Mr. Osiris walked into my room with three boxes and three dresses. He placed each of these items on my bed, one by one.
"What is it for, Mr. Osiris?" I asked.
"This was requested by Prince Augustus, and I am delivering it to you. He said you’d accompany him tomorrow." He explained.
"Where?"
"You’ll find out tomorrow." He replied.
As soon as Mr. Osiris closed the door, I turned to look at the outfits. The three gowns he purchased were all peach, which made me giggle. Then I opened the boxes containing heels, which, like the dress, were all brown and matched the peach hue perfectly.
"He has a strange way of selecting outfits for girls," I said to myself.
I put on all of the dresses and shoes to see which one was the most flattering for my body shape. I went with the peach flowers pocket floral dress and the lace-up shoes since they were plainer than the other options.
Suddenly, I recalled something he said about peaches. This guy prefers the shade of peach because he believes it looks good on ladies, particularly those with tan skin.
I couldn’t think of anything else other than the occasion that will take place tomorrow. I don’t want to make assumptions, but if the thing on my mind was what he would do tomorrow, I may be able to tell him how I feel.
Because of a dream, I had last night, my morning has been made more exciting. The big day has finally arrived. I took a shower and put on some make-up to seem more attractive to him.
"It’s time, Gemma. Prince Augustus is waiting for you downstairs." Walden said.
"Walden, I’m about to descend."
Mr. Osiris is having a conversation with King Lucien. As I made my way down the stairwell, their attention was pulled toward me. "Your majesty, she's ready," Walden said.
King Lucien glanced at me with amazement, while the prince was too stunned to say anything. "I take what I’ve said before. You... look just like Catina." King Lucien said.
"Your Majesty, I am grateful for your kind words." I lowered my head.
"I have a few words of advice for you before you go, Augustus. Don’t cause me any trouble, understand?" King Lucien hurled the key he was holding in the direction of Prince Augustus.
That, however, is not advice. That’s more of a warning to the prince.
"I’m going to let you do anything you want right now." King Lucien added. "All right, now you’re free to leave."
Prince Augustus got into the vehicle first, and he didn’t even bother to open the door for me. What on earth was I thinking? What makes you think he’d open the door for me? He’s the prince, don’t be a fool.
While he was driving, I sneaked a peek at him. His brows were creased once again, and there was not even a sliver of a grin on his face. The vehicle pulled up in front of the fine restaurant. I was so happy that it was so clear. It has just dawned on me that, despite my best efforts to keep his feelings at bay, the prince will always find a way to get me.
The restaurant was deafeningly quiet; there were no other diners visible apart from the employees. He even reserved the whole restaurant for me.
I followed him until one of the staff members halted me and directed me to the other table. "Ma’am, please, this way." She indicated a single chair at the table.
My glance shifted toward him. He didn’t even bother to turn back; instead, he sat down at the other table, where a lady was waiting for him, the same one I had seen the day before. When my grin turned to grief, I felt as if my once-complete heart had been torn apart. How naïve I was to believe that this was all for me. How is it possible for the crown prince to date a regular girl like me? Is it possible for him to forgive the girl who shattered his heart? All along, I assumed it was me, but I was completely mistaken cause it was for her, for the girl who was flawless in every way, like Raeanna.
"Ma’am, your meal will be served."
I shook my head. "Please tell him I am not hungry."
This is how it worked out; he asked the king to let me be there with him on his date so that he could hurt me. He won. It hurts like hell. I now understand I’m nothing more than his personal maid, and that’s all I’m worth.
Watching them laugh makes it much more difficult for me. My tears are bottled up inside of me, and I can’t hold them. When I was unable to stand it any longer, I had to leave the restaurant and wait for him in the car.
I took a big breath. "Please, please, please stop hurting," I murmured to myself as I repeatedly hit my chest with my palms. "I should be happy for him, not hurt." I leaned against the chair and covered my face with my palm as tears began to stream down my cheeks.
They made the most of their time together while I waited for a few hours. It took him a while before he got in the car because he waited for the woman’s car to drive away. When he got on, I feigned to stare out the window.
The car was already running when my phone suddenly rang, only to be interrupted by Walden’s phone call.
"How’s your first date going?"
"It’s not what you think it is, Walden."
"Hey, are you alright? You sound like you just cried."
"No, don’t worry, everything is fine."
Prince Augustus pulled over the vehicle, snatched the phone away from me, and I didn’t get to continue my conversation. What surprised me, even more, was when he tossed my phone out of the vehicle. "Prince!" I exclaimed.
"Are you having fun seeing me suffer while you and Walden chat as if I’m not there?"
"You’re the one who does it, and I’m the one who has to suffer when you’re chatting up with another girl. Can you tell me why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.
"You’re not feeling anything, are you? Are you not bothered, enraged, or... or jealous because I pulled you along with me to watch me date another girl?" He said, with a stern voice.
I was about to walk out the door when he reached out and grabbed my hand. I couldn’t keep my rage contained any longer. "What do you want me to do?" I let out a scream.
"Speak out and tell me you’re hurting, that you’re jealous, and that you love me as well."
"How come you don’t understand that I can’t, that I choose not to love you because it’s wrong?"
It horrified me when he abruptly coerced me into kissing him.
"Stop, Prince Augustus... please stop!" I begged as tears of terror flowed down my face.
He comes to a halt when he hears me pleading after smashing the steering wheel. "Argh!" He screamed. "Get out of the car!"
When I stepped out, he immediately started the vehicle. I pressed my palms to my lips as a sob escaped me. "Speak out and tell me you’re suffering, that you’re jealous, and that you love me as well."
"I am..." I mumbled to myself.