The following day, Lincoln returned to the location where I had been waiting for the prince. "Right, you're here again," he said."I don't have anywhere else to go except here," I replied. Lincoln passed the paper bag he was holding to me. "What is this for?" I peered inside the paper bag."I noticed you haven't had a sweater since yesterday; it's cold out here caused by heavy rain, put one on. Don't fret. I'll give it to you for free.""But it looks too expensive for me to accept this." I returned the paper bag to him. "Thank you, though."Lincoln ignored me and simply turned away. "Take it just in case..."I stopped as I remembered what had happened the day before. Could he have given me a sweater because of that?"By the way." As he returned his gaze to me, I cast a downward glance. "Aren't you going to the music studio? I heard they're getting ready for the event this month."I made a shaky motion with my head. "I'll have to wait for the prince to appear.""Go ahead and practice. J
I went to the kitchen early to ask Chef Och to assist me in making macaroons and to wish Prince Augustus luck in his practice game with the Windsor football team. "You're taking too much care of him, Gemma." Chef Och said."Chef Och, Prince Augustus is not a child to be looked after. I just want to make him some macaroons to wish him luck." I explained."Good luck?" a voice said from behind me. Chef Och and I both turned around. "Is there a special occasion in Borstal today?""Y-Your majesty." Chef Och and I bowed our heads down. "Your majesty, d-do you want to eat? I will prepare for ..."King Lucien raises a hand at Chef Och to indicate silence. The King walks over to me. "You're making macaroons for who, for Prince Augustus? Why, is there a special occasion in Borstal?"Oh Gosh, I'M DEAD RIGHT NOW! I can't tell the king about Prince Augustus playing football. What should I do? What should I say to him? What should I do next? "Um... Your Majesty..."Mr. Osiris stepped forward unexpec
After Raeanna left, I went back to the field. I’ll never forget what Raeanna said, her screams and cries. Prince Augustus despised Raeanna simply because of the decision she made for her family. Raeanna, who felt very guilty about her decision, blamed herself, although it was for her own good. I feel sorry for them. Both are in pain and are suffering. THIS WORLD IS TOO CRUEL. The practice game ended, and Borstal won, so Windsor came out in tears. Well, this isn’t the actual game yet, so they shouldn’t be too affected. The prince went straight to his private room, where I thought of giving him the macaroons again. “Prince Augustus,” I said as I handed him the box of macaroons, smiling. “I made this, especially for you. I want to wish you luck, but since Borstal won the practice game, I’ll give it to you to congratulate you on your victory over Windsor University. Chef Och, of course, taught me how to make macaroons. I hope you enjoy it.” When Prince Augustus took the box in my hand,
“Gemma.” Prince Emmanuel handed me a can of soft drinks. “That’s all the vendors at your school have, just put up with it,” I nodded. “Thank you, Prince Emmanuel,” he said, then he sat down next to me. “What are you doing here, Prince Emmanuel?” I asked. “I found out Borstal had practice against Windsor. I thought of going, but it looks like I’m late.“ he paused. “Gemma, don’t cover for him if Cynfael hurt you. He should...“ I shook my head. “Prince Augustus didn’t hurt me. He had nothing to do with my crying earlier. Please, Prince Emmanuel, don’t be mad at him. I don’t want to be the cause of your fight.” Prince Emmanuel suddenly placed his hand on my head and smiled. “All right,” While waiting for the prince to come out, I told Prince Emmanuel how Borstal’s game was earlier, especially how competitive Prince Augustus was to win, even though that was just a practice game. “Too bad you didn’t see how good the prince was in the practice game earlier. He was the only one who scored
Lincoln was a big help in keeping an eye on Prince Augustus while I was in the music studio preparing for the upcoming event next month. He did this for two weeks, and when I asked him why he was helping me, Lincoln’s only response was, “YOU LOOK LIKE A FOOL WAITING HERE.” I’m not sure whether I’ll be happy or annoyed, but because of that, Lincoln became my friend, my first close friend in Borstal. “Can you please go to the music studio? Stop asking nonsense questions!” Lincoln said, obviously pissed off. “I’m not going to stop until you tell me what’s up with you and Prince Augustus,” I said, teasing grin. “Do you like him? Don’t worry. I won’t judge you.” “I like him a lot...” my eyes almost widened when he said that. “Because he’s my best friend, OKAY?” he clarified. “Don’t deny it; I can see it in your eyes.” I pointed to Lincoln’s eyes. “That you like him as in like, not just as a friend,” I joked. “Gemma, I’m straight.” He turned around and was about to leave when I blocked
"What happens earlier?" King Lucien asked. "Mr. Eduardo said that you and Lincoln fought. Why? And what was the reason for your fight?"The prince did not answer. He was just standing and spacing out."I'm talking to you, AUGUSTUS!" It startled me when King Lucien slammed the table. "Do you think I didn't see what you did to Gemma? Mr. Eduardo left a copy of the CCTV near your private room. I saw how you pushed Gemma.""Your majesty, P-Prince Augustus didn't mean to push me. I was the one ..."King Lucien raises his hand, indicating that I stop. "Please, Gemma, don't cover him for his wrongdoing against you. Tell me the truth, does he always do this to you? ""No, your majesty." I shook my head."Yes, I enjoy hurting Gemma, seeing her suffer every day. And just thinking about her makes me sick." Prince Augustus turned his gaze at me. His face looked calm, but his eyes were set ablaze. "The longer it lasts, the more I want to torture her.""Enough!" King Lucien said out loud. "What do y
It's been two days since Raeanna departed, but before she did, I still tried to persuade the prince to stop Raeanna from going. "Are you going to sit there and watch Raeanna leave? Why don't you fight for her?" "Shut the hell up!" "Go after her. You are the prince. You can even bring the plane to a halt. We're both aware that you want her. You still have feelings for Raeanna." "SHUT UP! I don't care if she leaves; Raeanna abandoned me to suffer alone." "No, she didn't! Sorry if I was rude, but Raeanna did not abandon you. Raeanna only needs to decide on his family first." "It's the same thing." He grasped my arm and squeezed it. "Don't give me shit you don't know about." The prince let go of my hand right away. "Get out of here now." Here I am again, seated, waiting for the prince to come out from his private room. I was alone and unaccompanied. I haven't been able to speak with anyone after Lincoln got suspended. Well, Emmet is here, but he can't talk nicely. I can't even go to
As I rushed to the gate, I spotted Allerick and Blythe sitting next to the guard, waiting for someone to pick them up. I tried not to weep because I wanted to show them a smile, not my tears. "Hey, you mischievous kids!" I yelled out while waving my hand in the air. "ATE!" They dashed out the door and flung their arms around me. "How come you're here?" Allerick leaps for pleasure. "I told you, Blythe, ate Gemma was coming home." "OK, you win," Blythe replied, frowning. "It's nice you're here, ate. Allerick won't force me to come to you every day." I messed up both of their hair. "How are things going?" "We're fine," Allerick responded. "It's a relief to know you're all okay," I said. "How did you do while I was gone? Aren't you causing Mama's head to hurt?" "It's Blythe who gets on mama's nerves every time she asks about Ki..." Blythe abruptly shut Allerick's lips, preventing him from finishing whatever he was about to say. "Can we go home? I'm sick of all the things we did."
Prince Augustus POV "Don't go straight to the palace. There's a place I have to go first." "Yes, Your Highness," The chauffeur, who has been tasked with escorting me to the palace, responds to my command by taking a different route. It's been six years since I took a plane to Luxembourg to wed Felicity, the woman who would later become my ex-wife. I haven't told anybody else about the contract because doing so is against the rules. This is why I had no choice but to get married to Felicity and then get a divorce from her after we had been married for six years. I was with Felicity for six years, and she loved me. I never developed romantic feelings for her. For the simple reason that I know, deep down, that someone is out there. I'm holding something that Lincoln personally gave to me. There's a note with an address on it, and he told me to check it out. Because that's where my true love was, I know exactly who I'll meet there. "Your Highness, we have arrived." I was completely a
"Hey, Gemma!" A voice called out from behind. I turned around to see Ivan waving his hand in the air. "See you in the next sem!" "You, too," I replied with a wave. Now that the first semester is over, I can't believe how quickly time has passed. In just a few short months, I will have completed my second year of college. But regardless of how quickly time passes, there is still no assurance that I will run into him again in the future. It's been two years since the last time we said our goodbyes to each other, and up until this very moment, I'm still holding out hope that fate will grant us happy endings and that he is coming back. Every day, I wait for that hope, and while I lingered in the past, everyone else chose to move forward. All of my loved ones, whom I've been protecting since then, are safe and sound. We used to attend the same school, but now that we're all grown up, Mishelley, Abel, and I make our own decisions about going to different universities. We may have gone in d
I stared at him, and I was looking much more desperate now that I had looked at him. But his gaze was no longer fixed on me. Just stare at me for a second, please! And Walden grabs my hand. "Come on, Gemma. I tightened my hold on the seat belt as if buying him time to decide whether to chase me away or simply drop me off at my home. I let go as Walden carefully dragged me from the vehicle. Walden was about to shut the door in my face, but I quickly put my hand back on the door to prevent him from doing so. I shook my head from side to side and pleaded with him not to close the door, but he went ahead and closed it after he removed my fingers one by one from the handle. The car began to move. Watching his car pull away made me feel like I was going to collapse. So, this is how he felt when I just left him out of the blue. He takes my face in his hand and stares into my eyes. "You are so beautiful that there are moments when I can't even look at you in the eyes. Don't just vanish on m
I did my absolute best to complete my performance successfully. After that dramatic performance, I was startled to see a standing ovation from the audience. I'm overcome with emotion, perhaps because this was the first time anyone acknowledged me; this time, they praised only me and no one else. The smile on my face didn’t leave me as well as Lincoln, who was on the side of the stage the whole time smiling ear to ear as he applauded me proudly. But that applause stopped when the prince's arrival was announced. "Ehem!” The host cleared his throat, which was louder than the noise of the crowd. "Let's all welcome the next ruler, Prince Augustus!" The applause that used to be for me is now for the prince walking down the aisle of the theater with the one everyone is waiting for, Felicity. The crowd started to bow their heads, not me, who was looking at him. I was on the stage, which is why our eyes met. But it didn't take long, I can't bear to look at him. I caused him pain, and to this d
I watched his car drive away before I turned around and headed back. When I turned around, I could see Mishe and Abel peering through the transparent wall. They seemed very interested in what we were discussing. “You are different, Gemma. Even His Royal Highness Prince Emmanuel paid a visit here to see you!” Mishelley said.To which Abel responded, “I bet Tara will go crazy if she finds out that you’re close with him.”I disregarded everything that they said and headed upstairs without stopping.“Gemma, at least explain why he wanted to see you,” they pleaded.I twisted the knob and opened the door with a pull. There is a familiar violin that is currently resting on my bed, and there are pieces of paper stuck to it. I took it in my hand and placed it on my lap before I started feeling it with both of my hands. This is my mother’s violin; of course, it’s my favorite thing she’s holding. Even if she kept this for ten years, I will vividly recall what it looks like even after all that tim
It’s been a couple of weeks since I left the palace. Remembering his face causes me so much pain that I cry and break down, so I try not to think about him for a while so that I can focus on my family and their happiness instead. It’s only been a few weeks, yet it seems much longer.Mishelley tapped me on the shoulder and urged me to leave my lonely room and go out and meet new people. "Get your thoughts down, Gemma. We’re not going anywhere without you.""Maybe we should leave her alone," Abel suggested, sensing that I wasn’t in the mood for conversation. "Mishe, she’s in a vegetative condition."Mishelley scowled at Abel, who had no concept of what a vegetative condition was."What?" Abel held up both hands.Mishelley switched her attention back to me and said, "If this is about him again, you need to move on.""Yes, just move on," Abel stated again and again."His rumored engagement to the duchess’s granddaughter has been widely reported. They mentioned it numerous times throughout
Sitting in the car, watching the light of every building the car that passes by. Listening to music that is painful to hear in real life, sobbing that doesn’t seem to leave me, and drawing that offers new pain to me Going into the old building where the music club was located was the first place I ever felt welcome. And this day might be the last day I’ll be going here. I'm afraid to step on my feet, maybe because I think they're disappointed in me. I haven't even done anything in this club, and now I will say goodbye. From the moment I pulled the doorknob, I was surprised by many party poppers. I didn't expect what they did; they hosted a farewell party for me. I was wrong in what I thought; it turns out they were not disappointed. You know it's odd because not even a drop of tears came out of my eyes—maybe because I used up all my tears yesterday. All I could feel was happiness; despite the heartache, I was feeling, there was still some happiness left in me. I didn't know the fare
I carried those cries until I was sent home. It just stopped when I received Blythe’s message. Telling me that we got our old house back and that they are on their way home. And it feels odd because I should be happy. So how come I’m still feeling it—this pain that seems to be killing me little by little? We stopped at our old house, which surprised me because I didn’t tell him to drop me off at my old house. “Here.” Walden handed me a phone. I took the phone without asking. “You know what I regret doing? I never should have asked you to be his personal maid; otherwise, you'll never have the same fate I had with your mother. I apologize, Gemma. You are a big part of why he changed and I am indebted for that,” King Lucien paused. “But I did what I promised. Now you can go back to your normal life, your life before you met each other, like strangers,” Walden pointed out the window after the king hung up the phone. My father, who was waiting for me to get out of the car, was smiling fr
The time passed so quickly. Two days here with Augustus may seem short, but the days I had with him were so magical that they filled my heart with happiness, which was already enough. That's the most time I've spent with him since he was introduced to take the throne. I'll forever treasure this moment with him. I was wandering around before we finally left this place, asking myself, will I be able to be back here in the future? He was waving his hand in the air, signaling to me that it was time to leave the place. My face may seem so pleased, but inside I was preparing to say goodbye to him. "Don't worry, we'll be back here soon," he said coyly. "Hmm-mm," I said, nodding. My heart was on fire, as if it would soon be consumed. None of what the prince said would come true because I lied for the entire two days. I was guilty but was more broken. Augustus couldn’t take his hand off mine while he was driving back to Manila as if he had predicted that I was planning to leave. I awoke n