All Chapters of The Prince and His Princess: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Tobi’s POVI stood alone in the throne room, facing my parents with a cold stare. The room was built to impress—ornate rugs covered the marble floors, and every inch of wall space was dominated by gilded tapestries and coats of arms.King Wren and Queen Catherine sat almost peacefully on their golden thrones, clad in blue velvet, elevated so they could always look down on whoever stood before them."I will not agree to this arrangement," I said, scowling. "So you'd best find yourself another prince and son.""Come now, Tobias," King Wren sighed. "You are not a boy any longer. This is your duty.""Lady Adelaide is a fine young woman. If you got to know her, you might even grow to love her one day," Queen Catherine offered gently."She is not my mate, nor will she ever be.""But Tobias, it’s been two years since your first shift," my mother said, sadness softening her features. "And you have yet to find her."My jaw clenched. They didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand."How about a dea

Lila’s POVI woke up as the wheels bumped against the runway, but I didn’t move. I kept my eyes closed, letting my head stay nestled against Tobi’s shoulder, warm and steady beneath me. I didn’t want the feeling to end. I could’ve sworn I felt him shift and press a featherlight kiss to the top of my head. I smiled just a little at the idea. Even if I’d imagined it, I didn’t care. I wanted it to be true.“Hey, Lila… wake up. We’ve landed,” Tobi whispered, his breath brushing against my ear. Then, impossibly gently, he stroked his fingers along my cheek.A warm shiver spread down my spine. Get a grip, I scolded myself silently.“Sorry I slept on you,” I mumbled, stretching my arms and arching my back.“Anytime, beautiful,” he said, grinning. He winked at me like it was no big deal, like flirting came as naturally to him as breathing.My cheeks flushed instantly, and I dropped my gaze, suddenly shy. He stood first, easily retrieving both of our bags from the overhead locker and handing m

Lila's POVMoira and I spent the next few hours behind the reception desk, going through everything I needed to learn. At first, I just observed watching her click through the online booking system, answer calls, hand out maps and keys with that effortlessly warm charisma of hers. But she quickly got me answering questions, taking notes, and navigating the screen myself.By the time the sun began to set behind the forest, I was checking in guests on my own, answering basic questions, even pretending I knew more than I did thankfully, everything else could be Googled.“Well, look at that,” Moira said proudly, patting me on the back. “Natural-born receptionist.”“Thanks, Moira.”“I was thinking we could put you on the 2 PM to 10 PM shift most days sound good?”“Perfect,” I replied. The idea of having structure, somewhere to be, purpose, was exactly what I needed.“If you ever want a night off, just let me know. We can always close the desk early.”I nodded, touched by her flexibility.S

Lila's POVTobi stood at the front of the hostel holding a brown paper bag so full it looked ready to split at the seams.“I wasn’t sure if you’d had time to eat,” he said. “Thought I’d bring you something.”I blinked. “What is it?”“Couldn’t get Korean, but there’s a noodle place in town. I got… stuff. Chicken, beef, veggies, a few sides. You free for five?”“Technically I should stay close to the desk,” I said, flipping the little Back in Five sign and walking to one of the nearby bistro tables.Tobi followed, setting the bag down and unpacking containers like a picnic.“Wow, very descriptive,” I teased as he listed them by vague food group.He handed me a pair of chopsticks. I reached for one of the veggie dishes, the scent making my mouth water.As I took my first bite, I sighed in delight. “This is amazing.”“You’re not eating?” I asked after a moment, noticing his gaze fixed on me.He blinked, grabbed the beef noodles, and fumbled with his chopsticks. One noodle made it to his m

Tobi's POVStanding once again in the familiar clearing, I realized I had come to know this place too well. The tall trees loomed like sentinels, their branches whispering secrets in the cold night air. It was always night here, always eerily still.I looked down at myself grey track pants, bare chest, bare feet. Same as always. It seemed whatever I wore to bed carried over into the dream. Maybe tomorrow I'd fall asleep in a three-piece suit, just to see if the dream would play along.The thought almost made me smile.Almost.There was nothing to do but wait. Bored and restless, I searched the ground until I found a sharp rock, worn down to a crude point.Carrying it over to the nearest tree, I began to scratch at the thick bark, carving slowly and carefully.T + LI stepped back to admire my work, a childish gesture but it grounded me somehow. A promise etched into the dreamscape.Maybe next time I came her