A Prince's Love

Chapter 56.

*Unedited

Danny
Jasper Dua had finally returned to Nsroma Kingdom after five years.

Jasper, my maternal cousin, and his family moved away years ago because of he and his younger sister, Alison's, schooling. Their parents also wanted a break from the limelight they received here in the kingdom. They were not royalty, as my mother was not born a royal, however, their relation to my family still caused them to receive quite a lot of attention. Everyone knew Jasper was the Queen's rebellious nephew; he would pull the most elaborate pranks all over the kingdom, he would ditch school sometimes to go to arcades, sneak out at night to parties, and he even pierced his left ear without permission from anyone. These were just a few of the things he'd done while he was here.

Jasper would sometimes bring his acts to our palace, to which my father would try to punish him, but my mother would always stop him because she loved him too much. His sister, Alison, was definitely the better behaved sibling. She's a bit shy and what people would call a "goody-two-shoes". You could always find her curled up in the corner of a room reading a book, while her older brother was busy planning his next move. Despite their age gap and difference in personalities, they are really close and she's really the only person I've seen Jasper be gentle with.

Jasper and I were really close when he lived near us. He's three years older than me, but whenever we were together, we would have a blast. I wasn't as mischievous as him but he definitely taught me some of his tricks. I could tell my father was nervous about Jasper rubbing off on me, but he couldn't say anything since he was family. Jasper is actually a smart and caring guy, he's just playful, which people seem to focus more on.

Five years ago, their family moved to a different city in an attempt to get Jasper away from distractions before he went off to university the next year . It was hard for me because he was my best friend and keeping contact became difficult. We texted and called each other for almost the first two years, but we both became busy and communication dwindled. Last he told me, he was studying Economics at university, with hopes of getting a master's in Business to one day become CEO of his own sports agency. With his drive and charm, I had no doubt he could do it.

Well, this morning, he randomly called me to let me know that he's "back in my hood" and will be coming to the palace. His call took me by surprise because it's been years but I was looking forward to seeing him and the whole family again.

Right now, the palace maids were preparing lunch for us to indulge in when they get here, while my parents are sharing a drink outside on the verandah. I offered to help the maids, but as usual, they refused and told me to just sit down. So, I'm currently seated in the gold and royal blue chaise lounge sofa, using my phone and awaiting my family's arrival.

I scroll through Instagram, liking random posts and watching people's stories. I don't even think I know what I'm liking or watching, it's just mindless motion at this point. When I check my explore page, the first post I see is a video of a random couple. The guy handed a bouquet of white tulips and his girlfriend gently took them from him before placing a kiss on his lips.

Maadwoa loves white tulips.

Without hesitation, I close out of the app and turn off my phone. I slouch on the sofa and hold my head in my hands, letting out an exasperated sigh. Must social media torture me like this?

It's been a little over a week since I visited her and said all those things to her. The whole interaction messed me up even more, and I already haven't been the same since she was locked up. Thinking about the situation and her in general is difficult. On one hand, I only remember betrayal and deceit from her, which angers me. But on the other hand, I only feel love when I think of her, and it makes me sad that she can't be with me right now.