Rumpled 2

CIARA

I'd be joking if I said I was comfortable. I was anything but comfortable. I mean, I guess you're not really supposed to feel comfortable in a stranger's home but this was more than that. Let's look at the fact this Rian guy is living in this mansion all alone! Asides that, I felt like I'd walked into a set for a historical movie. I could bet my dad's kidney that most of the furniture was older than I was. But it really didn't matter if I was uncomfortable or not. I only had one night to spend in this place.

Rian was kind enough to let me stay here though and I was grateful for his hospitality but I just couldn't give him my real name. I'd made the decision that wasn't going to let anyone know who I was. A lot of people might even recognize me instantly as the princess so giving out my real name would be even more risky, I could find myself back at the palace in a blink of an eye and that was the last thing I wanted. I'd rather die than go back to my parents. All I needed to do was find my way to Spain in the morning. 

Rian showed me to my room which was almost just as big as my room at the palace and I wasn't surprised. Big houses with big rooms. The room definitely looked like it was designed for a lady with that same vintage theme everywhere. But what I think I liked most was the curtains erected at the four corners of the queen-sized bed. It made everything look regal. Other than that, there was nothing much in the room and then there was the adjourned bathroom where I was headed. 

"Thank you so much, Sir Rian—" 

"It's just Rian," he corrected me with a tight smile. 

"Okay," I nodded, "I'm going to take a hot bath now. I'm feeling a little cold from the rain," I informed him and he nodded curtly before leaving the room. I proceeded to drop my bag on the bed and head into the bathroom. I didn't really bother taking note of how mono coloured the bathroom was as I filled the bathtub with hot water, got undressed and stepped into it in a haste. I'd never felt so cold in my life and hot water was the only thing I needed at that moment. 

It was only after ten minutes that I'd decided to reach for the liquid soap which I added a generous amount to my water. After that I relaxed and closed my eyes, exhaling. But then I started thinking of what my life might look like once I left this place in the morning. I had some money with me and I had gold jewelry and diamonds I could always sell but then I realized that I never really thought of what exactly I wanted. I guessed I just wanted to be happy but I had no idea what being happy even meant for me. 

What would I do when I got to Spain? I guess I would just have to go and rediscover myself then. Besides, it wasn't my fault. All my life I'd only done what my parents wanted me to do. I hardly ever even spent time with other kids. I was homeschooled and I had no idea what the world I learned about looked like. So this was all on my parents. But then again, I was just eighteen so there was enough time. I basically do whatever I want to do from now on. 

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. There was just this feeling I quite couldn't place. That feeling when someone was watching you… and that's when I realized I hadn't locked the bathroom. 

I wiped my head around to find Rian standing there with his hands behind his back like some statue as he stared down at me. I had to let out a startled scream because that was creepy as hell. How had he come into the room and even into the bathroom without me noticing? 

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Rian asked the obvious, his green eyes scanning the part of my body that wasn't hidden in the foamy water. Even the look in those eyes scared the shit out of me. He looked so intrigued by what he was beholding and he didn't even have the courtesy of looking away. What had he walked in here in the first place? 

"Yes!" I yelled out. I was about to give him a good scolding but then I remembered I wasn't at the palace and he wasn't one of the servants I yelled at on a daily basis. Even though he had crossed boundaries, I still needed to be careful with the way I talked to the person who had decided to shelter me for the night. 

"I'm sorry," his lips seemed to stretch into an unapologetic smirk and I narrowed my eyes at that. It seemed I was starting to see another side to this Ryan guy. A perverted side maybe? "I just wanted to give you a towel," it was only then I noticed the towel he'd been holding.

I took the towel from him, eyeing him suspiciously. "Thank you," I mumbled. 

He nodded and turned around to leave but seemed to have remembered something. "Oh, and I put a little something together for you to eat. I know you must be famished from your long journey."

"Oh…" that definitely took me by surprise. I was definitely very hungry but I didn't expect him to go cooking for him in the early hours of the morning. "Thank you so much, I'll be down in a minute." I smiled in appreciation. Since he'd already made the food, I wasn't going to complain. 

Right after he left, I decided I'd spent enough time in the bathtub so I finished up and got out and dried myself up. Rian had suddenly mentioned food and now my stomach was a rumbling mess. 

I quickly changed into the only nightwear I'd brought along and began making my way back downstairs, taking note of the fact that there weren't any pictures on the wall. I mean, even at the castle we had family pictures running back to generations put up. And if I wasn't wrong, normal people equally put up family pictures and stuff, right? The whole thing just wasn't making sense to me. 

Why was Rian living here all alone? And did he not ever get tired of that suit? In all honesty, I couldn't wait to be on my way once I'd gotten a good night's sleep because I couldn't understand the situation in this historical mansion. It was all creeping me out. And Rian wasn't helping matters either. His attitude was definitely a red flag as red as his hair. 

And to be honest, I'd thought I'd seen it all, no more surprises, but I was proved wrong as I entered the dining area to find a feast before me. The table was literally covered in all kinds of dishes, assortment of food everywhere and I was simply speechless. When did he have the time to prepare all this? Were there servants in the house that I did not know about? How was this even possible? 

I could confidently say that even the entire palace staff could not put everything I was looking at together in just a matter of two hours. So how the hell did he do it? This was only creeping me out the most regardless of the fact that it was meant for me and was probably prepared with good intentions.

"Natalie," Rian called out the false name I'd given after he must've noticed I'd been standing there like a ghost the whole time. "Do have a seat. I didn't know what you would like so there's a variety," he said, motioning to all the food like it was no big deal. I just did not understand this man and I wasn't sure I ever would. 

I sat on the chair at the far end of the table, directly opposite Rian who was on the other end. "This is all… lovely but… did you make it all yourself?" I asked and he nodded, "how… how exactly did you do it all so fast?" 

He smiled more and said, "you ask a lot of questions. But if you must know, I'm a fast cook. And besides, I'd already been preparing the food hours before you knocked on my door." If that was the truth then I guess it made sense but then again, why would he need all this food just for himself? Or were there invisible coresidents that I didn't know about. I decided not to ask that so it wouldn't seem like I was too inquisitive. 

I simply nodded and took a sip from the glass of wine before me before I went ahead to serve myself since I was very hungry. I was already halfway through my food and on my second glass of wine when I heard him clear his throat. I figured he wanted to say something but I also remembered I'd forgotten to compliment his cooking. "The food is amazing," I said with a smile. 

"Well, thank you, Natelie," he said with a smirk, "or should I say, Princess Ciara." 

I nearly choked on my food. What did he just say? 

RIAN

The young princess looked up at me slowly, knowing I'd caught her in her little lie. It was a little funny to watch but I didn't laugh. 

"Uh…" she trailed, in a bid to explain herself. "Look, I didn't mean to lie to you—" 

"I'm not interested in why you decided to hide your identity, although it's a bit funny for you to think you could pull it off for so long," I said, watching as her expression deepened in confusion. "You looked quite familiar from the moment you showed up. You look a lot like your mother actually but it's the ring on your finger that was the giveaway." She looked at her index finger to find the royal ring there. 

She shut her eyes and shook her head. "I'm feeling a little… dizzy," she said and I chuckled. 

"Oh darling, you're about to feel a lot more dizzy. It's the effect of the wine," I told her and she looked at the bottle of wine. 

"You… drugged me?" She managed to ask, trying to stand on her feet and get to the door. She wouldn't get far. 

"You see, darling, I'm only collecting what belongs to me," I said. "Years ago I helped your mother avoid getting beheaded by your father which even landed her a royal marriage and the title as queen but she never kept her end of the bargain." 

Ciara was stumbling her way out of the dinning area and into the living room and I let her, knowing she could hear my voice loud and clear. 

"I mean, all I had asked for was her first born child in exchange for the services I rendered and of course at first, she agreed because her life was at stake. But after you were born, and I came to collect what we'd agreed on, she decided not to keep her end of the bargain. She banished me. Can you imagine that, Ciara?" I laughed a little, shaking my head. 

Ciara had managed to crawl to the front door but alas, it was locked. Poor girl. 

I went to where she was on the floor. She was trying so hard to keep her eyes open. Poor girl probably thought she was going to die or something. She was only going to take a long nap, I had other plans for her. 

I bent down to her level and ran my fingers over her smooth face. "I finally got what belongs to me. And you're never going anywhere."