30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 13

The bright Tuesday morning had been completely great thus far. It seemed even brighter now that the prince was out of bed. In Aria’s world, this was a big deal. 

She hated that she was the cause of his cold in the first place, and so she would stay awake at nights praying that he would recover soon. 

Seeing him on the balcony making that beautiful painting brighten her day more than anyone would ever imagine. She wanted to immediately drag him away and have a new day with him, but she had promised Liziath that she would braid her hair for her. 

They settled in the lounge room, where Liziath was sprawled across the sofa with Aria standing behind her, struggling to reach her hair at a normal angle. 

Tina had joined them a few minutes ago, only exchanging greetings before sitting across from Liziath. Even though she was secretive and kept to herself sometimes, Tina enjoyed her sister’s company, and would randomly sit in on their conversation at times. 

Especially now that Liziath was spending more time with Aria instead of her, she sometimes craved their presence more than usual. 

Now, Liziath was playing what seemed like twenty questions with Aria, and all of them consisted of the prince. Tina didn’t mind the conversation since she wasn’t opposed to love. She just didn’t believe in fairytale ‘love’. 

“Are you in love with him?” 

The question had been so blunt and unexpected, that it had Aria choking on her water. With wide eyes, Aria stared at her sister in astonishment. 

“No, Lizzy. It will take months for me to actually fall in love with the prince,” Aria assured after recovering. Tina, who was randomly picking on her nails on the adjacent lounge chair, chuckled softly without looking at them. 

“Do you have something to say, Tina?” Liziath asked in amusement. Tina raised her gaze to her two sisters, who seemed to have gotten closer since the prince had arrived. 

Tina wasn’t the jealous type, but she had to admit that she felt left out these days when they spend time together. All Aria and Liziath ever talk about is the prince and his ‘love’, and she wasn’t quite fond of the topic. So, she wasn’t always included in their conversations. 

Tina shrugged nonchalantly as she popped a grape in her mouth. “I just think you all are crazy. Love? So early?  I believe only days ago you two were acting as mere strangers. Apparently, you all are confused about your emotions. Which is why I will have no part in it.” And just like that, she went back to picking at her nails as if she didn’t say anything. 

However, she was still listening in on the girls’ conversation. 

Aria couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth in her sister’s words. Prince Zadkiel had been acting odd before he got sick. During the four days in bed, he was calm, collected and had little words. Still, he wasn’t treating her like a stranger. Maybe because she was tending to him, or maybe he simply didn’t have the strength to. 

But now that he is well, will he start treating her badly again? Aria still wasn’t sure if this was his true nature or not. He agreed to spend the remainder of the day with her, so she would just have to wait and see. 

Liziath’s question came haunting her again. 

Is she in love with him? It was far too early to know for sure. He was only here for two weeks, after all. What could she possibly learn about him in such a short span of time, yet alone fall in love? 

But how does one explain the constant urge to be around someone else? She would give anything to spend a second more with him, and she would lay awake at nights thinking of what they'd do once the sun had risen.