It's as if I'm dreaming, and I can't believe I'm dating the Crown Prince. For my uncertain love for the prince, I breached his majesty's lone rule. It felt as if I had battled hundreds of rebels unarmed, yet I feel no regret, even if it is not right from everyone's perspective. For us, it is odd, and beyond belief, love that cannot be explained.
I was awakened by the bright light that shone directly into my eyes. My vision got a glimpse of a guy who was standing in front of me at the time. I believed I was still in the midst of a dream, but when I reached for his hand, it became clear that this was real. Until I heard my name reverberating in my head,
"P-papa ..."
When someone jerked me awake, I was fully conscious. "Are you awake?" Walden said, a disturbed expression on his face.
I nodded. "Can you tell me how you got in?" I pushed myself out of bed.
"Are you having a bad dream?"
I gently move my head from side to side, as though I'm not sure if I'm having a nightmare or whether what I've seen is real. My neck was icy to the touch, and my sweats were frigid.
"You're breaking out in a cold sweat all over your face."
I got up and headed directly to the bathroom mirror to check myself out. Yes, Walden was right; I was sweating like a pig, not only on my face but also on the rest of my body.
"Have you been here for a while?" I inquired before washing my face with the water pouring from the faucet.
"Not for long. Why?"
I stopped washing my face. If Walden was not the man, who was it? Or perhaps it was a dream after all.
"Don't go to school right now; I'll tell my father that you're feeling under the weather."
"Don't. I'm OK." I said as I came out of the bathroom.
"Gemma, it's clear that you're not feeling well. Take a look at yourself; you're pale and you seem terrible."
"Perhaps it's because I haven't been taking my vitamins recently."
Walden stood in my way. "I'm not joking, Gemma. I'm serious. No matter how much you deny it, it's clear that you're not in the best of health right now. I understand that you have a legal responsibility to watch the prince, but I think that continuing to do so daily is detrimental to your health, and you should stop."
"It's not up to you, Walden, to decide on that." I walked right past him
"You're just doing it because you're afraid of losing the prince."
I came to a complete stop. "Can you tell me how you said that?"
"I'm sorry. I was passing by and didn't intend to eavesdrop on your conversation." He explained. "Yet, I am right in assuming that this is the case?
"I have other reasons, Walden, which I'm sure you would not understand."
"I will if you tell me."
"Why are you so keen on learning about me?"
"It's because I'm concerned, of course."
"Can you tell me why you're concerned?"
"F -for the simple reason that... I... I am your friend."
"Thank you for being concerned, but there is nothing to be concerned about," I said while patting his shoulder. "Please don't tell the prince anything about this."
He murmured something to me before I returned to the restroom.
"Aren't you worried that I could inform the king about you and the prince?"
"No," I said as I turned back. "You said that to yourself, and since you're my friend, I trust you."
"You're not scared that I'll tell the king about your relationship, but you're frightened that I'll tell Prince Augustus what just happened earlier," he snorted. "It's clear that you're head over heels in love."
I smirked.
According to Walden, the monarch brought Prince Augustus to the important gathering as well. Walden had walked by my room earlier, wanting to tell me that, but instead, he found me in the middle of a nightmare.
Mr. Osiris and some royal guards joined the monarch, leaving Walden in charge of sending me to Borstal. No one, not even members of the media, is present outside the gate, maybe because they are aware that the prince is not in Borstal at this time.
"You should go back," I said.
"OK, let me know if anything comes up," Walden responded.
"Okay."
After I had made it up to the second floor, where our homeroom was, I ran out into Lincoln in the hallway. "Lincoln, it's about time. Where exactly are you going?"
He instantly reached out and grasped my hand. "Let's skip class," he said, pulling me down to a lower level.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere peace."
We came to a halt before the main entrance, where you could smell the fresh paint. When he unlocked the door, a slew of paintings appeared, including a portrait of Monalisa that looked eerily identical to Leonardo da Vinci's.
"Did you do all of this yourself?"
"No, my other clubmates did it." He fixed his gaze on the painting, Mona Lisa. "But it was me who did this Mona Lisa painting."
Slowly, I moved closer to the painting until I could see it better. "This... this is comparable to what Da Vinci made," I said, as I looked him in the eyes. "It's clear that you have a lot of potential, Lincoln."
"This isn't one of my greatest pieces yet."
"You've got to be kidding me. This is a true work of art."
Lincoln put his hand on the top of my head and rubbed it gently with it. "Do you honestly believe I'm that good?"
"Good is not the correct word to describe you; you are amazing." A big grin appeared on my face as I spoke to him.
Our conversation was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps. Lincoln dragged me inside the huge cabinet in a swift motion.
With his palm, Lincoln covered my lips. "Shh."
"Is there anybody here?"
The sound of footsteps kept getting closer and closer until it was right in front of us.
"Just now, I heard someone talking. I'm not sure whether I heard correctly or if I'm simply having a hallucination."
Because of the anxiety, I'm feeling, my heart is thumping so loudly that I'm afraid that the person outside might hear it.
When we heard the guy had emerged, Lincoln withdrew his hand. We exchanged glances, unable to contain our laughter at the current situation we were in.
A hush has surrounded us, and I'm at a loss for what to say to break the enveloping silence. The more we try to keep our mouths shut, the more embarrassing things get.
"Does skipping class come naturally to you?" I broke the silence.
"I just skip class when it is necessary." In response, Lincoln paused before he opened the cabinet. "He won't be returning."
"How you know?"
"I just know." He took a seat in front of the easel stand before directing my attention to another easel stand in front of me. "Please have a seat."
As he said, I sat down.
"You have previously said that you could sketch. I've brought you here just for this purpose. In front of you are pencils and any other supplies you may want; I want you to create something that symbolizes me, and I will do the same for you."
"But, I'm not quite as expert as you."
"Doing something does not necessitate that you be an expert," Lincoln said as he was working on his drawing.
I'm not sure where to begin since it's been a long time since I've held a pencil in my hand. Is there anything that represents Lincoln? My mind wandered, but all I could see was the prince's ice-cold stare. My hand begins to move while my mind continues to ponder his look.
We don't bother looking at the clock because we're too preoccupied with what we're sketching.
Lincoln was the first to reveal his sketch. It wasn't anything else except my face. "You don't symbolize anything at all, Gemma."
"I don't understand why that seems like an insult." I joked.
"Let me finish what I have to say." He said. "You don't symbolize anything because you are who you are, Gemma. You are unique; no one else is like you."
The Lincoln speech made me feel a little flushed on the inside. "You're very good at making women blush."
I also noticed his cheeks flushed with scarlet as a result of what I said, and the grin on his lips could scarcely be wiped. Whoever Lincoln falls in love with is fortunate.
He made a sound. "Um... honestly, you are the first lady I drew, and you will most likely be the last."
"First? Isn't that the Mona Lisa? As far as I can tell, Mona Lisa is female."
"No, that's not what I mean... what I'm saying is..."
In the middle of our conversation, my phone rang. A text message from the prince is shown on the screen.
Sebastian:
I’m here.
I sprang up and dashed back to the building, not even having time to say goodbye to Lincoln. However, even though I was completely spent from running, I did not come to a halt until I reached the corridor leading to his private room.
He was leaning against the door with his hands in his pockets, which was unusual for him. His expressionless face flashed a grin that seemed to reach his ears the instant he caught a glimpse of me.
I couldn't hold my enthusiasm anymore and raced towards him, but a group of lads passed by, thwarting my desire to leap on him.
We were able to keep our laughter to a bare minimum.
I'm quietly mouthing his name, "Sebastian," as words begin to form on his lips without saying a single syllable.
"What?" I inquired in hushed tones.
When the boys were no longer there, he placed his hand on my waist and pushed me closer to himself. "Stupid negie." With a smirk on his face, Prince Augustus remarked.
I know that what he said was offensive, but if he's the one who is going to call me stupid, that's fine with me. Perhaps because I've become used to it.
Prince Augustus released his grip when he discovered the sketching paper I was holding; he was about to grab it from me, so I took a step back.
"It isn't anything important."
"The way you hold it gives me the impression that it is really important." He took a step forward. "Let me take a look."
"No."
I took another step back the reason why I couldn't see the pole that was just behind me.
"Hey!" Just as I was about to hit the pole, Prince Augustus halted me. "Are you completely out of your mind? You were so close to hitting your head on the pole." He said with a furrow on his forehead.
"If that object isn't important, why aren't you allowing me to see it? You'd rather hit a pole than show me what that thing was."
"It's not that I don't want to show you..."
He seized it from my grasp in an instant.
"Prince Augustus!" I hid my face as he examined my artwork.
"Did you... draw me?"
To be honest, it was only an accident that he ended up on my drawing paper. Until that moment, my thoughts were focused solely on him, and I didn't even know it was his face on the paper.
"Well... it was intended to be..."
My cheeks were squeezed together by Prince Augustus' fingers. "It's not that bad, Gemma." He flashed a smile. "I like this."
I averted his eyes out of embarrassment. I couldn't prevent myself from being blatant. Perhaps because that was the first time Prince Augustus said good things about me, which made me feel good.