71 WOUNDED HEART

"I wish I could stick around and spend a little more time with you."

Raigon uttered under his breath.

It was the reason why he was here in the first place.

He glanced away to the sea and to the direction of the Ball's Pyramid and heaved out a deep sigh.

'Fortunately, King Artair permitted me to have a vacation in Mount Hengcheng.'

It is a small town sprawled at the foot of one of their mountains and is the place where Azra was born.

While it was true that Raigon visited his grandparents, he didn't make a night of it.

He accepted Erin's invitation because he knew he would meet Zoe on Lord Howe Island through this event.

Hr glanced again at Zoe who was looking at a distance.

'I have to talk to you before you leave this isle. I hope you could come to Terra with me. I'm just looking for the right opportunity to ask you out.... No matter how difficult it is.'

His eyebrows furrowed. He didn't know wherr to start.

He didn't want to get ahead of her and torment her with the memories of her parents ' death in their city.

But he didn't want to let this chance pass.

He glanced again at her. He tried to practice as he talked to her in his mind.

'When I was young, I reasoned that I would just forget about you. You cannot dwell on our island anyway. Your life would only be in danger. The citizens of Terra would not allow another stranger, even just an innocent woman, on the island. They have witnessed enough blood.'

'I helped you escape from the island then, fifteen years ago. After that, I tried to forget you by focusing on my training to be the next King.

'There are a lot of beautiful young women who came to the castle, who were introduced by their families, but none managed to make my heart beat wild as you are doing now.'

'I have no idea I would see you again. I presumed you are already on the other side of the world. I didn't have any notion that fate would bring you back to this island, and would give me a second chance.'

'Despite my zeal for protecting your life and preventing another catastrophe from happening to you, my thirst to be with you could not be quenched, especially in the previous days that we were together.'

'I would go insane if I let you go again.'

He gazed at her lovely face, who was beaming at him at that instance as they were teasing each other.

"I will never make the same mistake again," he resolved to himself.

"What mistake?" Zoe probed on him.

"What? Did I just spoke it out loud?" He stuttered.

As he did so, he caught her fellow castaways murmuring with each other and glancing in their direction.

He didn't want to cause a scene for her, so he excused himself.

"Just weather the storm. I'm watching over you," Raigon said his last words before leaving her.

He went back to his seat with the dean and their class adviser.

From their position, he could see the whole scenario. He pretended to scan the area to escape malicious glances from her batch mates.

But his eyes would always fall on Zoe.

'Why does she seemed to be distant and aloof from all of them?'

Raigon has no idea about her relationship with them or how that happened.

But he was glad he was around, just in case something wrong would happen to her.

"Here are your buffs which will categorize you for your tribe. Please don't remove it and wear them all throughout our challenges."

Erin and Koby distributed a piece of cloth to each castaway.

"The red-colored cloth will be for the Norfolks and the blue for the Tasmans."

They were situated at the opposite ends of their area.

"All the Norfolk please be on the right, and the Tasman please go to the left side."

The council was in the middle, in front of the challenge spot.

He saw Koby slightly stopping by Zoe and talking with her. Raigon scrunched his forehead.

"Is he Zoe's friend? Why does he keep on talking casually with her?" He muttered under his breath.

Mr. Fu overheard him and asked about his concern.

"Are you a friend of Zoe?" He asked in a kind voice.

He looked at him and scrutinized if he was on Zoe's side or not.

'He seemed friendly and considerate.'

He decided to open up himself slightly to him.

"I believe so, sir,"

He answered him in a respectful tone.

"Stay by her side, son. That child has gone through a lot."

Raigon gazed at Zoe. The people around her are giggling and boisterous in excitement.

However, she was facing the sea and checking her watch every now and then

'Is she just waiting for it to end even before it starts?'

Raigon drew in a deep breath.

Mr. Fu continued on as he lifted his eyeglasses from drifting down his nose.

"She was strong and appeared as if she was always distancing herself and pushing others away. But she has a good soul. She just doesn't want to be hurt anymore by those who might betray her trust."

Raigon's lips turned down as he heard that.

His shoulders dropped as the guilt feeling, which he deemed was dead, resurrected in his inmost being again.

'I am one of those people who have broken her trust. That's the reason why I can't reveal myself so easily to her. I couldn't risk my renewed relationship with her.'

"Don't worry, son," Mr. Fu comforted him as he tapped his stooped shoulders.

"True love can heal a wounded heart."

He gave him a reassuring smile.