Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 36

Yashiro stirred in his sleep and woke up, his hand still holding hers. He found Astoria awake and staring at him. He quickly sat up and reached out his hand, placing it on her left cheek.

“Nexi,” he began, a look of worry on his face, “are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? How are you feeling?”

“Like I just got bitten by a spider,” she joked, letting out a soft giggle.

She only joked so that he would stop being worried since she was no longer in pain and felt a whole lot better. He sighed and smiled at her. It was the most dazzling smile she had ever seen. As dazzling as the sunrise.

“Well, considering you have the energy to make jokes,” he said, gently stroking her cheek, “I’m guessing you’re a whole lot better?”

She nodded and sighed.

“Sorry for causing you and your family to worry,” she said, staring at their clasped hands.

She looked back at him, and he nodded.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay,” Yashiro said with a soft sigh.

“You’re dying to ask me questions, aren’t you? I can feel it,” she said, causing him to move his hand away from her cheek.

He crossed his arms and nodded.

“I am, but I won’t for now. You are probably too traumatised by what happened, so I’ll let you rest up.”

He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Astoria. His gray eyes scanned her, and she found herself lost in those gray eyes.

“If you find that you are not up for tomorrow’s festival,” he began, “just let me know. You do not have to attend and can just stay in and rest.”

Astoria absently nodded, and he left. She sighed, grabbed a pillow, and squeezed it. Her heart felt like it was about to burst into a million tiny dancing hearts.

‘Just how much does Nexi like this prince to cause such emotions?’

She stayed in that position for a few minutes, hugging the pillow, and then got out of bed. She walked to her suitcase and took out Nexi’s diary and a pen. Sitting on the chair the older prince had been sitting on, she began to write notes in the diary.

“So,” she said to herself, “I can now control the Silver Ocean. I don’t have to worry about it erupting like it did with that troll, Laojin.”

She now knew that if she did not stop the Dark Lord, this world would be consumed in chaos. This would disrupt her progress of going home. She now had to get her act together and save this world. There was a knock on the door, and Ai walked in, tears running down her eyes.

“Nexi!” she ran and hugged her tightly.

The young fox princess was bawling her eyes out.

“Ai, I c-can’t b-breathe.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I just…I was so worried…and you…you disappeared and…” Ai spoke in between her crying.

She sniffled and teleported a handkerchief from her room, causing Astoria to stare at her, completely intrigued. Ai then pressed the handkerchief against her eyes and began blowing her nose.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t do anything to help you,” Ai began, “I don’t know how I was going to live knowing that I was unable to save you from entering that boundary.”

“It’s okay-”

“No, it’s not okay,” Ai interrupted her, vigorously shaking her head.

“You could have died. I told you not to go there, but you didn’t want to listen to me,” Ai said, her face turning as red as a tomato in anger.

“I’m really sorry, Ai,” Astoria said, staring at the princess whose eyes were now puffy from crying.

“It wasn’t my intention to not listen to you. My inquisitive nature just took over, and before I knew it, I had stepped into that spider woman’s boundary.”

Ai blew her nose one last time and looked at Astoria, confusion written all over her face.

“Spiderwoman?” she asked, bewildered.

“Ah, yeah. The one that has been causing the disappearances is a spider-looking woman. I saw her,” Astoria explained.

Ai sat down on the bed, wanting to hear more about this creature.

“That’s all I can say for now. The one who needs to hear all this is your older brother,” she told Ai, who frowned in response.

“Aww, fine,” she said, pouting her lips and staring at the floor angrily.

Astoria laughed at Ai’s behaviour. She placed her hand on the fox’s head, stroking her soft hair.

“Thank you for calling your brother to save me. You really saved my life,” she said, causing Ai to look at her.

“Really?” Ai asked with a glint in her eyes.

Astoria nodded. She was really thankful because she could get to the palace and have the venom neutralised in time. Although she also owed it to Saxhish not biting her with enough venom meant to kill her.

“Then I’m glad,” Ai said, a smile to her lips.

Ai stood up.

“Mother told me that your dinner will be brought to you, so don’t strain yourself and focus on getting better.”

Ai left the room, and Astoria returned to writing in the diary.

‘So, I have to find the Dark Lord. I’m pretty sure he is looking for me, but for some reason has not found me yet. I must find him and eliminate him.’

She shook her head.

‘No, finding him while I’m vulnerable and barely able to use the Silver Ocean would be like arranging my funeral. I need some type of magic training.’

She stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

‘But who can help me? Keya maybe? However, if I’m to find the Dark Lord, I need allies. I cannot do this alone or with just two people.’

She ran her fingers through her hair, unsure of who she could ask to help her.

‘If I consider the people who could come with me on this dangerous journey, it would just be Keya and Laurelai. Even then, just us three going on this journey would be dangerous. Who else can help me?’

She continued pacing back and forth until Yashiro walked in. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice him enter.

“Um,” he said, causing her to stop in her tracks and stare at him, “am I interrupting something?”

She shook her head and stared at him.

‘Maybe he can help me?’

He just stared at her and noticed that she was still lost in her own thoughts.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her.

She nodded.

“Like there are no side effects? You do not feel dizzy? Confused? Anything of that sort?”

Astoria crossed her arms in an ‘X’ in front of her chest and shook her head at all the things he had said.

“I. Am. Really. Really. Really. Okay. Don’t. Worry,” she said slowly, emphasising every word so that he would stop worrying about her and stop asking such questions.

“Alright, Nexi,” he said, “I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay since I caught you pacing back and forth like this. You also look troubled. What’s the matter?”

She sighed and thought, ‘Stuff it. It won’t hurt to ask.’

“I need your help, but I need to talk to you somewhere private. Not here in the bedroom.”

He nodded and suggested they go to his study, which was on the other side of the palace. She followed behind him, tightly clutching her hands together as nervousness took over her body. After all, she was about to ask him something that could potentially endanger his life.

He opened the door of his study, waited for Astoria to step inside before he did too and closed the door. He sat down on his chair, and she looked around the study. It was stacked with books on different types of metal and weaponry. The books were neatly kept, and the whole room was neat and organised.

“Please take a seat,” he said, pointing to the chair across from him.

She moved towards the chair and sat down across from Yashiro.

‘Where do I even start?’

She thought to herself, unsure of where to even begin.

“So,” he began, “what do you wanna tell me?”

She placed her hand on the table and looked at him.

“Well,” she began, “like I mentioned earlier, I really need your help.”

“With?”

“Saving the world, protecting Nexi’s family, and destroying the Dark Lord. I need to tell you something, but first, I will begin with what happened to me when I entered that boundary where I saw multiple corpses,” she said, silently hoping that he would agree to help her.

“Okay, tell me everything. I’m all ears,” he stated, focussing all his attention on her.

When she began speaking, his eyes darted to her tempting lips. Some day, he would feel those warm lips against his.. He shook his head and focussed on what she was saying.