The Almost Touch
AURELIA/ LEXI
As if nothing had happened, the fun in the hall continued. The nobles enjoyed themselves. The servants passed the trays of dark meat and glittering jelly again. I can still feel their gazes on me as if everything is not over for me. The pleasure is only for a moment, and then they will act more cautiously again.
I sat up straighter in my chair; my fingers rested lightly on the obsidian table. My three servants stood behind me. After Kael's scene like a knight in shining armor earlier, he left me; he just suddenly disappeared.
I exhaled slowly.
"Grathen, Your Highness."
A luxurious hand placed a new dish in front of me, thin slices of something doused in black syrup; the steam curled like smoke. I nodded without looking.
"Grathen," I repeated.
'It's just like grazed meat.'
Across the hall, I noticed movement.
Kael.
He hadn't returned to his usual spot behind me. Instead, he was standing a few steps away, in the shadows, quietly talking to a Nightguard.
He didn't look at me again. My chest tightened slightly. 'Did I make a mistake?'
One of my eyebrows rose. Why did I think I was to blame? I did everything he told me. He left and never came back, yet something still felt off.
I shook my head. 'This can't be; I'm the princess, so I must be in the right place.'
The noise from the courtyard grew louder again, but to me, it seemed far away now. It was as if I were underwater.
I took a deep breath and reached for the glass beside me. It contained a dark liquid that swirled with a faint blue glow. When I lifted it, the surface shimmered, moved.
I was a little impressed. Strange.
"… Your Majesty."
I was stunned. That voice again. I slowly turned my head.
Sir Malric.
He stood there, smiling. "It seems you're off guard," he said, as smooth as ever. "Unexpected, after what happened earlier."
"He's just talking to the Nightguard," I reply flatly. "Don't try to flirt with me; you'll just have a hard time."
A faint chuckle. "I prefer difficult things."
'Vraeth-ka.'
I set the glass down with a little more force. "Aren't you tired?"
"Tired?" he asks, leaning in slightly. "Of what?"
"Pushing yourself where you're clearly not wanted."
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he looks me up and down. One eyebrow rises. His gesture is laced with an insult, which irritates me even more.
"You haven't given me a chance yet," he says. "How can you say that?"
"You don't need a chance to know if someone doesn't like you."
He smiles, slower now. "I don't believe that."
My eyebrows rise. "You don't believe in the obvious?"
"I don't believe in quick decisions," he replies. "Especially from a princess who… changed so suddenly."
My shoulders stiffened slightly. Shit, does she know anything?
'Careful.'
I chose to smile too. "If that's what you think," I said, "you're even more hopeless."
He didn't back down; instead, he took another half step closer. Too close.
"You know," he said softly, "you're more interesting now than you used to be."
"Then you should lower your standards."
"Or maybe," he bowed slightly, enough for me to feel his presence, "you're the one hiding something."
I felt my brow furrow. "You're crazy. What are you talking about?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly, but his gaze never left my face. "Just observation."
"Then stop observing me."
"That's not easy."
"Try harder."
He was silent for a moment. Then, he smiled again. "You're just becoming more interesting to me," he said.
"Good," I replied quickly. "There are only two possible outcomes of your interest." I stared at him, straight in his eye. "Failure or... death."
A brief silence enveloped us. Even the noise of the hall seemed to have lost its sound. But it didn't last long.
"Just tell me," I added, my head bowing slightly as I arranged the cutlery, "what do you really want?"
He paused and didn't answer right away.
"Power?" I asked, directly. "Position? Or are you just bored?"
"I'm not bored," he replied.
"Then what?"
His gaze lingered on me. More serious now. "Curiosity."
I felt uncomfortable. "That's worse."
"For you, maybe."
"For you too," I replied. "Because you're not getting anything out of what you're doing."
"Are you sure?"
I looked at him. Directly. "Sure."
He fell silent again. Then, he smiled slightly again, more different than before.
"Sorry to disappoint you, My Highness," he said.
"Yeah, I'm not just disappointed, I'm disgusted too," I replied immediately.
I heard a familiar footsteps.
Kael.
He paused next to me, ignoring Malric. I, however, fixed Sir Malric with a look sharp with arrogance, as if the words "get lost" hung in my gaze.
Sir Malric's expression was beyond description. His disappointment was evident as Kael approached.
"Your Highness," he says, voice low.
I glanced at him with the puppy eyes that are so common in Chinese and Korean dramas. "Commander."
Malric tilted his head slightly. "Ah. The ever-present shadow."
Kael didn't react while I, reluctantly, tried to retort to the arrogant man.
"Step back," Kael says.
Malric watched him for a moment… then smiled again. "Another time, then."
He stepped back. 'Ugh, finally.'
I took a deep breath. "Grathen," I mutter, mostly to myself.
There was silence between Kael and me after Matric left. It wasn't awkward. I turned slightly to look at him
"You disappeared."
"You were handling it," he replies.
I frown. "That doesn't mean you leave me alone with him."
He was silent for a moment. I stared at him without blinking.
"I wasn't far."
His word made me a little confused. I stared at him intently now. My forehead furrowed slightly. Something was different. His gaze wasn't as steady. Not cold, but just sharper than before. It was as if he was expecting someone else.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing."
Liar.
I moved a little closer. "You've been acting strange since earlier."
"No, I haven't."
"You have."
The distance between us fell silent again. It seemed like the space had narrowed.
"Princess," he said, a warning in his tone.
But I didn't stop. I raised my hand. Slowly. "I'm just checking something."
His gaze dropped to my hand. Then back to my face. "Don't—"
It was too late. My fingers moved closer to his. Not even touching. Just— Close.
—
The moment our skins almost met, a strong pulse exploded between us. Cold and hot at the same time. I gasped and suddenly pulled back. The air around us rippled, just for a moment, but I could feel it. Kael immediately backed away, his hand clenched at his side.
The table trembled slightly, and the liquid in my glass flickered quickly before spilling. No one else reacted. Or maybe… they didn't notice. We both noticed.
"What… was that?" I whispered.
Kael didn't immediately answer. He stared at me. "Do not do that again," he says finally.
My chest tightened. "Your O.A., I didn't even touch you."
"That is not the point."
"Then what is?"
Silence fell between us. I noticed that his jaw had stiffened slightly. I thought he was going to explain. But instead—
"It was nothing."
I stared at him.
"That was nothing." He took another step back. "It will not happen again," he says.
It's a bit weird, but I don't get what he's saying. It's like a promise… or a warning.
The noise in the hallway around us continued as if nothing had changed, the sound of laughter, whispers, and the clinking of obsidian plates. I slowly lowered my hand and stared at my fingers. The feeling was still strange.
Tingling.
It felt like something had passed through my fingers. I glanced at Kael again. But he was looking away. It didn't seem to matter at that moment.
"…Kael."
He didn't look at me. "Yes, Your Highness."
He went back to his usual, formal self. I swallowed hard. I didn't continue what I was going to say.
"…Nothing."
I leaned back in my chair. I tried to bring myself back to normal. But my mind wouldn't let go.
That feeling. That reaction. The look in his eyes.
'That's not normal.'
And whatever it is—
It only makes everything between us more dangerous. Not less.