our beautiful childhood memories 4

i kept flipping over the meat on the roasting machine till it got burnt

"young master! the meat is burning!" kate, my personal maid said and quickly collected the iron steel from my hand

"young master, is everything alright? do you want to go see young lady aliya?" max asked concernly and i sighed

"She asked me not to come see her for a few days" i blurted out "i mean, how can she ask me that? her image keeps popping in my head every second" i whined

"are you...by any chance talking about someone else apart from young lady aliya?" max asked cautiously

"yes, I'm talking about hazel, the girl with the sparkling blue eyes, i told you about her right?" i asked and max nodded "She wants me to stop seeing her for a few days, mom and dad might arrive any moment from now and sneaking out would become as hard as h*ll, she doesn't seem to understand that" i complained sadly

"Well maybe she said that impulsively, she might be longing for you too, why don't you go to the garden maybe she's also waiting there? I'd follow you" max offered

"What, really? thanks max! let me quickly go get my back" i said happily and dashed into my room upstairs

~

Isabella sat on the available bench in the garden and stared into space

"why isn't he here? wait, did he perhaps take my words seriously? geez!...i only said that so that the boy called hulk wouldn't disturb us for a few days" isabella thought aloud and sighed

"My lady, is everything alright? i thought you asked me to accompany you here so i can keep your company, but it seems as though you are waiting for someone else" Sara, Isabella's personal servant said and Isa respired heavily

"sara, we're friends right? i mean, you are the only one who sees me as a friend and not someone superior, everyone else pesters me with the title *your highness, your highness* and i kinda hate it, can't i just live a normal life? i feel like a trapped bird here in the palace, i got large beautiful wings but i can't show it to the world, it's so upsetting" isabella whined, staring blankly into space

"My lady, it seems as though we are thinking in opposite directions, you hate being called with your tittle but i regret being ripped off my title

"As the heiress of the first state minister, i have to live as a servant because of a crime my father didn't commit

"and ashes himself was the one who beheaded my parents, isn't that suspicious?" Sara said with a bitter smile

"My father the king approved the beheading, do you despise him for that?" isabella asked and mara breathed out, with the bitter smile still whiplashed on her face

"Yes, i despise him! every time i see his highness, i'm always reminded of the way he smiled brightly at my parents when we first visited the palace and the day he appointed my father as the first state minister

"i always wonder, why would his majesty approve the beheading? didn't he genuinely liked my family?" Sara asked no one in particular and chuckled sadly "I miss my parents" she said and sniffed in the threatening tears

Isabella forced out a bitter smile

"Ain't you being too sincere? i am his majesty's daughter" isabella said

"You hate him too, don't you?

"for killing the innocent ones, for always treating you differently like a leper because you're human

"for always looking at you with disappointed eyes

"For always drawing you and your brother apart

"for always preventing your mother from nurturing you as a child

"For making you grow alone and live your childhood like you're in your late forties

"I'm sure you hate him for every other thing, seeing him smile with your brother and other stuffs, that's the type of resentment i have in me too but you know what, all you can do is to keep it all in you

"to protect your dear life, you can only keep it all within yourself and that's more upsetting like h*ll" mara said and fought back the threatening tears

Isabella wiped the tear drop that rolled down her cheek and sniffed in

"why must i hold back?" she asked and sara raised her brows

"huh?" sara asked

"To protect my dear life, do i have to sacrifice my happiness and keep suppressing?" isabella scoffed "I might eventually die from depression you know so i can't hold it in forever sara, one day, i promise myself, I'm going to fight for my freedom and go all the way no matter what, even if it means getting rid of my careless family" Isabella said and smiled wryly

_____

"wow, she speaks like an adult" max, who has been eavesdropping with me said

"Her story is more bitter than mine" i sighed

"it's the same thing, your parents lock you up too, and treats you with disdain, they prevent you from seeing young lady aliya and there's no motherly care, its quite similar" max said and squinted his eyes dramatically "who knows, maybe you guys are fated to meet each other, you know what they say, only people with the same story understands each other, the deaf understands the dumb ones better and things like that" max said

"look at you talking like an old wise man'' i laughed "I'd go to her now" i said and came out of our hiding place

"Hey hazel!" i called out and her blue eyes came back to life and shone brightly

She stood up from the bench and rushed into my arms

"I thought you aren't gonna come" she mumbled and i smiled

"Why won't i? i would always come for you" i said and hugged her back

"Jace, don't make too many promises" she said, still hugging me

"why? i will promise you anything that is within my capability" i said

"you know, you can't always do everything even if its within your capability, something above your capability can hold you down and guess what, the most sincere promises are hard to fulfill

"but promise me one thing tho, whatever the circumstance may be, do not ever risk your life for me, i can take care of myself" hazel said and disengaged herself from the hug "I'm glad that you are here" she said with a sweet smile and i reciprocated the smile

"oh my....have you been waiting for me?" i asked dramatically and hazel laughed

"Hazel, you should always smile like this no matter what, the whole universe can turn against you and it would be annoying as h*ll, but always remember one thing, the most important thing is YOU, always think about whatever makes you happy and don't trade it for anything okay?" i said and she smiled

"okay" she nodded

"i brought something for you" she said excitedly and brought out a silver bracelet that keeps glowing and looking dull again

"is this an ordinary bracelet? why does it keep glowing? and then....isn't it strange?" i frowned

"its a soul matcher bracelet, if you click on this blue button whenever you miss me, my heart would start beating, I'm the only with a beating heart in our kingdom, I'd do the same if i miss you

"but the most important purpose of the bracelet is for danger, click it when you are in danger and I'd be there in a swift" hazel explained

"that sounds unique but why are you giving me this? are you planning to go somewhere?" i asked and she stared at me unusually, this time, i could sense mixed emotions swirling inside her eyes

"Hazel, you aren't planning to stop seeing me, are you?" i asked and she looked away, not able to meet my eyes