"Hello, girls!" Raya called out with her fake voice.
"Hi, Raya." Eliana wasn't in the mood to talk to her, but she forced herself to be polite.
Georgina didn't feel any different but tried to be on her best manners. "How have you been?"
"Fantastic! I love the Mil Fest, and I am going with Damien, so couldn't be better." Her statement hit Eliana like a slap in the face. 'Didn't Damien ask to go with me just yesterday and promised to find me? Was Raya the reason why he hadn't come looking for me?'
"You are going with Damien? Just the two of you?" She asked, believing Raya, and made Georgina furrow her brows. She knew Eliana was gullible, but this was next level. It was obvious that Raya was full of it. Even if she didn't know Damien for long, she knew this much: he was completely head over heels for Eliana, and they most definitely were mates, but she couldn't call out Raya right now.
"Yes, I was very busy the past three weeks, and Damien got upset about that, so we had a little quarrel the other day, but we made up and are now going to the fest. What about you two? Do you have partners accompanying you?" Lying was easy for Raya because she had used that skill to get everything in her life except for Damien, who always saw through her. She had investigated Eliana secretly and couldn't find any dirt on her, but she saw how different Damien was around her, so she made it her goal to get rid of Eliana. Surely Damien wouldn't mind since Eliana was a nobody anyway.
Eliana couldn't believe her ears. 'Was she telling the truth? Damien had spent more time with me the past three weeks. Was I his backup? Or am I misunderstanding things again? But he clearly asked me to go with him last night. Does that make Raya his backup? Or was he planning to double-ride?' – as she fell into a deep hole of sorrow, Eliana's expression worsened. There was a mixture of anger, disappointment, resentment, and hurt building up inside of her, so Georgina answered in her stead. "Yes, we have three handsome fellas who will join us at the party. Anyways it was nice seeing you again, Raya. We must go get ready."
"Bye." Raya was waving her hand and grinning about her success. The truth was that Damien had been indifferent to her after their fight, so she decided to surprise him tonight by going as his date to the party. She wanted him to forgive her and work on their relationship. It was lucky that Damien didn't come out during her conversation with the girls. That would have killed her ruse.
Just as she finished that thought, Damien stepped outside of the palace in his festive attire and hair tied in a bun - he looked extremely handsome. Seeing Raya standing there waiting for him, he looked at her questioningly. "What are you doing here, Raya?"
"Surprise, my crown prince! I have decided to forgive your outburst and go as your date tonight."
"What are you on about again? I am happy that we can move on from our dispute weeks ago, but I am not planning to take you as my date."
She was prepared for this case. "Alright then, not as your date but maybe a close friend? My parents left again, and I feel a little lonely these days. Can't we enjoy the fest together, for old times' sake?" Her parents abandoning her always worked. Whenever she wanted Damien to do as she pleased, she used her parents being bad parents as a joker card, and good fortune was on her side because Damien gave in.
Smiling and pinching her cheek, Damien tried to cheer her up. "Fine, let's go there together, but so that you know, I will have to host some officials, so please don't expect me to spend all evening beside you."
"Yeey! Of course, whatever you need." She was ecstatic and clapped her hands in excitement.
They took a couple of steps in the direction of the amphitheater when Damien remembered something. "Did you see Eliana and Georgina by any chance? They were supposed to return and change for the party."
"I think so. They were with three other boys, and Eliana looked very cozy with one of the guys." Her last comment made Damien stiff. Usually, he recognized Raya's lies, but he was still insecure about Eliana, so that he would believe anything Raya said.
"Did she now? And they went inside with them?"
"Yes, they all went inside the palace. They seem to feel at home here. That is so wonderful. Maybe finding a boyfriend will make them stay long-term. What do you think?" The aura around Damien changed, and anger oozed out of his pores. 'How come they became so close in such a short time?' He had seen Nigel put his arm around her during the performance, and he was close to going over there and ripping that arm off, but he knew that Eliana would never forgive such actions, so he left the place to calm down.
Remembering his initial plan from last night, he smiled bitterly. He had been so sure of himself and his capability of keeping Nigel away from Eliana, but apparently, he had been too arrogant. Or at least his brother was incompetent. 'Didn't I tell him to keep a close eye on her? Why did he leave them during the show?' If she were to choose another, there was nothing he could do. He would never force her to do anything she didn't want, so in such a case, he would be forced to let her go. The mere idea of her being someone else's made him almost vomit.
"Damien?" Raya looked at him innocently, although she knew exactly what she was doing. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, let's go." He had to cool down again before he did something he would regret.
Back in Georgina's room, she tried to console Eliana. "You shouldn't believe that evil girl. It is obvious that she was trying to irritate you. She was probably lying. I cannot imagine Damien wanting to go to the event with her."
"Why would she lie? Also, why are you protecting Damien? I thought you didn't like the princes."
"Evil lies, that is a known fact. And no, that's not entirely true. I dislike one prince: Simon. But Damien turned out to be a brilliant man." Georgina said, lifting her shoulders.
"Really? How so?" Oh no, what was Georgina supposed to say? She could not be the one to reveal that they were mates. Also, there was a slight chance that she was wrong about everything, which would only make it worse.
"Ok, where to start." She lifted her hand dramatically to count the points with each finger. "First, he helped us get out of Paxos, keeping all his promises. Second, he helped me figure out my life goals. Third, he gave us amazing rooms with balconies. Fourth, he is decent looking and, at times, funny. I mean, hello, must I say more?"
"Haha Gio, you are killing me! He was able to do all of that because of his position, and they are all favors. What about his character? He is seemingly fooling around with Raya and has been lying to me."
"IF, and that is a big if, what she says is true. I will agree with you that he is an awful person. Don't worry, he will get the necessary beating if he so much as thinks to hurt you. BUT in any case, you should at least hear him out."
"Hmm, let's not talk about this any further and get ready." Eliana didn't know what to do and didn't want to ruin the evening for Georgina, who had been counting the days all week for the party.
It didn't take them long to get ready and when Eliana came out from the dressing room Georgina couldn't hide her admiration. "Eli, you look gorgeous! This is not the dress you were sewing, is it?"
Turning crimson red, Eliana looked at the floor, ashamed. "No, Damien had gifted it to me yesterday."
"Oh dear, it looks costly. I have to say he is a proper gentleman and has good taste. See another two points for him!" She winked at her best friend. "I want to be there when he sees you in this!" Georgina kept blurting out whatever came to her mind, not knowing that Eliana felt rather uncomfortable thinking about wearing a dress gifted to her by someone who was apparently already taken.
"Gio, maybe I should wear the other one?"
"What? Are you crazy?! No, you will wear this, and as a matter of fact, we are leaving right away because I am ready too."
Georgina took Eliana by her hand before she could change her mind, and they hurried to the arena, where most people had already arrived. Along the way, anyone who saw the two girls had turned their heads in delight at their beauty. Georgina was wearing a Bordeaux red dress, complimenting her curves perfectly as it was tighter in the upper part and fluttering loose below. The little makeup she had put on highlighted her high cheekbones and made her doll-like brown eyes even bigger. Half her long brown hair was tied on her head while the rest whirled down her back.
Beside her, Eliana had no makeup on and had left her light black curly hair entirely open. Her dark blue dress was similar to Georgina's, but the straps hung around her shoulders, and her torso was adorned with beautifully sewn gems in all colors. They both looked stunning, which was also why the crowd became silent when they entered the event location.
All eyes were on them, and they both became aware of the attention they had unintentionally drawn toward themselves. The women started whispering mean things due to jealousy, while the men stared at them with lustful eyes making the girls feel very awkward. They strolled, looking around to find the boys, but they were nowhere to be seen.
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My dearest readers!
Thank you so much for your support so far. I hope you liked it so far.
I have also been contracted for this book, which is incredibly exciting, especially since I also have better chances for the WSA23, for which I hope you will keep rooting for me. That also means the chapters from now on will be available in exchange for coins.
Stay tuned for Eliana and Damien's love story and Georgina and Simon's love-hate relationship! Many more adventures will challenge their love for one another.
Yours truly,
Dazelda
P.S. Don't forget to check out my Instagram account, daz_elda :)