Chapter Seven

"Is this food from your kingdom?"

"Yes, is it to your liking?" Ashan asked.

"It tastes more flavorful and richer than food in Gaia. I like it a lot! The desserts are my favorite."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it! You've had these before when we attended the royal academy, but I'd like to reintroduce you to my culture. To replace the missing memories." He said with a sad smile.

"Well, would you allow me to learn more about you over the next few months?" Eleanor asked eagerly.

"Yes, you don't have to ask me. I've been waiting for you to ask since the day we reunited. What do you want to know? I'll tell you anything." A pause. "Could you allow me to get to know you better?"

"I think you already know me though. It could be a waste of your time here. We don't have much time until you leave"

"It wouldn't be a waste. I have 3 months until I have to return home." Ashan said seriously, "It's been years since we last spoke, and even if you still had the old memories I would still need to get to know you again because you've grown up and changed."

"Fair point."

A butler rolled a cart filled with canvases and paint towards the two. Eleanor looked confused at the sight.

"A little surprise. I wasn't sure if you've painted before, but I thought it would be a fun activity while eating. If you find it to be uninteresting, we don't have to do it." He insisted.

"I've never been allowed to paint, so I'll try it!" Eleanor looked like a child receiving a present. "Ashan, this will be truly a fun morning activity."

The butler placed all the painting supplies on the picnic blanket and took his leave. Minutes after the two started to paint, Ashan got the courage to ask the question he had wanted to ask for the last few hours.

"Eleanor…this question may seem abrupt during this beautiful picnic, but I need to get it off my chest." He took a deep breath. "Yesterday, we were intimate together. It meant a lot to me since I care and love you. I've craved deeply to pleasure you and touch you over the years that my love has grown. I want to know if there was a reason behind yesterday?"

Eleanor looked at Ashan deeply, "I am unsure if my answer will satisfy your question, but I'll answer the best I can. When you first came in rushing into my room, I thought you were an odd person. Within a few seconds, I felt a strange emotion I hadn't felt ever. The emotion I felt yearned for your touch and your warmth. Ashan, I lost my memories, but I still feel the connection and familiarity that you hold in my heart." She placed her hand on his and looked deeply.

"Thank you for telling me. It makes me feel better that I wasn't something meaningless to you…" He looked shy while painting his portrait.

"Since you asked a question, I will ask one as well. You often project your love in such a bold manner, yet you seem unconfident in the things you do for me. I noticed it in what you just said. Why is that?" She felt slightly confused at his behavior.

"I will need a moment to think about that. I never really thought I did that until you told me." A minute later he began to come up with potential answers. "As a child, I was awfully lonely. I was lonely in Jamillia and in Gaia too. In Jamilla, I was neglected by my parents and raised by several maids. I would always try to seek affection from my parents by giving them gifts and trying to fit their mold…I could never please them even until this day. My parents never showed their love for me or anyone except for an old maid who showed me, such motherly love. She taught me how to care for other people and find people who love me. Over a few months of experiencing the love the maid gave me, I no longer sought the approval of my actual parents because I learned they didn't care for me. My mother and father became jealous because I no longer clung to them and murdered the maid to teach me a lesson. However, I still don't understand what they were trying to teach me." Ashan looked unsettled by retelling his past. He felt ashamed. "I constantly still think about her. I feel responsible for her death. I never got to tell her how much I appreciated and loved her."

The princess was saddened by hearing about his past. She thought to herself how could people be so cruel as to traumatize their son by taking away the only person that felt a deep motherly connection with their son.

"Ashan, are you scared that the people you love will eventually go away?" Eleanor looked deeply concerned.

He looked to the left avoiding eye contact. "I am scared of that fact every day. When I was forced to return to Jamilla during the royal academy, I left you without truly confessing my feelings towards you. It made me feel uneasy leaving you without a proper confession because somehow I felt like you'd leave me like how my maid did."

Eleanor turned his head to face her and spoke, "I won't leave you. We will stand side by side together."

A tear dropped and then multiple, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Eleanor wiped the tears off of Ashan's face with a handkerchief.

Margaret came towards their picnic with a fastened step. "Your highnesses, I apologize for interrupting your breakfast. We must enter the carriage, so you both can explore the capital."

"Oh, yes, I remember we are on a slightly tight schedule today. Margaret, you go ahead, we will follow behind."