'I should've known he was a trap from day one. I should've known he was a hoax.'
--
*TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE 30TH GRUNA MONARCHY ANNIVERSARY*
I instinctively looked at myself again in the front mirror of my team's car. I grimaced at the sight of my glossy red lips.
The crimson dress I wore revealed my cleavage and an inch of my bare waist. It was crisscrossed at the back, and the hem of the dress stopped just three inches below my butt. Plus high heels.
I showed a lot of skin. Like a lot! I started to feel cold.
Although I hated that I had to dress like this, it was perfect for my mission!
I only needed to do one thing for the night. Befriend the prince.
'And how will I do that?'
Well...
'I don't know!'
I gazed at the person who drove me in front of the building.
"Well?" I asked him. "How do I look?"
He appeared to be startled, but he carefully ran his stare from my head down to my feet.
"You look..." It was like he didn't know what to say. "You're too..."
I raised my eyebrows, anticipating.
"You're too beautiful, I'm scared," he said before killing the engine's life. "What if guys try to take you home?"
I cackled. "You went too far, Isagani."
"No, I'm serious."
It was hard to maintain composure because Isagani said it.
"If that's what you think, then I dressed up correctly."
Someone from the backseat cleared her throat. She looked at me with her annoying grin.
"Remember to cross your legs and turn your body towards him when you talk to him. Smile seductively."
'Here comes her seduction class 101 again.'
"You don't have to coach me, brat," I commented. "I can seduce men just fine."
She gave me a skeptical look. "I would beg to disagree on that."
I had to stop myself from throwing my heels at her. I checked the time on my phone.
"I have to go."
"Good luck, girl!" Geraldine gushed.
"Get back to the camp tonight if you can," Isagani reminded me, and I just nodded.
I stepped out of the car, and they immediately left.
I checked the prince's picture again on my phone. At one glance, I had to recognize him.
He was the first prince, and he will inherit the throne from Mirando.
'Well, he's a prince hidden from the world. And I'll make sure to make it stay that way. The world will never have to know him.'
Mi Casa Restobar. That was the name of the building. According to the information we had, the prince frequented this resto-bar.
The resto-bar was a three-story rectangular building. The front walls of the first floor, where the restaurant was, were entirely made of tinted glass. The third floor was a nightclub. The second floor was where the bar was situated.
The evening cold breeze triggered goosebumps on my bare skin, so I rushed towards the building.
I won't be surprised if he was up on the third floor, losing his sanity around girls and drowning in liquor. He was Mirando's son, after all.
I had a prejudice against people who had Mirando Gruna's blood running in their veins. Anyone with Mirando's blood was a bad person to me.
I entered through the glass door of the restaurant. A smiling server approached me.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we are fully booked for the night," a server mannerly informed me.
I courteously responded to her, "It's okay. I'm going up."
I doubted the prince would be in the restaurant, but there was no harm in checking. It was a classy place. Every diner was eating with such class I could never exude even if I tried to.
And I was right. He wasn't there.
Finally, I left the restaurant and went inside the elevator to go up to the second floor of the building—where the bar was situated.
Like in the restaurant, there were people in the bar. But much more lively. Everyone had their cliques and squads drinking and talking at their tables.
A shimmering mirrorball dangling from the ceiling was slowly spinning, reflecting lines of lights around the place.
A poppy Taylor Swift song was playing in the background. I roamed my eyes around to find the prince.
I glided to every table and inspected every face my eyes could lie on. When I came to the last table, I found no prince.
I silently cursed him inside my head as I walked back towards the counter.
"Where the fuck is he!" I breathlessly cursed as soon as I took a seat on the counter stool.
"Who are you looking for, young miss?"
I came face to face with a man whose eyes were so deep and tantalizing. He had nice thick eyebrows. A pointed nose. And a manly mouth.
'Oh my God! Look at him... just look at him...'
He was a gorgeous man. He kind of looked familiar.
Then I realized—
'The prince!'
He wore an amber-colored suit. He emulated an aura of a young wealthy businessman, especially with his clean-cut hair and the expensive-looking silver watch on his left wrist.
He looked so... neat that it was intimidating. He raised his eyebrows at me to solicit an answer.
"Uhmm, a guy," I thriftily answered.
He stared at me like he waited for me to support or add details to what I just said. But I didn't speak again.
"Okay," he murmured as if he was amused.
"Drinks?" He raised his glass a little.
"Sure."
"Is whiskey fine?" He had the courtesy to ask me.
"Anything's fine," I replied.
He glanced at the bartender. "Whiskey for the lady, please."
In Maharlica, when someone offered you a drink, you have to accept it no matter what, or else you will come off as 'rude'.
I never understood why, but it was unethical for Maharlicans to refuse someone's offer when it came to alcohol. I had no idea how this became a social norm.
I eyed the prince.
He was drinking alone. Not what I expected.
I thought he would be wilder. I imagined him to be having fun with lots of people. With lots of girls, particularly.
Three seats away from where he sat, I could see a couple of girls giggling while stealing glances at him. They urged each other to muster up the courage to talk to him.
One girl finally stood up and walked toward the prince.
"Hi, handsome," she seductively called. "Would you mind having fun with me tonight?"
She placed her arm around the prince's shoulder.
"Hey, beautiful," the prince responded with an amiable smile.
I was about to interrupt their going-good conversation because no one else should get his attention tonight but me. To my surprise, the prince dismissed her by saying, "I have a lady here."
He glanced at me.
'Which means he is referring to me, right?'
He subtly and slowly removed the girl's arm using his one hand, perhaps to make his rejection less offensive. I saw the girl frown at me before she marched away.
'Sorry, girl, didn't mean to.'
"I'm sorry," he apologized, all of a sudden. "I just said that to avoid them. I hope you are not offended by it."
'So he does not fancy women. Interesting...'
"So," I blurted out.
I crossed my legs and made sure my body was facing him to start a conversation, just like what Geraldine taught me.
"Why are you here drinking alone?"
He had no hesitation when he flashed his eyes down at my bare crossed thighs.
"What's wrong with drinking alone?" he said in response.
"Oh, you're no fun!" I teased.
The right corner of his mouth curved up at what I said.
When my whiskey was served, I took a sip of it. A guy came to the counter and sat next to me. I was aware of how that brown-haired guy stole glances at my thighs.
"So, what's your name?" I asked the prince.
I caught him glancing at something on my back. He seemed unfocused but answered anyway.
"Neuron."
I cackled. "You're kidding. You mean you're a nerve cell?"
When I was told about his name, I thought it was funny. Hearing it directly from him made me crack up.
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Fun fact. Your body can't function without neurons."
"That's not even a fun fact," I whined.
He chuckled softly. "I'm Neuron, but if you don't like my name, then you can call me baby."
I almost choked on my whiskey.
"W-What?" I didn't mean to, but I stuttered.
We both laughed at his greasy pickup line. Then, his uneasiness became more visible.
'What is wrong with him? Am I making him uncomfortable? Uh-oh. This is not good. I ought to make him befriend me.'
He suddenly took off his coat, and he covered my thighs with it.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He kept glancing at my back. I turned around to see what he was looking at.
I raised my eyebrows at the creep sitting next to me who shamelessly leered over me.
"Your dress really suits you," Neuron explained so I faced him again. "But I don't want you to get cold."
I stopped myself from grinning.
'What a lame excuse. I know he just doesn't want that brown-haired guy feasting over my bare thighs.'
'So it's fine if he's the one looking? But not fine if other guys are looking? Territorial... I like that.'
"What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Rathna," I answered. "But if you don't like my name, then you can call me baby too." I imitated what he said earlier.
When our eyes met each other, we both chortled, and then completely let out our laughs. We clunk our glasses and drank together that night.
I found myself enjoying our conversations without even reminding myself about my mission. I sat there laughing over his lame dad jokes.
"Do you know what type of tree grows people and not fruits?"
"What? That's impossible! There's nothing like that," I stated.
"Yes, there is," he insisted.
"What do—"
"Coun-tree."
For the nth time, I laughed.
Even the bartender and some of the servers were listening to him from the other side of the counter. Some cringed at the lameness, but whatever. He was funny to me.
I never planned to get drunk. But I got drunk.
I never planned to pass out. But I passed out.
I never planned to sleep beside him...
But I woke up the next morning on his bed. Inside his bedroom.