Chapter 08: Encounter

Evelyn's POV:

Isis moved towards the door. My eyes kept chasing him as the distance between him and the gate grew shorter and shorter. A single step away from its metal shaft, he curled his fingers around the golden handle and pulled the door open. I could not see them as his back blocked the view of the other side of the door. After a few minutes of whispering, my brother stepped aside and stretched out his left arm, welcoming them.

A tall figure dressed in a light blue tunic teamed with white pants and thigh-high black boots, walked into the room, gracefully. His silky blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, with soft bangs falling into his jewel-blue eyes.

The crystal-shaped earrings beautifully accompanied the gold embroidery and chain on his white cape. Seeing his ethereal charisma, my mind could think of only one thing.

"Am I dead? Or maybe I am still dreaming. It must be, otherwise, how can you explain the presence of this exquisite angle before my very eyes?"

I jiggled my head and blinked my eyes several times, but it was all in vain. The same sight flashed before my eyes again and again. Owing to the jerk my head received, the long-last chat of me with Miss Ann, popped up in my mind. She once said that the Royal Family of Euphoria is well-known for its unmatched beauty. But the thing that makes them exceptional and phenomenal is their divine blonde hair, passed down to them by the founder of the Empire who was blessed by the goddess directly.

"If she is right then this person must be the king of Euphoria," the words echoed in my head.

However that was not all, a few steps away from him was the Crown Prince with nape-length, blonde hair, worn in straight bangs which framed his charismatic golden eyes. The first time when I saw him, he did not have blonde hair. Rather it was light brown if I remember. I had heard that the royal family could change their appearance with their mana so that no one could recognize them whenever they go outside of the castle. Witnessing their beauty with my own eyes was something that I never imagined, not even in my dream.

My stare got broken when another beautiful figure stepped inside the room, following them. He was a man with silky brunette hair styled in long side fringe coupled with light cider eyes resting behind the square-rimmed glasses. His right hand held a bundle of neatly arranged papers against his chest.

Isis showed them to the couch beside my bed, but the king walked over to the large open window and sat on its sill with his legs crossed. His back was leaning by the window wall. The blowing wind made his hair brush his handsome face. He was looking quite young in the gleaming moonlight. Standing beside him was His Highness, while a few steps away from them was the man with brunette hair.

I veered around from my seat to greet them, but the blonde-hair man beside the prince signalled by holding his hand up to stop me from moving around. How could I not greet them? After all, I was in the presence of the two highest-ranked monarchs of Euphoria. So, even though I could not stand, I still bowed my head in courtesy.

"Raise your head, young lady," the king spoke in a gentle tone, with a voice full of concern. "How are you feeling now? Are you still in pain?"

Upon raising my head, I found a beautiful smile gracing the king's face and his ocean-blue eyes meeting mine. I averted his gaze as the divine light coming through his beautiful figure was too blinding for my poor eyes. "Your Majesty, the king, it is an honour for me to have your benevolence and concern. To be honest, I don't feel any pain. Rather, I am feeling quite alive, like I have been reborn. I am grateful to His Majesty and His Highness for saving my life," I replied in a serious tone.

"I am glad that you are feeling better now," he said with a smile. "Everyone was so concerned about your health. I have never seen my son so panicked before. Even though he tried so hard to hide it but as a father, I could sense his nervousness. It's amusing to think that he even forgot to have his meals and kept giving you his mana until you felt relieved."

"I apologize for causing so much trouble."

"There's no need to apologize. The one who should apologize is my son. I told him so many times to be careful but look at the mess he has created," his calming voice hit my ears.

"Ooh... Now that I remember it... What happened to the ones who were behind the kidnapping of His Highness? I know, all of them are dead. But there must be a mastermind behind this case. I believe he is still hiding somewhere. We should catch him as soon as possible so that he could not harm His Highness anymore,"

Laughter broke out in the air. Everyone giggled as if I had told them some sort of joke. That was a serious matter. I was just a little bit concerned for the prince. What's so bad about it?

"So, what do you think about it, Edward? Don't you think Zen's mana has started to show its colour?" the king asked the brunette hair man, still chuckling.

"I agree with Your Majesty. However, I also believe this is the young lady's true nature. Kind and Considerate!" he said, adjusting the temple of his glasses with the tip of his fingers.

I looked at them in confusion, as I could not comprehend the meaning behind their actions and words. Sitting across the window, the king's titter was no way near the end. While the prince's cheeks were flushed with a tint of light pink. My brother stared at me like a mother whose kid embarrassed her in public. Really, would anybody explain it to me?

"Ahem!..." the brunette hair man held his hand near his upper lip, cleared his throat, and said. "My lady, we highly appreciate your thoughts. However, right now you should focus on your recovery and leave everything else to us. We will do our best to provide you with the best treatment."

I wanted to sink myself in an ounce of water or anything that could save me from this embarrassment. How could I be so dumb? I asked about the prince right off the bait. So, of course, they would misunderstand it. On top of that, my blood could not bear my clumsiness and began to boil, making my cheeks rosy red.

"We should, now, come to the real point," the king spoke in a serious tone, leaving the room in silence. His voice was still calming, but it had a more profound effect on us like we were forced to oblige to it, no matter how hard we try to resist. Everyone's eyes settled on the quiet king, waiting for him to break the ice. Luckily, he did not keep us long.

"Zenier, go and check out her core. I know that right now she has no problem with her mana flow, but it will lead to serious trouble if left unattended," he said, looking at the crown prince with his ocean-blue eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the prince said, bowing his head. Right after the courtesy, he walked passed the brunette hair man, then my brother, and then finally stopped near the left side of the bed. He stretched out his right hand before me and said. "My lady, may I have your hand?"

"Ooh, Yes!" I brought my left hand out of the blanket, held it before him, and looked up into his golden eyes, which were shining like a morning sun. He stood there silently, penetrating deeply into my eyes. Now what?

"My lady... Right hand!" he said, holding his other unstretched hand closer to his lips, averting my gaze.

Not again! I hurriedly pulled back my hand and hide it under the white blanket. Ohh Gosh! What am I even doing? Back in old days, as a kid, I used to count the number of times my sword hit the target in a day. Now it looked like I had to start counting once again, but the count would be of the number of times I have done embarrassing things.

His outstretched light-skinned hand was still waiting for mine. I immediately raised my right hand and gently put it on his. This time I did not look into his eyes, but rather keep them down. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gleaming light broke through my half-opened eyelids and made me reflexively close the remaining gap, tightly. Its intense energy didn't even give me the chance to blink. When the light faded away, after a few seconds, I slowly opened my eyes, still hesitating. A certain sight mirrored in my eyes, making my brows raise.

"Now what is it on my hand?" I screamed in my head.