Tale of The Substitute Princess

Chapter III

03: NO CHOICE

Again, I woke up with the sunlight that hit my eyes. Mas naiinis ako sa ganitong way ng paggising ko kaysa sa alarm dahil ibig sabihin ay nasisira ang tulog ko.

"You're awake..."

Nakarinig ako ng boses sa gilid ko kaya agad akong napalingon. A pair of hazel brown eyes was staring at me. He was holding some of my hair, then he smiled softly at me.

Ilang beses akong napakurap bago dali-daling umupo sa kama. Mukhang nagulat din siya sa reaksyon ko pero agad siyang nakabawi at ngumiti ulit. "I'm sorry, did I surprise you? I just really missed you. Good morning."

I still haven't absorbed what was happening when he suddenly leaned in and gave me a slight peck on the lips which made my eyes widen.

Oh my god. Bakit may gwapong lalaking bigla-biglang humalik sa akin?! Kagigising ko lang?!

I think I glitched for a moment before I scanned him quickly. His black hair is neatly done, combed with a little gel on it, still there were some pieces of hair that stayed on his forehead. His thick eyebrows were perfectly shaped along with his pointed nose. His lips that kissed me earlier were a little pinkish.

His white outfit seemed similar with the prince I met yesterday so I guess he's a prince. Hindi naman ako nahirapang kumbinsihin ang sarili ko dahil mukha talaga siyang prinsipe!

Outfit, vibes, scent, voice, and his face. It all screamed royalty.

Buti na lang at napigilan ko ang sarili ko sa pagsabi ng 'sino ka?' But looking at the situation I'm in, I suppose he's got a really close close close relationship with Princess Dahlia. Halik ba naman ang bungad sa umaga.

Ugh. I haven't even agreed with this set-up but this prince already kissed me.

"Good morning... I missed you, too?" Hindi ko na naayos ang tono ng reply ko. Parang hindi ko pa sure na na-miss ko siya.

Napatingin ako sa pinto. Hoping that Aiden, Iris, or even Arrius would pop any minute now and help me with this situation. Hindi ko alam paano ako aarte! I don't even know his name!

The mission hasn't even started—not that I'm planning to accept it—but I might get exposed!

Napangiti siya sa hindi ko sure na reply. He leaned in again for a kiss. I panicked and my hands moved on its own. Napatigil din siya. He looked at my hands on his chest, holding a distance between us.

Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at tinignan ako sa mata. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Sinubukan kong mag-isip ng matinong dahilan pero wala akong maisip. Mahina ako sa impromptu! I ended up covering my mouth. "Uhmm... I have morning breath."

Oh my god, oh my god. What kind of answer is that?!

I looked calm on the outside but I was really starting to panic inside. Hindi naman sa bulok ako pagkadating sa pag-arte, but it was like acting without any script and not even knowing the story flow! This is the best adlib I can do! Besides, I just woke up!

His forehead wrinkled a little bit and then he held my face. Napalunok ako sa sobrang lapit ng mukha niya.

"Are you okay? Are you still sick? You're acting weird." Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko sa kaba. Mahuhuli ba niya ako? "You usually like morning kisses. That's why everytime I'm here, you always ask Aiden to guard the door and make sure to not let anyone in."

Dahlia, that girl. She's more brazen than I thought. Mukhang ang umagahan pa niya ay labi nitong prinsipe sa harap ko. It's understandable though, ang lambot ng labi niya.