Lost In That Day

Sitting under the willow tree, he was completely lost in the past…

…
…
…

13 years ago

It was a bright day. spring was at its full bloom. 

A small figure, wrapped in a little leather training outfit, swung his wooden blade again and again. Sweat trickled down his chin as he delivered slash after slash to the willow tree’s trunk. His face was set, determined, cold as steel , yet the tiny ponytail at the back and the soft strands falling over his face showed how young he really was. His shimmering purple eyes were big and innocent, revealing an age of only seven or eight. 

“Yyaa… huh! Yaa… huh!”

He kept practicing, completely absorbed, when another small figure peeked from behind a nearby tree , wide dark-blue eyes, silver-white hair decorated with soft blue beads, and a mischievous grin dancing on her lips. She looked left, then right, checking if anyone was following her.

I dodged Auntie… she never lets me go anywhere! Now I’m finally free. Oh gods—but what have I found here? Hmm… Father said he would protect me, but I haven’t even seen him once. What a bad guardian…

She tiptoed closer and stood beside him, almost bouncing on her toes. She tried to hold a dignified posture like her etiquette teacher taught her, but her body couldn’t stop swaying restlessly. Then she said, voice bright:
“Hello! We couldn’t meet properly last time, so I want to talk more today… and I want to make you my friend. And—”

But mid-sentence she froze.He wasn’t even looking at her.
His gaze was locked on the tree. Sweat slid down his temples, his lips whispering numbers as the wooden blade rose and fell.

“157.”

“158.”

“159.”

Every bit of composure she had built cracked instantly. Her cheeks puffed, her eyes widened, and her temper burst out.
“You— you idiot! Am I invisible to you?! Can’t you see me standing right here? Someone is talking to you! Do you even have basic manners?!”

He finally looked at her with narrowed eyes… yet his blade never stopped. Slash after slash, steady, mechanical. In a breathy, exhausted voice, he replied politely:
“Sorry, Master… I can’t stop. Grandfather forbade me.”She blinked.“Master?“ she said “I am not your master ,stop calling me that“
he added softly:“But you are my master… that much is true. I don’t know anything else.”

Her little chest puffed with anger again. She stomped her foot, placed her small hands on her tiny waist, cheeks burning with frustration.
“Okay then! As your master, I order you to stop and play with me!”

“Oh… Master, I can’t.”His blade kept moving.“Grandfather said I can’t stop until he allows it. He said… I can’t take any order from you before the King accepts it too.”

That was it. Her patience shattered completely. Her blue eyes glowed with outrage.
“You…! How can you do that?! First you say I’m your master—and then you say you can’t take my orders! Then how am I even your master?!”

He still kept slashing…
“189.”

“190.”

She huffed dramatically.Then suddenly… a wicked little smirk spread across her lips. She stepped backward, looked at him with the most dangerously cute expression, and said:
“You’re my guardian, right? You’re supposed to save me. So tell me …if I get into danger right now, would you still need permission from my father before helping me?”

His head snapped toward her instantly.

And what he saw froze his heart.

She was standing on the edge of the giant fountain , one foot balanced on the marble rim, the other dangling over the water. The fountain was several feet deep, located at the heart of the imperial garden. Her silver hair fluttered behind her, sunlight turning it almost ethereal.

Before he even realized it—
The wooden sword clattered to the ground.A flash of bluish energy surged around him.

In the next breath, he appeared beside her, grabbing her wrist tightly.
His voice cracked with anger.
“Are you mad? Did something happen to your brain?! You’re so small..and you’re standing on the edge of a fountain! You—you—!”

Her eyes widened at his speed. And at his voice. For a heartbeat, silence.
Then she burst into laughter…light, bright, magical.
“Hahaha! See? You disobeyed your grandfather! You’re not some statue after all…I’m happy to know that!”
He stared at her, utterly thrown off.

“Master… this is dangerous! You shouldn’t do that. What if you slipped and really fell in?”

“I knew you would save me,” she said confidently, chin lifted. “That’s why I took the risk. And see? It happened exactly like I thought.”

He followed her gaze…back to the tree, back to the spot where he had thrown the sword.Even he didn’t know when he had moved.

When did i stop practicing .. I have to begin again from start but …whatever lets do it quickly. 

With a sigh, he jumped down and walked back toward the tree to resume practice.

But halfway there—A warm little hand grabbed his again.
He let out a tiny gasp.
“With so much difficulty I stopped you from practicing, and now you’re going back? Come here! I’ll show you what real mischief means!”

“But Master… I must practice. Grandfather—”

“No!” she cut him off and ran ahead toward the castle. “If you protest more, I’ll fall somewhere and blame you! Haha! Then you’ll be punished for hurting the princess! Think carefully!”
His eyes twitched again.

She’s really a little devil… but I can’t risk the other thing either. 
So he followed her, helpless, defeated.

---

Half an hour later…
“Princess Ninsula has disappeared… We can’t find her!”A group of caretakers reported to the head maid, trembling.
The head maid pressed a hand to her forehead.
If the King hears about this, we’re all finished…

---
On the other side—

Step… step…

Princess Ninsula wandered through the enormous castle halls, poking her head out from behind a marble pillar with a cheeky smile. Her blue eyes sparkled with delight.

Behind her, her guardian followed with stiff shoulders and a deeply guilty expression.“Master, it’s been half an hour already… You shouldn’t make them worry. And… Grandfather will be angry at me too. I have to practice…”

She turned to him and pouted dramatically. Twitch eyebrows. 
“No! You can’t go back now. I have to show you the whole castle ,my hiding places and everything. So let’s go!”

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him forward.

“Look, this is my bedroom!”A grand room with white curtains, jewel-colored carpets, and crystal lamps that glimmered like stars.

“See this uncle? He secretly meets that aunty….hihi, I know everything.”

“Look at this hiding spot!”She squeezed behind a tall tapestry embroidered with silver threads.

“And also this….look!”She pointed proudly at a tiny balcony tucked between two towers, carrying the sweet scent of the royal gardens.
He followed silently, eyes twitching harder with each new place she dragged him into.

Master… please… I just need to practice…But he didn’t dare say it aloud.

Ninsula was glowing with excitement ,dragging him through long corridors, spiraling staircases, secret bookcase passages, and narrow servant tunnels she definitely wasn’t allowed to know about.

For her… it was adventure.For him… it was torture mixed with duty.