LOGINShare
Chapter 3: Meeting Mr. "Striking Green Eyes"
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56When the car approached the palace, Venera put everything in her backpack and brushed hands through her hair to smooth it, the fading blue locks tucked behind her ears, which were still burning red. On the 40-minute ride, she was able to small talk and win some respect from the guards.
The palace was made from a sparkly white rock on the outside and it glistened in the sun. The weather was getting chillier in the later afternoon Venera wished she'd thought to bring a jacket. Her clothes weren't appropriate for the weather. She had taken only 2 changes of clothes and her old Kevlar body suit in case things got heated at the palace, which seemed enough when she was packing but too little now that she was faced with the reality of the palace.
The guards calmed her down by telling her there are dresses sewn for each of the girls the prince had chosen for them waiting in her room and she would be able to change once she got to her room, the prince wouldn’t see her like that, they tried to boost her confidence.
When the car stopped at the entrance to the palace, the guards rushed Venra out and the big doors of the outer wall opened for them. The gravel path that spread in front of them was around half a kilometer and led straight to the main entrance of the palace. The guards ushered for Venera to walk fast, so they could get her to her room so she would have time to change.
The main doors were open and Venera could see the prince conversing with the guards circling around him. Shit, she thought, too late, can’t change into proper clothes now.
As Venera approached the entrance, her gaze met the prince's green eyes. He immediately stepped in her direction and waved the guards to leave him. It took everything in her power not to look away from Prince Felix.
Venera's guards stopped in their tracks and introduced her to the prince, who couldn’t contain his smile.
Venera curtsied and smiled at him, ears burning red once more.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Venera. Would you mind joining me for a walk in the gardens?" the prince offered.
The guards melted away, leaving Venera alone with the prince. He offered his arm to her, but she hesitated.
"Am I scary?" joked the prince, at Venera' s pause.
Venera gave herself a pep talk and took the prince's hand. “I guess you are, your majesty,” she replied.
He led her into the gardens encircling the palace. The wind picked up, wiping strands of Vanera's blue hair around them and tickling their noses with the scent of the blooming flowers.
"Your majesty, why am I here?" asked Venera shakily, breaking the silence as they passed a small marble bird fountain.
"Because I think you have what it takes to be a princess, Lady Venera." He flashed an endearing but slightly crooked smile at her. "Tell me about yourself, Venera, introduce yourself."
"I'm nothing special, your majesty. I translate books and tv shows for a living, I garden in my free time," she lied through her teeth, as she knew that boring was better than the truth.
"Micha has told me about you, and your group of interesting friends. I know you even introduced him to his girlfriend. I didn't know you gardened," the prince clarified, his expression growing serious.
What exactly has Micha been telling the prince all this time, wondered Venera. And which girlfriend? Was he dating Netta in secret all this time? Micha would have a lot of explaining to do on his first visit here.
"Tell me about your time at ASBSOS, how did you get into the school?" the prince asked.
"Actually, you are partially to blame for that, your majesty." Venera laughed,. "Nearly 15 years ago now, there were these advertisements about learning languages for kids starring you. They used to run on the kids channel between my favorite cartoons. So, I got hooked on learning languages, and my parents, both being teachers, had signed me up to learn whatever language I wished. By the age of 7, I knew 4 languages fluently and was accepted into ASBSOS on a linguistic scholarship."
The prince was visibly impressed. So, he inquired about what she did at ASBSOS.
"I specialized in languages, and I know 6 fluently. In the special program, you probably know Micha focused on Media Studies and Propaganda. I focused on chemistry and medicine. I synthesized a new medicine, while at ASBSOS but also learned all ins and outs of a combat medic. I'm no surgeon, though," Venera explained.
They wandered side by side in silence, passing under the shadow of a huge oak tree.
"What is your dream, Venera?" the prince asked after a few moments..
"I want to be a diplomat or work for the ministry of foreign affairs. I've studied all my life to hopefully get the chance to," she explained.
"So, you don't dream of becoming a princess?" he asked, smirking.
"Who dreams about that?" Venera exclaimed, with a whiff of offense.
"Apparently all the other girls," he noted. Venera's hand flew to her mouth in the realization of what she just said.
Venera wanted to disappear into thin air. Did she just tell the prince, she didn’t want to be his princess, to his face? She knew she wasn’t meant for fieldwork, but this was a new low for her.
Venera pushed aside the awkwardness and turned to question the prince. "Now you know so much about me, your majesty. It is your turn to tell me about yourself."
As they were walking the prince brought them to a bench next to a rose bush, where they sat, and he answered her question.
"Most people know all there is to know about me. I don't have much time to indulge in many hobbies, but whenever I can, I like to create music. I can play the piano. That's mostly it. I used to read a lot when I was younger, but don't have the patience to do it anymore." he concluded. "Which gets me to my next point. I am going to request each of the girls to present me with three songs, one that can introduce you, one that talks about what you feel towards me, and then your favorite song."
"Smart, that will probably be a great way to shortlist and figure out where girls stand." Venera agreed. "You've probably thought a lot about it,". It was blatantly a way for him to put labels on all the girls as soon as possible. Venera didn’t blame him. Who can be bothered to get to know so many girls all at once and then be expected to marry one? On short notice as well.
"I still can't wrap my mind around this. I must choose one of you to be my queen, and it is a weird dynamic in which I will never be sure about anyone's intentions. And there are no remakes, so it is even more pressure." the prince shared and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
"I see, you are scared you will end up lonely for your whole life if you chose wrong. It's understandable. I don't blame you," Venera replied, trying to empathize with the prince. She didn’t have to do anything like that, but she reminded herself, he wasn’t his father and everyone deserved a chance at love.
"How do you know how I feel? Am I this transparent?" he wondered, more to himself, than to Venera.
"No, but I'm good at reading people," she winked.
Venera had opened the floodgates it seemed because the prince started to explain why this was so important to him. The prince didn’t want a loveless marriage like his father’s, and he talked about how his heart always broke for his mom when his dad would go after other women.
"What does love mean…out there? To the people who get to chose their marriages based on it?" "Everyone has a different explanation for love, your majesty, that's why there are millions of love songs out there. Everyone feels or explains it in a different way. " Venera started. "For me, love is mutual respect between two people, who have common goals and are ready to work on a relationship. Love isn't a feeling, in my opinion. It starts with a feeling of attraction, that the two people have to nurture into love eventually. Attraction isn't love. But my opinion is in the minority."
"Do you feel attracted to me, Lady Venera?" asked the prince, with a newfound enthusiasm.
"I guess I do, your majesty," Venera replied. It wasn’t a lie. He was breathtakingly handsome in real life, the TV didn’t do him justice, in Venera’s opinion.
The prince took her hand and brought it up to his lips, planting the faintest of kisses on it.
"Let me show you where you will be staying, Venera, and please, call me Felix from now on."
Related chapters
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 4: Censored Music and First Impressions
As Felix and Venera were making their way back to the castle, a group of guards opened the front doors and let them in. The prince led Venera up 2 flights of stairs and into a long corridor of doors to the left. The marble flooring made all of their steps echo through the palace. He opened the first door on the right wall and invited Venera in. The room was small but cozy. A long stained wood desk took one wall with a mirror over it. A huge bookshelf next to the window opposite the door and the largest bed Venera had ever seen smack dab in the middle of the room. The bed was dressed in dark green coverture with huge beige pillows. On the left wall, there was a door that led to the bathroom. "So, how do you like it?" inquired the prince. Thank you, it’s wonderful," Va
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 5: Guards and Poisons
Venera had been listening to music for some time, when the tall black-haired guard from earlier knocked on her door with her dinner. She tried to invite him in and keep her company, but he refused so Venera left the door open and talked to the guard stationed at her door. She learned his name. "So, Manny, why are you at my door? Isn't the palace safe? Why am I being guarded?" Venera asked. "I have no idea as well, lady, but those were my orders, so I am here." he tossed casually. "What do you do at the castle usually?" she followed up. "Normally I guard the front entrance and the garden exit on the east, but I will be stationed with you for the duration of your stay here, lady." he sighed. I bet it is a bore to sit outside the door and count flies, thought Venera. "Why are you so exhausted? You look like you have been workin
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 6: Is this a nightmare?
After what felt like just a few moments of sleep, Venera was awoken by a hand covering her mouth. Instincts kicked in right away and she kicked as hard as she could, prepared to scream when she heard metal hit the carpeted floor. Venera blinked and saw a crown roll on the carpet next to her. She immediately jumped off the bed and found she had kicked the prince square in the stomach. He was trying to regain balance and breath when she turned the lights on. "What the fuck Felix!" she whisper-screamed. He tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth, he just sat on the bed and stared at the floor. His eyes were swamp green, strained, and filled with pain. His hair was a mess. He wore the same suit from earlier that day but it was wrinkled all over. Venera was still trying to make sense of everything when she saw a drop of blood drip on her sheets from under the prince's suit jacket.
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 7: The Prince and The Nurse
The prince fell asleep at some point, face planted on her bed. Venera tried to fall asleep on the other side of the bed but kept getting awoken by his grunts every so often. She didn't want to take sleeping pills so late into the night or her morning would be miserable.The clock read 4 a.m. so Venera was wondering if she could just stay awake and survive the next day. Ultimately she decided against it. Just before she tried to go back to bed for the umpteenth time, she cracked the door open to see Manny was still out like a candle, just like he was, when the prince had come to her room.She snuck back into bed, lifted the blanket to check on the prince's healing, which looked good for now. She didn't have the energy nor the tools to find out if the whip used on him was soaked in something to stop the wounds from clotting. She lied down and got comfortable, faced the outside of the bed, and tried to ignore the prince was just an arm's reach
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 8: Songs and Scandalous Dresses
After breakfast the prince had to get ready to meet the other girls. Venera started opening the drawers in her room and found a box of makeup in one of the drawers. She hauled the box into the bathroom and started looking at what she had to work with. She had never purchased makeup for herself, as she could never justify the cost, but she had gotten plenty as presents over the years, that she wasn't completely clueless. She settled for ochre eyeshadow in her creace and some mascara for the eyes, some blush on her cheeks and the bridge of the nose, and a lip oil to finish it all. She then confidently opened the door and asked Manny for his opinion. "I've got no idea about makeup, Lady, but you look good," he replied, which was followed by an eye roll from Venera. She begged him to take her out to the garden, but he wasn't sure about it. "I know why
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 9: Baths and Chips
After their exchange after lunch, Felix had to leave once again, this time to a meeting with the king's advisors. He promised Venera to be back before dinner so they could have more time to talk. Venera had a lot of thinking to do, as it was going to be soon time to tell the prince the real reason she was here. Was she ready to tell him? Was she prepared to lose his trust? Will finding out she was a rebel change his opinion of her? Would this jeopardize the 10's mission? Did she trust him enough still? Venera decided that thinking in the bath would help her, so she filled one for herself and added a lot of the lavender bath salt she found in the drawer. There was never a time in her life when she could have afforded the luxury of having a bath and she was determined to make the best of it while she was at the palace. He said you are his only choice, she thought. But can I count on him not changing his mind?
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 10: Sleepovers and Scandals
Venera froze at the prince's offer. "Felix, last night was an exception. We aren't doing this every night!" she shook her head. He took her hand and followed up, "Why not Venera? What's stopping us?" She couldn't come up with an answer, so the prince encouraged her to get herself a change of clothes and spend the night in his room. She reluctantly agreed, desperately wanting it, but also being scared of overstepping the social norms of the palace. "If it gets out or becomes a problem, you can just say, you can't say no to me," he winked. "And remember, none of the others would have blinked twice at this request." "I'm not the others, Felix…" she hissed at him. "Exactly!" he laughed. While Venera was picking her dress and shoes for tomorrow, the prince went ahead and warned the guard outside to pretend Venera was in her room
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 11: Micha with the Bloody Rumors
"Why are you here in the first place Venera?" Micha inquired, taking a seat on the linenless bed. "So, it is a long story Micha, but I want you to listen to all of it before you speak," she said and continued recounting the events of the past two days. "So you have slept in the same bed, but you haven't slept together? Then how do you explain that the laundry lady and the blood on the sheets?" he asked. "Well... I bled all over the prince, the bed, and myself, I mean. I guess it is better that they think we slept together than the truth." she concluded, defeatedly. Without skipping a beat, Micha turned around to the prince, "And you, what do you have to say, Felix? Why are you playing with her heart if you have already made up your mind and taken her to bed? I thought about you as more of a gentleman." "Believe me, I never imagined this either. I never thought I would f
Latest chapter
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 14: Apologies and Scars
Venera woke up from her pill induced sleep early the next morning. Her first instinct was to send for the prince, but a whisper of fear made her think twice.Logically, Venera knew that Felix made the right decision, both for the 10's mission and their relationship, if one could even call it that. But she couldn't get the sound of his whip hitting her skin out of her head. Would she have done the same in his shoes. She hadn't considered it that way until that moment.Her hand flew to the lowest slash on her back. It was mostly healed, unlike the other two, but it was the one that broke her down completely. Could she forgive the prince completely?When Venera finally gathered up the courage to leave her bed, she sent Manny for the prince and some breakfast, because she was starving."Lady Venera, are you feeling better?" Manny looked at her with concern."I've been better, but I'm
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 13: Kings and Whips
*Trigger warning - whipping, blood, wounds.*Venera couldn't just stay closed in her room all day, so she begged Manny to take her out to the gardens."It is inhumane to make me stay in my room Manny. I have no phone service, no TV, literally nothing to do. Can't you take me to the gardens? Isn't there a library I can borrow a book from in this castle?" she ranted to Manny through the open door.He just shrugged and sighed. "I wish I could, lady, but my orders are to keep you here and take you out for meals only," he reiterated. "But I could have something that may interest you."Just as he was about to continue his explanation, his gaze froze on something in the direction of the staircase.Venera heard multiple footsteps and sprung from her chair, lunged for her backpack, and threw it under the bed. Next she broke the glass that contained the glucofine shot she had studied earli
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 12: Black Hair and Show Planning
Maybe an hour later the boys knocked on Venera's door. She let them in and Micha went straight for the bed, while the prince took a seat on the chair. "Can you help me dye my hair while we talk?" asked Venera, before Micha had a chance to start. "Can't you do it yourself?" he retorted, already getting up to take out the dye from the bag he brought. "If you don't want me to look like a tween's failed experiment on National tv, you will get your hands a little dirty, Micha." she laughed at her own joke, the boys following with their own laughs. The prince asked if there was anything he could help with, but Venera declined immediately, throwing him her phone and putting him on music duty instead. She prepared the dye and got a towel from the bathroom, handed Micha the gloves and brush and shooed Felix off the chair, and directed him to the bed. She took a seat, put t
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 11: Micha with the Bloody Rumors
"Why are you here in the first place Venera?" Micha inquired, taking a seat on the linenless bed. "So, it is a long story Micha, but I want you to listen to all of it before you speak," she said and continued recounting the events of the past two days. "So you have slept in the same bed, but you haven't slept together? Then how do you explain that the laundry lady and the blood on the sheets?" he asked. "Well... I bled all over the prince, the bed, and myself, I mean. I guess it is better that they think we slept together than the truth." she concluded, defeatedly. Without skipping a beat, Micha turned around to the prince, "And you, what do you have to say, Felix? Why are you playing with her heart if you have already made up your mind and taken her to bed? I thought about you as more of a gentleman." "Believe me, I never imagined this either. I never thought I would f
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 10: Sleepovers and Scandals
Venera froze at the prince's offer. "Felix, last night was an exception. We aren't doing this every night!" she shook her head. He took her hand and followed up, "Why not Venera? What's stopping us?" She couldn't come up with an answer, so the prince encouraged her to get herself a change of clothes and spend the night in his room. She reluctantly agreed, desperately wanting it, but also being scared of overstepping the social norms of the palace. "If it gets out or becomes a problem, you can just say, you can't say no to me," he winked. "And remember, none of the others would have blinked twice at this request." "I'm not the others, Felix…" she hissed at him. "Exactly!" he laughed. While Venera was picking her dress and shoes for tomorrow, the prince went ahead and warned the guard outside to pretend Venera was in her room
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 9: Baths and Chips
After their exchange after lunch, Felix had to leave once again, this time to a meeting with the king's advisors. He promised Venera to be back before dinner so they could have more time to talk. Venera had a lot of thinking to do, as it was going to be soon time to tell the prince the real reason she was here. Was she ready to tell him? Was she prepared to lose his trust? Will finding out she was a rebel change his opinion of her? Would this jeopardize the 10's mission? Did she trust him enough still? Venera decided that thinking in the bath would help her, so she filled one for herself and added a lot of the lavender bath salt she found in the drawer. There was never a time in her life when she could have afforded the luxury of having a bath and she was determined to make the best of it while she was at the palace. He said you are his only choice, she thought. But can I count on him not changing his mind?
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 8: Songs and Scandalous Dresses
After breakfast the prince had to get ready to meet the other girls. Venera started opening the drawers in her room and found a box of makeup in one of the drawers. She hauled the box into the bathroom and started looking at what she had to work with. She had never purchased makeup for herself, as she could never justify the cost, but she had gotten plenty as presents over the years, that she wasn't completely clueless. She settled for ochre eyeshadow in her creace and some mascara for the eyes, some blush on her cheeks and the bridge of the nose, and a lip oil to finish it all. She then confidently opened the door and asked Manny for his opinion. "I've got no idea about makeup, Lady, but you look good," he replied, which was followed by an eye roll from Venera. She begged him to take her out to the garden, but he wasn't sure about it. "I know why
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 7: The Prince and The Nurse
The prince fell asleep at some point, face planted on her bed. Venera tried to fall asleep on the other side of the bed but kept getting awoken by his grunts every so often. She didn't want to take sleeping pills so late into the night or her morning would be miserable.The clock read 4 a.m. so Venera was wondering if she could just stay awake and survive the next day. Ultimately she decided against it. Just before she tried to go back to bed for the umpteenth time, she cracked the door open to see Manny was still out like a candle, just like he was, when the prince had come to her room.She snuck back into bed, lifted the blanket to check on the prince's healing, which looked good for now. She didn't have the energy nor the tools to find out if the whip used on him was soaked in something to stop the wounds from clotting. She lied down and got comfortable, faced the outside of the bed, and tried to ignore the prince was just an arm's reach
The Rebel Falls For The Prince (The 10: Venera) Chapter 6: Is this a nightmare?
After what felt like just a few moments of sleep, Venera was awoken by a hand covering her mouth. Instincts kicked in right away and she kicked as hard as she could, prepared to scream when she heard metal hit the carpeted floor. Venera blinked and saw a crown roll on the carpet next to her. She immediately jumped off the bed and found she had kicked the prince square in the stomach. He was trying to regain balance and breath when she turned the lights on. "What the fuck Felix!" she whisper-screamed. He tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth, he just sat on the bed and stared at the floor. His eyes were swamp green, strained, and filled with pain. His hair was a mess. He wore the same suit from earlier that day but it was wrinkled all over. Venera was still trying to make sense of everything when she saw a drop of blood drip on her sheets from under the prince's suit jacket.
