Chapter Nine

Thalia was sure she could hear her own heartbeat as Ann led her through a dimly lit corridor. She was on her way to meet the prince. To have dinner with the prince. Despite how the situation was definitely not in favour of her, and how she probably had a lot of things to worry about, her head was filled only with thoughts of the prince. 

Oh, good grief! Thalia gasped inwardly as her imaginations went too far and she quickly shut them off. She had to focus on making it out of the meeting with her head on her shoulders. 

And security of her head being on her shoulders for a long time. 

There was a big door at the end of the corridor and a few guards standing in front wearing their normal stoic expressions. Ann paused in front of the large door, "This is The Great Hall, where you'll be dining with the prince." She gestured towards the door then turned to the guards and gave them a signal to open the door.

When they opened it, Thalia was met with a lot of inquisitive stares from people who were dressed like Ann. So she bowed her head down and followed Ann. She led her to a table where she helped her sit and adjusted her dress so she would be comfortable. She mouthed a thank you to Ann as she started to back away into the line of people who were dressed in the same uniform.

The stares from everyone in the room unnerved Thalia and wiped away all the confidence she'd been trying to gather to face her situation. The prince wasn't in the room yet either, so the long table was empty. After a while of just staring at the table, Thalia raised her head to finally check the place out while ignoring the stares. 

The dining room was just as beautiful as the rest of the palace, the parts she'd seen though. But she was sure, as much as she was excited to explore, that the rest of the palace would be very beautiful.

It had towering arched windows which were draped in heavy gold and wine-red curtains. The table in front of her was a grand mahogany table that could easily sit about 40 people. On it were beautiful crystal goblets designed with what Thalia was sure looked like diamonds. Gleaming silver cutlery lined the table, some of which were placed in front of her 

 At the other end of the table, a throne-like chair stood, draped in a cloak of fur, probably reserved for the prince or head of the table. Overhead, a majestic chandelier cascaded like a waterfall of diamonds, illuminating the room beautifully. Thalia sighed. It would be nice to live in a place like this, her writer's imagination would improve so much.

Maybe the people in this weird world had a thing for roses because she detected a light scent of roses in the air, like an air freshener. She took a deep inhale wearing a tiny smile, roses always made her happy. 

It was her favorite flower. 

The grand hall suddenly hushed and became pin drop silent as the doors opened. Suddenly everybody in the room bowed their heads and created a neat line that looked like a passageway.

The tall, handsome man Thalia recognized as the prince entered, his presence commanding attention.She didn't have time to panic over her fate because his beauty caught her off guard once again. How was it possible for one man to look this ethereal? His dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, perfectly framing his chiseled royal features. With every step, his confidence resonated, and his deep green eyes scanned the room with a mix of authority and curiosity and finally, they landed on Thalia. 

Thalia immediately straightened in her seat. She didn't know if she should sit or stand since everyone was standing. Her logic to the situation was that she wasn't a part of them so there was no need for her to pay respects to the prince. So she just sat there and stared at him. 

They had a stare-off for a while before the prince broke it to sit down. He sat at the very end of the table, on the chair Thalia had rightly predicted was for him. 

"So.. Thalia.. was it?" The prince inquired, his voice reverberating in the silent room. 

"Yes," Thalia answered curtly, raising her head to look more confident, "Thalia, that's my name." 

The prince stared at her for a while, silent. Then he turned to the direction where over 20 servants stood, "I command the room to be cleared at once, leaving only myself and the young lady."

With no further ado or questions, everybody left the room quickly leaving them alone. Thalia swallowed. Was she safer with them in here or was she safer with the prince? She'd never been more confused. 

When the room was cleared they sat in awkward silence for a while. He tapped his fingers continuously on the table and the tapping sound made Thalia more anxious. 

He stared as he tapped like he was trying to figure her out. 

Like she was a puzzle. 

"Who are you really?" He asked. 

Thalia squared her shoulders, she wasn't going to be intimidated anymore, "I told you that before."

He looked a bit taken aback by her attitude and obvious disregard for his status. He stood and walked slowly to where she was sitting and sat on a chair next to her. 

His sudden close proximity caused her heart rate to accelerate even more. At the same time, his near presence made her notice again how impossibly beautiful he was. 

His ebony hair shone like midnight silk, it looked very soft and rich, a stark contrast against his fair complexion. His chiseled jawline exuded strength, framing a countenance adorned with piercing, confident green eyes that mirrored the depths of a lucious forest. He was graceful and charismatic, and he moved with a princely poise, commanding attention without effort. 

"Thalia," the way her name rolled off his lips made her shiver. 

What was wrong with her and why was she so attracted to this prince? Especially in a world she didn't belong in? 

She'd never felt attraction this strong for anyone before, or anything even close to this.

"Yes?" 

"Who are you and what's your purpose here?" He asked softly. "We thoroughly investigated and didn't find any connections between you and The Anarchists. You seem harmless but I'm puzzled because we couldn't find records or traces of you anywhere. So what's your intent?"

"What do you mean by what's my purpose?" Thalia asked. Why was he going easy on her? She expected the dinner to feel like an interrogation that would probably end with her going to jail again, but now it seemed like a cozy romantic hangout with a prince. 

He stood to his full height, "What's your reason for coming here and who are you?"