"Oh my God, Rafael?! Why are you playing in the mud?!"10-year-old Rafael ignored Catalina's hysterical shouts as she stood at the edge of the fish pond. Even without seeing his mother's expression, Rafael knew that she must be staring at him with a slight head shake—trying to remain patient even as she saw her son playing in the mud pit."Smart boy, come out of the pond and go take a bath. I want you to transform into an angel, Rafael, just like your name!" Once again, his mother's voice rang out, this time instructing the servants to pull him out of the fish pond."Mom!" Rafael whined, looking at his mother in irritation. His body was still covered in mud, but his plan seemed to fail. It was just mud, not motor oil or cooking oil, that was hard to clean. Maybe he should consider taking an oil bath next time in his father's garage."Come on, handsome child," his mother reached out to touch Rafael's mud-covered head. “You have to take a bath,”"I don't want to! I want to play with m
Cheryl walked towards her room after finishing dinner. She had begun her plan to avoid Rafael starting today. The first thing she did was try to ignore his existence. Don't look at him, don't talk to him, and don't think about him.Cheryl had successfully passed the first phase. She didn't look at Rafael throughout dinner, and she tried not to talk to him either, only answering when he asked her. However, it was hard not to think about Rafael. He kept filling her mind, disrupting her concentration, and making her more difficult to control herself.Rafael kisses. The way he touched her. His breath against her skin. The movement of his lips. It all disturbed Cheryl."Are you two fighting?"Cheryl jumped in surprise as she found Alfonso standing near the hallway of her room."Who?" Cheryl pretended not to understand."Who else? You and Rafael," he took slow steps towards the window at the end of the hallway, "you both were silent throughout dinner. You both make Beatrice and I were wonde
The cold breeze made her skin shiver. The grapevines at night made the path to the house's yard look lush. Fallen leaves covered the path Rusty trotted on— making the path look perfect with the wind racing along with every step of Rusty. Cheryl urged Rusty to run faster. Passing the stable area, she headed towards the vineyard. Far behind her, Rafael rode a horse at a medium speed. He allowed Cheryl to lead their way—leaving everything behind without caring that the cold night air made her bones freeze. "Come on, Rusty!" Cheryl coaxed Rusty to run further. Faster. Cutting through the path as she ran away from her own thoughts. Cheryl never thought that the idea of riding a horse in the middle of the night could make her feel so calm. There was no one else except her and Rusty. The rhythmic thud of the horse's hooves sounded peaceful, instantly calming her mind. "You're amazing, Rusty!" Cheryl praised, hugging the horse's neck. Rusty was an intelligent horse. He recognized Cheryl
Cheryl could only fall asleep after 4 in the morning. Her mind couldn't stop thinking over Rafael's last words before they both decided to return to their rooms.The world is making fun of her? What does that sentence mean? Is Rafael saying that the world is making fun of him?"If you're still sleepy, you should go back to sleep, Dear. No one is forcing you to wake up early here," Alfonso poured honey over his waffle on his plate. He added some slices of banana and strawberries on top before cutting and chewing it slowly.Cheryl lifted her head, opening her eyes wide to show that she wasn't sleepy. Her gaze moved slowly to Rafael, who was sitting across from her.Oh, no! He looked nice. His eyes were clear, and his smile was still as charming as ever.Does last night's incident not affect Rafael at all?"I'm not sleepy," Cheryl answered, forcing a smile at the corner of her lips."Pur spoiled princess is probably used to waking up late because servants prepare everything for her." Bea
"Then, should I kidnap you again? Should I run down the aisle and kidnap the bride?"The last sentence Rafael uttered still made Cheryl's body tremble, even an hour later.Rafael might have been joking, but Cheryl swore she had wished he wasn't. She must be insane to wish for Rafael to kidnap her on her wedding day, right?"Fortunately, I brought my jacket. Otherwise," Rafael shook his head, "I'd have to bend over all afternoon so you could sit on my back."Cheryl blinked, staring at Rafael's jacket beneath her. He had even offered his jacket as a seat mat for her to sit on."Are we just going to sit here?" Trying to shift her attention away from Rafael, Cheryl chose to gaze at the expanse of grass around the lake."You wanted to watch the sunset, right?""Just the sunset?"Rafael tapped his finger against his head as if thinking, "Or do you want to swim?"Cheryl swore her eyes must have widened, looking at Rafael as if to say, "Are you kidding?""Once, I challenged Mateo to beat me i
"Her wound isn't serious," Beatrice softly closed Cheryl's room door, "She didn't faint either. She just closed her eyes—pretending. I think you don't need to worry about her."Rafael growled, struggling to control his emotions. In his mind, he kept replaying how Cheryl had looked at him. Hollow eyes filled with fear.Madness. He had revealed his identity to Cheryl. He had exposed his Princess to the darkness she shouldn't have seen."I'll kill them all," he muttered under his breath."I've taken care of the mess in the woods. It seems they were all sent by the same person. The attack had the same motive," Theodore chimed in.Rafael turned his head, glaring at Theodore with anger. In his eyes, he was no longer 'Rafael'; he was the leader of the Wagner clan."Why didn't you handle everything? Do I have to get involved myself?" he retorted with sarcasm."I will take care of them soon. You don't need to get involved. I promise you'll hear news within two or three days.""Too long!" Rafae
The sun had already set when Beatrice stood at the doorway of her room. She snorted briefly and shook her head lazily."Still not coming out? Want to turn into Rapunzel, who was locked up in the castle?" Beatrice asked with a sarcastic tone.Cheryl turned away, not wanting to respond to Beatrice's useless babbling.Since morning—or rather, since the night—Cheryl had stayed in her room. She wrapped herself in a blanket, paying no attention to the food that Beatrice had sent since morning."You're too weak to stand beside Rafael. That's why he's always hesitant whenever he sees you," Beatrice said with a bitter smile.Cheryl turned her head slightly, a little bit surprised by Beatrice's ambiguous statement."What do you mean?"Since morning, Rafael hadn't come to see her. He seemed to have deliberately left her alone, making her keep thinking about many unreasonable things ever since knowing his true identity."This is how our life is," Beatrice shrugged, "a spoiled princess from the Al
Cheryl felt frightened as Carlos dragged her into the grand mansion in the city center. Long hallways dominated by white walls welcomed her as she entered the building. The ceiling adorned with classical ornaments and a chandelier in the center made the mansion look even more magnificent.The Dominggos family mansion.There was no way out of this place. She was trapped in Carlos's grip. This time, she couldn't rely on Rafael's help, especially after she had openly rejected him—hurting his ego. Not only Rafael, she couldn't rely on Mateo and her Daddy either. They weren't Superman, who was able to come to her whenever she needed them. There was no phone or one to expect to rescue her from this cursed place.She is alone... and she has to face what she deserves to face."Carlos, stop..." Cheryl pleaded, trying to catch Carlos's attention as he dragged her like a madman.Dozens of maids standing at the end of the stairs on the second floor looked at her with concern. But, once again, Che