“I suggest you turn up to the event to at least help him save face. It would reflect very poorly on you and also on the prince if you don't turn up. The prince has always been kind to you, so even if you don't like him back, you shouldn't do things that will publicly throw him under the bus. You do know this right?” My sister continued on patiently. I nodded my head a few times solemnly because I couldn't help but agree with her. Desmond had always been kind to me, and I knew that many things that he did were for my sake. Even I knew that I shouldn't throw him under the bus, both in public and in private. “You also need to act a little smarter, my sister dear. You do realize just how our parents have been much kinder and considerate to you ever since you managed to secure the prince’s favor. I'm not saying this to scare you, but if anything were to happen, I am sure that the prince will defend you and keep you safe. Maybe he can defend you much better than I ever could and that trul
My response drew a laugh from the prince as he looked at me with sparkling gray eyes. I could tell that Desmond was very glad to see me because I could feel the life returning to his beautiful gray eyes. To my surprise, it wasn't at all difficult to reunite with the prince and talk to him again.“I guess it's good enough for me that you did actually turn up,” the prince said before grinning my way. The way he looked so thankful for my appearance made me feel slightly guilty inside. “My sister told me that I shouldn't throw you under the bus so publicly, and I had to agree with her,” I replied before I found myself smiling quite naturally. “I guess I have your sister to thank for this,” the prince replied. There were many things that I wanted to ask the prince, but there was one burning question that felt like it could no longer wait until later.“My father's corruption case and its relation to my family businesses, were you the one who stepped in to help us out?” I asked directly.
“Are you two back together now?” One of the reporters asked. Although I knew that these types of questions were bound to be hurled at us, I wasn't quite prepared to answer any of them. I also hated how nosy these reporters were. Clearly they were not here to cover the naming of the school or any topic related to community service. All they were intent on finding out more about was my relationship with the prince. I stared at them as I pursed my lips together while I decided to maintain my silence. “You shouldn't ask me about this. Why don't you ask the lady instead?” The prince said as he threw the ball my way. It took all of my effort not to turn and glare at him. Instead, I plastered a lady-like smile onto my lips as I thought of an appropriate answer. “Who knows?” I replied teasingly without disclosing any other details. Perhaps Desmond could sense that I wasn't in the mood to deal with all the reporters because he quickly signaled to the guards to help us out of the place.…
Desmond seems to consider my words. By that time the desserts had started to taste sour in my mouth instead of sweet because I had lost all of my appetite. The prince’s gray eyes focused on me just as I placed my utensils down.“Don't you feel that something has changed around you?” Desmond asked as he stared directly at my face from across the dining table. I wasn't sure what he was referring to so I replied by shaking my head from side to side. In truth it would be more accurate to say that there were so many changes that had happened around me that I wasn't even sure which change he was exactly referring to. “You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble as of late. I'm sure that your parents aren't so pleased about it, not to talk about a few other people,” the prince commented before grinning wryly my way. I felt my core tightened as a disturbing feeling swirled around in my belly at his words. “I don't know what you're talking about,” I denied although I didn't sound so convincing.
Diana's words and the look of concern in her eyes came back to me along with how powerless and vulnerable she sounded when she told me that she might not be able to cover for me all the time. Some things were definitely getting out of our control. Just like how I couldn't cover for my sister for every single thing, it was becoming impossible for her to do the same. I was certain that just as much as I was worried for her, Diana was worried for me too. I would be lying if I said that the prince’s proposal to protect me didn't sound overwhelmingly tempting. However, I knew that everything came with a price of its own. “And what would I have to do in return for me to receive this proper protection from you?” I asked as I leaned slightly forward over the table. The way Desmond smiled at me told me that he was enjoying our little conversation and that he was glad that I was at least considering his proposal. “In the longer term, there is something that I need to accomplish, and for me
“Wait. I don't want to do this…” I managed to say after he freed my lips and I found my voice again. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and frankly, I was very surprised at the way that my body was reacting to his advances. Perhaps it was because of my lack of experience at the time, but I had thought that I wouldn't feel this way or react this way if I was with someone other than Anthony.“Are you sure? It looks like you were enjoying it,” the prince said as he kept on staring at my face. The way his gray eyes seemed to bore into me made me feel like he could read my mind. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at the moment, but I was certain that I had ventured into very dangerous territories. “All I need to do is fake being your girlfriend. This shouldn't be part of the deal,” I pointed out as I tried to calm myself down. “You're right, this isn't part of the deal but I am sure that it can help you forget everything that you need to. I told you that you could use me however you w
“The last king?” I repeated blankly after recovering from my initial shock and confusion. It felt like time suddenly came to a stop and all I could hear in the tense silence that surrounded us was the fast beating of my heartbeat. His answer surely caught me off guard, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if I understood what he really meant. I must have looked confused enough for him to give me an explanation. “I'm going to be the next king and I am also going to be the last king of this country,” he said slowly and clearly as if it would help me absorb the true meaning behind his words.Desmond will definitely be the next king and after that his son should take over, at least that was how things were supposed to be, unless he doesn't want things to turn out that way in the future. I felt my jaws loosen as my mouth hung open when I realized what he was trying to say. Desmond nodded his head in affirmation as if he could feel that I was finally taking in the meaning of his words. Many th
True to the prince’s words of speculation, I couldn't come up with a single thing about the society that we lived in that was beneficial to the country's future or for the people in general. Having been on the receiving end of the twisted madness of the society, I surely struggle to see the merits in all of it. “See? You can't really come up with anything, can you?” He guessed quite correctly while sounding quite amused. Desmond grinned at me and he seemed satisfied that I was unable to answer his question. “What is so great about the country being run by the royal family and the nobles? Even if our country is democratic, it is only democratic in name only. You should know that best with your father currently running in the election with full backing from the King and also the Vulcan family,” Desmond said before showing me a knowing smile. Even though it is almost certain that the election will be postponed by the King's death, it would come to no surprise that my father would win
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I approached them. The three of them were engaged in such an intense conversation that, at first, they did not recognize my presence. Diana's voice was the first that came to me. Her voice was shaky, as if she was barely holding herself together."The doctor said that there's no change in his condition. Anthony is still unresponsive, although it's been months, and this whole thing with the snipers is only making it worse..." Diana said.I came to a stop as my mind struggled to process her words. My heartbeat grew even faster in my chest, and for a moment I thought that perhaps I had misheard my own sister. What did she mean when she said that Anthony is still unresponsive?Diana already knew that Bradon had taken Anthony's place, and that meant that the man who was shot was none other than Bradon. Yet how was it possible that Anthony was the one who was unresponsive? Nothing made sense to me at that moment. It felt like I was missing a very key pie
It hurt me more than anything to realize that I couldn't blame him, even if he did that, because I was the one who betrayed him first. I left him without a word or farewell, running away from him as if he were the one who had done something wrong. Memories of our time together came back like waves. The fake honeymoon that we enjoyed together felt more real than anything, right at that moment. I remembered the way that he would laugh whenever he let his guard down on the nights when we enjoyed each other's company simply as our true selves, and the dangerous world outside and our identities didn't need to complicate things for us.There was a time when I thought that love was enough, but a small voice inside of me reminded me not to be so foolish. As time slipped by, I found myself praying that the door would just swing open and that Bradon would be standing there with his arms wide open. I wanted nothing more than to be held in his arms once again. I had to admit to myself that, with
"Where is this?" I asked without hiding my suspicion. I knew very well where the Vulkan mansion was located and also what it looked like, and the place that we had just parked in front of couldn't look more different than the mansion that I remembered."You didn't think that we would take you to our home, did you?" Mrs. Vulkan snapped before looking away with a clear look of disgust on her face."I guess your home would be the first place that Bradon would look when he finds me missing," I replied dismissively."No more chit chat," Bradon's father said as he urged me out of the car.I told myself that it did make sense that they would find a place for me to stay, but did it have to be such a shabby-looking place? The isolated low-rise building looked like it could use a round of maintenance. The room that they led me to was simple, with a single bed, a television, a desk, and absolutely no windows."How long am I supposed to stay here? I thought we made an agreement that you would h
"Why would my son want to keep you here?" Mr. Vulkan asked as his eyes seemed to search my face for the answer that he was looking for. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe he hasn't had enough of me yet..." I replied before showing them a fake yet extremely sweet smile. "Even if he isn't considered a normal member of our family, I still can't have you associating with him," he continued on as if he was lecturing me of my lack of worth. "I just told you that I'm not the one begging to stay here and with him," I replied coldly. I had hoped that by then it had become plain obvious what I wanted the two of them to do for me. With their help, I was certain that they could find a way to get me out of Bradon's mansion. Bradon wasn't around, so the next in command was Zain, whom I did not think could directly stand up against the head of the Vulkan family. At least, that was where I decided to place my bets at that point in time. "So you want to leave but he won't let you? Is that what you
I quickly followed them inside, sensing that the two of them were here looking for trouble. One glance at Zain, and I could tell that he was already informing Bradon of their unexpected arrival. It wasn't like Zain could throw out Bradon's father and stepmother, so I could understand the pitiful position that he suddenly found himself in. I straightened my back and followed them further inside, thinking to myself that I needed to hold the fort until Bradon returned. Whatever it was that they wanted, I needed to make sure to find out.The two of them sat comfortably on the sofa as if they were in their own house by the time I made it to the living room. The fact that neither of us spoke a single word as I sat down on the sofa only made the tension in the room skyrocket."I'm sure that Bradon will be back soon," I said, more to tell myself than to tell them."Why are you still here?" Mr. Vulkan asked as he turned his cold gaze in my direction.The way that he looked at me left no room f
**A few days later**"How many times do I have to tell you? You can't keep me locked up in here!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my hands clenching into tight fists. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as anger and frustration took over.Over the past few days, I had already lost count of the number of times Bradon and I had had this argument. For some reason that I could not comprehend, my life as a prisoner inside his household had resumed. There must have been a change in Bradon that I couldn't fully understand-something that had led him to decide to keep me under house arrest. Going out was no longer an option, even if I was escorted."You may leave when I tell you that you can," Bradon replied with the same infuriatingly calm response he always gave, his tone ticking me off even more."Listen, I'm not doing this because I want to be selfish. If there's a reason why you can't let me go outside, then please just let me know, and I'll try to be understanding," I said, taking
"I'll try not to come back late," Bradon replied without any further explanations. I only managed to simply nod my head before he was already out of the living room. The look that Bradon gave me told me to hold my tongue and not ask him any questions. I knew very well that asking him anything would be useless because he most likely wouldn't give me any kind of answer. As I stared at the doorway, my mind became even more unsettled than before. Something was definitely going on and Bradon was keeping it away from me. "Probably just work..." I mumbled to myself. It wasn't unusual for Bradon not to tell me much about matters related to his work, and I never minded. A sigh escaped my lips when I realized that I had officially failed once again. The worst part was that I felt very relieved at the very same time. Bradon's parting words, telling me that he would hurry back home gave me something to look forward to and that made me realize just how much I yearned to be with him. "Stop it,
I needed to leave him and as soon as possible, but I didn't know how I could achieve that. My past experiences have taught me quite directly that I couldn't truly run away from Bradon. Escaping from the mansion was unquestionably impossible. I could not run away, so that meant that I needed to get Bradon to agree to let me leave. My legs already felt weak, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and shut my eyes to escape reality. I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon about ending our fake marriage as soon as possible, although I had no idea how to bring up the topic. Something told me that it might prove to be difficult to get Bradon to agree, and there was always a risk that he might react unpredictably.However, if everything he did was simply him just acting out his role and his feelings for me didn't truly exist, then that might be the solution to all of my problems. If he felt no attachment to me, then he should have no problem letting me go just as planned. After all
The party ended early, yet it was quite eventful, at least for Bradon and myself. I felt like there was a storm raging inside of me all the while that we rode back to his mansion. It felt like there was something right at the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say, but yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. There were times when I thought that I fully understood myself and what I wanted, and yet at the very same time, I felt so confused and lost. The feelings that were struggling to take dominance inside of me did not make sense, and it made me feel as if my thoughts and my feelings were heading in the direct opposite direction of one another.Bradon's words of defiance as he confronted my father came back to me loud and clear:"Dahlia is not your daughter anymore, and neither am I one of the Vulkans. I will never let you take my wife..."I should have known that entering into this contract marriage with Bradon, while taking my sister's place, would somehow lead to blurring the line be