“I…Umm…” I murmured as I hesitated. “You don’t have to be shy about it…” she coaxed before smiling at me. I wished that the only emotion that I felt at that moment was simply shyness; however, that was very far from the case. I felt so conflicted, and all my emotions were a mess as I struggled more with myself than the pressure that everyone seemed to be putting on me to answer that question. “I’m…” I began saying before I had to stop. “Are you embarrassed? Well, there’s no need to be. I’m just very curious about your relationship with the prince. So, tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Prince Leonard?” she asked again as her eyes stared directly at my face. “I…I’m just…” I murmured as I felt my body tremble slightly. “Mila…”I heard the prince’s voice calling my name almost at the same time that I felt the warmth of his hand on my bare shoulder. My heart skipped a beat before relief flooded my chest. I turned to stare up at Prince Leonard’s face; however, he wasn’t
My heart clenched a little in my chest before I felt a wave of warmth washing over me. “Umm…you should get some rest…” I suggested as I started to feel slightly shy. “I’m very sorry, Mila. I shouldn’t have left you alone like that. I didn’t think that the talk would take so long…” Prince Leonard suddenly apologized. I turned to him with what must have been a very blank look on my face because I didn’t expect an apology from him. That was also simply because I didn’t feel like there was anything that he needed to apologize for. In fact, I felt like I owed him such a big favor after all that he had said in my defense. “There’s no need for you to apologize for anything. I’m fine…” I quickly reassured him. “It’s my fault. I misjudged the situation and you had to pay the price for it,” he replied firmly. I had no idea what he was talking about or why it seemed to be such a big deal for him. It was true that many people in the dining room made me uncomfortable and Lucinda did put me o
“It’s not your fault at all, Mila. Plus, I didn’t just change the time,” the prince said before grinning a little my way. “I’m sorry but I’m not sure that I understand what you mean,” I murmured softly as I kept on staring at the prince. “We’re leaving this country,” he stated simply. “We’re leaving? I mean, what about the rest of the trip?” I asked while failing to hide my panic. The official visit wasn’t over. In fact, we had only spent one day in the country, but the prince seemed to have made up his mind to cancel the rest of the trip. My mouth hung open in shock as I wondered what was really going on. “That’s right. After you’re done with breakfast, we can leisurely make our way to the airport. Don’t worry, everyone that needs to know about this has been informed and everything has been taken care of,” Prince Leonard told me reassuringly. “But…is this really, ok?” I asked with evident worry. “Of course. Some of the key staff will be staying behind to complete the trip as p
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied without giving me any real answer.“Do you have some other work to do there?” I took a guess.“You could say that” he replied without giving anything away. “You’re always so full of secrets…” I mumbled softly to myself. “Doesn’t that just keep you feeling excited?” Prince Leonard said happily. “I don’t know. Sometimes it can be a little bit too much,” I replied honestly. The prince just laughed at my response as if he found it to be entertaining. Although I had no idea what was going on, I was content with the fact that Prince Leonard seemed to be in much better spirits than during the dinner last night. The flight was longer than the one before and I had to admit that it felt boring after a while. Even though I didn’t intend to, I ended up falling asleep and taking a nap just as the prince had suggested. By the time that I woke up, the plane was already descending. I looked out of the window to see that it was dark. As the plane continue
The mask covered more than half of my face from the top down. Only my lips and my chin were still exposed. It didn’t feel uncomfortable because the mask was light, and I could see quite clearly through the eyeholes of the mask. “It looks good on you, My Lady,” the maid complimented me with a smile. “Where am I going with this? Is there some kind of masquerade ball that I must attend?” I asked as I started to panic a little. The dance lessons that I had taken with Duchess Flavia came flooding back to me. For a moment, I was worried if I still remembered the steps and if I could actually dance when it finally came time for it. Just thinking about it made my legs feel weak. Attending a ball would also mean that I would be meeting so many people that I wasn’t used to. Suddenly, I felt scared, and I no longer looked forward to spending the evening with Prince Leonard. “I’m sorry, My lady. I have no idea what is planned for this evening,” the maid replied with clear regret in her voice.
“It should be time soon,” the prince whispered from close to me.I glanced up at this face as I wondered what he meant. It sounded like he was waiting for something to happen or start and that piqued my interest. I couldn’t see his face because of the mask that he was wearing but I could sense his slight excitement. “Stay by my side,” the prince said with a slight warning in his tone. “Of course…” I replied obediently. It wasn’t like there was some place else that I would rather be. Plus, his presence felt like a very reassuring pillar that I could lean and depend on. I didn’t think that I could remain composed for long without him by my side. Slowly and steadily, the prince led me forward as we walked past many groups of people engaged in conversation. Some people broke out from the groups that they were standing in and also walked along with us. Everything happened so casually that at first that I didn’t realize what was happening. After a short while, we emerged into another pa
Although I tried to fight it, I couldn’t stop the horrid memories that came flooding back to me as I recalled and relived the moment when I was put up for auction. I felt so uncomfortable that it took all of my willpower for me to remain seated in my seat. Just a little longer, Mila…I told myself inside my mind as I tried my best to remain calm by taking in deep and slow breaths. I told myself that things had changed, and that the prince had saved me. Things were not the same as they were last time, and that this auction had nothing to do with me. I could feel everyone’s excitement as they waited for the next item to come up on stage to be auctioned off. Every single item that was brought onto the stage seemed rare and very valuable. At the signal given by the host that the bidding may commerce, many people put up their hands to raise the bidding price. I didn’t have enough knowledge of the arts, history, or anything related to the various items to appreciate their true worth. I wa
The girl was still very young. I wasn’t sure just how young she was, but she seemed to be in her early teens. Although I couldn’t see her face clearly from where I was sitting, I could sense her fear and confusion as if they were my own. My heart raced fast in my chest as a throbbing pain stung my temples. It didn’t matter how many times I blinked my eyes, the scene unfolding in front of me did not disappear. Unfortunately, it was real and not just a part of my haunting nightmares. “Prince…Leonard…” I whispered in shock as I failed to wrap my head around what was happening. “Thank you, Sir! Do I see another bid that way?” the host asked while continuing to facilitate the bidding process.Finally, I managed to tear my eyes from the poor girl locked up and chained inside her cage. Although I knew that no one should be sold off that way regardless of their age, it still felt extra bitter to see someone so young going through what I had been through. Many questions ran through my mind b