30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 10

The quiet patter of rain on the window was almost like a melancholy song of mockery to both of them as they sat in the room. 

The weather had been gloomy all morning, which was the exact match for how Chad and Aria were feeling. They were yet again plunged into a day of silence, and Aria had decided to simply roll with it. 

For the past week, she had tried on numerous occasions to get him to speak to her, and he always made it quite clear that he wasn’t willing to remake the memories she had of him in her mind. 

It was too late to try and fix it. Over the days Aria had accepted this to be her fate forever. She was going to marry a man who had no remorse or feelings towards her. In her mind, that was the worst thing that could’ve ever happened. 

So far, he seemed like he was going to be a great king, but not so much of a husband. Slowly, day by day she tried to accept the reality. 

As for Chad, he realised that it has been only eight days and it gets worse by the day. However, he was determined to keep things where they were. At times, they spoke casually about random things like rabbits and books, but the conversations only lasted about ten  minutes before they were plunged back into silence. 

They have discovered how to remain calm at dinner and breakfast after realising just how uncomfortable they made everybody else. It was unfair of them. 

“The weather is quite nice today,” Aria mumbled, after getting sick of the silence. They had at least another hour together, after all. And they couldn’t always leave each other’s company like they sometimes did. The king and queen would grow suspicious of why they were avoiding each other when they should be courting. 

Chad raised a questioning brow at the tiny woman as he turned fully to her. “Oh? You like the rain?” 

“Oh no I despise it,” she replied with a small chuckle, which Chad surprisingly returned. He acknowledged that it was her way of trying to build conversation. 

“I’m quite sure that if you were given the opportunity to run in the rain and be free like a bird, you’d love it.” 

“Maybe I would. Are you challenging me, Prince Zadkiel?” Aria raised an amused eyebrow at him, liking the slight tease in their conversation. 

Chad shrugged. “I would do no such thing. When you catch a cold, what will your parents think?” 

“My parents don’t need to know,” she challenged mischievously before dashing for the door. 

Chad’s eyes widened in realisation that she was serious, and he scolded himself for giving her the idea in the first place, when he knew how free spirited and daring she really is. 

“Aria don’t!” He called after her, but she continued to run as if there was no tomorrow. 

She dashed around the corridors with Chad on her trail, and he had to wonder how a woman in so much clothing and so petite was able to outrun him. 

“Princess Aria, stop now!” he continued to call after her, but the closer he inched, the harder she laughed as she continued her run towards the back doors. 

To Chad’s demise, there were no guards at the door as usual which meant no one was there to stop her from going through. 

With one glance over her shoulder and her eyes dancing in excitement, Aria pushed through the door and flung herself into the pouring rain, skipping and frolicking like a deer in a meadow as the rain soaked her from head to toe.