CHAPTER TWO

ADRAIN 

The woman in front of me blinked her eyes as she took me in. I could see the recognition in her eyes. She knows that I am the crown prince. Adrian Rossi.

 Her eyes went wide as she took me in.

 "You...you are the crown prince!" She said to me.

I rolled my eyes. Of course. She was probably one of those women who wanted to use my daughter to get closer to me. 

How did she even find Isabella? 

I had been looking for my daughter since the previous night. As I was the crown prince, I could not help but think that someone had taken her to get back at me. 

Immediately after I found out that she had spent the night in the house of a commoner woman, I brought my guards to take my daughter back from her. 

So many women had tried to use my daughter to get close to me before. It seemed that this woman wasn't much different, considering the awed look on her face.

 "Did you hear what I said? Where is my daughter?" I asked her, drawing her back to the present. 

"Your...your daughter?" She was confused.

 "Yes. I know that my daughter spent the night with you here. I don't know why you took her, but whatever you were planning is not going to work out. Now bring her out so I can get out of here!" I said it rudely. I didn't have the time to waste one word with her. 

She looked shocked by my attitude. But I knew that women like her were probably good at pretending.

 "What exactly do you want? Tell me, and I'll give it to you. In exchange, you'll hand my daughter over to me and never tell anyone that my daughter slept in your house!" I said. 

Just then, a small figure walked out of the house. I saw that it was my daughter, Isabella. 

My eyes, which were cold, broke into a smile immediately. She was the only joy in my life.

 I picked her up immediately and hugged her. "Isabella! Where did you go yesterday? I have been looking for you all night!" I asked her. 

She did not say anything. She just rested her head on my shoulder. I sighed. Isabella had always been like this.

 I looked at the woman. I was no longer smiling. "What happened to her? Why was she with you?" I asked her. 

"She's...she's your daughter?" She asked me. She really looked surprised. I had no idea if I should believe that she didn't know Isabella or not. 

"I saw her walking alone in the rain yesterday. I tried to ask her who her parents were so I could take her back, but she couldn't tell me anything. I had to bring her back home since it was raining heavily. I was planning to look for her parents today. I had no idea that you were her father, Your Highness," she said as she bowed. 

I frowned. I did not completely believe her story. How come she just saw my daughter walking in the rain yesterday? 

Although Isabella doesn't talk, she's a very smart kid, and she could have found a way to tell this woman she's my daughter so that she could bring her back to the palace.

 Did he keep my daughter here so that she could use her to get something out of me? 

I turned to my daughter. "Is she telling the truth?" I asked her. 

Isabella nodded her head firmly. I squinted my eyes. Isabella never lies. So this woman did save my daughter yesterday?

 I turned to the woman. "Thank you so much for taking my daughter in for the night. If there is anything that you want, tell me, and I'll give it to  you."I said. 

I really hate owing people. And the fact that I would have to owe this woman for saving my daughter made me mad for some reason. 

"No, I don't want anything from you. I am just happy that I was able to save her. I really don't want anything!" I said.

 I wanted to say more to her, to convince her to take something from me so that I wouldn't feel like I owed her.

 I looked at the closed door. What am I supposed to do now? 

I turned to the guard who was next to me. "Find out what she wants and give it to her," I said and walked away. 

....

Back at the palace, I sat in my daughter's room and looked at her.

 I wanted to scold her for running off on her own, but I had never scolded my daughter in my life before. 

In fact, ever since my fiancé died, I have given her anything she asked of me. It was my own way of making up for the fact that she had no mother. 

As long as she wanted it, I made sure to let her have it. 

But yesterday's incident had me really worried. I wanted to let her know how scared I was.

 "Isabella, why did you run off on your own yesterday? Do you know how worried I was? I thought that something had happened to you!" I said. 

She didn't say anything. She just sat there as she stared at me with her big blue eyes. 

I remembered that the woman who took her in for the night had blue eyes too. In fact, their eyes were almost similar.

 Was this just a coincidence? 

"Besides, you have never liked staying with other people. When I asked you to stay with your uncle, you refused to do it. Why did you stay with her last night?" I asked her. 

She still did not say anything. I sighed and continued to talk. I knew she could hear me, so I never stopped talking to her.

 "Do you know how worried I was about you? I thought that someone had kidnapped you when I couldn't find you!