Chapter 18: Frostberry Talk
Arielle looked back where her painting was still on display. She gasped when she realized the scribbles with black ink were clearly visible. Her eyes batted and she tried to find the most plausible reason.
"Um ... yesterday while I was trying to paint black, Priest Elis came up to me so suddenly and startled me. So maybe my hand slipped accidentally," said Arielle, lying.
"Interesting, because yesterday I didn't see any black streaks when I saw you talking to Priest Elis."
"Ah! Gosh… I just remembered. Pardon my omission, Your Majesty. That happened last night when I wanted to fix some parts but Tania surprised me, so my hand… slipped?"
Ronan turned his gaze to see Arielle's face and saw the girl look nervous. His eyes dropped to see Arielle biting her lower lip.
"Okay, I believe you."
Ronan refrained from smiling when he found Arielle sighing in relief. The young woman really wasn't good at lying.
His hand grabbed the Frostberry and he placed it in front of the girl's lips.
"Eat," said Ronan. Arielle opened her mouth, and the man put a Frostberry into her mouth.
Arielle hummed softly and enjoyed the sweetness of the Frostberry that she had been missing.
"Again?" Ronan offered.
Arielle, of course, nodded enthusiastically. She took every bite and enjoyed each taste the little fruit offered.
"Your Majesty… Uhm, could you please help me unwrap this blanket? I don't want to trouble Your Majesty by continuing to feed me."
Ronan didn't answer and instead continued to put the Frostberry in Arielle's mouth. Arielle stuck her tongue out to taste the Frostberry juice that spilled at the corners of her lips.
Ronan stared intently at Arielle's tongue. The color of Arielle's tongue looked red from the fruit juice. She opened her mouth once again and waited for Ronan to put another fruit, but the man never put the fruit in his hand into Arielle's mouth.
"Your Majesty?" called Arielle.
"Stick out your tongue again," said Ronan. His words made Arielle confused.
"My tongue? What's with my tongue?"
Arielle looked for a mirror in the corner of the room. She stuck out her tongue again to check what was happening with her tongue, but there was nothing strange. It was just that the color changed to dark red due to fruit juice.
"In case Your Majesty doesn't know, the tongue is discolored by Frostberry juice," she said as a matter of factly.
"I know. Stick out your tongue again."
Arielle was very hesitant to do it as she had never been asked by Tania to stick her tongue out. Ronan was still patiently waiting, and Arielle was also still stubborn not want to stick her tongue out again because she felt weird.
After the two of them kept silent, Ronan finally relented. He unwrapped Arielle's blanket and placed the plate of the remaining Frostberries on the girl's lap.
"You can finish it."
Arielle smiled widely until her eyes became like crescent moons. She was really happy.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said.
Ronan's left hand touched her hip as he held onto Arielle and prevented her from getting off his lap.
Arielle, who was stared down while she was enjoying the fruits, became embarrassed. She cleared her throat a few times to shake off her embarrassment.
"Um… Your Majesty, may I ask you a few questions?" asked Arielle.
Ronan's gaze was still on the young woman as he then nodded. Arielle put back the fruit she had lifted onto the plate.
"If Priest Elis' mana stream has been opened, then has Your Majesty's mana stream also been opened? If so, which kind does Your Majesty have?"
Ronan sighed then turned his gaze to the wide glass window in front of them. Outside, the sky was slowly darkening and the snowflakes were falling so hard. He remembered the memories he had buried long ago. A childhood trauma that he never told.
"I am different, Princess. There is no mana flowing in my body."
"There is none? At all?"
"Not a single drop."
"How could that be? Didn't Priest Elis say that all individuals have mana in their bodies? Humans only need to open the stream to master the natural Trigram."
"Let's just say, my existence is an anomaly."
Arielle was still very curious as she chewed a Frostberry in deep thought. It could not escape Ronan's observation. The man smiled at her innocent expression.
"Then, is the story about you killing a dragon true?" Arielle decided to ask another question.
Ronan smiled broadly. He puffed out his chest and grabbed Arielle's waist to pull her closer.
"If that was true, what would you do?" Ronan whispered right in Arielle's ear.
Arielle laughed from the ticklish sensation of someone's breath against her ear.
"I-I won't do anything..." Arielle answered while she covered her ears. "Um… then how can Your Majesty defeat a group of dragons and kill one of them?"
Ronan raised his hand up to her. Because of their close distance, Arielle saw some thin calluses and scars on his skin. Unconsciously, Arielle touched Ronan's open palm with her index finger in wonder.
"Of course, with my sword skills," replied the man proudly.
"Your Majesty has gone through many battles," commented Arielle.
The girl pressed her palm to Ronan's and then blinked in surprise. Arielle laughed once she saw the difference in the size of their hands. She put each finger between Ronan's and then gripped it tightly.
"Um… under that mask, is there also a scar after fighting those dragons?"
Ronan didn't answer. He looked away and felt that Arielle didn't need to know what was behind his mask.
"Does being king still let you intervene in a fight directly? Aren't the kingdoms currently at peace?"
"The absence of a major war doesn't mean we're at peace, my lady." Ronan cupped the hand holding his and smiled softly. He was too mesmerized by the warmth he got from her.
"The four great kingdoms are bound by an ancient treaty. Just a moment ago, Northendell was ready to declare war on Nieverdell, if they didn't send prisoners as collateral that they would pay for the life of a wolf they killed."
"And you got me as a prisoner. It must be very disappointing, right?"
"Says who? I think you are the best."
Arielle shook her head because Ronan still didn't understand her position. Soon she let go of their hands. The princess put Ronan's hand on her lap. She let out a tired breath, and Ronan raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"After what I've explained, why won't Your Majesty understand?" she asked with a sigh.
(Understand, what?) asked Ronan inwardly.
"I've already said that I am just a princess without any political power. They sent me here because I'm totally worthless. Even if Your Majesty kept me in Northendell for hundreds of years, they wouldn't care." Arielle looked at the man in front of her with a sad expression.
The people in Nieverdell royal palace always tried to get rid of her and then this opportunity came. They must see this as a blessing in disguise.
They might be celebrating right now regardless of the conditions. It was also possible that her father, the king of Nieverdell, had not tried to find a replacement wolf at all.
"Why are you grieving, Princess? Do you not like Northendell?" Ronan noticed her sad expression and wanted to know what she felt about the situation.
Arielle smiled. Of course, she liked Northendell. The people here were really nice to her. It was here too that Arielle could taste three meals a day. She couldn't also forget she also had the opportunity to taste the most delicious fruit in the world. Frostberry.
The only thing that made her unable to forget Nieverdell was its warmth…. Northendell was beautiful with the snow, but Arielle missed basking in the sun.
She longed to help Tania dry her clothes under the hot sun. Here, her body shivered easily, and the cold weather made her feel uncomfortable.
"I love Northendell, it's just that I grew up in Nieverdell and has a deep attachment to it. I know the streets of Nieverdell very well."
"Even though your siblings don't treat you well?"
"I told you, I'm not too affected by them. I'm happy with Tania and the servants there…"
Ronan did not force Arielle to explain all her answers. From those sad eyes, he could already judge how happy Arielle was in her homeland.
"Ah, Your Majesty… I have another question."
"What is it?"
"Why doesn't Your Majesty look for a Queen?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Gigi_Saga
Gigi_Saga Yes, King Hottie, why didn't you look for a queen?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone