30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 37

Morning has never felt so dull before. Usually, it was bright, warm and embraceable. But for Aria, as she woke, it felt as if the stormy clouds in her head had extended to the gloomy emergence of the day.

She woke up just as the sun was rising, where she realized that her nightmare didn't only exist in her subconscious realm. The love of her life was still missing, and there still wasn't anything she could do but sit and wait, hoping that fate would somehow be on her side.

Tina was the one driving now, and Joshua had migrated inside the carriage to rest a while. Silence sat among them all, the only source of sound from the tatter of the horses' hooves on the dirt road.

Aria didn't recognize her surroundings, but Tina seemed to have had good knowledge of where she was going. Perhaps Joshua told her where to go before falling asleep. Whatever it was, Aria didn't have the energy to ask. In fact, she wanted to thank them both so much for doing this with her. The fact that they were putting their own lives in danger to save Chad meant the world to her.

He was their friend too--an excellent friend, in fact. So, naturally, they'd feel compelled to help. Still, she was utterly grateful.

"I reckon it's time you have something to eat, dear sister. You have been awake quite a while," Tina said, looking over her shoulder briefly at Aria. In the night, Joshua had stopped and picked up a few fruits and breadsticks for them to have in the morning. It was a thoughtful act indeed, but Aria shook her head.

"I am not hungry." Though the momentary rumble of her stomach now and then proved otherwise, Aria stood her ground. "I have no appetite."

Tina sighed and briefly closed her eyes. She remembered not having an appetite for two days straight when Joshua left. She took her dinner to her room each day and left it there.

"Aria, please have something. It could be hours until we find Zad--Chad."

Aria gripped his journal to her chest even tighter as she kept her eyes on the road, deciding not to answer her sister. It seemed as if her mood leaked into the atmosphere, as the now evident dark clouds spread across the sky, fighting desperately to keep the sun at bay.

"A storm is brewing," Aria mumbled with a deep sigh. "I suppose the double meaning isn't quite humorous."

Joshua shuffled beside her, and soon his eyes fluttered open from his five-hour rest. He first checked the front, ensuring that Tina was alright before he focused on anything else.

"Good morning," Aria mumbled with a swift smile. "There's breakfast in the basket."

Joshua nodded slowly as he reached for the basket, seeing it as full as when he picked it up last night. "You haven't eaten?" He threw the question out there as if asking both Aria and Tina at once.

Neither of them gave him an answer. Feeling distraught, he squeezed the bridge of his nose and grabbed the basket with his free hand.

"Princess Aria, are you not hungry?"

"I am not," she returned stubbornly. Joshua could see through her lie but decided to drop it. She was, after all, in a lot of pain. However, he still rested an apple in her lap before joining Tina on the front.

"You did not eat," he pointed out. Since last night when he confessed his true feelings to her, they hadn't exchanged any other words. There was only a silent exchange sometime around three in the morning, where she took the reins from him so he could sleep.

"I am driving," Tina simply said, keeping her gaze fixated ahead of her.

"Let me take over so you can eat," he offered, but she stayed put stubbornly. "Please," he added much softer, and this finally made her give in.