Garden Of Poison

"I must be getting influenced by your company," Emily muttered as they began to walk down the corridor.

"It doesn’t sound too bad at all, does it, Princess?" Raylen asked her, his blue eyes shining with mirth. Although he smiled at her, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his past from last night, which had kept him awake. Unlike her, who had fallen into a sound sleep, as evidenced by the light snores he had heard coming from the room next to his.

It wasn’t that Raylen was disturbed by the past, as he didn’t hold bitter feelings towards it. Instead, he had built fond memories upon it and had found the closure he believed he had sought. The archdemon went by his saying: why be miserable when you could make others miserable?

"Also, calling me an idiot is not very nice, especially after I’ve been so nice to you," Raylen said, his eyes narrowing slightly. He watched her hazel brown eyes widen in surprise, as if she hadn’t considered he would be able to hear her. He saw her press her lips together, and he asked, "Regretting it?"

"I would have kept my thoughts to myself if I had known you were in the next room," Emily admitted honestly. He had always been a bit odd, but his insistence on tucking her in last night had been especially peculiar, and she decided not to broach the subject. Instead, she inquired, "When is your birthday?"

The look on Raylen’s face turned curious as he read Emily’s expression, and he replied, "A little late to ask now. It just passed."

"It did?" Emily asked, as she hadn’t noticed any celebration. Besides, the man ate cake so frequently that she wouldn’t have discerned a birthday cake from any other.

Raylen nodded and said, "Remember the day I joined you for breakfast, and you initially refused to eat a slice of my birthday cake, but then, with a little persuasion, you did?"

The memory of that day dawned in Emily’s mind, and a troubled expression crossed her face. She was quick to apologise, saying, "Forgive me. Had I known, I would have eaten it without any initial refusal."

"But where would the fun have been in that?" Raylen asked mischievously. He enjoyed vexing her because he always made her blush and burst into a pretty array of colours that pleased his eyes. He then questioned her, "What are you sorry about, Princess?"

Emily took a second before replying, "Birthdays are meant to be celebrated. Not quietly, but grandly. I think it is sad when a person is surrounded by others, yet their birthday is treated as if it’s insignificant and not celebrated."