03

“Hello?” 

Irene snapped out of her trance as she glanced at the extended hand, waiting to meet hers. She smiled at Anabelle as she took her hand.

“Nice corsage you’ve got there.” Annabelle commented as soon as her eyes fell on the corsage on her wrist. Irene just gave a faint smile as she withdrew her hand and took some steps back.

“Have fun, you both.” Irene said, ignoring the hateful glare her father was giving her. She already did what he wanted her to do, so she didn’t care about his feelings, just like he didn’t care about hers.

She turned around and walked away toward a small, empty table. Sitting down there, she took out a handkerchief and wiped out the tears that had seeped out of her eyes. She was careful not to wipe out her makeup and embarrass both herself and her parents.

“What’s wrong, young miss?” Sabrina asked as she stood beside Irene while watching with worry written all over her. She felt bitter for Irene, and though she couldn’t do anything about it, she wished she could.

“Nothing really.” Irene replied as she squeezed the handkerchief and exhaled slowly. She stood up and moved her seat behind her for her to walk past. “Don’t follow me, Sabrina. I will be back.” She ordered, and without waiting for a response, she walked toward a waitress.

The waitress had clumsily thrown a glass, and Irene caught it before it fell to the clean, tiled floor. “I’m so sorry.” The waitress apologized nervously, but Irene waved it off.

“Nah, it’s fine.” She said this with an assuring smile while handing the empty glass back to the waitress. “Uh, can you give me directions to the ladies room? I’m having a hard time finding it.” She asked while the waitress nodded and gave her directions.

Thanking the waitress, Irene walked past some groups of people while beaming smiles at those who stared at her with a gasp. She noticed that some of the men were trying to flirt, as they either winked at her or tried to flex their muscles. Some of them even went ahead to take an imposing stance to prove their masculinity to her, but all she did was smile and wish in her heart that they died.

Their reactions were to be expected, as news of her engagement to the prince had spread like wildfire. Every single one of them in the hall had already heard about it, though she had never seen her chosen spouse.

Irene walked into the restroom, and luckily for her, it was empty, which meant she had some time to herself. She walked toward a mirror on a dish and stared at her face. She hated her new look, as it didn’t feel like her. A tear streaked down her face as she began to worry about what would become of her in the future.

Would she be loved by her new family? She couldn’t help but wonder, as she knew that what the royal family was currently doing was just for show. The real hell was what would be going on away from the prying eyes of the citizens. She also worried if her father would go against the royal family if they did something horrible to her.

She heard the sound of the door knob twisting, and the door opened. She turned her head to stare at three men walking into the restroom. They were triplets and muscular. She did not know why, but she felt drawn to them. Maybe it was their charm, but she couldn’t explain what it was.

They gaped at her with surprise on their faces, as they didn’t expect to find a woman there. “Um, what are you doing?” one of the triplets asked.

His hair was as black as coal, and his eyes were a deep brown. His hair was cleanly cut, and he wore a black coat. His fingers were filled with several expensive jewels that would be worth millions.

She shook her head, pulling herself out of her trance. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she questioned with a look of confusion on her face. “I should be the one asking what you three are doing in the ladies room.” She added with a serious look on her face as she crossed her arms in front of her.

The triplets stared at her askance. “Ladies room? This is the men’s room.” Another of the triplets spoke. His hair was tied into a neat bun.

One noticeable feature that Irene could see was that all three brothers had the same color of hair, skin, and eyes. She could only tell who was who by their voices and their hairstyles.

“Excuse me?” Irene spoke out in shock. One of the triplets pointed at the top of the exit door, and there she could see the boldly written “Men’s Room” in gold the boldly written "Men's Room" in gold. She felt embarrassed, as she couldn’t believe that in her haste, she didn’t bother to take a look at the door. It was written both inside the restroom and outside at the top, but she failed to see it.

She frowned at her foolishness and made her way for the exit. On her way, her heel got wedged by a dent on the floor, and she stumbled forward. But before she could hit the floor, a hand pulled her by the hand. As soon as she stood upright, an arm wrapped around her waist, and she was staring at the third sibling. His hair was not tied or cut but was extremely long and let loose to fall on his shoulders like a waterfall.

“Watch your step.” He told her, and Irene couldn’t help but wonder why their voice sounded so good and imposing to her.

She snapped out of it and smacked his hand away. “I don’t need your help.” She said this and walked out of the restroom as she began to have dirty thoughts. Images of the triplets stripped naked, with their abs and biceps, came into view.

She headed back to the banquet hall, and this time, almost everyone was present. She could see her father conversing with the King at the royal table, and on sighting her, he beckoned at her to come, and she obliged.

Approaching them, she inclined her head. “Your majesty.” She said this as she stared at the king, who smiled at her.

“Why don’t you join us at the royal table, Irene?” The king asked, and to be honest, Irene wasn’t shocked at how he knew her name. Her father already did the job of introducing her before she would do it herself.

“It will be an honor, my king.” She said this as she inclined her head again while her father just stared with a proud smile on his face.

She took one of the empty seats available and sat down. There were only her, the king, and her parents sitting at the royal table, with three seats left empty.

Irene wondered who the remaining three were, as she thought only one seat was supposed to be empty and filled by her chosen spouse, the king’s son. Soon, however, the answer presented itself as she walked toward the royal table with the triplets she had met at the restroom.

“Don’t tell me—”

“Father.” The princes acknowledged in unison as they inclined their heads to their father, who smiled at them proudly, while Irene’s mouth fell open.