30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 3

Aria's beauty had stunned poor Chad into silence. He tried to speak, but he felt himself staring like a love sick puppy. 

Princess Aria's cheeks burnt at Chad's intense gaze and she found herself shuffling from one foot to another as her nerves grew. Even her herself had admired how handsome he is, dressed sharply in a suit and commanding the room with his presence. 

His eyes were gentle and his aura emitted nothing but kindness and meekness, and suddenly all the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' from before vanished as if they weren't there. They stared at each other for an extended period of seconds, and Queen Sylvia gazed at them in delight at the already silent attraction. 

Aria's father, King Andreas, who too saw the exchange, cleared his throat as he tried to hide his own delight. Moving forward, he gripped Chad's hand in a firm handshake, showing him the biggest smile he has ever seen. Chad's heart raced at the gesture. This is his king, after all, but he had to keep reminding himself that he was a prince now, and thus an exchange like this shouldn't seem foreign to him. 

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Zadkiel. I trust your life here will be comfortable and delightful," the king greeted warmly, and Chad's own smile grew as he nodded. 

"It is a pleasure to be in your audience, Your Majesty. Your family is beautiful." Chad gulped, quickly glancing at Joshua in questioning as he thought that wasn't an appropriate thing to say.  But Joshua shot him a wink, telling him that he was doing good so far. 

Queen Sylvia came forward too, and instead of a handshake like he anticipated, she engulfed Chad in a warm, almost motherly love. It reminded him of the hugs his dear mother used to grant him as a child. 

A hint of guilt nudged his heart when she pulled away, as he hated that he was taking part in the deception of these people who were obviously ecstatic about his arrival. This should've been Zadkiel, not him. 

"I'm quite delighted by your presence, my dear. I look forward to getting more acquainted with you," she said as she fell back in line with Andreas. Chad's throat knotted at the thought. They were going to know him, not the real prince. When Zadkiel returns, they will be strangers to him. 

But it was too late to be thinking this way. So for the first time since morning, Chad erased every thought of the real Zadkiel and simply played along with his role. Hopefully, he could keep himself scarce so that they don’t grow attached to each other, when it will only last for a month. 

Only a month. Thirty days left. 

Soon, it was Aria's time to come face to face with Chad, and he felt his pulse quickening again when she smiled at him. It all seemed like the world had stopped around them, and every light in existence was focused on her. 

She seemed like she was moving in slow motion as  she held the sides of her dress, crossed her legs and curtsied politely to him. Aria gazed at him through her eyelashes, before rising to her feet again and Chad  knew at that moment that this would've been the hardest challenge of them all. 

In all his twenty-three years of living, he has met numerous women. Yet, none had evoked emotion so strong and sudden before. He has seen the most beautiful and elegant women across the world, and none has made him think the way Aria does. 

"Prince Zadkiel," she mumbled in greeting as they met eyes again.  

He should be punished for feeling this way towards another man's wife. But how can he not when she was this dazzling and looked at him that way? 

"Princess Aria," he greeted softly, curling his arm around his back and bowing to her as she did. He watched as her smile only grew wider, and she tucked a tendril of her chestnut hair behind her ear before falling back in line.