Prince Zadkiel had been locked away all his life and had never been seen since the day he was born. That is, until he was whisked away to be wedded to his promised Princess Aria of Oryn.
With the once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience life and fre...
How could things take such a drastic turn in the span of twenty-four hours?
How could everything be going so well now, and then decelerate as if nothing had been happening for the past two days?
The thought had been on Aria’s mind throughout breakfast and lunch, simply because of the way Chad had been acting towards her after they left the roof. They were scheduled to spend the day together again, and everyday a matter of fact, but something in his attitude towards her changed.
But why? Did he find her behaviour this morning reckless and unnerving?
Maybe.
Aria admitted that pulling him onto the roof, despite the fact that her father would protest, was not something a princess would do, but at first he seemed like he was enjoying the moment.
Yet, after the sun had risen and they knew everyone would be up soon, they left to get themselves ready for the day, and he had been distant ever since. They spent the morning on the patio attached to the castle, but Chad had barely spoken a word to her, and his eyes seemed like they were somewhere else.
Aria suspected that maybe he wasn’t having the best day, but even after lunch his mood towards her didn’t change. In fact, it got worse and he didn’t even spare her a glance for more than three seconds.
Was this the reality she’d been so afraid of? Was she too quick to judge him and his intentions towards her? But how could she be so wrong about him? Aria was certain that she wasn’t.
Still, here he was, proving her every doubt since the day she learnt of his arrival to her palace for courting.
Now, they were standing on the balcony in tense silence, as Chad gazed upon the beautiful kingdom of Oryn that he knew as his home.
“Is something the matter, Prince Zadkiel?” Aria finally asked after having the question eating away at her since morning.
Chad inclined his head a little bit so that he was looking at her. His chest squeezed at the hurt and confused look on her face, but he pushed away the uncertainty. This was for the best. She was obviously becoming connected to him as he was to her, so it was better for them to keep a distance from now on.
That way, when the real Zadkiel returns, it won't be too hard for them to part, since they won't feel drawn to each other.
Chad was aware that he had to keep this up for a whole month, hoping she wouldn't feel too hurt and make a complaint to her parents. She wouldn’t understand it now, but when it is all revealed, she will understand why he had to distance himself.
He didn’t want to, but he recognized that this was for her own good.
Zadkiel better be having the trip of his life, because this all better be worth it.
“Why do you ask?” Chad asked, playing fool to catch the wise.
Aria shuffled uncomfortably as she wondered if he really didn’t notice the change in how they interact. Surely men aren’t that oblivious.
“You seem a bit…off. If that’s an appropriate way to put it.” She chuckled nervously, hoping to evoke even a hint of a smile from the man she was getting attached to, but he seemed lost to her now when he simply stared back at her blankly.
“I am okay. Aren’t you?”
“Yes…But I just-“
“It should be okay for two people to enjoy each other’s silence once in a while, is it not, Princess Aria?”
“It is,” she agreed. “But we shared silence yesterday and even this morning, but-“
“But?” Chad questioned with a raised brow as if he didn’t know.
“But this time it is different. It feels strained.” She pointed out in frustration. On one end Aria was annoyed by the prince’s attitude. But on another hand she was worried, thinking something might’ve upset him.
“Very well then.” Chad let out a long breath as he turned towards her fully. At first her eyes grew excited, as she believed this would finally be the start of sweet conversation that she’d been desiring all day.
But instead, she felt her heart break when he stepped past her.
“Since we seem a bit out of it today, I suggest we spend the rest of the evening attending to ourselves. Surely the king and queen won't mind, right?”
Aria was shocked and hurt. In fact, she was so shocked that she stood in front of him for a whole ten seconds, simply processing what he had said. Eventually, she shook her head as if clearing her mind before answering him in a soft voice that dripped with disappointment.
“Of course not. Take care of yourself,” she mumbled but never met his eyes. She felt embarrassed. She was only trying to initiate conversation, and he just dismissed her and their day as if it had been nothing.
He left her there--just standing on the balcony as the wind teased her skin and sang mockery in her ears.
He just left? As if it was nothing? As if their whole time together had been nothing?
But then again, it was only two days. She had judged his character too easily, and now she was paying dearly for it. She didn’t have anything else to do or any other way to spend her day. So Aria simply concluded on taking her misery to the music room, where she played her sorrows away.
Who knew? Maybe she was just being too jumpy and naive. Or, maybe he was just having a bad day. All that she saw in him yesterday couldn’t have just been a hoax, right?
But that was just the thing in her case. It was too early to know for sure. It was too early to know if this was how he truly is, and the character he showed yesterday was just a lie, and it was too early to know if the man she met yesterday was real, but was simply not feeling himself today.
She hoped for the latter. She really did.
No matter what, no matter who he really is, she’ll still be having a wedding by the middle of next month. And the thought of marrying a man who could act all perfect around her family, then be cruel to her in private gave her chills.
But the thought of marrying a man who looked at her in pure admiration, and who spoke each word with careful kindness and shared in all her joy was definitely who she could see herself being happy with.
And with everything in her, Aria hoped it wasn’t all a lie. Liziath’s happy endings had suddenly become something that she craved.
She only hoped that the prince wouldn’t disappoint.
---
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
