"Can you tell me how long he’s been here?" King Lucien inquired upon entering the prince’s room.
I replied, "I believe he was here all along,"
"I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty, for not checking his room." As he lowered his head before the king, Walden expressed his regret.
"It’s all right. The most important thing is that he’s here," King Lucien said. "Call Grand Silva and inform her that she will look after the Prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Walden lowered his head.
"No!" Prince Augustus replied in a matter of seconds. "I want my personal maid to take care of me."
I was flabbergasted by what the prince said. He had shown worry about the cut on my arm before, and now he wants me to look after him as well. He had never done anything like this before. I’m not sure why, but the other part of my brain seemed relieved.
The monarch, like myself, had a startled response when he heard the prince say that. "That’s rather unexpected. If it is what you want," King Lucien gave a slight nod. "I’ll inform the president that you won’t be able to go to Borstal today."
I agreed by nodding. It was my responsibility to take care of him, which included feeding him, and helping him till he was cured. It’s simply amusing how attentively he pays attention to everything I say. I didn’t get the impression that he was tormenting me.
We had been gone from Borstal for two days. It took a long days before he completely recover. However, I did not expect that, after Prince Augustus’s recovery, King Lucien would wish to summon him to a state banquet right away.
"This is in retaliation for the trouble you caused," King Lucien said. "But don’t be concerned. Gemma will accompany us and will watch after you."
He did not object when the King ordered him to do so. The vehicle came to a halt in front of the large building. WhiteLift Corporation is a privately held corporation based in the United States. As we walked through the door, a long line of employers awaited us, and they all bowed when they saw King Lucien. I turned to gaze to the right, where the prince was just lowering his head as the king welcomed everyone with a cheerful greeting.
We walked inside the room, which was filled with several high-profile individuals. One of the staff halted me and I was forced to wait outside.
I’m not sure why they’ve brought me here if I’m not allowed to enter. Because I couldn’t do anything, I just considered leaving the building. However, I had not expected the media, who were all gathered outside the building. I would have gone back inside, but it was too late for that plan. They all noticed me and baldly stared at me; they had surrounded me, so I couldn’t back down.
I put my hand on my chest because I couldn’t breathe since they were pushing so hard on me.
"E- excuse,"
"Are you Mr. Mendoza’s daughter? The one who was sentenced to jail for embezzling corporate funds"
When one of the members of the media recognized me, my eyes nearly opened. "N-no..." I stammered.
"Right, that’s you."
"I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re referring to," I said.
"Please give us a bit of background information about your father’s situation. How is everything going?"
"No," As much as I try to avoid it, they persist in asking me about my father, no matter how many times I tell them no. "G-give me some space. I- I’m having trouble breathing."
"How was your father?"
"Has he been found guilty and sentenced yet?"
"It’s been reported that you’ve kept all of the money he took up to this point. Is that correct?"
They haven’t stopped blaming my father, as they have in the past.
The sound of the people criticizing my father is echoing in my head once again. However, someone grabbed my hand and eventually calmed my thoughts. "Walden?"
"I’ll get you out of here," Walden said. The way he looked at me and uttered those words made him seem as if he were some sort of movie hero.
I wriggled out of his grasp. "No, Walden. I’m tired of fleeing, so I’m not going to avoid them this time; I will not weep, and I’m going to confront them as a braver woman. I cocked my head up.
I paused for a moment. "Didn’t you guys get weary of meddling in other people’s lives and passing judgment on them instead of feeling pity for them? Did you make any effort at all to find out the truth? What exactly is the truth behind all of your allegations? My father... and all the other innocent people, need to be treated correctly in court and be released from prison. It is my responsibility to show their innocence to everyone, particularly those who accuse them of something they are not capable of doing."
Then Walden yanked me away from the group of media. We stopped as we reached the hallway. "Are you all right?" Walden queried, somewhat out of breath.
I sighed with relief. "I... I feel great," I answered, a grin on my lips. "I’m in great shape. I’ve never felt this good before. It’s amazing."
"Great? After all of that, you’re still okay." Walden grinned a little. "Unbelievable."
"It feels good to finally be able to tell them what I’ve been meaning to tell them for a long time," I added.
He patted the top of my head. "You are the most peculiar lady I have ever met."
When we returned to Borstal, things changed drastically. When I stepped out of the vehicle, I immediately saw the red carpet we were walking on, followed by the females on the other side of the school who were screaming at us. His popularity among women has grown exponentially since his coronation as the future king was announced.
"Prince Augustus!" yells the crowd.
We thought only ladies were waiting at the entrance, but it turns out that the media was there as well. To prevent them from crashing into Prince Augustus, the royal guards and I, who were accompanying him intervened. We rushed to bring him inside before the crowds erupted into hysteria.
All we see are students bowing and greeting him, which is uncommon for them to do, although they are aware that Prince Augustus is the crown prince. All of our students rose to their feet and bowed to the prince as soon as we entered the classroom.
"Why is that? Why are all of you being so nice to me right now?" Before he exited the room, he kicked the chair next to him.
I ran after him as swiftly as I could. "Please, Prince Augustus, hold on a minute," I said. Despite my repeated calls for him, he continued walking straight. I grabbed his wrist and held it to keep him from moving. "Stop, Prince!"
He snatched my hand away from him. "Stop addressing me as Prince!" Prince Augustus shoved me afterward, and he continued walking.
Lincoln arrived out of nowhere and said. "Leave him be."
"I need to speak with him," I said.
"What is it for? You’re well aware that he wouldn’t listen." He said.
"I’m certain he will," I replied, still determined to follow the prince.
I was ready to walk away when he seized my hand in his. "Why do you keep clinging to him even though he has injured you countless times?" He asked, his eyes and demeanor solemn.
I took his hand away from me. "Because I want him to believe that... there was at least one person who understood him completely." I responded before continuing to follow Prince Augustus.
To keep him from entering his private room, I blocked his entrance to the room.
"Aren’t you going to stop?" He asked aloud.
My head swung back and forth. "I’m a lot more stubborn than you."
"Stubbornness is not the same as being nosy." He said scornfully. "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from following me."
"You’ve become too numb," I said.
"Yes, I’m numb, and it’s not a terrible thing."
"That is why you have no care about how others feel!"
"Because they are unaware of mine, either."
He was about to walked in, so I barred the door once again. "If you keep running away, nothing will happen," I said as I pulled Princess Ameerah gift from my pocket, which had been given to her by the prince’s biological mother. "This is from your mother. When she left, she handed this box to Princess Ameerah. Princess Ameerah kept this for a long time; she didn’t have time to deliver it to you herself, so she asked me to do so." I handed him the box.
He took up the box and slid it open to reveal what was inside. He sat down gently on the floor, and a loud moan could be heard coming from his lips as he did so. "Mu... mum... mum!"
After witnessing him scream like that, I couldn’t stop myself from crying. "Sebastian," I mumbled to myself. I placed my hand behind his back and stroked it with a little touch. "Let’s go look for your mum."