chapter 5

While we made our way through the vast plains and to the hills, I was left in awe as I took in the whole view in front of me. It was… breath-taking. It’s beautiful to see nothing but green grass, majestic trees and colorful flowers. And how the slopes looked like, this view is definitely better than the view that I have on my balcony.

“This place…” I struggled to form a coherent sentence. The beauty of this place rendered me speechless. It felt like all of my words were taken from my lips.

“Don’t worry, I know how that feels,” she giggled as she found me almost dumb-founded. “That’s the same thing that I said when I first discovered this place.” She hopped down from her horse and I followed suit. We started walking to a hill where a tree stood on top of it, tall and proud.

“When did you find this place?” I asked.

“When I was first brought here, I was looking for a place where only I know. A hideout, to put it simply,” she explained. “One day, I was running from a boy who was trying to hurt me, taunting to poke me with a stick with thick thorns. I kept running until I ended up here.” As we reached the peak, we sat down and allowed our horses to roam free as long as they stayed within our sight and our reach.

“Does that mean you come here often?” I asked as I made sure I was sitting comfortably.

“Usually, I come here when I have some spare time. Whenever I need some time to think or when I need some peace of mind,” she replied as she looked forward, keeping her stare at the view in front of us.

“Does Grandpa Ben know this place?” I continued to stare at the scenery. The wind was gentle and cool. Birds were flying freely in the sky, some of them even headed right onto the tree that stood behind us. Lady and Leo seemed to be enjoying their feast together.

“I’m not quite sure,” I turned to her. Her lips, now in a firm line as she tried to think if Grandpa Ben knows about this place. “I never told him about this yet but maybe he does. He’s been living here before we became a family so there’s a chance that he’s familiar with this place.”

“If that’s the case then I won’t tell anyone about this place,” I assured her as I hugged my knees closer to me. “In respect to you, having this place as some sort of refuge from the outside world.”

She turned back to me with that beautiful smile again. “Well then, Prince Robert, how’s life for you?” she crossed her legs and put her arms behind her to support her weight as she leaned back. “How’s life in a grand castle?”

“It’s… it’s not that great but it’s not that bad,” I stammered as I laid out my legs and my hands behind me to support me as I leaned back. “It’s not all boring but it’s not all fun as well. I don’t want to describe my life in extremity so I’m just going to go with fine. Just to keep everything neutral.”

“You don’t seem happy to be talking about your life,” a confused look appeared on her face.

“Well, there are some aspects in my life that I’m definitely not proud of.”

“Really? Why is that?” she turned her attention fully on me.

“Well, life in a castle doesn’t mean it’s all about the glamour, balls and luxury,” I started as I turned to her as well. “Even if you have everything in this world, it doesn’t make you happy. On the contrary, worldly things can make you a prisoner.”

“There are many people who would like to be in your place, Robert,” she answered. “And you don’t seem to have some sort of appreciation for what you have.”

“My life isn’t easy, Laura,” I said after a sigh. “I do have all the riches this world could offer but I don’t have the freedom in anything, especially with marriage. My father - I mean, James - doesn’t even act like a father to me and my sister.”

“At least you have some sort of family to call your own,” she replied.

“You have Grandpa Ben,” I reminded.

“I do have him however I do wish that I have a real family,” she looked down to her hands.

“You absolutely have no idea who your family is, don’t you?” I asked.

She sighed, shaking her head. “I wish I did.”

“Your family is somewhere out there, Laura. I’m certain of it,” I replied, moving closer to her. “I also believe that they didn’t mean to leave you… especially your mother.”

She let out a deep breath, raising her head. “Anyways, I do have another question,” her voice changed to a lighter tone as she looked at me.

“Fire away,” I smiled.

“I have a friend of mine who is absolutely smitten with this man that she’s known for almost all of her life,” she started. “They are now a couple but only for a little while.”

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this,” my brows furrowed.

“They’re going to be a couple for a short while even though the man doesn’t love her. Do you think that’s fair?” she proceeded with her question. “Would you let yourself be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love you? Would you bear that just to have a chance to be with that person?”

I started to reflect on her question as guilt started to build inside of me. Her question is quite similar to my situation with Mallory and I can’t help but feel nervous about it. “If I was a girl, I would definitely say it’s unfair.”

“It’s absolutely unfair.”

“However, the girl is… for a lack of a better word, ignorant - my apologies for the choice of word - because she keeps on hoping on the wrong person,” I explained. “I wouldn’t want to come out as judgmental. Perhaps, they already had a conversation about it.”

She nodded. “You do have a point. But still, it’s unfair for my friend.”

“My verdict is that nobody wins this little situation that they’ve created,” I replied. “In the end, everything will get worse than it was before.”

“You’re absolutely right about that,” she smiled.

“With all honesty, both of them aren’t using their brains,” I blurted out, causing Laura to snicker. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings or your friend but in reality, that’s how they’re acting.”

“Don’t you worry, I understand. I completely agree with you. My friend’s willing to do anything for this man, even if it’s absolute stupidity,” she groaned, rolling her eyes in the process. “How about you? Any ladies in your life that you care about?”

I was caught off-guard for a moment, my eyes widened as I stiffened. Should I tell her? Should I share any details about my marriage arrangement? I know that the right thing to do is to tell her but a part of me wants to know her more. I’m afraid that my marriage arrangement will ruin a chance that I may have with her.

“Robert, is there something wrong?” she quickly asked.

“Yes, um…” I furrowed my brow. I guess there’s no way to tell the truth. “Unfortunately, I’m in an arranged marriage.”

“Really? To whom?” she asked, her eyes widened as she scooted closer, eager to hear what I have to say.

“I don’t know her personally because it’s our parents who made the arrangement,” I explained. “Although, we do send letters to one another to build, at the very least, some sort of relationship.”

“Why haven’t you personally met? Shouldn’t it be tradition to meet your future bride as soon as possible?” she asked.

“Our parents decided that it’s best for us to meet each other only on the day of our engagement announcement,” I explained. “It’s to make sure that we’ll stay patient and loyal to one another, even though we’ve never met. They really want this marriage to happen because it’s going to become some sort of seal.”

“A seal for what?”

“She’s a princess, the heir to the Kingdom of Middle Earth. Our marriage will serve as a start of an alliance between their kingdom and ours,” I began telling the story. “Their kingdom was never militarily strong but they have a lot of resources, which is something the Western Wind lacks. Their kingdom was blessed by gods to have the abundance of materials used for weapons and my parents saw this as a way to ensure the safety of the kingdom in times of war.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Do you think you’ll like her even though you’ve only received letters from her?”

“I already like her as a person, a friend, a confidant,” I stuttered, explaining everything without my words having the possibility to be contorted in a different way. “She seems to be kind and with great manners. However, I would love to know her personally because that’s vital in a marriage,”

“So, is there a possibility for you to like her?” she repeated.

“Maybe, we’ll never know,” I answered with full honesty. “As of now, we’re good friends so that’s a start.”

“That is better than nothing. It’s better to start with friendship in order to have some sort of foundation.”

“How about you?” I quickly changed the topic.

“Me?” she scoffed in disbelief. “Trust me, I don’t have any.”

“That’s impossible, Laura,” I replied. “A simple admiration is a normal emotion to have.”

“Well,” she began playing with her fingers. “There is someone that I like and there’s someone, who I think is trying to gain my affections.”

What she said suddenly destroyed all my chances of hoping that maybe, just maybe, she’s the one for me. But it looks like her heart is already occupied.

“Really?” I asked, trying to hide the bit of pain that’s about to come out of my voice. “Could you tell me who they are? I’m certain that I’ve never met them.”

“For now, I’d like to keep things to myself,” she answered. “It’s something that I wouldn’t want for others to worry about because it’s not their problem.”

“I understand,” I nodded. “Is it possible for you to describe them?”

“The one, who I think, likes me is very - for the lack of a better term - sophisticated. It’s as if he’s a monarch,” she described. “Quite the gentleman but his manner of being one is a bit over the top. It’s like he’s a prince that’s found in every bedtime story for young girls.”

“You don’t seem enthusiastic to be talking about this person.”

“I find him too unrealistic. He’s too much of a fairytale and not of reality,” she groaned. “I only see him as a friend. Everything about him is too much for me.”

To hear those words from her reignited my hopes! There might just be a place for me in her heart after all.

“Why don’t you just tell him?” I suggest.

“I’m not the best at explaining my thoughts by words. I show them through actions,” she stuttered. “As much as I could, I show him that I’m not interested in his courting. I’m not sure if he notices it.”

“You should’ve told him right then and there. You should’ve been honest with him and yourself,” I answered, moving closer to her. “It’s not enough for you to show it. It’s better if he heard it from you. You have to speak your mind so he could understand it as early as possible,” I continued. “It’s to prevent heartache in the end as well.”

“ I will try your advice the next time we see each other,” she chuckled. “I’m just not that good at telling people what I really feel. I’ve always been the person that people deemed to be too gracious, too kind. I was always the girl who hid behind the achievements, the glamour of other people. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember. I always stayed behind and agreed to what other people wanted.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being kind, Laura. Being king doesn’t give anybody the reason to take advantage of you, to despise you,” I said.

“Nobody hates you but everyone will step all over you like some kind of rug,” she sighed as she let out her frustrations. “And when you need someone, the people whom you thought would be trusted, disappear into the wind, vanishing into thin air,” she bowed her head, plucking out some grass near her feet.

I held her hand, causing her to look up to me. “I’m here and I will always be here for you,” I looked into her eyes, reassuring her. No one should feel as if they are alone in this world. We all need each other, we cannot survive on our own. We think we can but in reality, there are specific things that cannot be done alone.

“Is that true?” she smiled.

“Yes,” I moved even closer, her hand safely engulfed in my hands. “I promise you that no one will ever hurt you, not even me. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe even if my life depends on it.”

She smiled as she looked down on our connected hands. She then slowly pulled her hand back, “Never make a promise that you can’t keep. A promise isn’t something to be taken lightly.

I pulled out my pinky finger and moved it closer to her, almost right into her face. An adorable giggle came out of her. “What?” I asked, trying to stop myself from catching her contagious giggle.

“Aren’t we a little too old for pinky promises?” she continued, still giggling.

“I don’t care,” I shook my head after a short silence. “Do you agree and believe what I just said?”

She then smiled her beautiful smile; a smile that accents her beauty even more. I’m running out of words to express how beautiful she is whenever she smiles at me. She took her time as she looked at my finger back at me. She gently twisted her pinky with mine, “I  trust you’ll keep your word, young prince.”

“Of course, I will,” I responded with full confidence. We pulled back our pinkies after my reply.

“Would you like to return now?” she asked.

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “We just got here. I would like to stay a little longer. I also had an idea: this place could be our hiding place,” I suggested.

“What do you mean by our?” she asked.

“Every afternoon, we could meet here and spend some time together,” I shifted my attention back to her. “By the look of this scenery, watching the sunset would be perfect. We could watch every sunset together.”

“Yo do know I have work in the bakery, right?” she replied. “I can’t just sneak out of work every day to watch the sunset.”

“I’ll talk to Grandpa Ben about it, then,” I answered.

“That’s just a horrible idea, Robert,” she frowned as she disagreed with my idea. “It isn’t even close to a good one, Robert.”

“Laura, telling him can’t be that bad,” I blocked her answer. “In fact, he would appreciate it if we tell him.”

“Robert, if you do that, he will continue to tease me at work,” she said. “And if the rest of the bakery hears about it, they will tease me as well.”

“I’ll ask him not to tease you, then.”

“Your ideas are just making everything worse,” she let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. “He’ll tease me more if you ask him to do that.”

“Then what can we do if all of my suggestions aren’t good enough?”

“You don’t have to ask anything of him. I’ll meet you here every afternoon. Just don’t tell him anything.”

“He might think of something suspicious if he catches you skipping work every afternoon. You said it yourself,” I reminded.

“He’ll be happy if he catches me going out because that’s what he wants,” she argued. “If we tell him, he’ll tease us and he will never stop.” She turned her attention back to the sunset.

“The sunset’s starting,” I said.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she remarked, in complete awe of the beauty of the sun.

I looked at her face while she’s busy staring at the sunset. I took in every inch of her face without her knowing it. The way the wind blew her hair, the way its brown shade radiated when the sun hit her hair, the way her emerald eyes shine as they’re made from pure crystal. Without a doubt, there are a lot of beautiful women in court. However, I surprised myself to be even taken aback by the simple beauty of a mortal.

The ladies of the court are superficial, always covered with different palettes on their faces. Their gowns show off an unrealistic size of their bodies. Laurs is just her, simply her. Her character is her true beauty.

I smiled as I appreciated the stunning view in front of me, “Absolutely breath-taking.”

Her eyes batted a few times out of confusion, turning her head towards me after.

I cleared her throat and pointed towards the sunset, “The sunset, I mean. The sunset is just… beautiful.” I quickly turned my body towards the sun, doing my best to put all of my attention to it.

“Why do I feel like I’ve known you for a long time?” she spoke.

I looked in her direction and found her staring back at me. As the sun continued to set in front of us, we stared at each other, not taking our eyes off of each other. I was lost in her emerald gaze and she was entranced with my stare. For that moment, it’s like I can see right through her. I can see who she really is.

“Perhaps we already met somewhere in time, I just don’t know where or when,” she continued.

Without any sort of warning, my hand landed on hers; as if my body has a mind of its own. With a smile, I answered, “If that’s the case, I’d like to go back to that specific time and tell you how much I enjoy having you near me.”

My response caused her to smile, her face started to flush and turn into a shade of light red. How adorable she is when she’s blushing.

She turned her face to the sunset, seeing that it’s about to finish. “We have to go. Grandpa Ben might be looking for me already,” she said as she stood up.

She didn’t even answer what I just said. All I got was a smile and I don’t even know what that meant. “Is there something wrong?” she was quick to notice that I wasn’t standing up.

“Hm?” I turned my head to her in haste as I noticed as well.

“Are you all right? You’re not standing up yet,” she continued.

I began to stand up. “Everything is fine,” I started to brush off any dirt and grass that gas attached itself to my clothes.

“Are you sure?” She doesn’t seem to be believing my response that there’s nothing wrong.

I just gave her a light smile and nodded. I don’t want to open my mouth because I might say something to offend her.

We headed to our horses and began our trot back to the bakery. I decided to keep my silence during the whole trip back. I fear that I might ask why she has no response to what I said and I don’t know how I will react to her possible response.

“Robert?” she called my attention.

My brows perked as I turned to look at her.

“Why are you so quiet? Is there something that’s bothering you?” her brows knitted in the middle of her forehead, confused. I could see that she was deeply concerned with me. But how can I tell her that there is something that’s bothering me?”

“No, nothing,” I shook my head, my voice in a low volume but still enough for her to hear.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” I replied casually.

No, Laura, I’m beyond the feeling of being okay. You didn’t give me any response when I told you that having you near is one of the things that has put a smile on my face. Couldn’t you say anything else on the matter than just to smile at me?

A while later, we arrived at the back of the bakery where she keeps Leo. I hopped down Lady as she let Leo rest in his stable. After that, we started to walk towards the front of the bakery.

“Thank you for the stroll and stories, Robert. I really enjoyed it.”

Can’t she tell that I’m trying to pacify a storm inside of me? Am I not sending enough signs for her to realize that?

“Well, I guess this is where we part ways,” she turned to me as we arrived in front of the bakery. “Thank you again, Robert,” she repeated, turning around and making her way back to the shop.

My mouth blurted, “Are you not--” I stopped myself before I could even continue.

My sudden phrase stopped her from her tracks, causing her to turn around and walk back toward me. “Is there something you want to say, Robert?”

“I just…” I continued to fight the urge to speak, the force that’s pushing me to the edge. It’s urging me to tell her what I’ve been feeling ever since we left the fields.

“Robert, you know that you can tell me anything,” she looked earnestly into my eyes.

As I looked into her eyes, I had more courage to stop myself from speaking. She looked so fragile in the sense that if she heard one negative thing, she would break into a million pieces. I know myself; I know that I can be offensive at times and it’s something she doesn’t deserve.

I sighed, lowering my head. “It’s nothing,” I looked back at her, “You can go back to work now. I’ll be off.”

“Robert, there’s something that you’re not telling me,” she crossed her arms, examining my body language. “Why are you stopping yourself from being heard? You know you can always tell me what’s running in your mind.”

Not wanting to talk about it, I quickly turned around and jumped onto Lady. I need to get away from her in order to prevent myself from saying something that could hurt her feelings.

“Robert, what’s happening to you?” she persisted, wanting to know what’s wrong.

“Nothing’s happening, Laura. You said you needed to return to the shop,” I said. “Now that I’ve returned you safely, I need to go back home.”

“That’s not the reason why you’re acting strange,” she responded.

“I don’t have time to discuss what you think, Laura. I need to go home,” I replied. I punched myself in my mind for the way I just talked to her.

She moved away from Lady and me, taken aback on how I answered her. This is why I don’t want to talk anymore. If this conversation will continue, I’m afraid it will be the end of our beginning.

“Have a safe trip home, Robert,” she sneered as she turned her back on me. She rushed back into the shop without giving me a second look.

I sighed as I closed my eyes, shaking my head out of disappointment from what I just did. She didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. But I have to return home now before dark completely falls.

As soon as I arrived at the stables, I hopped off Lady and let her loose inside the stables for a while. I kicked a nearby bucket with all of my anger, water splashed all around the hay inside the stable.

“AAAHH!” I screamed to relieve some of the frustration that has built up inside of me all the way home. As I looked back on my previous scenario with Laura, I never felt so disappointed in myself. I handled that situation very badly.

I know she didn’t mean to cause me any pain or anger. It wasn’t her fault that I got angry. I was overthinking everything and because of that, I treated her in such a way that I don’t even know myself. I was raised to be a person with manners. That shouldn’t have happened.

Lady went on and helped herself with the stack of apples on the side as I sat down on a bench, my head slowly sunk into my hands. I let out a sigh of desperation as I knew that she probably hates me by now.

I then heard footsteps coming to the stables. I looked up and saw Nana Olsa, carrying a bucket.

“Robert, dear,” a confused yet concerned look on her face. “Were you the one who screamed?”

“Nana, I rushed over to her. I peeked through the bucket and saw that it was full of soil. “Let me help you with this, Nana,” I took the bucket from her and walked back into the stables.

“Oh, thank you, my boy. Just put it on the side of the entrance, please,” she sat down on a nearby chair.

“Why were you carrying this, Nana? Was there no one to help you?” I settled the bucket on the right side of the kitchen entrance.

“Your mother requested for me to tend to her roses,” she answered as I head back to the bench beside her. “You know how much she loves her roses and she only entrusts them to me so technically, I did tend to them on my own.”

“Would you like for me to get you something to drink?” I offered.

She giggled. “No, dear boy, I will be fine. I’ll fetch some for myself later. However, you didn’t answer my previous question,” she draped her skirt over her legs as she carefully crossed them.

“What question?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t ask again.

She stared at me, giving me a smile that’s telling me she knows I’m hiding something from her. “Something happened to you, am I right?” she started.

Although I know I can’t hide anything from her, I have to use the very best of my abilities to hide my dilemma from her. “I don’t understand where your question is coming from, Nana.”

She gave a light chuckle. “Robert, if you think you can hide the fact that you’re completely distraught right now, you’re mistaken. I know how you act when you’re fine and when you’re carrying something with you.”

“No, really, Nana, I’m completely fine,” I lied but I think my body language is giving everything away. “This is why I’m so confused on what you’re telling me.”

“Robert,” she looked at me, her gaze intensified but with love still. She’s definitely trying to make me say it. “Are you sure you’re going to lie to me? Even to yourself?”

I continued to stare at her as I tried to see if she would give up knowing what’s wrong. But in the end, I was the one who gave up the whole charade. I sighed, put my head back into my hands and pulled tightly onto my hair.

She sighed from where she was. “Pretending that everything is always fine will be the death of you, young man,” she started. “I know that in this world, you can’t trust anyone. Not everyone has your best intent in life. But when it comes to matters like this, if you can’t tell your parents, you can tell me what’s going on.”

I looked back at her, trying to keep myself from crying. Slowly, my eyes started to swell with tears. I’m frustrated, angry with myself for what I did to Laura. She was just being a good friend but look at how I reacted to her concern. I acted as if she betrayed me.

“Oh, my child,” she walked towards me, kneeling as she reached me.

“No, Nana, don’t kneel. Your knees will hurt,” I held onto her arms as I tried to stop her.

“I’m fine, Robert, don’t you worry about me,” she replied, her knees completely on the floor. She then put her hands on my knees. “I’m not that old to have my knees hurting whenever I kneel. Let’s talk about you right now.

I nodded as I looked down to my feet. My eyes slowly burned, the tears wanting to come out. I continued to stop them from falling, not wanting for Nana to see them.

“Robert,” she lifted my face, a tear finally fell down on my cheek. “Oh, my little one,” she wiped it away, “Don’t hide those tears from because I won’t judge you. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on inside your head?”

I couldn’t open my mouth. It felt numb, frozen because I was still trying to prevent myself from crying. It took a few seconds for me to get myself together before I spoke, “I’ve done something terrible, Nana.”

She cupped my face with one hand and I immediately held onto it. “What do you mean?”

“A friend of mine was concerned with me and I treated her in a way… that James would treat me,” tears ran down my face as I explained. With every word that I utter, my mind would always recount that moment when I saw the hurt in her eyes and she turned her back on me.

“What did you do to this friend?” she asked again. “How did you know that you treated her in the manner of how James does with you?”

“She was just making sure if I was all right but I treated her coldly. It was disrespectful of me and now, I don’t think she would still talk to me,” I fully succumbed to my tears.

“Oh, hush, my dear one,” Nana quickly hugged, rubbing my back in slow circles to coax me. “There, there, young one. It’s all right. Let everything out. I’m right here.

I clung onto her even more, my hold on her tightened as I let all of these held-back emotions out through my tears. Nothing has ever made me reach the point of breaking down except for family matters. I’m disappointed in myself. Even my own intuition loathes me for my actions.

Nana continued to rub my back for a few more seconds before she released me, helping me sit up right again. She then offered a napkin.

“I’m sorry if I cried too much, Nana,” I wiped my face with the napkin. “I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. The guilt is too much to bear.”

She smiled as she held my face in one hand, caressing my cheek with her thumb. “You don’t need to apologize for crying, Robert. Crying isn’t a sign of weakness. It shows that you’re of flesh and bones, which makes you even stronger,” she said. “Now, don’t feel too bad about yourself. I know you didn’t mean what happened to you and your friend.”

“I really didn’t, Nana. I was trying my best to keep my mouth shut in order not to say anything that could offend her,” I explained. “But she kept on pushing to know what’s wrong and I couldn’t help myself but say words that she wasn’t supposed to hear, an approach that she doesn’t deserve.”

“Everybody makes mistakes. Even if we’re immortals, we’re not perfect and we tnd to make mistakes every once in a while,” she said. “Even the prince of the Western Wind isn’t immune to mistakes. What’s important is you know you’re in the wrong and you’re willing to make things right. Am I correct?”

I nodded, sniffling.

She patted me on the head. “I’m proud to have raised you and to see you grow into such a good person. I trust that you know how to make things right.”

Nana did raise me for almost all of my childhood. Because my parents were occupied with their duties as king and queen of the Western Wind, they didn’t have any spare time to raise my sister and I. It’s a good thing that Nana Olsa was there when I needed someone to look up to.

“You’ll get this right, Robert. I know you will,” she smiled as she patted me on the back.

I nodded, still sniffling. For a man who doesn’t cry much, I produce a lot of snot.

“Well, then,” she stood up, “I have to go back inside and help others prepare dinner. I have to make sure that everything is perfect. Your mother has requested another family dinner tonight.”

“I don’t think I want to join them right now, Nana,” I shook my head, standing up as well. “I’ll have one of the maids clean your napkin for you, Nana.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that, son. You can keep it,” she smiled. “I’m sure you need it more than I do.” She grabbed the bucket of soil and walked into the passage, heading to the kitchen.

I let out a deep breath and prepared more apples and water for Lady. After everything was to her, I started making my way back inside when someone called me from behind, “Hello, Robert.”

I turned to see Mallory coming into the stables. “Oh, hello, Mallory.”

“Where have you been?” she asked.

My brows furrowed, confused. “Why do you ask?”

“I need to know,” her lips formed a firm line as she walked towards me.

“Are you my mother to know my whereabouts?” sarcasm in my tone as I replied. I turned around and continued to head to the entrance, only to be stopped again by her.

I deserve to know because we have a relationship,” she protested.

“Our relationship was never real,” I turned to her, rolling my eyes.

“I don’t care what kind of relationship we have! We’re a couple now which gives me the right to know where you plan to go and what you plan to do!” she shouted.

I walked towards her with a smirk, towering over her as I reached her. “As far as I know, you can only say that when the relationship you have is real, where both parties are truly in love and willing to surrender one another to each other.”

“Well… I still have the right because I’m in love with you,” she insisted, stuttering as she struggled to find a reason against me.

“We’re not in a real relationship so I suggest that you stop whatever this act that you’re going,” I raised my voice a little so I could get my point across and make sure that it’s stuck in her memory.

“For me, this relationship is real,” she answered.

“This relationship was never real to begin with,” a hint of anger slid under my control. “Our friendship is undeniably true but this relationship as a couple, it will never be true. You need to stop your delusions and remind yourself that this is only temporary.” I proceeded to walk into the kitchen, not caring if she will cry or not.

As I was walking in the hallway, I came across Gonzalo. “Gonzalo?”

“Your Highness,” he bowed.

I nodded and continued to walk ahead of him and he immediately followed. “Any updates or reports that I need to know?” I asked.

“Your parents were looking for you, Your Highness,” he started. “Most especially, His Royal Majesty.”

That information caused me to stop. “James was looking for me?” I turned to him.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Where are they right now?” I questioned.

“Your mother went to visit your aunt, Lady Bethilda,” he answered. “Your father is currently in his study. He has a few lords with him.”

“And my sister?”

“As I can recall, I’ve seen her enter the library,” he replied. “I overheard her telling your mother that she will be having her ‘alone time’ so my best guess would be in the library.”

“Okay. Is there anything else?” I asked for assurance.

“A man that was looking for you a while ago,” he said. “He said you and him are quite close.”

“Did you get his name?” I asked, my brows furrowed.

“He never mentioned his name, Your Highness,” he replied. “But it does look like he knows you very well. He knew where to find you.”

“Did he ever mention returning?” I asked another.

“He did say that he will return some other time because he still has other matters to take care of,” he answered.

“Thank you for your diligence in daily reports for me, Gonzalo,” I praised him. “I’ll be heading to my room now. If you need anything, just let my page know that you’re welcome to enter at any time.”

“Do you need anything to be sent to your room, young prince?” he questioned.

This is why I entrust everything to Gonzalo. Aside from my protection, he’s always on top with everything that I could possibly need. Even if I don’t say it, he’s willing to prepare everything ahead of time so I won’t waste time asking for something.

“Thank you, Gonzalo but as of the moment, I don’t need anything,” I smiled, putting my hand on his shoulder. I removed my hand before I added, “All I need right now is some rest. I’ll call for you if I need anything.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed, moving aside as he waited for me to leave.

I gave him a formal nod and I went on my way to my room.

Once I entered my room, I jumped right onto my bed. Not even thinking of removing my shoes, I closed my eyes in an attempt to have a quick nap.

“Had fun with your little trot outside?” an all-too-familiar voice echoed throughout my room.

I sat up and began to scan my room. As my eyes passed by the window, I took a second look. There stood a figure that I’ve known for years now.

“Hello, Benjamin,” I smiled.