The Prince's Runaway Bride

It was the first time for Zander to fumble for what he should do in a certain situation. He kept looking at Odessa in the eyes even though he knew that his face was already red. It was a good thing that Odessa was no better.

She gave him an awkward smile, which he still found cute. He knew that he should say something to dispel the air of awkwardness surrounding them. Even the sharp-tongued Odessa was lost for words. But, both of them knew they should do something about their situation.

"I…" Both of them uttered at once.

Again, complete silence took over. None of them would dare speak another word. But, the awkward atmosphere must end.

"I…" Both of them spoke simultaneously.

The uncomfortable feeling that they felt earlier was finally dismissed. Both of them laughed as they held hands. Zander held up Odessa's hand to his lips and kissed it. Odessa blushed anew, but she did not mind.

"Odessa, I've been searching for you ever since we parted. I stayed for a while in Prazia hoping to find you. I did not realize sooner that you might have told me a lie." Zander just stated some facts and did not question Odessa about her reason for doing so.

Odessa evaded Zander's gaze. She was young and foolish then. She intended to tell him the truth, but they suddenly had an argument at the time. Their team's departure on that day was too sudden for her, and she did not even make an effort to find him and clear the misunderstandings and to correct the lie that she told him before.

It was the biggest regret of her life. She already met the man that she should spend her life with but did not recognize him at such a crucial time. Because of her pride and lack of wisdom in her younger years, she lost her man. Luckily, she found him once more. This time she wouldn't let him go.

"I…I was too angry at you and did not expect that the lie would bring the biggest disappointment in my life. I wanted to clarify that I'm from Tissuria, but I missed the chance to tell you."

"I guess I was too careless and arrogant with my words back then, but I had no intention to hurt you. I always feel at ease when I'm with you. I was not careful with my words back then. I did not realize that I somehow annoyed or hurt you with the things I've said."

Silence enveloped them once more, and Odessa still refused to look at Zander in the eye. She had mixed emotions at the time. She wanted to cry and wanted to laugh at the same time. The love that she thought she had lost was right in front of her. She did not look for him but somehow he found her. She did not know what to do.

She wanted to hug him tightly, but she did not want Zander to think that she was a loose woman. Even though they were both certain that they would end up exchanging marriage vows, she still couldn't bring herself to hug and kiss him.

Zander was no better. He had wanted to trap Odessa within his arms ever since he saw her again for the first time that day. It took him a great amount of effort to restrain himself. He did not want Odessa to think that he was taking advantage of her. He did not want her to think that he had been with so many women after they parted.

Odessa silently called upon all the deities that she could remember and prayed for help. She gathered all her courage and slowly lifted her head up to look at the man that had been accompanying her in her dreams all these years. She did not notice the tears escaping from her eyes and rolling down her delicate face.

Zander panicked and thought that he said something that might have upset her. He nervously reached out his hand to wipe away her tears.

"Odessa, I'm sorry if I said something out of line. I promise I will never…"

Odessa put a finger against Zander's lips and shook her head.

"I'm just so happy that I still get to see you again. I don't know where to find you, and I've always wondered whether you were looking for me. Zander, I…"

Odessa was not able to finish the words that she wanted to say when Zander sealed her lips with his. She never thought that a kiss could be something so sweet and could make her heartbeat so fast. Zander held her even closer to him, and she felt like melting in his arms. She could feel and hear the loud thumping of Zander's heart. It was similar to the sound of the hooves of the galloping horses.

Her mind was telling her to push him away, but her heart was telling her that she should savor the moment. Zander's brain was in turmoil, but he couldn't stop himself. The years of being apart and not knowing when they would meet again or would they ever meet again drove him to act rashly. It was a long, lingering kiss between two inexperienced individuals who were yearning for each other's warmth.

Both of them were panting when they finally let go of each other. In Zander's eyes, Odessa's expression looked seductive as she tried to regain her composure. Zander wanted to kiss her once more and tried his best to restrain himself. He distanced himself from Odessa for fear of assaulting her with kisses. He did not want Odessa to think that he was taking advantage of her. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.

He looked at Odesa who was also looking at him. He felt triumphant and proud. There was no doubt that the woman that he had been keeping in his heart also felt the same way. He gave Odessa a warm, enchanting smile. Odessa returned the smile with flushed cheeks. Zander's temperature began to rise and knew that something was happening to the lower part of his body.

He went to Odessa and told her, "Odessa, I shall take my leave and visit you again tomorrow. Right now, I'm afraid I might do something despicable that you might not forgive me in a million years."

He gave her a quick kiss before he ran away as fast as he could. The horse that he used to get to the Munchefort manor followed Zander behind. Odessa was confused by Zander's action and chuckled. Somehow, she had an idea of what was happening to him. She chuckled and trod the path that would lead her to the house.

Odessa did not notice that a figure was watching them. Baroness Munchefort closed the curtain by the window and smiled. If it was any other man, she might have beaten him to a pulp already. She witnessed their first kiss, and she had no intention to tell them that she saw everything.