a night stroll
In stressfull and tension time like this, walking is a great way for some one to cope with the situation and Rudeus that happens to pick up this routines lately.
The moonlight bathed the castle grounds in a soft, ethereal glow as Rudeus walked slowly through the gardens, his footsteps muffled by the thick grass. It was a quiet night the air was cool and carrying with it is the scent of flowers and the faint rustling of leaves. He needed some space, some time to think without the heavy pressure of being surrounded by nobles and their expectations, not to mention the living condition in a castle.
Lost in his thoughts, Rudeus keep on walk, eyes glancing at the night sky that full of stars and didn't notice the figure approaching from the other side of the pathway until it was too late.
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Rudeus began, but his voice cut off when he saw who it was.
It was Princess Aeliana. She stood a few steps away, her royal gown flowing elegantly in the breeze, her expression softer than usual. The princess looked like she had been out for a walk too, yet there still a hint of unease in her posture lingering on her face and posture—though it isn't as much as earlier when they at the feast but it still there.
“Ah, Princess, fancy meeting you out here at this hour,” Rudeus said, his usual grin spreading across his face as he smile awkwardly.
The princess smiled back, though it looked strained and her eyes are darted around nervously before settling on Rudeus. “I... I just couldn’t sleep,” she admitted quietly, her voice just above a whisper. “—so I thought a walk might help.”
“Same here,” Rudeus replied nonchalantly. “I was getting a bit overwhelmed from all the whole royal treatment thing and needed some air.”
After that they both stood there for a moment, an awkward silence hanging between them as both don't know what to do next, it clear that this is a weird situation for both Rudeus and Aeliana.
Sensing her discomfort, Rudeus decided to fill the gap with some light-hearted chatter, grinning as he leaned close to her in a some what casually or to his knowledge atlest. “So, do you often take midnight strolls, Your Highness?”
Hesitated, Aeliana gaze flickering over him and Rudeus noticed the way she seemed to hesitate before answering. Her lips parted as if she wanted to speak but stopped herself, eyes lowering.
“I... I’ve been doing it more lately,” she said finally, her voice barely audible.
There was something in her tone that made Rudeus pause. He had a feeling that there was something she wanted to say but couldn’t. It was almost as if she was trapped by invisible chains, unable to speak her mind freely. The hesitation in her words was clear, and he could feel the tension building between them, it similar to what Rory and Rimuru had point out during their feast.
Though curious but not wanting to push too hard, Rudeus gave a carefree shrug and decided to continue with his usual, oblivious demeanor. “Well, I guess we’re both just a couple of night owls then, huh?”
Aeliana looked up at Rudeus, her eyes lingered on him for a brief moment, lips curled into a small smile and a blush creeping up her cheeks as she face seemed to be slightly softer.
“Y-Yes, I suppose we are,” she murmured, her voice shily spoken up.
Entirely unaware of the subtle tension, Rudeus smiled brightly in return, completely unbothered on the blushing princess infront of him or does he?.
“Hey, if you want some company, I don’t mind keeping you company on your walk. It's a little boring out here alone, don’t you think?” he said.
The princess hesitated once more, clearly torn on what to do next, but after a moment, she nodded and reply. “I would like that... very much.”
And just like that, the two of them continued their walk, but now with each other as companion side by side, though the conversation was quite awkward but it still have some level of polite and Rudeus noticed Aeliana gradually relaxing as they talked about the most mundane things.
It was almost like she had forgotten the tension in the air for a moment. Still, there still linger that underlying unease about her—like she wanted to ask him something, to tell him something important, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
However, before the silence could linger too long again, something unexpected happened.
From behind Rudeus, a familiar voice rang out. “Well, well, what do we have here? A midnight rendezvous?”
Rudeus nearly jumped out of his skin and immediately spin around to find Rory and Rimuru emerging from the shadows.
Rory’s face was twisted in an amused grin, while Rimuru, though expressionless, had a certain glint in his eyes that made Rudeus feel like he’d just been caught while doing somekind of naughty act.
“Rory! Rimuru! What are you doing here?” Rudeus stammered, his face turning a shade of red that nearly matched the princess’s blush.
Rory shot back at Rudeus a sly smile as she tease. “Oh, nothing. Just thought we’d see how our resident playboy is doing on his nightly strolls,” then giving him an exaggerated wink.
Rudeus, completely flustered, tried to recover from it while explaining himself like a teen boy. “It’s not like that! I was just—”
Rimuru interrupted with a chuckle of his own then said “Yeah, sure, we believe you, buddy” while casually leaning against a nearby pillar, clearly amused by Rudeus’s embarrassment.
The princess face already as red as a tomato from all the flustered and embarrassment, took a small step back. She clearly hadn't expected to be caught in this kind of situation.
“Um, I... I should go,” she stammered, her embarrassment now evident both on her face and in her voice as she quickly took another step back, face now completely red. “Thank you for the walk, Rudeus.” she said
Want to explain the situation Rudeus opened his mouth planning to say something, but the princess was already gone, her footsteps fading into the distance as she hurry her steps.
“Well, that was awkward,” Rudeus muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
Grinned mischievously, Rory speak up, rubbing salt into Rudeus wound by taunting. “Aw, don’t worry, playboy. You’ll get another chance.”
“Do you have to call me that?” Rudeus groaned, his face still red as he lool at Rory with a defeated face.
Rimuru simply chuckled softly at then join in the teases. “It’s a fitting nickname, I’d say—Ay sir Rudeus?”
Rory smirked and chuckle at Rimuru’s words and give Rudeus a playful nudge.
Just like that the trio turned to head back to their chamber and on the way there Rudeus couldn’t help but feel both embarrassed and intrigued by the events that play out tonight, partly because Rimuru and Rory keep on remain it to him. But in the mix of all that whatever the princess wanted to say moment earlier ain't simple and he knew it wasn’t just a casual walk in the gardens. There was more to this story, and he had a feeling things were about to get a lot more complicated in this god forsake of a kingdom.
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