Episode 6

Immediately after I hurled myself onto my soft and comfortable bed, I let out a sigh that was both heavy and forceful. Aside from that, I was a little tipsy because I was intoxicated. However, I am still able to exercise self-control. Despite the fact that my eyelids are particularly heavy, I am still unable to get a full night's sleep.

Perhaps it was because of what Jill shared with me earlier, while we were driving her to the apartment location.

When I heard the ringing of my phone, my thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Following that, I looked at the screen to see who was calling. And I smiled the moment I read the name. 

I pressed the green button as rapidly as I could.

"Hello, Dad," I hushed to my father, the Royal King.

“Where did you go? It was reported by the bodyguards that you had just arrived at your condominium.

I sighed, we are here again. “Are you still following me with our bodyguards, Dad?” I scoffed and frowned in disbelief, “are you still doing so?”

It was my first year of freedom away from the Royal Place when I discovered that he hired multiple bodyguards to follow me. This is the reason why I haven’t heard from him for a few months. I thought he has hard feelings with me but the truth is, he is following me around with his hired people. It was scandalizing and frustrating at the same damn time. 

“My daughter, Cassandra, I sincerely apologize. It is only that I want to make certain that you are safe. Particularly in light of the fact that the media is currently asking questions about the identity of the second Princess,” he explained with the same gentle voice he always gives my older sister and I whenever we wanted an explanation from him. 

And it’s true, my identity as a Second Princess is hidden. It was the request of my Mother before she died of giving birth to me. I really wished I had a time to thank my Mom for that. Even before she died, she still thought of me. Now, because of her, I find it easy to protect my freedom away from the suffocating principles and ideals of the Royal Palace. 

“They won't be aware of it, Dad. Especially considering that I am no longer a member of the royal family, no person will ever be interested in following a person who ran away from her family.” Once more, I let out a sigh of relief, "I'm pretty sure that the media will spy more on your Royal Palace, Dad. With that being said, you need to use caution in that particular area as well.”

The Royal Palace is facing a huge crisis with their security when the media stormed inside and took so many stolen pictures of my older sister, the First Princess and the one who will inherit the throne. This caused Dad a massive stress because some of those photos include naked shots of her. Up to this day, they are still not able to unravel who the culprit is. Which is really scary. 

"I am aware of that, my cherished daughter. I just can't help but be concerned about you as well. I just can't help it. Especially considering the fact that they are capable of causing you harm if they discover who you truly are,” Dad responded, concern is evident with his gentle voice, “your older sister is majorly affected by the issue and I don’t want you to also feel the same way, my dear Second Princess.”

After getting out of bed, I went to the glass wall, which was located in a location where the dim light from each and every house and building in the entire city could be seen.

"Then don't be concerned, Dad,” I joked to my father, "I am capable of running very fast. I promise to take care of myself so that the cherished King does not have to be concerned any longer.”

The throat was cleansed by him. He made a formal statement that went as follows: "However, the king will feel more reassured if you keep what you just said tonight."

I couldn't help but smile as I continued to gaze at the breathtaking lights of the city. As if I were staring at the face of my father, I cannot help but stare at it. "I am Princess Cassandra, and I solemnly swear that I will honour all of the words that I have left for the cherished King Montero."

The sound of my father laughing on the other end of the telephone made me laugh out loud. Even when no one else is around, we do not engage in formal conversation. It's nothing out of the ordinary for us to communicate like any other family.

"Get some rest. My child, I love you so much."

"Dad, I love you so much as well and I miss you."

After that, I decided to hang up the phone. I took another look at the glass, which revealed that there were only a few vehicles passing by on the road surface.

In this day and age, I am growing so self-satisfied with my independence that I have come to believe that others would not be interested in me because I am a nobody, a mere second child of the King and and the deceased second Queen – a useless second princess who has no purpose other than to be a shadow of my older sister.

The question is, what would happen if everyone found out my face and my entire identity? Will something take place in my life? When they discover my identity, would they also recognize me as a potential heir to the throne? However, to the best of my knowledge, my older sister is the only recipient of that throne. To put it another way, they are wasting their time with someone like me because I will not experience anything meaningful in my life.

When someone notified me on my phone, my focus was diverted away from what I was doing.

A frown formed on my forehead.

My curiosity is piqued because the notification sounds strange, and I find myself wondering about it. It was instantly brought to my attention, and I was taken aback by what I witnessed. There is the dating app, and it did not show up until the moment when I consider it to be the most valuable.

Does it have a match? What was displayed on the screen was read by me.

However, in an instant, I saw my photo which is a chibi art version of me, next a profile of a man with a Bullet picture.

That chibi art version of me was created by Jill. That b*tch is kinda talented too. It was the photo that I decided to use for this dating site in order to protect my identity. Afterall, I am now the kind of a woman who showed off her face because I must admit, and I am proud of it, I inherited the beauty of my mother. 

After I had added a picture and made some adjustments to the account in the dating app while I was on my way to my condo unit, I pondered for a considerable amount of time and attempted to recall what I had been doing prior to that point. I had been silent for a considerable amount of time before I could finally recall it! While I was swiping through the dating app, I had a few interests, and that particular guy was one of them. The only reason I was bored with earlier was because I thought I may give it a shot. His photo really piqued my interest because unlike other guys who flashed their muscular bodies, he chose to hide his identity and pick a photo of a bullet. 

I was abruptly stopped in my thoughts when I received a message from a man who went by the name "Gunner." Just now, I had a match with this particular guy.

Gunner: Hello, gorgeous. :)

I received that message from the man for the first time. I am not sure whether I will be annoyed or what will happen. This introduction of him does not look good for me. This is an example of the type of man who is so full of himself, a flirt ass person, arrogant, and playboy. That is at the top of the list of characteristics that I do not like to see in a man.

An unequivocal and unequivocal NO! (God, my Royal Blood kept on winning even in my thoughts. I can’t help my deep vocabulary!)

For me, this is a major annoyance!

But as Jill pointed out, there is absolutely no harm in making an effort. And trying hard not to stereotype every man on Earth. I started typing so that I could not only understand but also relate to what my friend is doing.

I started typing…

CY: Hello there, handsome!

But I contemplated hitting the send  button.

CY is my chosen name here. Short for Cassandra Yana which is my real name. 

I have not yet made up my mind on whether or not to submit the message. As for me, I am at a loss for words. The question of whether or not to offend a man named "Gunner" in the dating app or to accompany him on his journey. At long last, I dispatched that message. The text that was being typed appeared in our chat box in a fraction of a second.

 Gunner: On this dating app, why did this attractive woman swipe right on me? I wonder why she did that. I simply cannot believe it, Jesus.

When I hear that, I'm not sure if I'm going to laugh or not. MY PICTURE IS A CHIBI ART FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! He is definitely lying here. To be truthful, however, I am beginning to take pleasure in using this dating app. After going to the living room, I proceeded to the couch and threw myself onto it. After that, I started to type.

CY: Does there always seem to be a good reason to swipe right? Should I not be able to simply swipe right without giving it any thought?

I started to yawn. This is quite boring, huh?

Gunner: Without a doubt. Tell me you didn't mind that you swiped right on me without thinking about it. 

CY: How do you feel about that, do you think I am joking here? I am saying the absolute truth, I've never used a dating app before. As a consequence of this, I am not aware of any predetermined guidelines around the act of swiping males on this dating app. I truly apologize.

After typing that, I started to yawn again. My energy started to boil down and it is now consuming my sanity. 

Gunner: Whoa! You are quite demure with your chosen words. My interest in you grew to a greater degree.But yeah, apology accepted. 

My eyes are starting to close as I read his message. But before I can even start typing, my eyelids seem to have their own life. It became too heavy for me to stop and then one moment after, I found myself in my own dreamland. 

***

When the sunshine struck my face, I was completely taken aback. As soon as I noticed that I was now resting on the sofa, I even shifted my position as I was lying down. I did not waste any time getting up from where I was lying because of that.

Holy cow! It was on the sofa that I slept off.

Now the blanket is covering every inch of my body. My memory serves me well, but I do not recall having a blanket with me when I sat here last night.

“Greetings in the morning, Princess!” A sweet voice from an old woman greeted me the moment I stood up. 

“Just call me Cassie,”. I interrupted her and said, "you forgot once more."

She is Elia, my Royal Nanny. She comes to visit me here in my condo unit once a week. This is also one of the conditions of my father in exchange for his nod from my freedom.

When she first visited me here, I told her to not call me Princess anymore. But maybe it’s her age that she always forgets about it.  

“I'm really sorry, Ms. Cassie. I'm sorry. I'm not really used to it," Elia added, continuing to scratch her head through the process.

Since the day I was born, Elia has been my primary Royal Nanny. In times when I felt like I was all by myself, she was the one person who was there for me. It is still the case that she looks after me to this day. The one and only difference that has occurred is that she now only comes to my condominium in the morning once a week to clean it and prepare meals for me to eat for dinner. It is because of her that I am able to notice that the contents of my refrigerator are completely full at times. It is not in her best interest for me to go to the grocery shop in order to purchase my supplies.

Since Elia is going to be a senior citizen in the near future, I truly hope that she eventually decides to retire. As well as so that she can relax and take pleasure in her life.

In order to yawn, I covered my mouth.

"Ms. Cassie, it appears that you were awake the entire night," she stated when she observed that I was yawning incessantly during the night.

“Is it not evident to you, Elia?” I asked her. I tried to touch my lower eyelid. “Is it true that I already have eyebags?”

Her response is marked by reluctance. Nevertheless, she did so at a later time. "It's not even a little bit, Ms. Cassie," she said.

In light of the fact that I had doubts about Elia's response and reaction, I hurriedly rushed to the mirror and stared at myself within it. It was then that my two eyes caught a glimpse of the dark circles under my eyes.

Holy cow. Indeed! Just look at how tired I am!

Because I was so frustrated, I scratched the top of my head. I don't understand why I bother with my skincare routine!

However, I noticed that I was yawning once again.

Still, I'm feeling really sleepy. As soon as I can, I want to get back into my cozy bed and get some rest. If so, how? After I finish my work for the day, I will have a meeting with the person who is organizing the exhibition to talk about my paintings.

Yes, just like Jill, I have also the talent with paintings. Jill and I met because of art. 

Therefore, I immediately started getting ready. My first order of business was to take a shower and clean myself up. I wear a long-sleeved white shirt and match it with a long skirt in a purple color. Additionally, in order to mask the sallowness that is present on my face, I have applied foundation and concealer on my face. Only a touch of light eyeshadow and a little pink lipstick, and I'm finished.

As soon as I emerged from the room, I was met by the aroma of Elia's cooking almost instantly. Elia's food was perfectly prepared and ready to be served on the table.

Immediate action was taken, and I sat down.

Beef stew and my favorite fish fillet were both included in the menu. When I see my favorite meal, I can't help but break out in a proud smile. For a considerable amount of time, Elia has not prepared the fish fillet. That is why I missed it so much.

Elia continued, "I know you're longing for that," as she placed the clean plate, spoon, and fork on the table below her. "In addition to that, I placed your food inside the lunch box. Therefore, you do not leave your work place for lunch," she explained.

"Thank you, Elia," I said to her in gratitude. “At any rate, Elia, I invite you to join me for a meal here.”

“However, B-But..." She shows some reluctance.

I took a sigh.

"What is the matter? During the time that you are present, I would like you to refrain from engaging in the formality that we do at the Royal Palace. Elia, no one can see you here. In addition to that, I assert that I ordered that.”

Elia continued to show reluctance. But in the end, she joined me in the dining room and sat down.

Suddenly, the sound of the notification of those awful dating app appeared out of nowhere. I was busy glancing at the works of my employee when I discovered that the notice had suddenly appeared. My eyes grew wider. What would happen if other seamstresses were aware of and familiar with the sound that dating app make when they send notifications? How embarrassing is that!

Almost instantly, I removed my phone from my pocket and set it into silent mode as rapidly as I could handle it. I continued devouring my food until I finished it, and said good bye and take care to Elia before I headed straight to the office. 

When I entered the office, I sat down and got my phone from my pocket. Following that, I went straight to the dating app where Gunner had a message waiting for me by that point.

Gunner: Good morning, gorgeous. Will you be occupied tonight? All I want to know is whether or not you would be interested in going out on a date with me. I mean, is that too quick of me? But can you really blame me? You stood out for me. That is why I want to really meet you sooner.

Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, I smiled in a sardonic tone as I was speaking. What is the point of meeting someone I have never met before?

I am currently typing.

CY: Why would I do that? My point is, why would I want to meet you?

I had just about finished sending my message when all of a sudden, Jill touched me on the shoulder, which caused me to be taken aback. On the verge of passing out. How come this woman is acting like this?!

“What on earth is that?” She stated that with a great deal of hatred. At the same time that she grabbed my phone from me, her eyes widened in surprise. As soon as she saw our interaction with Gunner in the dating app, it became immediately apparent to her. Despite this, she continued to inquire as if nothing had been read.

"Oh my!" As a result of Jill's gushing.

"Would it be possible for you to stitch your f–king mouth?" I reprimanded her.

“How come you would respond in such a manner?” She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. There is an excessive amount of worry on her face, and she simply closes her eyes. I don't even know what it is about my response that is so stressful. Simply put, I am stating the facts.

My previous reply to Gunner was removed by Jill, and she replaced it with "Sure!" which was then sent out instantly.

Suddenly, my eyes widened.

"Jill, what the hell is that?! Why did you do that?!”