Pitch Black

Alina got up immediately when she woke up, her eyes widened when she saw the clothes she was wearing, she remembered that she was resting in the river but she woke up in her bed. She thought she was just dreaming but she wasn't wrong someone carried her last night.

'Has anyone seen my naked body?' her cheeks gradually reddened at that thought.

Alina slapped her face to get rid of that idea, she immediately left her bed when she felt that she didn't even have any underwear under her clothes.

'Who dressed me?' Alina asked herself again.

Alina turned to the door when there was a knock and a few moments later Nala entered with some servants who would take care of her before breakfast.

"You need to prepare yourself, especially since there are some guests coming to choose what you need for the change of the palace," Nala reminded Alina.

"Ah yes---" Alina was about to say something when someone pushed her lightly in the bath to make her forget what she was going to ask the girl.

After bathing her in milk mixed with flowers, Alina was dressed in a maroon dress with long sleeves and it was slightly heavier than what she was wearing last night, especially since the fabric underneath was doubled. They fixed Alina's slightly curly hair and braided it around her head, some strands came loose from the tie which added to Alina's innocent face.

After fixing her, she immediately followed Nala into the room where she was going to have breakfast, she didn't think that it was twice the size of the dining area in the Dawn palace, it just needed to be revived and a little repair was all it took it will also be beautiful.

"The king will be with you for breakfast so I hope you don't annoy him if you don't want your ring to crack," Nala warned when she finally got inside.

Alina was about to face Nala when the door was closed for her.

"What else are you doing there?"

Her eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice and quickly followed the direction where she would be healed. 'Just now there was no one sitting there, how did he get there?'

She felt the black hooded man sitting at the head of the table staring but her face was also hidden. She slowly walked for a few minutes before she reached the length of the table, there was no one else but the two of them.

She didn't know if she would sit down or not.

"Will you just stand there?" the urgency and authority in the man's voice was obvious so Alina hurriedly took the right seat.

Various dishes had been prepared for them that morning, she remembered that she would not see Halston much but she did not think that she would be able to join her for breakfast today. She didn't know what to do, his chest was pounding, and it was true that something was different about him because his black and powerful aura was screaming.

Halston was also speechless. Alina moved quickly to get bread and put it on the young man's plate, the young man turned to her, she couldn't read his emotions or if the young man liked what he was doing. He also put a cup of tea in it; Alina thinks that maybe his majesty likes to be served so that's what he's doing.

She was about to take the meat when the young man quickly caught her hand and quickly turned to it. Her heart pounded even more as she felt the young man's cold hand.

"Ma-do you need anything?" Alina asked the other person trembling.

"Do you have a problem?" the young man answered Alina with another question.

"Nothing."

"What are you doing?"

"I serve you, Your Highness."

"But you're not my servant, because you're already the queen of the kingdom."

Alina was stunned by what Halston said. "Sorry."

The young man slowly let go of her, when she turned to the ring she was wearing, her eyes widened when she noticed that another part of it had a crack. She turned back to Halston who was shocked.

'He's mad, you simple thing, he's angry? I don't even know what he wants or needs,' Alina returned to her seat and looked at Halston, who was starting to empty the food she put on his plate. She noticed that even when she was eating, she did not remove the hood he was wearing on his head, so his face was also hidden.

She just took a deep breath, she started eating before the young man got even more annoyed with her.

Halston broke the silence between them when he spoke.

"I heard you intend to repair and beautify the palace?"

Alina turned to Halston and stopped eating. "Yes, if that's okay with you, Your Highness, you won't be angry if I do something in your palace-"

"Go on, just do whatever you want," corrected Halston.

"Really?" Alina nodded like an obedient child.

"There is no problem if you want to change something in the palace, especially since you are its queen, and you call me another Halston---not your majesty."

'Why does it feel like he's frowning? He doesn't seem scary either, there's just something strange about him why I'm left behind, I don't understand, why can't I see his face?'Alina continued wondering what Halston's real face was, she was doing of her own version young man's face in her mind but no matter what she did nothing registered.

She just followed the young man's gaze and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a lot to do so I have to leave, just eat as much as you want."

Alina didn't argue anymore and just let Halston go until he left the room. Alina sighed and clutched her chest. 'What did I get into?'