Chapter 4

"Stay here," he said as he walked away.

She was too tired to argue and instead chose to sleep on the comfortable bed. That is until she heard a knock on the door a few minutes later. Even the smallest noise woke her up. She opened the door to find Ava standing outside and moved aside to let her in, but Ava remained standing.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right," she explained.

"Are you sober?" Willow asked.

"Yes. And I assume you're fine."

She was still tired and dizzy. For some reason, she realized Ava would not enter the room, so she crouched until she was sitting on the floor, her back against the door frame. Ava sat down as well, her knees hugging her chest and her regal gown spilling around her.

"I don't think that's appropriate for a queen," she said.

"Don't worry, I am not your queen. And it's all right as long as no one sees."

Willow sighed as silence fell between them for a moment.

"Am I a prisoner?"

Ava cocked her brow.

"Believe me, you wouldn't have to ask that question if you were a prisoner," she stated flatly.

"How did a common girl such as yourself end up being the wife of a king? I'm guessing it's a story I'd like to hear."

Ava gasped.

"How do you know I'm a commoner?"

Willow gave a sly grin.

"All right, I am...or was. But it's not a particularly interesting story," Ava said, folding her dress fabric between her fingers.

"Try me. I have nothing better to do."

Before she spoke, Ava paused for a moment to reflect. And as she began to speak, her mind returned to the memories.

"When the king saw me, I was just a silly, innocent girl. I was taken aback by how attractive he was, even at his age. My family is not from the capital," she explained. "We're from a small town not far away. It was unheard of for the king to make a pit stop in a small town but during times of war, he would usually set up camps in the open fields. This time, however, he was returning from a hunting trip and chose to stay in my town. He noticed me working at this grand inn, which now doesn't seem so grand after seeing what the capital and the palace have to offer.

As I previously stated, I was a silly girl who had the privilege of speaking to the king, changing his bed sheets, and cleaning his room. When my family found out, they applauded and expressed their pride in me. I'd never heard anything like it before. They urged me to curry favor with the king. As a result, I did. I spent time with him, and when I wasn't, I fantasized about what it would be like to be with him, what it would be like to be a queen. Everything was a figment of my imagination. He stayed for a few days before leaving. However, he returned a month later. The desire to become queen was growing stronger and more real. He returned every few months to see me until one day he returned with a proposal.

When I got home from work that day, there he was. Chatting with my family in an ordinary house. I immediately said yes. We married, and I moved into the palace. I was overjoyed... I had it all..."

Willow sensed a shift in the conversation as Ava began to ramble on about unrelated topics.

"I mean...I'm grateful. He claims to love me and to give me everything I desire..."

"Except?"

"What?" Ava questioned, perplexed.

"You claimed to have everything... except?"

Willow had struck a chord and she could see it on Ava's face.

"It's getting late," she said as she stood up from the floor. “I should head back to my room before my bodyguard realizes I sneaked out again.”

***

The king convened an emergency meeting with the prince, Felix, and Aurum in the palace meeting room. Felix was the king's trusted advisor, and Aurum was the kingdom's mage.

The king asked, "What shall we do with the girl?" after informing and updating them on the current situation.

"If something goes wrong, our business with humans could be jeopardized," Felix explained. "Her identity needs to be protected from everyone who is not in this room. She could potentially damage the secret that the royal house upheld for decades."

"Sending her back as soon as possible would be a start," the prince said.

"Is that viable?" Felix inquired. "Aurum can barely open the barrier long enough for us to transport all the blood... Although we may have an alternative."

"We are not going to kill her," the king stated unequivocally. "If the humans find out about it, the agreement will be terminated."

"Then we keep her here until Aurum opens the portal again, which will be next month."

The king shook his head.

"A month is too long for her to go unnoticed here."

"I'll try to do it tomorrow," Aurum said thoughtfully.

The prince, perplexed by his decision, gave him a knowing look.

"That is final then," the king said, "now on to the next issue, which is hiding her identity as a human. You'll have to take this one, son."

The prince appeared dissatisfied but reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"I cannot trust the queen with the human, given the chaos she creates," the king explained, "while the rest of us simply cannot go unnoticed in the kingdom, which brings us to you."

The prince was notorious for being extremely private, not attending events that he was required to attend, and avoiding the public eye whenever possible. He could get away with it because he was the king's only son and heir to the throne.

"All right," the prince said.

***

Willow had gone back to sleep and awoke a few hours later, still in pain. She approached the window, opened the curtain, and looked out. It was still dark, possibly just before dawn.

The vast city could be seen from where she stood, with fluttering lights and a few rebellious eyes still sleeping. She closed the curtain and sat back down on the soft bed, contemplating the chaos that had occurred and imagining all the possible ways out of it. While she was busy devising a strategy, the door to the room opened and the prince entered, holding a teacup.

"Drink this," he said as he stood in front of her, handing her the cup.

Willow regarded the greenish-brown liquid with skepticism.

"It's for the headache," the prince responded as if reading her doubts. "The alcohol you drank last night is not intended for human consumption."

She nodded and thanked him before sipping the warm beverage. She cringed at the taste but drank it anyway. After a few minutes, she began to feel better and lighter. The weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she soon felt like herself again.

"What is your name?" The prince wondered out loud, refusing to refer to her as "the human girl" any longer.

"Willow," she said as she set the empty cup down on the bedside table. "And yours?"

"You can refer to me as his royal highness, the Prince of Vilaria."

"I didn't ask for your title."

"And I do not answer to subjugation."

"Arrogant," Willow exclaimed, waving her hands in the air. "And just to be clear, I do not recognize your title. I'm not from around here. I do not align with a monarchy."

"You're too disrespectful for someone with a lot of favors to ask."

"Ugh, and shouldn't you, as a prince, have the manners and etiquette to introduce yourself? At least show some decency."

After hearing what she had to say, the prince became quiet.

"Wes," he said softly after a minute or so. "My name is Wes."

"Wes," she repeated in the same tone.

"What?"

"It's kind of nice," she said with a toothy grin that quickly faded and she went back to serious mode. "Could you please explain what is going to happen to me?"

"Keep your voice low," he instructed. "You must be discreet."

"Okay," she whispered, "so tell me how am I going back home before I lose my mind."

The first rays of sunlight entered the sliver of space left between the curtains and landed on Wes' face, making his grey eyes shine, and at the exact moment during their conversation, the newly hired cleaning staff was on his way to the prince's bedroom to carry out his daily duties.

"You can leave as soon as tonight or as late as a month," Wes replied.

"A whole month?" She yelled as she jumped out of bed. "Are you kidding me? That's not an option. I'd like to leave tonight, if not right now."

"Believe me when I say that both you and I want it. But, for your sake, I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. So be prepared for any and all possible scenarios."

"No, you don't understand! I have a job! I have classes and assignments that I cannot afford to miss! Is this some kind of ruse? Are you attempting to keep me here on purpose? If you believe you can get your way with me, sir, I must inform you that you are mistaken. I'm tired of men trying to force themselves on me. If you even think about trying anything, I'll show you what a venomous vindictive woman looks like! I need to get home right n-"

With the trolley of cleaning supplies beside him, the cleaner opened the door to the guest bedroom. And it happened so quickly. The cleaner noticed the prince pushing a girl up against the wall and leaning in for a kiss.

Stunned and surprised, he immediately shut the door and scurried away.