The Melody Of Destiny

Chapter 14

Prince Alexander the 57th:

I chase after her, calling her name as she runs into the night, her hair blowing a mess in the cool wind. My heart races as I desperately reach out for her. But she slips away, pausing momentary under a flickering streetlight looking back at me but her face is gone replaced by an empty smudge. I wake up, heart pounding drenched in sweat from another bizarre dream.

She haunts my dreams, always appearing. Appearing at the castle, at the ball, at a beach, in a street, on a bench her presence is so vivid, but her face I can never see her face an enigma always just out of reach.

I try and push her aside especially as mother being true to her threat pushes me into one council meeting after another. These sessions are a special kind of torture. The ministers drone on about market values, the price of grain, budgets—endless, mind-numbing details that make me want to scream. They get so excited over the most mundane things, their voices rising and falling in a monotonous symphony of boredom.

I sit there, barely able to keep my eyes open, my mind wandering back to her. I try to focus, but it's impossible. The room feels stifling, the air thick with the clacketing of laptops and the stench of stale coffee. I glance around the table, watching the ministers' animated faces as they discuss the latest fluctuations in grain prices, and I can't help but feel a surge of irritation.

Is this really what my life has come to? I think, barely suppressing a groan. Listening to these morons prattle on about things that don't matter? At the very least mother could drag me into some more important or at least interesting meetings. My parents keep going on about this war and here I am listening to the price of grain, the inflation, and supply chain disruptions. How can they expect me to care about these trivial matters when there are far more pressing issues at hand? I shift in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position, but it's no use. My thoughts keep drifting back to her.

I cannot stop thinking about her. The way her warm breath brushes over my neck, sending a cold shiver down my spine. The way her hair tickled as she leaned so close. I can almost feel her soft lips on my neck. Her body hot and firm pressed against mine, igniting a fire within me I cannot extinguish.

If only she kissed me. Instead, she pulled away, her eyes locking onto mine with a triumphant smile that made my blood boil. She insulted me, her words sharp and cutting, yet her gaze was filled with a maddening mix of challenge and victory. She looked at me as if she had won some unspoken battle. I never lose. I am in control. But with her... She is so infuriating.

I nod absentmindedly as I hear my name trying to follow the conversation, but I cannot keep her out of my thoughts. I want to feel her curly hair, I long to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin, the softness of her lips. My thoughts are consumed by the desire to hold her close, to lose myself in the intoxicating scent of her perfume.

I'm jolted out of my daydream by the Empress's sharp voice, chastising me in front of the entire council who turn to look at me, their expressions a mix of curiosity and disapproval. How dare they. I feel a flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck quickly turning into simmering resentment. My heart pounds as I meet their gaze, my frustration bubbling over. The Empress continues to chastise me. I can feel the weight of their stares, each one a silent accusation. My hands clench into fists under the table, my jaw tightening.

I have had enough of this. What is the point. I don't care. I should care. I want to care, but I don't.

I feel nothing.

I feel like I am lost underwater, everything around me distorted and unreal. I pretend to be fine; to keep up appearances, I try to silence the thoughts shouting over and over in my brain, but they are relentless screaming louder and louder. The harder I try to lock them away the louder they get. The more control I lose. I am losing control. I can feel it slipping away bit by bit.