It's as if I'm dreaming, and I can't believe I'm dating the Crown Prince. For my uncertain love for the prince, I breached his majesty's lone rule. It felt as if I had battled hundreds of rebels unarmed, yet I feel no regret, even if it is not right from everyone's perspective. For us, it is odd, and beyond belief, love that cannot be explained. I was awakened by the bright light that shone directly into my eyes. My vision got a glimpse of a guy who was standing in front of me at the time. I believed I was still in the midst of a dream, but when I reached for his hand, it became clear that this was real. Until I heard my name reverberating in my head, "P-papa ..." When someone jerked me awake, I was fully conscious. "Are you awake?" Walden said, a disturbed expression on his face. I nodded. "Can you tell me how you got in?" I pushed myself out of bed. "Are you having a bad dream?" I gently move my head from side to side, as though I'm not sure if I'm having a nightmare or whether
The prince was too overwhelmed, and as a result, he opened the door to his private room for me out of the blue, which took me by surprise. I didn’t think the prince would do this. He was supposed to be cold-hearted, but he ended up liking me. "No, you said it to yourself. I’m not allowed in." I turned him down. "My mind has changed." I felt Prince Augustus take my hand as we slowly entered his private chamber. At first glance, I thought this was Lincoln’s art studio. His entire room is covered in hundreds of unique paintings, each of which possesses a classic beauty that one would not expect. My mind kept asking questions about how come I didn’t know he was into painting, and then I suddenly realized Sebastian was the prince. The Prince can do everything that is beyond the capabilities of regular people. Learning new things or possessing hundreds or thousands of talents is just a normal part of their lives. My drawing was nothing compared to his. I was so embarrassed that I attempt
Whenever I listen to Lincoln, I end up feeling guilty. There is a part of myself that I regret not knowing he likes me. And I keep thinking, What if... What if I ended up having feelings for him rather than the prince? If only he had confessed to me before the prince, my situation would not be as complicated as it is.I laughed at the idea. I'm certain the prince will loathe me if he hears what I've just thought.As I was making my way back to the prince's private room, I noticed that the prince had already made his way upstairs.I guess he didn't notice me. But when I think about it, it's like he came from his private room, which means that it's impossible for him to not see me coming back. Or maybe he's mad at me again because I went with Lincoln.He was angry again, just as I thought. When I walked into the room, Prince Augustus pretended not to notice me and let me just go on my way as though I had committed a terrible mistake. This is nothing new to me; I expect him to behave in t
As soon as I opened my eyes, my brain immediately recalled the things that took place the night before, which set the tone for the rest of my morning. Feeling both guilty and excited, I hid my face with my hands. One of the ringtones that play continuously on my phone suddenly cut me off. I reached over to the side table and grabbed the phone. My phone keeps buzzing with messages from Felipe and other members of the music club. Upon reading each message, I sat up in disbelief as the president of Borstal had returned to the music club. I was so happy that I couldn't help but jump up and down. The first person who comes to mind is Prince Augustus. I dashed into his room and knocked on his door. "Prince Augustus!" I exclaimed. As soon as he opened the door, I rushed into his arms, surprising him. "W-w-w what's the matter?" "I know it was you who did it, so thank you! Thank you so much for persuading Borstal's president." "What are you on about?" I stepped away from the embrace.
No one, including Tal, knew who would replace Felipe until the prince walked on stage and sat down in front of the piano. They exchanged glances, astounded to see the prince. Tal leaned in and placed his mouth near my ear. "What on earth is he doing here?" "He is our pianist," I said in response. "But is he able to...?" "You wait and see," I said proudly. The pianist will play an introductory solo before the group begins to play. The prince slowly presses keys on the keyboard, and the reactions of people in the audience grow increasingly positive. From what I could tell by looking at their expressions, everyone in the hall, including Tal and the members of the club, was enjoying his performance. Not only did I get to hear him play, but so did everyone else. On how good the prince is. After that, Tal and I both started playing our parts of the song, and then the rest of the band joined in. As the band played, I could not take my eyes off the prince as he danced to the music. The
In a single instant, the situation escalated to a complex level, confusing both of us, but especially him. Since that day, the thing that used to be okay between us no longer is, and it's getting to the point where there's no hope. Perhaps the prince has finally realized how he feels about Raeanna. I was in so much pain that I couldn't stop crying, but I knew that I had to give him the space he needed. It was more than painful because I had to see him every day, accompany him wherever he went, and endure this suffering. My chest tightened up when I learned that the prince would be traveling for almost two weeks outside of the country. Shouldn't I feel relieved? I, like him, will have time to think. But no, what I experienced was completely at odds with what my mind had been imagining. I desperately wanted to talk to him and see him, but my presence would only confuse him further. Therefore, I have to prevent myself from doing so. I was able to see him and watch him leave the palace
My Stone, Do you still remember when I told you the story of how your mother and I first met? I just made it up; it was all a lie. It turned out that she didn't love me after all; she had her sights set on a much more noble and better suitor. Because their love is true, there is no one—not even the queen—who can put an end to it. That's right; it wasn't me but King Lucien. The feeling I have for Catina is unrequited, and I cannot betray him because I value our friendship too highly. Lucien was always there when she played, not me. Her most devoted admirer was the king. If you see how happy they are together, you'd think they'd be together forever. Your mother has such a deep and abiding love for him, but it was never enough for him because she was never part of a royal family. Catina knew what would happen if she loved a prince, and so did Lucien. It's love between them versus the entire nation. They were up against a slew of foes. Your mother, Catina, was not a part of Lucien's fu
Putting things back in order in Mama's room after I messed them up so that no one, not even Mother, will be able to find out what I discovered as if nothing happened. Mama, Allerick, and Blythe (who just got home from school) are all in the cab. Blythe and Allerick jumped out of the cab and ran to me, with Allerick embracing me with his gleeful arms. "Ateeeeeee you're here!" Allerick couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Are you staying here tonight?" I knelt a little so I could reach him. "I won't be around for long; I'm leaving right away. Gemma's here because I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. So, how's school going? Did I miss anything?" "Well, you missed Blythe's play, but she said it was alright because it wasn't that important," Allerick explained. "But it's a shame because you missed out on seeing how talented Blythe is." Allerick started telling his stories, and he wouldn't quit telling until he finished. Allerick was a big talker, which he inherited from our
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