x
"Take him away!"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHr63fKbah
"Lock him up and throw away the key!"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcV5pYGlPcc
"Seal the Cursed One forever!"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT06Fj1cQ1w
The mob cheered as the sealed carriage made its way through the streets, out of town, and ultimately, heading out of the Kingdom. Far, far away from the Kingdom.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBO84MR6KFw
"Agh! Geez! What the heck--Oi! You idiots! Why are you throwing rocks at ME?! I'm just minding my own freaking business here and driving, okay?" the carriage driver hisses.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnSkWv5yop
The sole occupant of the sealed carriage presses his lips together.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVti7Dn41m2
Even though no one can get in and out of the sealed carriage, enchanted to only receive and let passengers alight according to the specified instructions of the caster, air can still freely pass through despite the windowless and doorless carriage. And if air can freely pass through, sounds and noises from outside can also be heard.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbl2TsWK8w9
"And how dare you all throw something like that on a Royal carriage!" the driver of the carriage can be heard, continuously ranting from his perch. "You all are committing treason you know! No matter what the circumstances are the Pri--"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbqqwJERSA
"That's quite alright, Marcus," the passenger of the sealed carriage mumbled under his breath.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5kPZYCMFm
"But, Your High--"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9jn9IhMxa
"Enough, Marcus," the passenger tells the carriage driver once again and curls into a ball on the carriage seat.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBcRAIGWz0
Even though the carriage is sealed, preventing others from getting in and out of it, only opening and closing once it reaches its destination and letting air for the occupant to breathe, it has the comforts and utilities of a top-tier carriage.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyv2KFsKXMq
The seats are very soft, softer than any bed one can imagine. Even if it's just a seat, one might think it's actually a bed.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLDNK9pcLr
And with the sole occupant's current size, it can actually be a bed for him.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTovpZfItZF
Despite it being sealed, the inside is bathed in a warm and comfortable light, as the gentle rays of the sun do with the fragile plants in a greenhouse. Not only that but there is also a magic compartment under the seats that stores all kinds of food and beverage that always stays fresh, hot, and cool--depending on the meal.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVplyTjimiX
However, those kinds of luxuries give little to no interest to the passenger.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbexr2NZsmK
All he wanted was to leave the Kingdom and get things over with. He's miserable not only because of the hatred he has been receiving from the people around him ever since he can remember but also the fact that he's too much of a coward to end his own life.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqkHvjDvKs
If the thought of him existing was a bane to everyone's existence, he could just go and disappear.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMltAaAkI4l
However, he can't do it no matter how much he tries and...if others get to do it themselves...506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjYqyzdyF9
Well, those who attempted to get rid of him lost their lives instead.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QlyRju7Ff
As he lay there, curled in a ball, he blinked his misty turquoise eyes, as if doing so would stop the tears from falling even though his throat was hurting from the effort.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjFHtL62qf
In the end, he lost the fight. The tears fell from his eyes, soaking his long, unmaintained silver-blond hair. He then closes his eyes, hoping that it will not only block the fact that he had cried despite not wanting to but also the sounds and shouts of the people who want him to leave.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATlxXEXpCy
And as he close his eyes, exhaustion seeps through his bones from not being able to sleep well last night. Not that he had ever slept well since he was old enough to feel that he was being neglected and avoided.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FceWcTVpr
But as he did, a dream came to him. Probably the first and only dream he could ever remember having. It was a dream that he would forget even when he woke up. One that shows a future where he's happy and content.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAzEpNl9xM
And it involves a smiling face of a girl, filled with love and affection...just for him.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWH8Qnc6qC
Someone...whom he can't ever kill even when she's near him with his trait...506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBkppbdjGV
His salvation.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQo4eNRbsG
~*~*~*~506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBvGP1JeBo
Knock. Knock. Knock.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMviinkS00
Disoriented and dazed from his sleep, he stumbles towards the door, momentarily forgetting that it's supposed to open and close only when he has arrived at his destination. Maybe it was because he just woke up from what seemed to be the longest sleep he'd had in a long, long while, he even forgot about Marcus.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1X4C5xZBU
As soon as he's near the door, it opens. Someone cheeps in surprise from the outside and the sound, along with the sudden opening of the door, made him come to his senses. However, since he was shuffling towards the door with a heavy head from sleep, with the intention of leaning on the door, all his weight was shifted to the front. And because the door opened, nothing can catch him anymore and he tips over.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtuAAEp0QM
Still somewhat lethargic, he couldn't move fast enough to lean away and fall back inside the carriage. It seems he'll be hitting the ground face-first. Closing his eyes, he braces himself for the fall.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqBzKyiwlD
"Oh no!"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWOUt0oqIr
That cheeping voice he heard just now spoke up again and he felt hitting something warm and soft then a heavy thud. Whatever he's on right now, it's definitely not the ground.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IOrRh1KPP
"Ow..."506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdN4nrlAHP
His eyes snap open and lifts himself up from the ground with his arms. With wide eyes, he looks down at the person below him, rapidly blinking his eyes in disbelief. 506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFPzUUveIj
There...was a person...below him...and...506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBrq448omm
Are they alive? Are they writhing in pain from his curse? Are they dying?506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHl2vTziklV
His mind is swirling with questions that he's going dizzy. So he closed his eyes shut again as he froze in place. As much as he wanted to roll away, he knew that it was too late. Any second now, the person will be dead anyway--506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP4IU3s0rB
"Uhm, excuse me, but...can you get off of me now?"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrFqVyZH7l
At that, his eyes blinked open wide once again, and he looked down. It wasn't just any person. It was a woman. And not only that, she's...she's still alive!506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFxVl17TSx
But how? Why? Who is this woman? What is she even? How is she still alive after being exposed to him? Let alone be this close to him?506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhRZpkud0m
"Excuse me? Please, get off. You're too heavy."506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIs52HS261v
Her wheezing plea made him come back to his senses and he quickly muttered his apologies and got off from the woman. He was still in awe to see someone still alive, moving and breathing, even after they were exposed to his presence.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vxdYkjJ98
"Haaa, great. Now that's a load off my chest, haha! Get it? Cause you were on me and..." she falters, laughing weakly, she clears her throat awkwardly and rubs the back of her neck. "Yeah, sorry. I know it was a bad joke. Anyway! Hup!"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lqmltGuhb
She hops from the ground and stands up, patting her clothes to get rid of the dirt and grime from her person and the satchel that hangs across her front. While she does, he watches her, still filled with disbelief to see that she's still up and about.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrX91M7JOX
"My name's Rose," she introduces herself, silently offering her hand to him to help him up.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrsbReF6fM
Still speechless, his gaze ping-pongs between her hand and up at her face. For the first time in a long, long time--just stared at someone right on their face, without any coverings to protect them from him. All his life, he has to look at people who are talking to him from a safe distance or when they fully cover their faces.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75Tp7KDXRE
But now...506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8vhUIK8XG
With a trembling hand, he slowly and carefully places it on top of hers. He can feel his heart skip a beat when her fingers wrap around his, squeezing his hand gently before gently tugging him up from the ground.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRcuc4mtxn
She was a small woman and he knew she won't be able to fully help him up. Instead, with her help, he easily pushed himself from the ground. He wraps his fingers over hers as well, still staring into her face until a pink tinge starts to blossom across her cheek.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9UXfdcr8Q
"Uhm...and your name?"506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYkOAJHRMR
He opens his mouth and answers, "I'm...Andrius."506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFfbISZGXB
She smiled at him and to him, it was blinding. No. It wasn't her smile that dazzled him so. It was Rose herself. Just being able to be with her like this without dying...to be able to converse like how other normal people do.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLQAkADqlY
"Huh. Andrius, huh? Okay, then," she beams at him and tugs at his hand. "By the way, you look like you're lost. I actually saw a guy running back the way you came from, saying he dropped his mask or something and asked me to keep an eye on the carriage..." She starts to chatter but he doesn't mind. It was the first time someone was talking openly to him, without a hint of fear or anxiety.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH2g8MhibQ
She pulls on his hand, taking him somewhere, and without a shred of suspicion, he follows her like a little lamb following its shepherd.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaokPcM5p6c
"...oh, did I mention that your name sounds like the Crown Prince's name?" she asks belatedly. But before he can even respond, Rose is already chattering away, talking about something new and pointing at stuff to him.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmHoYCt7Nw
He was amused and she was endearing. Maybe...now's not a good time to tell her that the reason why he had a name that sounds like the Crown Prince is because he was the Crown Prince. The dreaded Crown Prince who was cursed to exude tasteless and odorless poison that could kill anyone who went near him.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7uCFbodpR
No one knows how he came to be that way and it had made his life a living hell. 506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjBcPZrJeU
But...somehow, in some kind of way, there's actually someone capable of surviving after being with him. His salvation. Maybe he'll have to tell her the truth about himself one day. And hopefully, she'll remain by his side after that.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSziFE0loNJ
If not...506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2r5Hule6Wz
"Hmm? What is it, Andrius?" she asks, glancing down at their clasped hands that he was unknowingly squeezing a little, and then up his face.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihFZcIoMSu
He smiles. "Nothing, Rose. What's that thing over there?" He points at something randomly.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdyHNO2ps7
"Oh! Oh, that!" She then began to ramble, explaining anything and everything she could see.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zOlqOR9XS
Well, if she won't remain by her side, then...he'll do whatever he can and everything in his power to make her stay.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQbhhN8Mav
