When the Sun Fell |✔|

23

Lumi wandered the hallways. She liked the soothing colors that were displayed. She liked the Galexious Palace and how it was arranged. It had beautiful art, and architecture that had made Lumi stare in fascination for hours when she first saw.

Her fingers lightly trailed along the walls, tracing the dark purple color.

The guards who stood at every corner of the hallway bowed to her, their eyes trailing after as she walked by.

She made her way quietly to the place she knew she needed to go to.

Standing before the door, Lumi hesitated before knocking.

The guards that were posted watched her, tension unseen but there in their shoulders as they waited for what she would do next.

She took a few steps back, walking to the wall that faced the door.

Unexpectedly she hit her head against it, causing one guard to swear loudly as he rushed to stop her from doing so a second time.

"Queen Lumikki please-,"

She held up a hand, rubbing her forehead.

"I needed that."

Without another word she marched to the door and knocked.

There was a moment of silence before they all heard Josiah's voice on the other side.

"Come in."

Lumi cast one last smile at the baffled guards before opening the door.

She closed it behind her, pressing her back to the frame to try and reach some composure.

Josiah looked up, his eyes staying on her for a few seconds before he looked back down at the documents on his desk.

"Do you need something?"

"I..." Lumi continued to stare at him. His gaze flickered to her again, irritation and confusion clear on his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I just...can I just sit here with you?"

They watched each other, the silence stretching between them before finally Josiah sighed and took the glasses he had been wearing off.

"Of course," he gestured to a nearby couch, "please sit."

She looked at the chair that was across from his desk. His eyes followed her gaze and an unknown expression crossed his face.

"Wherever you feel like."

She smiled at him, approaching slowly before sitting down in the offered seat.

"Can I ask what you are working on?"

Lumi tried to not flinch away from the tired look that came over him. The characteristics that people praised her for seemed to have the opposite effect on Josiah. She wondered if things would have been different if he had not gone away so soon after their arrival. But a better part of Lumi wondered if she was not what he had been expecting, and now he was disappointed.

"Of course you can. You're my Queen after all."

Without warning Lumi rose, walking around the desk to look at the papers he had been examining. He seemed to be caught off guard. She perched on the desk, her legs dangling in the air as she looked down to inspect the papers.

"What is this? It looks complicated?"

"That's because it is," he cleared his throat and moved to be closer to her. His elbow that was on the table grazed her thigh. He pulled back slightly clearing his throat again.