"Are you okay, your highness ?" Liuxing asked, concern etched on his face.
Kenji looked at him, "Of course….of course I am Liuxing." Kenji sighed.
Liuxing gazed at Kenji for a moment and then he looked away. 'You can lie to the whole world, your highness…..but not to me. I can tell that something is wrong, something is troubling you, even with my eyes closed. Only if you realised....'
"Let us proceed." Kenji said, interrupting Liuxing's thoughts.
"Your highness….our next place is the 'Daiyu Falls', I hope you would love it." Liuxing said as the wagon moved ahead. They sat next to each other, Liuxing's hand barely touching Kenji's. Kenji's eyes wandered towards the streets for a moment. Then he turned his gaze towards Liuxing who was sitting still and cold, his gaze wandered towards Liuxing's hand, which was resting still on his lap. The veins on his hand visible in a perfect way, his long fingers, kenji wanted to touch it, caress it, he did not know what was going on his mind right now. He gulped and removed his gaze.
"Your highness..." Liuxing said, tilting his head, a small smile danced on his face, his right hand extended towards Kenji.
"Hmm? What ?" Kenji asked, cluelessly.
"My hand? You may touch it if you want, it would be an honor." Liuxing said, the smile on his face got a bit bigger.
Kenji opened his mouth to say something but he could not bring out his words, he nervously blinked and looked away.
"No way….why? Why would you-"
Before Kenji could complete his sentence, Liuxing lifted Kenji's hand and placed it on his right hand. Kenji was speechless, he took a deep breath, he felt flustered. He quickly removed his hand but.....Liuxing held his wrist, he moved his face closer to Kenji's face. Kenji quickly turned away.
"Your highness, please do not do this to me." Liuxing said, near Kenji's ears. His voice felt like a deep ocean wave settling into Kenji's mind calmly. Liuxing was close, very close to Kenji, he could smell his scent. Like the scent of mud after rain, like the scent of forest, Kenji tried to remove his hand but Liuxing's grip tightened over Kenji's wrist.
"Liuxing….." he said.
Liuxing tilted his head to the side, holding a strand of Kenji's hair, he smiled, "So soft…." He said, as he chuckled.
"Huh?" Kenji said, his eyes met Liuxing's. Liuxing's face was so close, he could see the moonlight shine on his face, the pheonix orange colour of his eyes and the arch of his eyeyes brows, every strand touching his forehead.
The wagon stopped, they had reached their next spot, 'Daiyu Falls'.
It was breathtaking, it was beautiful, the wind was cool and calm. Liuxing extended his hands for Kenji to step down. The view was ethereal. The stoned ground was black jade, the shallow water, the sky seemed blue here, it was starless but this place was as if the crack of dawn was captured into a small space. The water falling down with force was visible under the blue hour.
"My lord, will it be comfortable for you to walk on the water ? It is shallow…." Liuxing asked.
"I am fine with it-" Kenji said but then before he could even finish his sentence, he felt Liuxing's hand wrap around his waist and suddenly he was picked up. He intuitively grabbed Kenji's shoulder, Liuxing smiled.
"I am fine-" Kenji tried saying again, he was trying hard to control his breathing so Liuxing would not notice how nervous he felt, how fast his heart was pacing, how flustered he was feeling, how shy he felt.
"Yes, your highness!" Liuxing interrupted and moved forward with Kenji in his embrace.
Liuxing let Kenji down at a dry place, a piece of jade that was placed higher than the shallow water level. The water was flowing and it seemed like a cycle.
Kenji took a deep breath. Now that Liuxing was not so close to Kenji, he could finally breathe. But the vivid feeling of Liuxing's tight grip around his wrist, around his waist, the moment when Liuxing's face was so close, the moment when Liuxing was so close to him that he could feel his scent, the touch of his hand, it was all so recent and vivid, he could still feel it. His heart was beating at an irregular pace.
Kenji touched his cheeks to check if they were really on fire or they just felt like that.
"Beautiful." Liuxing said.
"Indeed…" Kenji said, a smile automatically appeared on his face upon witnessing the beauty of the place, he turned his face towards Liuxing who was already staring towards him.
Kenji turned his face away.
"You look very beautiful when you smile, your highness." Liuxing said, his gaze fixated over Kenji's face.
Kenji turned his gaze nervously.
"Your eyes...…." Liuxing said, "They turn into crescent moons whenver you smile…." Liuxing turned his gaze away, towards the beguiling waterfalls, the smile on Liuxing's face was like a lotus dancing upon a still water, hiding the depth.
"I- I think....." Kenji tried to say something but he felt as if his words were stuck in his throats.
Kenji sighed, he lifted his left hand and removed the piece of silk veil from his lower face. Upon removing the veil, he took a deep breath. Liuxing gaze was fixated towards Kenji's unveiled face. No one ever saw Kenji's unveiled face after he turned fourteen. No matter what circumstances, Kenji's veil remained intact but today, infront of Liuxing, infront of the Daiyu falls, Kenji removed his veil. The silken veil flowed swiftly in his hands, the cold and calm breeze touching Kenji's face. Liuxing could not look away. Liuxing could not breathe. He felt as if his breath was stuck, as if the world was still, silent and calm. He felt as if he had never seen something more beguiling, more mesmerizing or more beautiful than Kenji's face. Kenji's presence itself was enough to catch Liuxing's breath in every moment but now that his face was unveiled, for Liuxing it was not just his face....