The next morning, the medicine seemed to have worked—Kyro felt a little better. He sat up in bed and thought to himself, I should find a way to repay her... or at least show her my gratitude.
Determined, he got dressed and headed toward the main castle. The stone halls were still cool with morning dew, and a few servants bowed as he passed. When he reached the knights' quarters, he found Elias, his most trusted knight and commander.
"Commander," Kyro said seriously, "meet me in the meeting room."
The man jolted like a cat hearing a vacuum. "Y-Yes, my lord."
They both entered the room and took a seat. Kyro exhaled, then looked at him dead serious. "I have to ask you something about a field I'm no expert in."
"Oh?" Commander raised a brow. "So that's why I'm here. Hah."
"I want to repay someone important to me. What do I do? Do I buy her a horse? A shop?" Kyro ran a hand through his hair. He looked absolutely lost in thought. Spiral-mode: activated.
The Commander blinked, then casually said, "Well... whenever my wife and I argue, I always bring her cake from that little bakery in town. Works every time."
Kyro froze. "Cake..." he muttered, then gave a small nod to himself. "While we didn't argue or anything... this might still work."
He immediately gave an order: "Get one of each flavor. Now."
While Kyro headed to his office, back in the outer wing of the castle, Lyra lay on her bed, her whole face in the pillow, contemplating her entire existence.
What is happening? Why do I get flustered so easily around him? What do I do, what do I do…
She groaned, flopping onto her back. Before she could spiral even harder, a knock echoed on her door.
"Miss Lyra," a maid called gently. "Staying in bed all day won't do you any good. Plus... Lord Kyro has requested your presence this evening."
Lyra shot up like a startled deer. "W-What!?"
After hearing the knock, Lyra quickly sat up and, still flustered, decided to at least get out of her nightgown. She picked something simple and moved to sit by her small mirror to brush her hair, hoping to calm herself down a bit. But before she could even finish, a knock came again but this time firmer.
A small group of castle maids arrived without much warning, catching her mid-brush. They set down trays of accessories and fabrics like it was a royal wedding.
This is taking such a long time... what kind of event is this? she wondered, fidgeting with her dress. As the maids moved quickly around her, one of them finally asked, "Which hair ornament would you prefer, Miss Lyra?" She was presented with two beautiful pins—one with a clear gemstone, and one a deep gray. Her heart skipped a beat. That color... it reminded her of Lord Kyro's eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "I'll go with this one," pointing to the gray pin.
"Excellent choice," one of the maids smiled. "We'll take you now."
"W-What's all this for?" she mumbled as they guided her toward a different part of the castle. Everything was glowing, candles lighting the path, and the dress she wore shimmered with every step. She thought to herself, *I never expected this from a 'cursed' king, what exactly is happening? *
They led her deeper into the castle's massive garden to a beautiful gazebo surrounded by beautiful lanterns that shimmered like stars. Kyro stood there, waiting like a romantic novel cover.
She bowed. "Good evening, Lord Kyro."
He smiled. "Good evening, Lady Lyra."
Her eyes widened slightly—he'd never called her that before.
Well, let's take a seat, he says.
They both sat there in a moment of awkward silence, eyes flickering between each other and the table, unsure of who should speak first.
"Aren't you curious why I asked you here?" he said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Of course, my lord, but I will do as you say," she replied.
He grinned a little. "From now on, you don't have to do as I say. You're your own person, Lyra. You can refuse anything I ask. Understood?"
Her voice trembled just slightly. "Y-Yes."
That's when she noticed a box sitting at the center of the table. Kyro caught her glance—he was always surprisingly perceptive—and gave a small smile, clearly pleased that she had noticed it.
"Want to know what's inside?" he asked, reaching for it.
Before she could answer, he opened the lid—five delicate cakes, each a different flavor.
Her eyes sparkled. "Is this... for me?"
"Of course. It's a present—for taking such good care of me yesterday."
She hesitated. "T-That was nothing... Are you sure I can have these?"
"Only if you agree to share them with me," he teased.
"P-Please do," she mumbled.
"There's only one fork though…" He smirked. "Is that alright, Lyy-ra?" he teased, dragging the vowels out like it was a song.
Her face turned the exact shade of a full ripe tomato.
"T-That's fine…"
They started eating—vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, lemon, and something exotic neither of them could name. Lyra closed her eyes and smiled between bites.
"This is amazing," she said, crumbs on her lips.
"Glad it's to your liking."
When they were almost done, Kyro looked up and said, "It's getting late. We should return."
"Oh, I didn't realize, I'm sorry for keeping you here for long..." She looked down, almost a bit disappointed.
He leaned in a little closer and whispered, "What's wrong? If you want to spend more time alone with me, you're welcome in my room anytime."
Her soul practically jumped out, leaving her bright red and totally caught
He laughed out loud. "Relax. It was just a joke."
He turned and walked a few steps before glancing back.
"Or was it?"
Lyra.exe has stopped responding. Fatal Error. Game Over.
After finally recovering from Lord Kyro's teasing, Lyra walked back to her room, cheeks still burning. As she got ready for bed, her mind kept drifting back to what he said. If I went to his room now, would he really let me in? What would happen then?-
Her cheeks turned red again, and she gave herself a quick slap, muttering, No, no, no—time for bed, seriously!
Finally, after the long day and now lying in her bed, her thoughts settled a bit... but her heart? That traitor was beating way too fast.