I went upstairs when suddenly Prince Emmanuel showed up, wearing something casual as if he was going somewhere. I didn’t bother to ask. I just bowed my head to him and was about to take the stairs when Prince Emmanuel grabbed my arm all of a sudden. "Where are you going?" he asked. "I’m going back to my room," I responded. "We’re leaving; you can’t go back." He stated. "But, Prince, you know I can’t leave the palace unless I go to school," I replied. "Don’t worry, I’ll be with you, and no one will report to the King that we’re going out." He grasped my hand in his and drew me into his car. "Prince Emmanuel, if the King finds out I defy him, we’re both dead," I said, can’t stop being worried."Trust me, Gemma." He cracked a grin. This scene is giving me déjà vu. The prince did what Lincoln did in school. We waited for His Majesty and His Highness car to leave. I couldn’t help but worry that the King would find out I was fleeing the palace, but as Prince Emmanuel said, I should tru
Prince Emmanuel was resting against his car, waiting for me to get out of institution. "How’s it going with your father?"I didn’t say anything; I raced up to him and threw myself at him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much seeing Papa means to me, particularly at a time like this. I’ll never forget what you did, Prince Emmanuel. ""Gemma, you deserve this kind of happiness." He patted my head."Now I promise you I will keep an eye on Prince Augustus, that I will do all in my power to make him happy, and that I will make him aware that not everyone around him does not understand him," I said, vowing my words to him."It’s all right, Gemma. I’m content to see you happy." Prince Emmanuel stepped out of my arms. "My surprise for you is not yet finished. Come on!" He opened the vehicle door for me and helped me by supporting my head in the car, so that I won’t knock into anything and even fastened my seatbelt for me."You never cease to surprise me." Prince Emmanue
Prince Augustus assisted me in walking after we took the cab. I fell asleep on the trip because I was so exhausted. The loud honking jolted me awake. "If you don’t wake up, I’m gonna leave you here." Prince Augustus stated.It astonished me when we got out of the cab that it weren’t in the palace. This place and the palace are nearly identical, but the modest wooden cabin in the midst quickly distinguishes it from the palace. I honestly don’t know where we are right now. I followed Prince Augustus into the only residence."Prince Augustus!" I called out, running into the Prince, who was hugging the older man. When I glanced closer, I realized that Prince Augustus was hugging the King George lll, the former King before the throne passed to his younger brother King Dominic, who’s His Majesty, King Lucien father."Your Majesty." I slowly bent my head to him."You didn’t say you had company, Sebastian." King George stated. Do I hear right? Sebastian ... is that what he called Prince August
Prince Augustus and I arrived just at the palace. His Majesty, King Lucien greeted the prince with a punch. "I told you I knew everything you did and where you went." He stated solemnly.The Prince didn't respond, and he was ready to hit the Prince once more when I stepped in between them. "Your majesty, please forgive the prince. This is not his fault at all. It is because I almost passed out yesterday. Luckily, Prince Augustus found me; he panicked and took me to King George's place instead. It is because of my carelessness." I explained."You should at least call me that something happened." His Majesty said as he dropped his hand, gradually calming down. "I don't want to see your face right now, so get out. Go to Borstal if you wish, but don't even try to flee, because if you don't... Cynfael, I'm telling you, I'll take away your remaining freedom. ""You can do anything you want." Prince Augustus said as he stepped out the door.I was accused of something I hadn't done again, and
Miss Angela had already assigned us homework for our youth topic. Prince Augustus was in his private room at the moment, so I jumped at the opportunity to go to the locker. I took the box that Marco had given me that contained his artwork. "I made my promise, Marco, and now you may keep your vow by returning." "Gemma!" Tal exclaimed as he dashed towards me. As he neared me, Tal was practically out of breath. "Tal, why are you running? If the teacher sees you, you will undoubtedly be punished." "T-that's not important," Tal said, gasping for air. "It's more important that we go to the music room," he dragged me along with him as we hurried toward the old building. When we arrived at the music room, Felipe and the others looked like withered flowers, which sparked my curiosity even more. "What exactly is going on?" I asked, puzzled. "You should explain what happened to Gemma. I have to return to my class." Miss Janna said. We waited for Miss Janna to leave before asking me to sit c
Lincoln then said something that encouraged me. I waited for Prince Augustus to enter his private room before heading to our meeting place. I waved my hands so that Felipe and the others could see me rushing towards them. I was exhausted; thus, when I reached them, I sat down on the floor and clutched my knees, gasping for air. As he offered his hand to help me get up, Elias said, "We told you, you didn't have to come inside." "We're talking about saving the music club. I don't want to sit around doing nothing." "Because you're the only woman in Borstal, it's risky to enter the scholar's building," Felipe added. "Don't fret. I used to be Amarillo's school president; I know what I'm doing." I answered boldly, without letting on that I was terrified. "Janus will be with you; you can't part with him." Felipe held Janus's shoulder. "Hey, guys. Tal just texted me, Let's walk to the back of the building now that the guard has left. Tal's waiting for us." Jonah stated. The five of us
Following what happened that day, the scholars whom Tal had persuaded decided not to take part. I even tried to seek help from King Lucien, but even the king was incapable of changing Borstal’s decision. The music club is desperate, handing out flyers, begging like beggars on the street, and holding rallies to persuade the school board not to shut down the music studio. However, those tactics are useless; we have tried everything and have run out of ideas. We’ve only had a few days till the music studio shuts for good. The month has ended, and the nightmare has begun. I ran into the school’s administration on my way to the old building. I hastened my pace without hesitation. My surroundings, as well as my heartbeat, appeared to slow as I approached closer. I know where they went and what they did, but I wish their decision had been different. Miss Janna, Felipe, Elias, Janus, Jonah, and Tal were standing outside the music studio, and I looked at their faces, which were all filled wit
The vehicle has come to halt. Through the window, I could see my older brother Samuel standing outside the house. Mr. Osiris helped me by opening the door. I was taken aback when Osiris lowered his head to me before handing me the luggage. "Mr. Osiris, no, please," I said as I raised his head. "Do not bow to me; I am not a member of the royal family, and I am nothing."Mr. Osiris placed his hand on my head. "Be careful, Gemma."I nodded. "You, too, Mr. Osiris," I said as I walked away from Mr. Osiris, toward Kuya Samuel, who had a cigarette stuck between his fingers, smoking and ready to run out. "When did you start smoking?"He tossed aside the cigarette, nearly recoiling in astonishment at seeing me. "Y- you're here," Kuya Samuel said, surprised."Yeah, I'm here," I said, pausing. "Aren't you going to embrace your beloved sister?"Kuya Samuel grinned, grabbed me, and gave me a firm embrace. A hearty hug that made me feel better. "It seems like a reunion after a long time.""You have
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