We all stared at Lincoln; we were confused like him. Their eyes shifted to the big screen, where both Lincoln's and Deacon's faces were shown. No, this is not what I want. I didn't bring Lincoln here to compete with Deacon. I'm here to finally stop their quarrel, not to make things worse. Someone set us up; this person knows Lincoln is here. This is my fault; if I hadn’t caused a scene earlier, none of this would have happened.
Unlike me, who was anxious about this, people are beginning to jump out of excitement. As if they had been waiting for this fight for a long time.
Both are inside their car, which is in the white line. They started the engine of their car together and are now waiting for the woman in the middle to lower the flag she was raising. And when the countdown finishes, the battle between the two number-one racers begins.
The shouts of the people were almost deafening to my ears. Along with the loud sound of the exhaust, their hands were banging the fences. And the shrill voice of the host coming from the speakers made it even more unsettling. The race was even; neither of them was behind or ahead. If you look at their match, it seems that neither of them wants to lose.
For a second, I think it’s okay; it is just a match. I wouldn’t have to worry, but that’s just what I thought. Not until I noticed something was off. This is when something hit me. This match is different from an ordinary car race. Because the truth is, it doesn't matter who wins. This battle isn't about who gets to the finish line first, but about who gets killed first in the race. "They're going to kill one another.”
The moment I realized this, I quickly ran to follow them. They are starting to collide with each other, which is why other parts of their car are already damaged. I can't catch up with two racing cars even if I give it my full strength to run. But I thought I didn't need to chase them. What I need to do is stand in the middle, where the direction of the finish line is. This might be the stupidest thing I would do, but this is the only way to stop them from killing each other.
“Wait, what’s that? No, who is the girl in the middle of the race?” Now, the people who were excited earlier start to be alarmed; their expression shows how horrified they are for me.
The distance should be right. For them to brake correctly, I need to be far away from them. because braking in the middle of fast driving can harm them, and they can both be thrown out of their cars, which can kill them. So they need to see me right away. The sound of their car can be heard, which means they are coming. My eyes can see two cars approaching. No, this is bad; they are not looking ahead, and they are busy colliding with each other's cars. Please, look at me! YOU NEED TO LOOK AHEAD! "STOP!" I closed my eyes and used my whole voice to shout that word loudly.
The loud screeching of the car that seemed to be approaching me was the only thing I heard. I don't know why I'm doing this—because of the prince, or maybe I am crazy. But all of this stupidity is only for him. The surroundings were momentarily silent. I didn't feel anything; nothing hit me, so I opened my eyes. There, I saw the cars stop 2 meters from me. And for the second time, I felt relief that I had survived being hit by a car. My body suddenly became weak; it reacted after the incident. I started shaking until I fell where I was standing. Maybe it is the side effect of being relieved.
I heard the car door slam shut. "Gemma, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't..." It's Deacon's voice that keeps apologizing.
However, I did not hear Lincoln's voice; perhaps...
Someone touched my back. I know it’s Lincoln; he didn’t say a thing at first. He just wrapped his arms around me to make me feel at ease. “Why would you do that? Why risk your life by standing in the middle of the race?” Lincoln asked.
I began to sob uncontrollably. “That's the only way I could think of to... stop you before you kill each other. You don't know how scared I am, 'cause...”
“I know, scared to be killed,” Lincoln added.
“No.” I glanced up at Lincoln. "If you die, who will be with Prince Augustus? Who will protect him when I leave the palace?"
“So, this is all about Augustus. You almost got killed by us, but all you think about is your princess!” Deacon, who was worried earlier, became out of control again. “Prince here, prince there. You don't realize that no matter what you try, the relationship you have with him will end sooner or later. The prince was meant to be with the princess, not with some ordinary girl.”
The words Deacon said struck me hard. I know what he said is meant to happen. This fantasy relationship we had will end sooner or later.
“Fuck are you doing?!” Lincoln sprung up and, without a second thought, hit Deacon directly in the face. Lincoln's eyes are glaring with anger. "How can you say that?!" Lincoln didn't stop punching Deacon until no blood came out of him. "Say that again, you jerk, and I won't hesitate to beat you until you stop breathing."
Deacon, who was lying under Lincoln, who was not resisting his punch. I was just sitting there, dumbfounded by what I was witnessing right now, as Lincoln beat Deacon to death.
I expected the fight to end. Standing in the middle of the race didn't halt either of them; in fact, it got worse. All I wanted was to fix what was broken. I didn’t know things would turn out this way. In the middle of my regret, that smiling face suddenly flashed in my brain, and then I remembered the reason why I had to fix this. Soon I will no longer be by his side, and when that happens, the pure joy on his face will disappear forever. Before I left the palace, at least I was able to bring Deacon and Lincoln back to him.
I leap up. “ENOUGH!” I shouted, my voice almost hoarse. "This isn't what he was hoping for."
Lincoln, who was about to hit Deacon again, halted.
“Don’t take risks in settling them; planning to bring them together is a huge impossibility. Deacon and Lincoln are dangerous to each other. Love that turns to resentment has no destination but death.”
“At first, I didn't understand why the relationship between the three of you had become this bad. What I know is that the prince made a mistake by siding with Lincoln because of the race that happened two years ago, but it turns out that Deacon was the one who sided with himself, with his mistake, and the one who stayed away. The fight is between you two, but both of you involved Prince Augustus in your hatred for each other.”
And some part of this conflict is because of me.
“Argh!” Lincoln again moved his fist, but this time not to hit Deacon but the ground.
"Could you... could you please stop, because even if you kill each other, none of you will win?" I paused. "None of us won. In the end, we have to stay away from each other, and by we, I mean me. You two have to stick together in order to protect the prince from the pain I will cause him. We are all destined to be separated; that's why we lose."
The fight between them has ended. I know it's not that easy for them to return to their old relationship, but at least somehow the conflict with them subsided.
We moved away from the race track and are now here in the middle of the big bridge in Manila. None of us spoke; we just listened to the sound of the cars, and the same goes for the flow of the river. We gave each other time to think until we were ready to speak.
"So, you're leaving the palace," Deacon started.
"Hmm," I said, nodding.
"How about the prince?”
"Since you two are already there, I'm confident that he won't be sad when I leave."
"Even so, he'll be happier when you're there," Lincoln said as he turned to face me. "You know what happened to him when Raeanna left him, and you won't like that either. He will shut himself off from the world again. The pain he felt during that time will get worse, and when that happens, he will lose himself."
I know Lincoln, and it hurts me. "You two know why I agreed to be his personal maid, right?” I paused. “I don't have any option. Between him and my father's freedom, I chose my father. This sounds selfish, but yeah, I'll choose my father over the prince."
"No," Deacon said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Choosing your father isn’t a selfish decision at all.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln agreed. “That’s the bravest thing you did. You love Augustus, but you have to put that love aside for your family.”
“He’ll be hurt,” I said.
“Augustus can bear the pain; Prince will eventually move on." Those words, thinking he'd move on soon, terrified me. If Lincoln was right, would Augustus still remember me? Maybe not, because he'll be with Felicity at the time. Prince Augustus will start a family with her, not with me.
"Don't waste your time with the prince. I don't want to say it, but Felicity and Augustus are set to get married,"
None of them knows about the engagement the king set, and neither does Prince Augustus.
“Last task, Gemma. Can you be the one to tell Augustus that he's gonna marry Felicity?”
It's not a task; King Lucien did it on purpose, and it was planned. That last favor hurts like hell. Is it my fate to be like Mom... to feel the same way she did when she fell in love with the old Lucien?