~Daciana~ After plucking enough mangoes, we returned to our tents and rested a little before we checked the next thing on our list, and it happened to be swimming. ‘We really needed to have gotten this out.’ I thought as I turned to look at Prince Randall who also sat in front of his tent. “You don’t want to swim with me, do you?” I asked from outside my tent. “Nope, but it isn’t like I’ve got a choice…” “Actually, you’ve got a choice.” I butted in, and he looked at me. “You said no one is here watching us. So, we don’t have to do this particular one. We could just skip it and tick it out. Leaving one of them out isn’t so bad, right?” “Coming from someone who said we should pretend to bond and keep reminding me about my probation?” He asked, and I shrugged. “Well, we both don’t want to swim together, so one of us could dodge it. I saw a bookstore on our way down here, in town and I’d love to purchase one. So, it gives you time to do whatever you want, and when I’m back, we'll c
~Daciana~ “Prince Randall, can you hear me?” I fell to my knees next to him, fearfully watching him shiver. He looked so weak and unable to move. “I’ll go and grab a coat for you to wear, okay?” I uttered, standing up and running back to my tent. In haste, I searched for the biggest coat I could find in my luggage and ran back to where he lay. Getting there, I met him in the same position. He didn’t even move a finger and this scared me. He looked unconscious. I put the coat over him and knelt next to him again. “I’m going to try to raise you, okay??” I said, but I got nothing back from him. ‘That shouldn’t be bad, right? I’m just trying to help. I wouldn’t want to touch him when he’s completely naked and vulnerable.’ I reached for his two hands and when I touched them, they felt extremely cold. I grabbed them and tried to pull him up. It was surprising that with how vulnerable he looked, he was still pretty heavy. “You’ve got to help me here, Prince Randall,” I muttered, stru
~Prince Randall ~ I wasn’t expecting her to be so soft towards me, especially not after what she saw last night. But when she came up to me in the river, the way she looked at me, spoke to me, and even touched me would forever be a surprise to me. ‘I am not used to anyone being nice to me, and now she’s acting this way, I don’t know how to act around her. I need her to keep being harsh and mean to me. That’s the best way we can relate to each other.’ I fetched some wood from nearby trees to make firewood for the last activity on our list which was ‘make a campfire’. “We are supposed to fetch the woods together.” She said from behind me, smiling widely and waving her cutlass in the air. “I didn’t want to bother you about it. Also, I thought you’d prefer reading your novel.” I answered, striking the log of wood with my axe, splitting it into two. “The novel can wait, okay? I’ll just continue when we get back home.” She added, and I heaved a sigh. “Fine. You’d help in carrying the
~Daciana~ Swallowing hard, I headed toward the direction of the voice I heard. I could feel sweat dripping down my back, and I couldn’t fathom where the heat was coming from. Was it from what almost happened with Prince Randall?! ‘What the hell was I thinking?! Daciana, he’s your stepbrother for fu*k’s sake!!’ I shut my eyes tightly and shook my head, trying to erase the stupidity I had just portrayed to him. “Oh! There she is.” Riley’s voice made me raise my head, and when I saw him, I hastily let out a faint smile. “Hey there,” I uttered, as we closed the gap between us. He wrapped his arms around me and planted a kiss just below my left ear. “You’re still here? I was passing by this road and I decided to check if you’d still be here. Honestly, I’m surprised that you’re still here. I thought you’d have left.” He uttered, and I shook my head. “I’m still here. It’s the last day of the camping anyway. So, I won’t be here tomorrow.” I added, burying my hands in my pocket anxious
~Prince Randall ~ As soon as I shut the door, I rested my back against it and threw my head backward. I breathed out with my mouth and opened my eyes. I hated how I was feeling. ‘What the hell is wrong with you, Randall? What has come upon you?’ I walked over to my mother’s portrait on my wall and stared at her face. I missed her so much. “If you were here, all these would never have happened. Father wouldn’t have married another woman, I wouldn’t have a step-sister, and I wouldn’t be beating myself up about wanting to kiss her badly!” I smacked, throwing a punch into the wall, next to her portrait. “Arghh.” I groaned as I stared at the hole I had created on my wall. My knuckles were bleeding but I ignored it. Maybe I could replace how I was feeling with pain. I sat on the bed and grabbed my hair. ‘I shouldn’t have let my guard down around her. I shouldn’t have turned. I shouldn’t have let her see that side of me.’ I closed my eyes tightly as these thoughts rushed t
~Daciana~ “Strip.” I heard him say to the lady and my jaw dropped. He was really going to sleep with her. I felt pain in my chest as I felt my heart shatter to pieces. I felt tears heat up my eyes rapidly, but I shut them, trying to push them back. I had no reason to cry. He’s not worth my tears. He intentionally did that to me to hurt me, but I wouldn’t let him get to me. He’s Prince Randall, my stepbrother and he can do whatever the hell he wants to do. I walked into my room and slammed the door shut. I slumped down my bed and let out a loud huff. Then, I remembered the book I had gotten and I sprang to my feet to get it. It was the best way to distract myself at the moment. I picked it up and opened it to page 120, where I stopped, and was about to continue reading when I recalled what Riley told me. I turned the book to the last page, and there I found his phone number. “There you are,” I uttered in a whisper as I reached for my phone. I dialed the number on
~Daciana~ The next morning, I didn’t want to leave my bed. Not after what happened last night. I was so ashamed of myself and I didn’t want to face Prince Randall until whenever. ‘How am I going to escape him?? We’ll be called in for breakfast soon.’ I thought, looking at my wall clock. The best thing I could do was get my food before the dining table was set and pretend to be sick. This way, I can avoid everyone and be alone. I jumped out of bed, picked a robe, and put it on. The last thing I wanted was to start fantasizing about stupid things because of the nightgown I had on. I made my way out of my room, taking a peek at the hallway to see if anyone was there, most especially Prince Randall. When I saw the coast was clear, I took long strides out of my room and towards the kitchen. My head was still filled with my dream, and anytime I recalled it, I felt embarrassed. Walking past the dining room, I saw the maids were setting the table up already. ‘I better hur
~Prince Randall~ As soon as we got to the hallway that led to our rooms, I let go of her hand. I could feel her staring at me all the way through our walk from the throne room. “What was that about?” She asked when I let go of her hand. “What was what about?” I looked at her. “Why did you keep following us, and why were you so rude to Jonathan?” She further asked. “My being rude shouldn’t surprise you, should it? It isn’t the first time I’ve acted rude towards anyone.” I answered with a straight face. “Well, I’m glad you did. I don’t know what gave His Majesty the impression that I want to be in another relationship. I mean, I’m yet to get over what Carl did to me.” She muttered. “You’re yet to get over it?? Do you still think about him?” I asked before I could caution myself. ‘Why am I acting so invested?’ I asked myself, waiting for her to answer the questions. “No, I don’t think about him anymore. I just don’t think I want to go into another relationship, with any man wit
~ Daciana~ After a year. We sat in the living room. Randall and I. And in his arms was Darian, who also seemed so interested in what was showing on the television. It was pretty funny that he had a favorite show at age one already and it was Cocomelon. He loved the show so much that if it came on, he’d stop crying and begin to giggle. I looked at Randall and he looked at me with widened eyes. “What?” I asked, and he looked at Darian. “He’s giving those low groans again. I think he’s going to…” All of a sudden, Darian pooped all over his garment and my eyes widened. “Poop.” He completed his statement and we both burst out laughing. Darian looked at us in confusion and suddenly began to laugh too. “I’m so sorry. I should have used his pampers. I had no idea he’d poop again so soon.” I uttered, carefully carrying him away from Randall’s arms. “It’s okay. I’ll just go and wash up.” He responded, holding the helm of his royal garment and lifting it so the poop won’t mess the floor
~Randall~ After eight months. There was a meeting with the Alphas of the kingdom and we all sat in the waiting room when all of a sudden, a maid dashed into the room panting hard. “Your majesty! Your majesty! The Queen… she is… her water broke.” She said, shivering profusely.“What?” I spanked to my feet running out of the meeting room. Getting out, I saw two guards, each on both sides holding her as she walked. “Baby.” I ran towards them, taking her from them. I placed her arm over my shoulder and grabbed her by the waist. “Randall, the baby…” she stuttered and I could feel fear in her.“It’s okay. We will be in the hospital in no time.” I tried to calm her down even though my emotions were all over the place. I was scared too. Getting to the car, the guards helped lift her up. My driver hopped into the driver seat and I sat with her holding her hands and comforting her as she groaned. My driver drove as fast as he could and we got to the hospital in less than 15 minutes. I c
~Carl~ I got an invite to a party at the palace. I was personally invited by Daciana. I wasn’t sure what the party was about, but I was sure she seemed super excited about it. I wouldn’t miss it too because this is the first time she has sounded so happy after Anne’s death. “Baby, are you ready?” Bonnie asked, spraying her body with some cologne. To my greatest surprise, she told me I could bring my plus one, which is now Bonnie. After the proposal dinner, I finally got to talk to Bonnie and we seemed to click instantly. I realized after speaking for a while that we had so many things in common. I asked her out on a date that very day and since then, we’ve been super cool. “Baby!” She yelled from the room again. “What?? I’ve been done for more than twenty minutes. I’m waiting for you to finish.” I responded in a loud voice, looking towards the room. “Why didn’t you answer me then? I thought you’d headed out to the car already.” She replied, walking out of the room. As soon a
Lily~ Leaving the palace, I headed for Brandon’s house. I had Kendall in the car with me because I knew he was going to help me get back to him if it got too difficult. “Mummy, when are we going to see Uncle Brandon again? I miss him.” Kendall uttered, and I raised my head to look at him through the rear mirror. “I know you miss him, baby. I miss him too. But, guess what?” I asked with a wide smile, facing the road again. “What? Are we getting Ice cream?” “What? Why would you even guess that?” I chuckled, looking at him through the rare mirror again. “Because you buy me ice cream every time I talk about Uncle Brandon.” He responded, and my eyes widened in shock. “I don’t do that all the time.” I tried to defend myself even though I knew he was telling the truth. “Yes, you do. But it’s okay, I love ice cream.” He replied, reaching for his phone. “Trust me, Kendall. It’s not the case anymore. I promise you, you’ll get ice cream and you’ll also get to see Uncle Brandon.” “Real
~Daciana~ It was a week after Anne's funeral and I was yet to tell anyone, even Randall that I was pregnant. I don’t know, but the vibe was off, most especially because of how Anne’s funeral went down. Somehow, we regretted that we didn’t get to tell her how much we loved her in her last moments. We sat in the dining room, ready to eat, and when I lifted the spoon to my mouth to eat, it suddenly smelt awful and I had this sudden urge to puke. I sprang to my feet, holding my mouth as I ran down the hallway. It was my very first time acting like that in front of Randall. I had tried to keep my pregnancy cravings and signs away from him because I didn’t want him to suspect. I was looking for the perfect time to spill the beans. I held onto the toilet and puked whatever was left in my belly. “Are you alright?” “Ahhh!” I jolted, looking back and saw Randall, behind me, looking worried. “Did I startle you?” He asked, lowering himself too and I nodded. “Yes, your Majesty. You startl
~King Randall~We, the family, stood in front of the catafalque. There were flowers, candles and pictures of Anne displayed on it. We all had straight faces as we all waited in silence in respect to the dead. This wasn’t how I pictured things to end for my mother. Hiding in the palace and not being able to invite people to my mother’s funeral was unbelievable. “Your Majesty. Do you have anything else to say?” The monk asked, moving away from the catafalque, and I nodded, standing up. In my hand was the note my mother wrote before she killed herself. With clenched jaws, I stood in front of everyone and opened the note. “Since my mother decided that killing herself was the best decision she could make, I had refused to read whatever she had written in this paper. “But, I think it’s the right time to read this, and at the same time, read it out to everyone here,” I uttered and slowly unfolded the note. “Dear son, by the time you see this, I’d have probably been dead. But I want to
~Lily~ After the note was found, we were told to go to the living room by Trump. I guess it was our cue to leave.“We should leave now,” I said to Brandon and he nodded in agreement. “I will tell Randall we are leaving.”As he left, Daciana approached me “How are you feeling?”“I should be the one asking you that. We are leaving already”“I’m sorry about what happened today. I’m glad Kendall is safe.”“Thank you” I smiled faintly and continued “You should go to Randall, he needs you right now.”“Right, take care.” She said as she turned to leave. Just then Brandon returned with our stuff. “Let’s go,” he said as we headed out. Getting to the car, I put Kendall in the back seat and sat in front with Brandon. My head was on the window as we drove out of the Palace.I recalled how scared I was when Kendall was missing. It made me realize he meant more to me than I ever imagined and that I should give him my undivided attention and love.‘I would never let what happened today happen aga
~Daciana~ I let out a soft moan as my eyes slowly opened. “She is awake, she’s awake.” I heard their voices faintly.“Queen Daciana, can you hear me?” His voice sounded louder than before and I nodded.I looked to my right and I saw a man dressed in a corporate outfit with a stethoscope around his neck. He was a Doctor. “Yes, I can,” I responded, trying to sit up.Just then I remembered what had happened before I lost consciousness, there was no Kendall or Trisha in sight. “Where is Kendall? Where are they?” I asked with agitation and Carl hurriedly moved closer to me.“Please take it easy Daciana. Randall has gone to fetch them. You should be more concerned about your health.”“Are they fine?” I asked, still very worried.“We got a call from Lily telling us that they have been found,” Trump said.“They are fine. You should talk to the Doctor, he has refused to say anything to us unless you are awake.” My mother replied, and I looked at the Doctor“What is wrong with me Doctor?”“C
~King Randall~ “Why can’t we leave for the hospital right now?” I asked in frustration as I rushed Daciana into the house. “You just got coronated. You can’t be seen in the hospital right now. There are eyes all over you.” Trump answered as we followed me alongside the others. “Who cares?? My Queen just fainted and I should care about what people will think?” “The doctor is on his way already.” Carl butted in as I laid her on the couch. “We… we can’t just sit back and do nothing! My son is missing! We should be out there looking for him!” Lily cried in agony. “I sent the guards out already. They’ll find him. They have to! Do you think I want to be here right now too??” I asked, sitting next to Daciana and holding her hand, hoping she would wake up. “I knew something like this was going to end up happening. We invited an enemy to live with us!” Agatha uttered, and we all looked at her. “What are you talking about?” Trump shook his head in confusion. “Anne, of course! After all