30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 7

The soft, alluring hum of a song pulled Chad from his deep slumber with its light caress to his ears. 

The melody was almost like a lullaby, yet it was pulling him almost as a trance to find it. It could’ve been a dream, he thought. But not even a dream was this serene.

Slowly, Chad’s eyes fluttered open and he noticed that it hadn’t been a dream at all. The sun wasn’t in the sky as yet but the hint of the sunrise was peaking over the horizon as he stretched the sleep from his limbs.

He took a while to analyse the sound, after which he realised that it was actually music being played softly. As if on instinct, he shuffled from bed, not even bothering to change his clothes as he strode to the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

It was then when he realised that his door wasn’t locked fully, which was why the waves found their way inside and woke him up.

The music got louder when he stepped into the hallway, and he followed its sweet call all the way to the end of the hall in front of a small door. Pressing his ear against it, he noticed that this was definitely the room, and despite the fact that it could be anyone, he pushed the door open out of mere curiosity. 

Sitting in front of the white piano was a small, familiar woman with hair as dark as night and skin as pale and soft as a marshmallow.

She had her back turned as her fingers gilded skilfully over each key in a soft rhythm. It filled the room like a breath of fresh air, making the whole world seem still and revolving around her.

Chad admired how the snippet of the sunrise shone against the piano as she played which was positioned a few feet away from the body length window with no drapes. He felt as if he could curl up on the floor and watch her play as she put him back to bed, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

As quiet as possible, he pushed the door closed, not wanting to let too much of the sound out and wake the others. Luckily the click of the door didn’t alert her, and Chad stood a few feet away as he continued to watch her.

Even with her back turned, he could see the hint of a smile whenever she turned to eye a key at the far end. Her smile alone granted him the peace he needed to enjoy her private performance. Images of their day yesterday flashed in his mind, and her smile filled his memory the most.

She was a high spirited, jovial woman with a childish appeal, yet she spoke as nothing less than a mature royal who will be queen some day.   

She was surely a beauty with a grin as bright as day. Maybe she was the one who woke the sun like this every morning. He wouldn’t be surprised. Maybe she drew it from its slumber with her smile and majestic playing. Maybe she was actually the goddess she seemed to be.

The thought aroused a small chuckle from his chest, though he was holding onto his theory for the fun of it. 

His disappointment was evident when she played the final note, as he was enjoying it more than breathing itself.

Chad had always been a sucker for art and talent, but he never liked music this much before.

“That was lovely,” he finally spoke, almost giving poor Aria a heart attack in the process. She whipped around quickly in fright, but relaxed immensely when she saw that it was only him.

The sight warmed his heart. She seemed so comfortable with him and even happier to see him.

“You gave me quite a fright, Prince Zadkiel. Oh and thank you.” She shuffled from her seat to stand in front of him but immediately felt a bit embarrassed by her night gown. She hadn’t expected him to be here, so she didn't get dressed like a princess should.