Chapter 4 Royal Clothes

The following morning, Adira awoke early, but her flight was at noon. She also realized she still needed to take a shower.

She noticed the prince gazing into the distance as she moved down the hallway. "What time do they get up in the morning?"

She approached him. "Prince Dylan, good morning."

When his forehead began wrinkling, he was startled and slightly surprised. “What keeps you here, anyway? Why didn’t you leave my palace?"

“In your father's palace, you do not currently own King Stephen's castle as you are only a prince and not a king."

Since he turned his back on her and said nothing, she assumed he was just slightly offended by what she said. His sneakers caught her attention since they were softer than hers. She is still wearing shoes that are covered in mud. His jeans appeared to have undergone repeated ironing. His top was fitting for a prince, with fabric sewn directly onto the front of the garment and some hanging on the shoulders. She arched an eyebrow at him as he abruptly turned as if she were looking up at his head with a stiff hat befitting a prince.

"If you remain there for an extended period, we cannot be considered friends."

She grimaced. "Who claimed we were close friends? Only you are making assumptions for the two of us."

He glared fiercely at her. “Why does your speech differ so much from the language used here? Do you realize how disrespectful what you say is?"

She moved closer to his face as she walked. Their heights are only a few inches apart. What she did astounds him. “Since you claimed that we are different, you don’t have the authority to demand that I modify the behavior I brought from my native country just because you are a royal. Remember that I will follow us during training, so you won’t receive special treatment from me." He retreated a short distance.

“I have no idea why my father picked you. You need to sound more trustworthy based on what you mentioned earlier about the gangster."

She beamed. "Even though I come from the gangster world, believe me when I say I’ll be your ally more than anyone else. I may devote my entire life to serving you if I notice a behavior I enjoy in you."

"Please leave me alone; even if the arrow is not for me, I’ll block it with my body."

The prince’s actions caused her to feel dizzy in her brain. “If I do that, you’re in for a treat. Then you decided not to seize that chance. Don’t you know that people in my country are willing to pay a lot for my services, but if I see that you have the attitude I want to see in someone, I’m eager to die to protect that person from wanting to kill you?" Dylan remained silent. “I’ve got a query. I only remembered it now because of the noise you’re creating."

“This woman’s thinking is not good anymore,” Dylan thought. "When she is the one talking so much, I am to blame."

“Are there any clothes here I could wear? I’m going to take a shower before I leave."

"What sort of clothing?"

“T-shirts, similar-style pants.”

"I don’t wear the clothing you mentioned."

She grimaced. “Don’t say you wear that all the time.” She indicated what he was wearing at the time.

“You’re correct. I always dress in this style."

She slapped her forehead. “You’re still wearing that, even while sleeping like that?”

"I have other clothes before I sleep. Why?"

She gave a headshake. "If you wear that all the time, it will be difficult for you to work out. Wearing light clothing will allow you to move around more easily at first."

She caught his judgmental gaze. "Why are you interested in my clothing as well? Would you also like to be my princess..." He stopped.

“Thank you for your offer, but that won’t happen. I don’t want to put on a gown and put lipstick on my lips.” The prince slid his eyelids shut.

“Maybe I can borrow from your maid here at the palace?”

'They only took a few pieces of clothing to the palace, so trying to borrow from them won’t work."

"I can either replace it or buy a new one to exchange."

Dylan has run out of tolerance for her. “Come with me, and stop bothering me,” she said. She followed him as he walked, but he only entered his father’s office, leaving her outside.

Later, he returned to her. He said, “Follow me.”

She followed him as he resumed walking. At a large red door, they came to a standstill. Dylan also unlocked the door because the guard didn’t protect it. When they walked in, they discovered the space to be a changing room filled with women’s clothing.

“Are you the only child, then? Why are these kinds of garments here? Do you also use them?" He appeared unfriendly.

"This clothing belongs to my mother. The King agreed when I suggested you wear one of the queen’s clothes."

"Where is your mother, by the way? I didn’t see her even on my first day in the palace."

For a little while, Dylan was silent. “She’s gone, so pick out what you want to wear quickly!” He was annoyed.

She chose plain clothing since she didn’t even try to ask any questions because it appeared she already understood what he was getting at; nonetheless, everything was still lovely, even without the design. She said in a low voice, “This outfit is very social; even in everyday use, it’s like going to a party."

When she looked inside, she couldn’t call what she was wearing—a T-shirt and pants—a long black coat. “I’ve finally discovered something easy.” She took it and gave Dylan a look at it. “I choose to do this.”

He nodded while observing the attire she chose. After that, they left. She bid him farewell when he stopped speaking. She immediately entered the space set aside for her and took a shower.

Nearly two hours passed before Adira left the room, and when she did, she was already dressed and heading to the King’s office to retrieve her passport.

Dylan’s forehead creased as soon as she pushed open the door. “You are not where you belong. Why did you go in here without asking?"

"I’m sorry, darling prince, but the jet will take off without me if I do that." She also grinned, but he continued to speak.

“You still have wet hair. Why has it already been tied?"

King Stephen, who was also considering his son, caught her attention. “You see a lot, prince, but I don’t let my hair down, even when wet, is my response. I bound it. Is my response to your query accurate?"

She answered, and he turned his head away in disdain. She inquired of the King. "I need to get my passport. I have just over an hour and a half before my flight and need to be there before noon."

"Your passport is here. Take caution while traveling. When you depart the palace, a driver will wait outside to transport you to the airport. It only takes an hour to get there, so don’t worry."

She removed the passport from the desk. King Stephen asked, “And when will you return here before you leave?”

"I shouldn’t have any issues because booking a flight here is simple."

“After that, you can go.”

She glanced at the prince as she turned to go. His irritation with her was still present. “Prince!” He turned and glanced at her. "By the time I return, you should be ready because my behavior at the time was different from what I will display when I come back to this location. As a result, you are fortunate to have witnessed this aspect of me; if it ever manifests itself again, it won’t be frequently." Before leaving that room, she grinned broadly, and as soon as she spotted the car, she jumped into it.

Prince Dylan is still in shock as he stands where Adira stood before.

"Dylan, are you all right?” King Stephen inquired.

He came back to the here and now. In a quiet voice, he said, “I’m alright, Father."

“I wasn’t aware that I had stolen a lovely young lady. Her smile is sweet. In the few days that Adira has been here, I have just seen her smile today."

Dylan’s scowl came back. “Father, that’s not true. Her smile was only a fake."

His father made a loud laugh. "It's difficult to fake a smile, my son. A forced smile with sadness behind it is insincere. I believe her smile was genuine."

He gave a nod. Father, "I need to wear loose clothing for training."

Stephen the King scowled. “Why?”

“Because that young woman said I should wear loose clothing so I could move easily,” the prince replied.

The king nod. "Then I’ll instruct one of our maids to purchase your pants and casual attire."

He gave the nod before rising. "Father, do you have anything to say?"

“None. Go back to your room."

"Then I'm going." Prince Dylan left the space and made his way to his room.

Adira hurriedly boarded the aircraft in the meantime, and it turned out that the passport the King had created was legitimate because she had no issues stopping by airport security. Before arriving in her nation, she will have to wait for five hours.

The plane she was on landed five hours later, and she immediately started looking for a ride home. Because she lacked the funds to tip the driver, she had to travel for another two hours before the taxi finally stopped in front of Simon’s home.

She stepped out and asked the driver to hold on. Before Simon answered, she gave his door a few knocks. “Pay the taxi driver first. I don’t have any money here,” she said immediately.

He paused for a little while before leaving her outside the house and tipping the taxi driver. He gave her a thorough once-over when he returned. “Adira, I had no idea you were wearing something like that.”

She merely sighed. “I am powerless. I need to shower and change my clothes. There is simply this kind of essential attire."

He grinned. "I have no choice. I have to change my clothes and take a shower. This is the only simple clothing there is."

"The owner of these clothes is a queen. Thus, they are quite valuable. However, when is my mission for Mrs. Torres’ husband?"

He made a head scratch. "Later at eight, you met at a pub located at the address provided by Mr. Torres."

She groaned. "Although I won’t be able to sleep, I’m going. The clothing I selected to bring with me is also helpful."

In front of his house, Simon sat down on a chair. “How did you find the King’s conversation? Did you agree to his request?"

She fixed her gaze upward. “Yes.”

He chuckled, saying, “The wind has changed, embracing that kind of assignment."

“I’m going to explain. I agreed even though I didn’t follow my guidelines in that particular task."

He gave a nod. "I'm sure it's worth it since you accepted it. Have you eaten anything before coming here? I prepared a dish." He got to his feet and entered his home. After a brief moment of shock, she followed Simon inside the house.

When Adira’s mission time arrived, she prepared to do it right away because she would be returning to Stalwart Castle following it. She arrived at the bar on her motorcycle. She examined the written address that Mrs. Torres had provided. She was aware that her attire made it unsuitable for her to ride her bike, but she didn’t care.

She was in front of the bar a little while afterward. She parked her motorcycle in a parking lot, straightened her attire, and put on the mask, which covered her nose to her mouth and half of her face. She doesn’t even carry her two wooden sticks because she knows she will use her fist if Mr. Torres fights.

"Mr. Torres, today is the last day of your betrayal because you won’t be able to return or run into the woman you constantly bring in here when I enter." She grinned from under her mask as she approached the bar.