I knew that they were complimenting me only because I was now once again a useful leverage for them to use to further the position of our family. Ever since the prince started to show interest in me, my parents started paying me more attention. They made sure to take care of me and give me what I want all for the sake that I would maintain my relationship with the prince.It suddenly felt like the world around me went dark and suddenly multiple spotlights were shining down on me. Regardless of his intentions, it seemed that the prince had successfully put me right on the spot. “I think now I know why there are so many reporters gathered outside today,” Diana pointed out. I hated to admit it but she was probably right that all the reporters that we thought were gathered outside because of the court case might actually be here because of what the prince had said about me.“This is really amazing! He is so romantic. You need to attend the event with him, and of course, you need to allo
“I suggest you turn up to the event to at least help him save face. It would reflect very poorly on you and also on the prince if you don't turn up. The prince has always been kind to you, so even if you don't like him back, you shouldn't do things that will publicly throw him under the bus. You do know this right?” My sister continued on patiently. I nodded my head a few times solemnly because I couldn't help but agree with her. Desmond had always been kind to me, and I knew that many things that he did were for my sake. Even I knew that I shouldn't throw him under the bus, both in public and in private. “You also need to act a little smarter, my sister dear. You do realize just how our parents have been much kinder and considerate to you ever since you managed to secure the prince’s favor. I'm not saying this to scare you, but if anything were to happen, I am sure that the prince will defend you and keep you safe. Maybe he can defend you much better than I ever could and that trul
My response drew a laugh from the prince as he looked at me with sparkling gray eyes. I could tell that Desmond was very glad to see me because I could feel the life returning to his beautiful gray eyes. To my surprise, it wasn't at all difficult to reunite with the prince and talk to him again.“I guess it's good enough for me that you did actually turn up,” the prince said before grinning my way. The way he looked so thankful for my appearance made me feel slightly guilty inside. “My sister told me that I shouldn't throw you under the bus so publicly, and I had to agree with her,” I replied before I found myself smiling quite naturally. “I guess I have your sister to thank for this,” the prince replied. There were many things that I wanted to ask the prince, but there was one burning question that felt like it could no longer wait until later.“My father's corruption case and its relation to my family businesses, were you the one who stepped in to help us out?” I asked directly.
“Are you two back together now?” One of the reporters asked. Although I knew that these types of questions were bound to be hurled at us, I wasn't quite prepared to answer any of them. I also hated how nosy these reporters were. Clearly they were not here to cover the naming of the school or any topic related to community service. All they were intent on finding out more about was my relationship with the prince. I stared at them as I pursed my lips together while I decided to maintain my silence. “You shouldn't ask me about this. Why don't you ask the lady instead?” The prince said as he threw the ball my way. It took all of my effort not to turn and glare at him. Instead, I plastered a lady-like smile onto my lips as I thought of an appropriate answer. “Who knows?” I replied teasingly without disclosing any other details. Perhaps Desmond could sense that I wasn't in the mood to deal with all the reporters because he quickly signaled to the guards to help us out of the place.…
Desmond seems to consider my words. By that time the desserts had started to taste sour in my mouth instead of sweet because I had lost all of my appetite. The prince’s gray eyes focused on me just as I placed my utensils down.“Don't you feel that something has changed around you?” Desmond asked as he stared directly at my face from across the dining table. I wasn't sure what he was referring to so I replied by shaking my head from side to side. In truth it would be more accurate to say that there were so many changes that had happened around me that I wasn't even sure which change he was exactly referring to. “You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble as of late. I'm sure that your parents aren't so pleased about it, not to talk about a few other people,” the prince commented before grinning wryly my way. I felt my core tightened as a disturbing feeling swirled around in my belly at his words. “I don't know what you're talking about,” I denied although I didn't sound so convincing.
Diana's words and the look of concern in her eyes came back to me along with how powerless and vulnerable she sounded when she told me that she might not be able to cover for me all the time. Some things were definitely getting out of our control. Just like how I couldn't cover for my sister for every single thing, it was becoming impossible for her to do the same. I was certain that just as much as I was worried for her, Diana was worried for me too. I would be lying if I said that the prince’s proposal to protect me didn't sound overwhelmingly tempting. However, I knew that everything came with a price of its own. “And what would I have to do in return for me to receive this proper protection from you?” I asked as I leaned slightly forward over the table. The way Desmond smiled at me told me that he was enjoying our little conversation and that he was glad that I was at least considering his proposal. “In the longer term, there is something that I need to accomplish, and for me
“Wait. I don't want to do this…” I managed to say after he freed my lips and I found my voice again. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and frankly, I was very surprised at the way that my body was reacting to his advances. Perhaps it was because of my lack of experience at the time, but I had thought that I wouldn't feel this way or react this way if I was with someone other than Anthony.“Are you sure? It looks like you were enjoying it,” the prince said as he kept on staring at my face. The way his gray eyes seemed to bore into me made me feel like he could read my mind. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at the moment, but I was certain that I had ventured into very dangerous territories. “All I need to do is fake being your girlfriend. This shouldn't be part of the deal,” I pointed out as I tried to calm myself down. “You're right, this isn't part of the deal but I am sure that it can help you forget everything that you need to. I told you that you could use me however you w
“The last king?” I repeated blankly after recovering from my initial shock and confusion. It felt like time suddenly came to a stop and all I could hear in the tense silence that surrounded us was the fast beating of my heartbeat. His answer surely caught me off guard, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if I understood what he really meant. I must have looked confused enough for him to give me an explanation. “I'm going to be the next king and I am also going to be the last king of this country,” he said slowly and clearly as if it would help me absorb the true meaning behind his words.Desmond will definitely be the next king and after that his son should take over, at least that was how things were supposed to be, unless he doesn't want things to turn out that way in the future. I felt my jaws loosen as my mouth hung open when I realized what he was trying to say. Desmond nodded his head in affirmation as if he could feel that I was finally taking in the meaning of his words. Many th
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off
The moment that thought entered my mind, I quickly killed it and pushed it out of my mind as if extinguishing a small flame before it would spread and engulf everything. I told myself that it wouldn’t have to come to that and that we could find another way to figure things out.“Does it matter? Why does it have to matter?” Diana asked, and her tone was cold.My sister’s response quickly snapped me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I narrowed my eyes at her as my irritation started to take over.“It does matter! Have you completely lost your mind? He’s our teacher,” I reminded her as I started to truly lose my head over what my sister had confessed to me.Had I known that the person she had been dating was one of our teachers, I would have definitely stopped her. That was probably the reason why Diana decided to keep it a secret, even from me. In reality, I had my own doubts about whether or not I could have persuaded my sister not to pursue her taboo relationship with Mr. Malton
"I guess he is not someone in this school," I said as I ran my mind through potential candidates who could be my sister's true love."It's a secret," Diana repeated again before pressing her index finger teasingly against her lips."Are you really not going to tell me?" I asked."Honestly, you have no idea just how much I am dying to tell you who he is. But you see, I did promise him to keep it a secret between us... at least for now," Diana said before flashing me a regretful smile."I don't think I will end up liking this guy. He's telling you to keep secrets from me," I replied teasingly."I'll make sure that you're the first one to find out," Diana promised me with a beaming smile."I guess that it's good enough for me that you're happy," I told her honestly."Thank you, Leya. I love you so much. You're probably the only one who truly cares about my happiness," my sister said before pulling me into her embrace.Back then, when I held my sister in my arms and hugged her back tightl
“Shall we?” Bradon asked as he offered me his arm invitingly.“Thank you,” I replied as I smoothly slipped my arm into his.Appearing in front of the public as Diana, with Bradon as my escort as he flawlessly acted out the role of Anthony, drew quite a lot of attention to us. I could tell that Bradon felt restless, even under his calm and collected exterior, and that was probably because he couldn’t wait for this engagement announcement to come to an end. Even though he should have been reassured now that Diana was taking my place at the ceremony, it seemed that nothing could make Bradon completely feel at ease given the situation.“I sincerely hope that they keep it short,” Bradon whispered right into my ear before planting a soft kiss against my temple.I was sure we looked like the perfect loving couple, and perhaps that wasn’t so far from the truth. For the life of me, I had no idea how Diana managed to convince Desmond to let her take my place at the engagement ceremony, but I wa
"So, are you going to get on your hands and knees to beg? How much longer will you keep me waiting?" I asked while pointing my index finger at the empty floor right in front of my feet.If looks could kill, I would have died an extremely painful death, stabbed by the millions of daggers flying out of my father's eyes from the way he was glaring at me. Even when I was clearly his only route of escape from the impending hell that was awaiting him, it was clear that my father felt nothing but hatred for me. I returned his stare with one of my own as I continued pointing to the floor where I wanted them to get on their hands and knees."I'm still waiting. Oh, but if you're not willing, then I'll make sure that some men will escort you out," I said before grinning at them. I could tell that my father was hesitating, and that meant that he was truly considering abandoning whatever pride he had left to get down on his hands and knees to beg for help from his long-abandoned daughter.Time mov
“Dahlia, dear! Please help your dear father!” The head of the Alnault family desperately pleaded for my help. I squinted my eyes at his face as I took in the evident panic and helplessness displayed on his features. I wasn't sure what I was hoping for when I wanted to see him, but his reaction surely surpassed even my wildest expectations. Gone were all of his confidence and arrogance. Perhaps, for the first time in his life, this man was feeling truly hopeless and helpless. “Dahlia! You have to help get us out of this. You need to help our family!”my mother's high-pitched voice begged openly for my help.I glanced in her direction. I wasn't at all surprised to feel absolutely no pity for her. The only question that went through my mind was why these two people were still standing on their feet rather than kneeling in front of me on their knees. My biological father continued begging while giving me countless reasons why I should help him out. However, most of his words were lost to
It was true that I had ample opportunities to tell Bradon about it, but it was also true that bringing it up would ruin the romantic and joyful mood between us and whatever we were in the middle of doing. Bradon came home early and in time for dinner every day, as if it was a change in habit. We spent time together just like regular couples—staying at home, watching movies, taking a dip in the pool, walking together in the garden, and doing many other things just to enjoy each other's company. It felt like we were making up for all the lost time.…**Around a week later**Diana's brewing plan kept me on edge. The secret preparation for the royal engagement announcement was in full swing. As for me, I spent a lot of time mentally preparing myself for what was to come. Each peaceful day that went by felt like the perfect calm before a raging storm. One day, I woke up to find Bradon sitting on the side of the bed, his eyes on me as if he was waiting patiently for me to wake up from my sl