Samurai ↔ Nishimura Riki

fifteen

He'd rather be anywhere else than here.

"Ki! It's such a nice day today! Let's go on a picnic in the royal garden!" Lia babbled on, clinging on his arm so hard that she was probably cutting off his blood circulation.

They were outside, nearing the entrance gates of the palace, much to his annoyance. Guards stood protectively in front of them, preventing any intruders from coming in.

Riki heaves a sigh. Everyday was pretty much torture for him. Every morning, she would come inside his room (permission or not) and insist on him doing something with her up until the end of breakfast, where he would gladly head off to his classes. And then, in the afternoon, she would cling excessively on to him, following wherever he went. The cycle would repeat with every new day and he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

Most of the time, he was able to rebuff her offers, but today was not his day.

Lia had personally gone to his parents and requested that they clear up his schedule so she could have a free day with him to hangout. And of course, since they adored Lia, they had agreed and here he was, stuck with the very person he hated the most.

The prince opened his mouth to respond only to close it. He had to weigh his options carefully. If he declined again with no excuse, she would still pester him, but eventually leave him alone. However, chances were high that Lia would report it to his parents and her father. Riki surely didn't want to get on their bad sides, especially Minister Yoon's. He was an important man with a lot of influence, someone who you didn't want to upset.

He couldn't believe he was admitting this, but he'd wish Hyewon was here so she could scare Lia off, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He might as well accept his fate. Deflated, Riki lets out a dejected sigh before nodding at her, causing her to squeal in excitement.

"Aren't you so excited? It's going to be soo romantic~" Lia coos, digging her sharp nails into his arm even harder, causing him to wince. "Wait here, okay? I'll alert the kitchen to prepare our food."

Once again, he nodded numbly and to his relief, she stalked back to the palace.

Riki finally felt like he was free again. Rubbing his arm soothingly, he waits, taking in his surroundings when something odd seized his attention.

So that was where she went.

He walked slowly and haughtily towards her, stopping when he reached his destination. "Going out for a joyride, hm?"

She whirls around midstop in saddling her horse, her cloak flapping in the air. Surprise rippled through her face before shuttering. "And since when did you start to care where I go?" Hyewon challenges. Her eyes stared at him defiantly, daring him to say different.

"I do care if it is related to me," he emphasized. The prince crosses his arms. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Arrogant much, Nishimura? I have a perfectly fine excuse and I'm not obligated to tell you it." she answers snarkily. She tugs on her horse's reins impatiently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be and you do too." Hyewon saddles up the mare and tosses one leg over it, her chin pointing to the palace.

Riki scowls. He had enough with her insolence. "Can you even call yourself a guard? You're barely guarding me and half the time, you're not even there to protect me. You can't even do your job right," he accused, letting his words sink in like venomous barbs. "At this rate, you might as well quit."

He expected her to retaliate with a few insults of her own, but she merely paused. "I am in no mood to humor or banter with you," she warns calmly, guiding her horse towards the gates. "I've got no time to lose."