As soon as I opened my eyes, my brain immediately recalled the things that took place the night before, which set the tone for the rest of my morning. Feeling both guilty and excited, I hid my face with my hands.
One of the ringtones that play continuously on my phone suddenly cut me off.
I reached over to the side table and grabbed the phone. My phone keeps buzzing with messages from Felipe and other members of the music club. Upon reading each message, I sat up in disbelief as the president of Borstal had returned to the music club.
I was so happy that I couldn't help but jump up and down.
The first person who comes to mind is Prince Augustus. I dashed into his room and knocked on his door.
"Prince Augustus!" I exclaimed.
As soon as he opened the door, I rushed into his arms, surprising him.
"W-w-w what's the matter?"
"I know it was you who did it, so thank you! Thank you so much for persuading Borstal's president."
"What are you on about?"
I stepped away from the embrace. "Thanks to you, the music club is up and running again."
"Do you mean the music club?" He repeated himself, his face puzzled. "But..."
I re-wrapped my arms around him. "It's very kind of you to help out in this way,"
"I—it's not even worth mentioning." He ran his hand through my hair.
Since the music club has been started, some people have expressed interest in joining. Our calendar is packed with various events. And I owe all of this to the gentleman—the one who was standing at the gate of the music room while looking in my direction.
He had no idea I was watching him the whole time. I would love for him to see me play the violin. The prince closed his eyes throughout the entire performance as if he were immersed in my performance.
His expression captivated me even more.
Then Tal opened the door, surprising both him and the people inside the room.
They all began to bow their heads in respect, and I soon followed, smiling but remaining silent.
"You can skip out on practice today," Felipe wicked a smile.
Everyone in the room nudged me in the direction of the prince.
"You can keep practicing tomorrow," Jonah added.
As we left the club, everyone was cheering and waving their hands.
"You've got a good friend, Gemma." Prince Augustus started the conversation.
"Yes, I concur." I agreed by nodding.
"Have you had anything yet?"
I gave a little shake of the head.
"I'll make some in my private room, do you want?"
"Sure,"
When he said that he prepared something, what he meant was that he prepared a buffet.
"I- is this... Are we going to eat everything?"
"Yeah,"
I chuckled as I said, "This is way too much for the both of us to eat. But, I'm not going to complain about it because everything looks so tasty."
"Go ahead and eat as much as you want,"
I was having such a good time with the meal that I completely ignored the prince who was sitting next to me.
When we arrived home from school, we saw a large number of cars parked in the driveway, and it appeared as though a gathering was taking place. The guests who are currently in the palace have all greeted the prince, including King Lucien, who was the first to do so. Everyone moved to the side to make room for Felicity.
Instead of standing next to the prince, I am now hiding behind his royal guards as I watch him and Felicity succumb to the various temptations that surround them. The discomfort that the prince is feeling is evident on his face, and his eyes appear to be searching for something specific.
When we locked gazes, I smiled fake-like and signaled with my hand that it was okay to leave, and after that, I went towards the back of the palace.
From above, both of them get swarmed by people. Don't they realize how awkward this situation is for him? If only there was some way to get rid of everyone here!
The music room seemed like a good option while I waited for the party to end. I sat down in front of the piano and played each of the keyboards before going on to continue playing the piece that I was familiar with.
PLAYING SWAN LAKE
I was having so much fun playing that I didn't realize he was watching me.
As he got closer to me, Prince Augustus gave me warm applause. "You know how to play?."
"That's the only song I'm familiar with," I replied.
"Weirdly, you just vanished without a word. I have been looking for you everywhere."
"I chose not to bother. Furthermore, everyone appears to be delighted to see you."
Prince Augustus sat across from me. "You don't have to stay away every time I'm surrounded by people. I'd rather hang out with you than with those snobs. After all, you're my personal maid." Prince Augustus raised my head and slowly pressed his lips against mine.
The kiss was cut short when someone called out the prince's name. Panicking, I ducked behind the drapes.
"Your Majesty was right when he said you'd be here," Felicity said. "Everyone is looking for you at the moment."
"Please accept my apologies for leaving without informing you. Truthfully, I was bored."
"I had no idea a prince like you gets bored so quickly. However, I do concur that older people and gatherings such as this one can be rather dull. She went up to the prince, attempting to sit next to him, but he evaded her by rising from his seat before she could. "Would you like to play?"
"No,"
"The king, on the other hand, stated how skilled you are at the piano. Could you show me?"
"No," he refused.
Astonishingly, the King himself appeared. "Show her Augustus, and don't put me in an embarrassing position in front of Felicity."
"It's all right, Your Majesty. There will be no coercion if he does not want to. Perhaps the prince was shy."
The king gave the prince a menacing look. Prince Augustus is powerless to avoid taking a seat alongside Felicity, and he has no choice but to play.
He was playing for Felicity, while she was intently watching the prince.
Felicity then applauds the prince. Shyly complimenting the prince on his performance. I couldn't help but feel envious as she said those words. I, for one, want to be the only one who pays those compliments.
"Please accept my apologies for interrupting, Your Majesty," One of the maids showed up. "The meal is ready to be served."
"Shall we?" The king asked Felicity.
The prince made a turn towards my hiding place after the king and Felicity had already left.
__________________
After several years of anticipation, a music club event will now be possible. It's an honor to be a part of this occasion.
The long-awaited day has arrived, and we are filled with mixed emotions. But something unfortunate happened just before the event. Unfortunately, Felipe, who plays the piano and serves as president of the music club, was involved in an accident that resulted in injuries to both of his arms. Nevertheless, we got lucky because the accident wasn't significantly worse than it could have been. Felipe must rest for a week before resuming play. The sudden occurrence caught us off guard, and we were completely unprepared for it.
"If only there was someone who could play the piano," Janus said.
"There's no one better than Felipe," Elias added.
We must act quickly; if this is not resolved, the event may be canceled.
PLAYING MOONLIGHT SONATA
I came to a halt because of a sound that seemed to pull me somewhere. I followed the sound, and it led me to the hall, where I barely pulled back the curtain to see who made the sound and where it came from. There, I saw Prince Augustus playing the piano. I didn't realize he could also play the piano. His face matched his sad demeanor as he played. Why is it so difficult for me to read your mind? I'm curious why you're being like this and why your life appears to be sad even though you have everything.
What about Prince Augustus? That's right; I do recall. The prince is a skilled pianist. Perhaps I could approach him about being our group's pianist.
Without uttering a word, my mind immediately jumped to the prince, and I made my way into his room.
"Please help me, Sebastian!" I screamed, gasping for air. He was alone, sitting there. "Be our pianist!"
There were a lot of disagreements between us before he finally agreed. He didn't just agree; he agreed because he was looking for something in return.
"No," he said, shaking his head.
"Please, Prince Augustus! Felipe's arms are injured, which is why he wasn't able to make it."
"That doesn't concern me."
"Only for today. This is critical to us, and we require your assistance."
"When all else fails, they come to me. You know how I feel about people who take advantage of me. And now you're acting as if you were one of them, Gemma."
"What exactly are you saying? This isn't for my benefit; it's for the people in the music club. They've been waiting for this for a long time, and I don't want their efforts to be in vain. Helping the members out is all I'm asking of you. However, it seems as though you are not interested in lending a hand." As I was on the verge of leaving the room, the prince grabbed both of my arms.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I apologize for using such harsh language. It's just that... I'm bitter and jealous. It's not my fault that you've been so preoccupied with them recently."
"Because I need to keep practicing,"
"I am fully aware of this. But you can't blame me for that. Your apparent closeness to every male student at this all-male institution has me on edge."
I could not hold back the laughter. I understand his disappointment, but I just can't help but chuckle at this. This is the first time I've heard the prince express his envy for those ordinary boys.
"There's nothing funny,"
My expression became solemn as I tried not to laugh. "Please accept my sincere apologies, Prince Augustus."
"Actually, it works out like this. I'll agree to be your pianist if you promise to tag along with me." He fixed his gaze on me. "How about we sneak out after class?"