Outside of Prince Aerus's estimation, Hamdi was unable to give him advice. At the corner of his eye, which was tense and cold, Hamdi seemed to die of lice.
Hamdi looked like a chick that had lost its way, under the torrential rain, not brave enough to cry because of a predator lurking nearby.
It felt paralyzed and almost hopeless. Maybe Prince Aerus went too far while making excuses, to make Lia fall into his arms. Or he was not good at planning.
'Argh, I am who was always a general in battle, now had to lose when it came to winning a girl's heart?'
Never thought that Prince Aerus could be this troublesome, just because he wanted Lia but she didn't want him. Was this karma? He thought it was just bullshit.
"You don't know?" asked Prince Aerus, snorting slightly. From his face, he looked quite annoyed. At first, he was very reliant on Hamdi. Now, what should he do?
Being a little awkward, Hamdi seemed to want to run away and hide anywhere. "Forgive me, Prince. I'm useless."
The glory of the nobles would usually be poured out at moments like this, such as by granting forgiveness for every wrong done by someone. Prince Aerus was quite generous in Hexa. He suppressed his ego a lot and forgave the many mistakes made by his soldiers and servants, although the cold and cruel impression still lingered on him.
But this time, his annoyance had filled his crown. The fact that he would have a hard time getting Lia had made things worse. "I won't forgive you. There will be a punishment waiting for you in Hexa later. So think carefully about everything, and help me find a solution." Prince Aerus' figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.
He did teleportation, amid Hamdi shivering at the thought of an execution.
…
"Do you not want me to accompany you? I don't have a car now because I came here on foot. Brian dropped me off in front of the cafe, a little way from this convenience store, and I had asked him to come home. But if you want to wait, I'll drop you off later."
Lia bit her finger, as if confused and started to be stupid. She regretted the decision she made after Neil's sincere offer came to her.
There was no way that opportunity would come twice. If that were to happen then the possibility could be very small. Then what made Lia so eager to get Neil, suddenly be playing hard to get by refusing Neil's offer to take her? Had Lia gone mad?
"YES, I AM GOING MAD!!!!" Lia shouted suddenly, in the middle of the late-night, the drizzle was still falling lightly, and overcast clouds rolled over the horizon. The colorful neon lights of the city glow softly, puddles on the streets, competing with real puddles.
"Oh my gosh, my heart is about to burst!" someone snapped. Her hair was short, bowl-shaped, bangs covered her eyebrows, and almost entered her tiny eyeballs. It was Cindy.
"What are you doing? Why are you suddenly shouting like that? Have you gone mad because I took so long to reply to your messages? I already told you that I had over time, right? Gosh, Lia, you know I never cheated on you."
Cindy's cheeks puffed up, almost as a golf ball brushed with pink. Next to Lia, Cindy appeared to be a shield, with a slightly chubby body posture. On her body was a thick black jacket, which she had gotten from the wholesale center one week ago. Rather than a pink golf ball, perhaps she looked more like a bundle of fur, a soft, warm bundle of fur.
"Are you mad at me?" Cindy was getting worried. She has been friends with Lia for a long time since they were still in the orphanage. Their closeness in the past could almost be called intimate because they could know each other's feelings and moods without having to say anything. They even had their body language, as well as some secrets that only they knew.
Lia was silent. Her feet that had been walking slowly now stopped completely. Nearby, a few centimeters to her side was a small puddle filled with rainwater. Its clear color reflected the shadows of the two close friends.
Lia covered her face, messing up her light makeup even more. She didn't care. Right now she had no one who deserved to see her makeup-polished face. Her fresh face would only be for Neil.
Finally, Lia spoke, after her thoughts wandered. She briefly thought of her new friends, who lived a few blocks from her rundown flat. She should be able to stay in one of their flats, but the route she would take was one-way with hers. There would be countless chances of her running into Prince Aerus. So Lia executed her plan.
"It's about Neil. I haven't told you yet. Honestly, I haven't told anyone yet."
Cindy's tense shoulders were now starting to relax. Knowing that her prediction was wrong now made her feel relieved. Lia was not angry. That was enough for her.
"Is he the man you are currently crushing on?" Cindy asked. Her fat hand pulled Lia's fragile arm, leading her friend to walk. Cindy's puffy eyes explained everything.
"Right," nodded Lia. Her eyes sparkled, though after a few moments they looked dim and desperate. "He's been very good to me. When we first met, we collided. When another man, or maybe someone else, would curse and blame me, Neil looked worried and wanted to help me. He apologized, and also smiled at me."
Cindy covered her mouth excitedly. She had already let go of Lia's arm, hanging it in the air like an unnecessary cloth. "Really? Are you not making this up? I mean, you know how your love story was in the past? Tragic." Cindy swept through the air as if she wanted to form a gray rainbow there.
Lia's face became flat, her lips pouted. "I know," said Lia briefly. Her heart became irritated, she felt offended by Cindy's words.
The sadness and regret she felt, regarding her rejection of Neil's offer, had made her heart more sensitive. After all, lately, her shoulders had been feeling heavier, because of the presence of Prince Aerus.
Lia had almost become someone else, and she knew it.
"But this time it's different," Lia said, returning to her normal tone of voice. "He is very kind. He also really respects me. He also helped me when I was drunk at the bus stop."
"You were drunk???" Cindy screeched, her puffy and tiny eyes were now wide open, it even seemed like she was trying so hard. Her mouth was also gaping. Ok, she's not a feather ball anymore now, but an antonym artist who put on an expression of screaming in desperation.
"Were you drunk?" Cindy repeated her question. One more time wouldn't be enough, and maybe a thousand times wouldn't be enough either. She knew how Lia was. Lia was an innocent and cute girl. Lia was not good at socializing, not good at smiling freely, and also not good at approaching men naturally.
Lia also never tried new things, because she was too busy with her work. Lia never went to a nightclub, she never went to a private party and made out, she never went to a bar just to hang out, and she never drank alcohol to the point of getting drunk.
Oh, maybe once, when Lia tried alcohol for the first time in her life. After that she never tried again, remembering how it all ended. Lia woke up alone, with no one to take care of her. She came into a group and came home alone.
Lia was abandoned, isolated, and ignored.
***
Notes: Hello guys. How many chapters do you wish I can upload in a day? Please write your comments. Maybe that will motivate me.