"Irene," Kieran noticed the familiar silhouette and his eyes widened in surprise. He could not conceal the delight in his eyes. His heart roared at him to go to her, to his woman, the girl he had loved for years, centuries together and he did just that. He went in the direction where he had last seen her, leaving a puzzled Seymour staring at his back.
Seymour had no idea what had happened and where the King was going. But he had not missed the name his King had taken before he had started walking.
"Irene?" He frowned lightly before the realization hit him. He was not a stranger to the name. He had heard it from his King long ago and many other times when he had spoken about his love for her.
Seymour was stunned to hear the same name again, for the King had never taken her name outside the castle. Except for him, nobody else knew about her, no human at least.
To find his King speaking her name, astonished him greatly and Seymour too followed his King, hurrying up to catch up with him. He did not dare call his name out loud, for the King was quite far away from him, and it was impossible for him to shout without gaining the attention of the onlookers. Already a crowd had formed, courtesy of the King's formidable aura. He did not want more eyes on them lest any danger should befall them.
Kieran completely ignored the old Duke behind him and went in the direction where he had seen his beloved. But she had vanished before he could even get to her. All he saw were strangers, the ones that were looking at him curiously. While the ladies were ogling at him as they whispered to themselves, admiring his average but attractive looks, the others just waited to see what he was up to.
But Kieran was in no mood to entertain them. He only wanted to find his sweet girl and bring her back with him. After years had passed, he felt his heart thumping madly in happiness again and he did not wish to end this feeling ever.
The previous night, he had been too shocked to see the girl who had captured his heart. So, it had taken him a while to come out of his trance, and by the time he did, she had already left his sight. He did not intend to commit the same mistake when he knew that she was somewhere around him.
Kieran closed his eyes, trying to find the girl through his senses. But the crowd around him was not helping, frustrating him even more. So many people were blocking his senses, forcing him to retreat and find an alternative to search for his Queen.
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"Your Majesty," Seymour breathed as he panted softly. He kept his voice low to not allow anyone to chance upon their conversation. "What happened, Your Majesty?" He was careful enough not to scold him openly for leaving him alone. Anything related to their Queen would send his King combusting in flames of anger or overly possessive and he did not intend to see him donning either of the two characters.
"I just saw our Queen here." Unexpectedly, Kieran was surprisingly calm even though his eyes said otherwise. Seymour did not miss the impatience in them and he immediately realized what kept the King composed and in control.
One, he was in the presence of his subjects and did not intend to show them his irked and frightening self like he usually did when alone. Two, his darling girl was somewhere around and he did not intend to scare her off, not her at least.
Seymour sighed in relief, praising the King for his thoughtfulness and immense self-control. Otherwise, by now, the place would have wrecked and people would be screaming and running for their lives as they had once done the first time he had witnessed his King lose his calm completely.
But he did not wish for the entire kingdom to know about his rage, for it was only momentary, a way to release his frustration. Kieran Allendale was a king who would give his life for his subjects and their well-being. Harming them was the last thing he would do, impossible even.
"Our Queen," Seymour did not feign ignorance and turned to look around him to find the girl who might be their future Queen. But he did not find anyone who could have captured his King's interest and from his King's disappointed eyes alone, he could say that the girl had long vanished from his sight.
"What do we do now, Your Majesty?" Their plan to take a casual walk around the kingdom had ended, and Seymour knew not to bring it up, not when the King had other intentions in mind. He would surely not be interested in such matters, especially when their Queen was nearby and if they could find her before the last day of the Mid Autumn festival, it could save them a lot of trouble.
"We will find her." The King's answer was expected. Would he stay still and wait for her when he had the opportunity to get her today? No way. "My sweet girl is somewhere nearby and I intend to find her quickly and end my misery as well as hers."
"But how do we do it, Your Majesty?" Seymour gave him a confused look and Kieran immediately understood what he was trying to convey. They did not have their army with them to aid the King in finding the Queen and even if they did, it would be of no help as nobody had seen what their Queen looked like. However, Seymour was now curious to know what the King had in mind and how he wished to find her.
Kieran smirked, his eyes dancing with amusement and an unknown emotion, and Seymour at once realized that the King's plan was anything but normal. He observed the way his King ran his eyes around him before they settled on him.
"I am unable to detect her using my senses. So, I will use my other abilities to find her. She cannot escape from my sight and I am sure I will see her again by the end of the day."