17 Chapter 17: Please don't behead me!

Holding a pale, shuddered look on his face, Noah wadded his orbs round at the guard who approached him out of blue. He was petrified and gulped his saliva as his hands trembled a little. Chilling shivers ran down his spine.

The guard seemed to hold a grumpy expression on his face while glaring still at Noah. Watching him grow pale, he uttered in a disgruntled tone, "Are you fuckin' deaf?"

"N-No, Master..." His low voice almost choked in fear as Noah responded back to him, trying to endure the pounding in his heart. The fear of getting his disguise exposed in that horrific castle had consumed him entirely.

The guard shrugged his broad shoulders and scorned him, "What are you doing?

'F-Fuck, did I get caught already?' The alarmed thoughts filled his mind as Noah anxiously asked him, "Did I do anything wrong, M-Master?"

"Why are you soiling the fruits with your damn filthy blood?" Gritting his sharp jaws, the guard scorned him again in front of everyone, raising his pitch higher.

At his rumble, Noah nervously peeked down on his finger where he was bleeding profusely from the deep cut. The entire wooden platform was tainted with his blood drops. He understood the guard didn't discover his identity yet but was mad at him for spilling his blood on the fruits.

Indeed, he realized, those fruits were more worthy to him than a servant's life!

"Did you want to offer your blood-soiled fruits to the large banquet today? Are you a damn moron?" The guard stomped his leather boots hard on the ground, sounding very angry as he rebuked.

'What a cold-hearted bastard!' Noah cursed inside his mind and immediately covered his bleeding finger with his other arm before he bowed his head, "Master, pardon me. Please give me a moment, the bleeding should stop---"

"Get out and no need to come back here inside!" The guard pointed his arm outside the yard of the servant quarter and yelled at him to leave. "Someone else, take over his duty, hurry! We gotta serve for the banquet!" His wadded eyes looked very furious as he ordered them.

Even though Noah was offended at his barbaric behavior, he had no spare choice rather but to keep himself composed in that awful place. He realized the place was indeed worse than hell and it was a great challenge for him to survive for the whole night.

He exhaled a heavy displeased sigh and slowly walked outside the quarter to the open yard, holding his blood-soaked arm. It was hurting too much for him, while blood droplets spilled all the way he walked out.

"Gosh, what a fuckin' bastard! I can't believe it...how can they be so cruel to us? Now I really feel they are indeed heartless monsters! Whatever the Chief told me...I guess the rumors were all true--"

BUMP!

"Ouch!"

Grumbling on his way outside being immersed in his own thoughts, all of a sudden, Noah bumped his shoulders into a giant, majestic, masculine figure that disrupted his motion. His posture disheveled a little, but, suddenly a strong grip of arm held him by the waist, forbidding him from falling down.

At the sudden commotion created out of blue, Noah panicked a bit before he confusedly lifted his eyes up. His orbs wadded round and wide, noticing the ethereal view before him.

A divinely gorgeous, young, and handsome man was holding him by his waist, peering a deep gaze into his bewildered, pale face. His soft silver-white hair drifted on his forehead with the breeze and his smooth skin glowed like a pearl under the daylight. His beautiful big brown eyes had a vague look prominent while he was looking at him.

But most importantly, Noah almost turned cold and pale in shock to notice the man was dressed up in a glorious, embellished royal attire, with a long blue magnificent cape pinned on his shoulder. His jaw dropped with the quick realization that only the members of a royal family would be dressed in such lavish attire, so as this person!

However, poor Noah didn't have the slightest hunch that he had bumped into the second beta prince of the royal kingdom, Illay.

"P-Pardon me!?" Like a skittish kitten, Noah immediately parted away from his embrace and knelt down on the ground, badly shaking in fear.

However, a cryptic smirk sliced the corner of his soft cherry lips as Illay watched him getting on his knees with such a jolt. His curious eyes were focused on observing him for a while before he gently mumbled, "I have...never seen you before?"

'Fuck! That lady had warned me never to lift my head to look at the royal family...and...I can't believe it, how can my luck worsen this much? How can I bump into a royal member?' Consumed by his alarming thoughts, chills ran down his spine making Noah shiver more, as he bowed his head down much as possible.

The more Illay watched his skittish reaction, the more his curiosity overwhelmed him inside. He walked a step closer to him and inquired again, "Hello, I am talking to you..."

"P-Please...Please d-don't behead me..." Absorbed in fear and uncertainty, without even realizing it himself, Noah had started sobbing, while his ocean eyes were swelled. Keeping his head down facing the ground, he pleaded in a shaky voice as drops of tears fell down his cheeks.

"I...I am sorry, I am new here and I really hadn't noticed you, My Lord. Please...forgive this naive servant...Have mercy on me."

Startled at his plea, Illay stood numb for a few seconds, frowning his brows with little confusion. Peering a deep gaze at him, he inquired, "What? Behead..."

"I will be mindful never to appear on your way ever, but...just for today...please, spare my life, My Lord...Please don't behead me." Noah cut in between his sentence before he could finish his words.

However, watching him plea and beg like an innocent scared kitten, an amused smirk slowly etched on his lips. Illay didn't utter a word further and slowly reached him close as he answered, "Why do you think I will behead you? Are there such ridiculous rumors floating around?"

Noah paused shivering for a moment and gulped his saliva hearing his answer. Slowly, he mustered his courage to lift his gaze up to look at him as he mumbled in a shaky voice, "P-Pardon? R-Rumors?"

Meeting his surprised gaze, a crafty smirk widened on his face as Illay answered him back in a soft tone, "I don't understand why are you so scared of me, but how can I possibly behead an innocent kitten like you?"

His low, deep masculine voice sounded like a soft melody echoed under the blooming spring.