard of King Ronan named Lucas said, there was no prohibition for Arielle to explore the palace and its contents. Lucas was one of the King's bodyguards assigned to accompany Arielle while she was in Northendell.

The man often offered to accompany Arielle but was rejected by the girl. Arielle was a little doubtful about all the kindness that Northendell had given her. A prisoner wasn't supposed to be able to move around freely, right?

Arielle walked to the balcony of her room. That afternoon, it didn't snow, but as far as her eyes could see, the ground was always covered by a white layer that never melted.

She looked at the garden that was empty. There was only fountain which water continued to flow. From the steam that came out of the water, the pool was certainly filled with hot water.

KNOCK KNOCK

There was a soft knock on the door, and Arielle opened the door. A servant pushed a trolley filled with lunch. For the first time in Arielle's life, she could eat meals three times a day on time.

She only ate when she felt like it. In Nieverdell, she didn't have a personal maid other than Tania. Even as a princess of a big kingdom, at her debutante party, she didn't get even a single friend from among the nobles.

"Good afternoon, Princess. Is there anything we can help you with this afternoon?"

Arielle looked up and saw Lucas enter the room. While waiting for the maid to prepare her lunch, Arielle looked back at the palace garden.

"Lucas? Did the palace garden never have flowers?" asked Arielle.

Lucas smiled and replied, "There is only one season in Northendell, and not a single flower can bloom in these extreme conditions."

"I heard Northendell is famous for its Frostberries. Do they grow without flowers?"

"The Frostberry tree has no flowers, my lady. If Your Highness wish, we can see it. Mid-year like this is the right time for them to bear fruit."

Arielle thought it was enough for her to stay in the room. In Nieverdell, she could run around freely because no one cared about her. Well... there was no one here that forbid her to explore. However, she was only worried about her position as a prisoner.

Lucas saw Arielle's gloomy expression and smiled.

"King Ronan has ordered us to provide whatever the Princess wants. Being a Northendell's prisoner did not throw away the Princess' status as a royalty. Your Highness will continue to be treated like a royal guest with respect."

Arielle was stunned to hear that. What Lucas said just now really warmed Arielle's heart. This was the first time the girl had been treated like this. She never got more attention as a princess.

Her friends were not from the nobility. Instead, she befriended the servants and bodyguards. She only got treated well when there is a royal party, that is if she got invited. Otherwise, she would spend her days painting the servants.