-Prior-
Prior woke up because she felt her messenger vibrating. She placed her hand on her face and rubbed her eyes. It felt like it was still the middle of the night. She opened one eye and looked at the display of her messenger. It was already eight in the morning. She sighed, closed her eyes again, blinked a few times, and then checked who had written. Kashion.
"Good morning! Sleep well? What about breakfast? Have you thought about it?"
She briefly massaged her forehead and thought. She really didn't feel like having breakfast with his parents. She was afraid of his father, and besides, things weren't resolved yet. And his mother? She could already picture her looking at her with suspicion. She started typing: "I'm sorry, Kashion," when suddenly Zho's words came to her mind. "Just remind yourself that you jumped from 50,000 meters. Then you can handle this small thing—facing the king." And surely the queen as well. She couldn't keep running away forever anyway. She deleted what she had written and instead typed:
"The night was way too short! When would we have to leave for your parents?"
-Kashion-
Kashion had fed Luu, freshened up a bit, and put on something comfortable. He was still very tired from far too little sleep. Sleep thief Prior, he thought with a grin. Then he saw what she had written. A smile spread across his face. She would accompany him to his parents for breakfast.
He called his mother. She answered immediately.
"Yes, my boy?"
"Mom, please have two extra place settings prepared for breakfast. I'll bring Prior, and we can have breakfast together."
His mother seemed briefly shocked. She only said, "Oh," and hesitated.
"Is that a problem?" he asked.
"Oh no, oh no. I'll have it prepared. I just… can't quite imagine how that will be. But I suppose it must…"
Kashion briefly closed his eyes. "Thank you," was all he said. Then he hung up.
"I'll pick you up at ten to nine," he wrote to Prior. His parents usually had breakfast at nine.
-Prior-
Prior saw Kashion's message and felt relieved. She had enough time to get ready. She still had the chat with him open and scrolled up a bit. She saw his selfie from last night. She shook her head—even in pajamas and tired, he looked irresistible. She thought of the series. Well, if Kashion were an actor and played a role in it, it would probably be unbearable to watch. His looks were simply far too distracting.
Then she suddenly noticed she had received another message. From her father. She had almost forgotten.
"We're glad to hear you're doing well. We're doing well too. We see in the news that you're close to this Earth prince. Is that true? As your parents, we want to warn you to be careful."
Prior let out a dry laugh and put the messenger aside. Earth prince! Kashion had a name! And they were telling her to be careful? After everything they had done? What right did they have? No, she definitely wasn't going to reply to that now.
She got up and searched through her wardrobe. Nothing seemed good enough for Queen Ada. But then again, Prior wasn't a princess. All her clothes were simple and rather functional. She picked out a navy-blue blouse dress. It was the most elegant one she had.
Should she put on makeup? She sighed briefly. Why so much effort for breakfast? But she wanted to make a better impression. She applied some light makeup and did her eyes a little. She pinned her hair up slightly with a clip. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought: Something is different. She looked changed—but not because of the makeup. It was like a glow. As if she had a different aura. She was surprised herself. It was especially visible in her eyes.
That's Kashion, she thought. The feelings she had for him gave her such a warm sensation. She had to think of the moon reflecting sunlight again. It was as if Kashion's feelings had touched her like warm rays of sun, and she was reflecting part of that light back.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Had time passed that quickly?
She opened it and saw Kashion. Smiling. And dressed in a very casual outfit. She remembered having seen him like this before. When? Ah yes, the first time they had played Cheqi at his table. She shook her head.
"Even when you're dressed casually, you don't look casual at all. You always look styled," she said.
He raised his eyebrows. "Is that your greeting?"
-Kashion-
She giggled and covered her mouth with one hand. She had put on makeup and dressed nicely. But what stood out most to him were her radiant eyes.
She stepped out, closed her door, and stood in front of him with a grin.
"Shall we go?"
"Without a greeting?" he asked.
"A greeting?" she looked at him questioningly. She was so adorable that he couldn't help himself.
-Prior-
Kashion stepped toward her, and she took a few steps back until she felt the wall behind her. Kashion came closer until he stood right in front of her. He stretched out his arms and placed his hands against the wall to her right and left.
They weren't touching, but he was so close. His eyes searched hers, and she saw something mischievous flicker in them.
"Well? Can I measure up to Trev Cosm?"
She started laughing. But he remained completely serious. His vulnerable vanity!
She looked him up and down teasingly. "Hmm, I don't know."
He frowned and looked at her for a moment. Her heart started pounding, and yet she felt so drawn to him. Her magnet.
Prior rose onto her tiptoes, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and whispered into his ear:
"Is that greeting acceptable?"
He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her close for a moment, gave her a quick kiss, and then whispered back:
"For now."
-Kashion-
Reluctantly, Kashion let her go again. But his parents were waiting.
He took her hand. Her closeness now felt almost essential.
"Come," he said, "or we'll be late," and started walking.
With her free hand, Prior touched his arm and said, "I hope this will go well."
He stopped briefly, squeezed her hand more tightly, and smiled at her.
"Don't worry. Just be yourself, and my parents will accept you eventually. It doesn't all have to happen at once." Then he laughed and added, "A game of Cheqi isn't decided by a single move either, right?" and winked at her.
Prior laughed. "I was also thinking of something Zho said to me."
Zho. Kashion closed his eyes for a second. There seemed to be so many men in Prior's life. How could she think of Zho when she was with him? He hated that he hadn't been able to save her, even though he was grateful to Zho.
"And that would be?" he asked, a bit colder than intended.
Prior cleared her throat. Then she laughed lightly.
"He said that if I can jump from 50,000 meters, then I can also manage to face your parents."
"Ah," Kashion said. "What was it like? The jump. Were you very afraid?"
She thought for a moment.
"I was very afraid at the beginning, but I just did it. With Zho's help. He took my hand."
Kashion felt another sting of jealousy and tightened his grip on her hand slightly.
"But I think I could only jump because I had you in mind. I really wanted to see you again and stay here."
He stopped again and looked at her. Without thinking for long, he wrapped his arm around her and lifted her up, carrying her. He couldn't help it—it felt like an inner urge.
"Kashion! What are you doing?" she asked, slightly indignant.
Fortunately, she was light and didn't resist. But he needed to feel her closeness. She even wrapped her arms around his neck quite naturally.
He felt her breath on his neck and her warmth.
"If you say something like that to me, holding your hand isn't enough. But since we have to go to my parents, this is the best compromise," he said with a grin.
She laughed softly.
"And then?" he asked.
"And then what?"
"The jump."
"Ah. Hmm. At first, I lost my orientation. And the sky was so black! I turned and was really scared. And I fell so fast… But in the end, it was a special, unforgettable experience," she smiled again.
He continued walking in silence, again and again seeking her gaze.
Finally, they reached his parents' breakfast room. He gently set her down and said quietly:
"You'll see, it's similar. Frightening at first, but maybe also an experience in the end."
They looked into each other's eyes for a while when suddenly the door opened.
It was his mother. She looked from Kashion to Prior and back to Kashion. She forced a smile.
"Ah, good that you're here," she said. "Come in."
Kashion looked at Prior and saw her uncertainty.
He put his arm around her and slowly led her into the room.