24. to set out on an expedition

Sasha pov Oh s**t. I got caught today. He saw me watching him. What would he be thinking? He most probably thought that I was a creep to watch him like that. The cup of tea I was holding had to fall just at the most crucial moment, making me gasp and gaining his attention.  But can you blame me? I thought it would be a good idea to drink some tea on the balcony after a relaxing bath in the tub. But I did not expect to find my human in his shirtless glory, washing his luscious body and cooling off under the water. I ended up staring at him, wishing that I could run my bare hands over his fit abs and chest. I wished I could run my hands through his hair.  I watched in complete amazement as he closed the running water and started to walk away. I gulped when I saw how his muscles clenched and unclenched as he moved. I felt as though my mouth had run completely dry. I didn’t realise that I had been gawking at him when the teacup fell from my hold, making a mess and ruining my gown. But my biggest concern was, did Draco realise what had happened?  When I looked in his direction, I saw him staring right at me. Great, I was caught. That was not what I wanted to happen. Especially after the awkward feelings, I felt in the training arena. I didn’t want him to think that I was a creep. But I guess I was already there.  Groaning in frustration, I went to inform a maid about the mess on my balcony. I do clean up after myself at times, but this time, I just was not in the mood to clean those little pieces of ceramic myself. I slumped onto my bed and covered my face with my pillow and lay there waiting for the maid to finish her work so that I could just lock myself inside and sleep. Perhaps by the time I wake up, some of my embarrassment will be gone.  *** I woke up just in time for dinner. I had always had dinner with everyone. And since it was the weekend, mom and dad would ask a lot of questions if I chose to have dinner in the room. Questions which I most probably wouldn’t be able to answer.  Still feeling awkward about what had happened earlier, I freshened up and changed into a light blue coloured gown to join my family for dinner. I walked down the corridor to go to the dining room after making sure that it was almost time for mom and dad to be there already. I certainly had no courage to face him alone.  As I walked along the corridor, my mind was still filled with different embarrassing thoughts. I could almost see how he looked straight at me and then averted his gaze. Which meant he saw me asking him. Oh my God, that was super awkward. I was lost in my thoughts when I passed by Killian’s room  A loud bang startled me, making me stop dead in my tracks. I was shocked by the sound of something breaking inside followed by the sound of his loud curses. What was going on? I wondered and listened carefully, furrowing my eyebrows in concern. When I listened to him for some time, I realised that he was mumbling a strange chant. A chant that I had never heard before.  Was it one of the spells in his father’s old book? The ones he said that he was studying? I was curious, but I dared not knock on his door, considering what he had tried to do in my room. I was not interested in getting trapped in his lair. Taking a deep breath, I walked away, now my embarrassment was forgotten.  I pushed away my curiosity of finding what Killian was up to. Whatever it was, I’d rather not get involved in it.  “Oh, there you are Sasha.” “Come and sit.”  “Killian is still in his room? Have you checked on him?”  The series of questions that I had to face from my parents made me sigh in exasperation. Why would I want to check on him? If I had a choice, I would have just pretended that he didn’t exist. I despised how he treats others and I think it is my bad luck that I was kind of forced into this relationship.  “No. I haven’t. He seems to be busy in his room, to be honest. So I’d rather not disturb him.” Shrugging I answered them and took a seat beside my mom. I just couldn’t help but glance at the door that interconnected the dining area and the kitchen. I knew Draco would be in the kitchen for us to finish our food so that he could clean up and go back to his room.  I bit my lips and looked at the plate in front of me, my appetite was suddenly gone. But I helped myself to some food, to avoid any questions from my mom.  As we continued with our dinner, father gestured to a guard. “Call the human. I want to talk to him.” He said and I almost choked on my food.  I dropped my spoon and started to cough, trying to catch my breath.  “Tsk. Sasha. How many times have I told you not to eat like that? You must chew and then swallow.”  My mom patted me on my back as she scolded me. It took some time for me to catch my breath and finally sit back. By this time, Draco had arrived and he bowed down as usual. “Your majesty.”  His voice was humble and soft. Father nodded and smiled at him.  “So how is the training going?” he asked. “Good sire.” He replied. “Fine. I hope you have learnt the basics by now. I am hoping to give you a small test so that I can send you on a little mission. I have noticed that you are good at treasure hunting. So I just want you to search the forbidden forest where lots of hidden treasures are hidden. But remember, a lot of unknown dangers lurk in the forbidden forest. That is why I wanted you to learn to fight.” Dad stated making me stare at him in utter shock. He was going to send Draco to the forbidden forest? But he was just a human! And I thought he was going to give him a small test after two months and then let him train further.  “Yes, sire,” Draco replied. I was speechless. No no no. This is not right! This is completely wrong. Draco couldn’t go into the forbidden forest. He might get lost and never return.  “Good. Your test will be within next week. Don’t worry. It is just a small test. I’m sure you will pass. I’ve seen you train.” I saw him study Draco’s expression as he ate the food. “I have never favoured a human slave like I am favouring you. But I believe that you deserve it. I sure hope you would appreciate it. You may leave now.”  Father dismissed him and I continued to stare in disbelief.  “Father. You just ...but he is just a human. How could you expect him to survive in the dangerous forest?” I was concerned. But father only chuckled in response.  “Let’s just say that I know he would do it.” He muttered and continued to munch on his food.  “But.....” “Sasha. Trust me. I’m your father. I know many things that you don’t.” He replied, making me glance at my mom who only smiled and shrugged.  I sighed. I guess I will have to wait and just trust them. I sure hope Draco comes back in one piece. If anything happens to him, I would be completely devastated.  Just as we were about to finish our food, someone entered the room. Even without looking, I knew who it was. Who else would bother to enter a room the king was in except for Killian. Rolling my eyes, I chose not to acknowledge his presence.  “Your Highnesses.” He greeted me, making me cringe internally.  I felt he was putting up a facade and trying ridiculously hard to convince me that he was the best candidate for me. And perhaps, his efforts were paying off. But I’d rather keep my feelings to myself.  “Oh hello Killian. It is such a delight that you are finally here.” My mother greeted me.  “Sasha also has missed you. Haven’t you Sasha?” she asked, making me grimace. What? No way! Miss him? Never. I scowled and looked at my mom who seemed to have realised something. Well, she should. I had told her that I didn’t like him at all.  “Well, I was thinking of going out to venture a bit. I need to explore around to truly discover the powers of the spells in my father’s books” he replied and oh how I hated how he spoke. So full of himself. Arrogant and conceited.   “Oh. That is very brave.” Father responded. I felt the urge to roll my eyes to the back of my head. My parents were so trapped in his charm, which I refuse to get entangled in.  “I’m sending humans on a little expedition. Why don’t you .........” “NO!” I retorted at once. All three pairs of eyes landed on me. I could see how shocked my father was. “No. I think he and Killian should go their separate ways.” I added firmly.  I felt Killian drill holes in me, but I couldn’t care less. I don’t give a damn about what he thought. What I knew was Killian wouldn’t be nice to Draco. If he didn’t hesitate to beat him up in front of me, what would he do to him when they were alone? “Excuse me?” father asked me with raised eyebrows.  “Yes, father,” I replied as firmly as I could. I could feel the tension in the atmosphere. Never had I opposed my father’s decision but this time, I would.  “It is fine I suppose. I want to find some things necessary for my spell anyway. It might get in the way of what you wanted, your majesty.” I could sense Killian’s surprise in his tone.  “Fine by me. But I wonder if you would stay when I test his skills. I plan to test him next week.” Father replied.  “Oh yes. This I would love to see.” He murmured. “That is good. Have you had your dinner yet?” mom asked and he nodded in response. “My dinner was brought to the room. Your majesty. Now I would like to go back. I had come here only to inform you about my leaving. I would stay for the human’s test, and then leave the next day.” He practically spat the words when he spoke about Draco’s test and walked away.  Groaning internally, I covered my face and leaned back in my seat.  “What is it, Sasha? You don’t seem happy with him.” Father asked.  “I am not,” I admitted.  “He is so arrogant, conceited and I don’t see the qualities of a good ruler in him. How in the world am I going to rule this kingdom with his father?” I complained, hoping that he would consider it.  He nodded, wordlessly and fixed his gaze on his plate. I waited for some time for him to say something, but the silence was what followed for a long time.  “Father?” I sighed.  “I don’t know what to say, Sasha. I..... I don’t know.” He replied and wiped his hands with the napkin in front of him.  He walked up to me and kissed my hair affectionately.  “My dear. I have seen the world for a long time. So has your mom. I see a lot of changes occurring in our kingdom. Perhaps something big is about to happen. I don’t know what to expect my dear. All I know is it cannot be avoided.” He told me.  I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.  “What do you mean? Please tell me. I honestly don’t know how to solve riddles.” I replied.  He chuckled in response, his dark eyes glimmering mysteriously.  “Do you think it is time to tell her? She has not completed her studies yet.” Mom asked my father.  What? Now I was certain that they were hiding something from me. But what?”  “What?”  “Sasha. This is related to our kingdom’s well being. And I think it is time you knew about the whole story. So come to our room after you are done, I will tell you the whole story.” He said. I looked in between mom and my father. They were both smiling at me. I nodded. “Ok. I’ll be there in a little while.”  Then they snapped their fingers and were gone. They had teleported from here, perhaps to their room. I hated it when they did that. I mean, teleporting was fine when it was necessary, like in an emergency. But why did they have to teleport from the dining room to their room?  Pouting to myself, I stood up and made my way towards the king’s quarters, where their room would be located.