Ditching the Prince

Prologue

It was pouring mercilessly and the people who came were all long gone but she remained standing over the freshly covered grave. She was soaked to the bone, every fiber of her being was cold and the chilly late November rain only aggravated the claw of misery gripping her.

A solitary Acacia tree was her only consort, hovering above her, lending her comfort-- giving her weak refuge against the heavy rain. Albeit this, she welcomed its presence. There are neither hugs nor pats but it was more than enough for her. It allows her to grieve in silence, to grieve alone and to just be with her mother, no questions and no unsolicited advices.

Hours passed in a blur, the sound of lonely crickets started to fill the silence surrounding her, calling God knows who, as the darkness began to creep all around.

        "She's truly alone now," Pippa told herself inaudibly.

        Her melancholy mother left the world, intoxicated and drowning in sorrow, died in a car crash in the wee hour of the morning two days ago.

        Upon this thought, tears began to well up again. Her mother always thinks that she's alone, surrounded by lots of people but still alone.

Pippa was never enough for the woman—she knew years ago that her presence was just a mere flicker of light to her mother, if not—just a gush of strong wind but it all ends there.

Louise Olaguer rarely smiles and if she does, it never reaches her eyes. She's constantly in a dark gloomy place leaving her daughter unhappy too. She was never cold nor cruel to her but she wasn't warm either.

       "I hope you'll find happiness wherever you are. I pray that soon you'll find reasons to genuinely smile." She continued to whisper despite the large lump lodged in her throat.

She tried swallowing it but it just grew bigger, making her nose and jaw hurt and her eyes water. "I hope you find what you're looking for 'ma. I'm sorry if I was never enough for you. I'm sorry for not doing my best to make you happy. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Warm tears may have provided certain relief to her cold numb face but they never reached her chest. It's still as tight and heavy as before, if not, much tighter.

The young woman continued to mourn in silence, head bowed, crying softly over the early demise of her mother. She has been standing there for hours now but she felt no exhaustion or stiffness.

When the lamps throughout the vast memorial park started to burn, that's the only time Pippa lifted her head. It's getting darker now and she knew that the guards would come soon and make her leave.

Slowly she roamed her gaze around, the rain has finally stopped leaving the ground still damp and the whole place cold.

A soft sigh escaped her still trembling lips as she took a step to leave. "Good bye 'ma. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise." A strong breeze blew upon her, ruffling her wavy soft tresses as if saying that she will be waiting.

Still heart broken and feeling alone, she quietly retraced her steps toward the park's entrance with a firm intention of visiting her mother's grave again the very next day.

Everything was still and gray when movements from her peripheral vision caught her attention. Six tall men in their dark tuxedo were walking on the other side of the park, making their way out of the place just like her, all broad shouldered with aristocratic grace in them.

At first, it seems normal to see them here but realization soon dawned on her. "Well-dressed men in the middle of a memorial park during twilight? It doesn't sum up or does it?" Her consciousness immediately went on overdrive.