It took me quite a long time to bring myself to walk closer to him. My feet hurt as I walk down the stairs to reach the grassy garden.
The place was beautiful. There are trees and flowers. The setup was extremely elegant I couldn't let myself touch a part of it.
As I walked closer, the Prince didn't say a word. He continued staring at his cup of tea even when I bent my body a little low to bow in his presence. He didn't even offer me the seat I had to awkwardly pull it out and make myself comfortable.
The atmosphere was awkward. I don't know what he was contemplating at the moment. I wonder if he feels like sending me out because he doesn't like every part of me. Especially being a woman sitting a meter across from him. He must be feeling the same feeling as the last time. He's furious.
Then why is it that he had invited me in? Is this one of the King's schemes again? Is he forced to do this again? Then why does it have to be me sitting at this beautiful table?
I wanted to create a progress but I remember I couldn't talk. Sadly, when you cannot talk, it is hard to create a conversation. Especially because he wasn't even paying attention to me.
As he stares at his cup, I stare at him. I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful this man is. His long lashes droop down as he looks down at the table.
I never believed the Mistress when she said the Prince looked like a frog. I've seen a photo of the King in the newspaper once and I was certain a man like him would never bring an ugly offspring in this world. And I was right. He was the exact opposite of a frog.
When you look at him, you can hardly remember that he was sick and cursed for years now. A deadly curse that made him incapable of staying on his born throne. He's just as healthy as a perfectly ripened fruit. While the fruit has no single pore, he looks like he has no flaw. On the outside at least.
He has never spoken a single word in the duration of my stay here. Minutes passed when I noticed he had already closed his eyes. My face twitched in contempt.
I immediately wondered if they were joking when they went to my house and brought me here. They made me go through that long process of making myself prettier to make me watch him sleep on his seat at the tea table.
I wanted to complain and leave. This is actual disrespect. Although I deserve no respect from royalty, I felt offended.
I couldn't believe in my first few minutes in the palace, I had already grown to, unlike His Highness. Well, he's a jerk enough to deceive his people by making another person stand in front of them to replace his place. Maybe he deserved to be dethroned in the first place.
Another few minutes had passed and my aversion grew even stronger. I let out a very deep breath and stood up.
If he refuses to welcome me as I waste my time just to come here, then I'd be happy to leave.
"Where are you going?"
I was just about to leave when he suddenly spoke. I am not sure if he was awake the whole time or if I just woke him up for standing. I was waiting for him to look up to me so I can tell him I was going to leave because I felt disrespected being brought here just to watch him doze off in front of me. But he never did.
"Sit down," he ordered me instead. The way he spoke reminded me that he was royalty. I was caught off guard and had to sit back down.
It was the first time he looked at me. I wanted to tell myself to stop getting distracted by the weight of his eyes as we battle in our gazes.
Is he going to speak to me now?
"Why are you leaving?"
Finally.
'Because I think my presence is irrelevant in your nap time, your highness."
I know he understands sign language. Martha is not here to cover up my insane choice of words and the way I truly answer someone using sign language. I watched him as he read as my hands moved and saw how the corner of his lip formed a slight smirk that disappeared in an instant.
"I must've made you feel impatient," he said. I was expecting him to state an apology but he didn't. "Do you know why you were here?" he asked as he shifted his gaze from my hands straight to my eyes.
There's something about how he shifts his gaze. His head doesn't move an inch. It's his eyes that move first. There's something about it that doesn't give you the same feeling and weight as other people look at you. I don't know if it's because his eyes were heavy as is or something else. Does he use it to intimidate people? Is this a royal tactic?
'No, your Majesty.' I said. No one spoke a word about this audience on the ride here..l
I must not have been feeling well when I heard him cuss. THE.ROYAL.PRINCE.JUST.CUSSED.
I tried hard to pretend as if it didn't affect me. The Prince cussing shouldn't become a big deal.
'If you may, I would like to know the reason why I was granted an audience, your highness.' I cut to the chase.
His eyes flickered from my hands to my eyes again. He stares at you straight into your eyes as if he wants to dive deep down the corners of your persona and drown you in the red pool in his eyes at the same time.
"You knew what happened at the party, am I right?" he asked me.
'Yes, your highness.'
I knew how you deceived your people, Your Highness.
I wanted to let out a smug face but I didn't. I don't want it to change the way he sees my character.
"Before anything else, let me ask you a question," he said. He seemed to look even serious as he shifted positions and put his elbow on the tea table he looked me dead straight in the eyes as if he was anticipating to make sure I'd be answering his question truthfully. I didn't fall back. "Why were you at the party that night?"
I didn't want to answer abruptly as I thought based on his stance, I should answer the question right. I started contemplating whether to create an answer or answer him truthfully.
Well, there are no other answers to create that are better than the real answer to the question.
'I was found by a rich couple's maids 6 years ago, that is 48 years in the human calendar. They kept me in their manor since then. They fed me, and they dressed me. I am guessing you are guessing that I am not their daughter or a family. I was adopted as a maid.' I told him using my hands.
I know this will take time but I'd like to tell him everything. 'When they got the news about the party, the wife knew about the money to be sent to the Lady's family if they were chosen.' I said. 'I thought it would be fine until the minute I was just about to go out of the house, I found out the Mistress took something special to me. She told me that I have to get the Prince or I will never take it back,' I said making sure to exclude the information that death is what comes next if I don't get my hands on that stone on time.
Now, I can tell that he knows where this story is going.
'I was sent to the party for a chance to get all that money. Not for myself but only for the Mistress. I am not sure what you were trying to find out by asking this question, but all I can say is that being at that party may not have been my choice, but I was there for the money.'
I wanted to add 'Like everyone else,' but I stopped myself. I finished it by excluding the part where the Mistress took the stone that would probably kill me in a few months to avoid further questions.
I looked at him when I finished. His face never changed a bit of an expression. "So you were forced, is that what you mean?" he asked me.
'You can say it like that, your Highness,' I answered him.
"And how am I supposed to believe that what you just said was right?" he asked. I don't know and I couldn't get what he wanted to extract out of me by asking these questions. If he was in for the truth if I went there by my choice or not, then I have the perfect answer.
'I don't even know your name, your Highness.'
It was the truth. I am indeed clueless about what he is called. I just call him Prince because he is the Prince.
He then started laughing. His canine teeth showed as he spread his lips. His laugh is just as deep as his voice. It may have been short, but I can confidently say it was real.
"Then I shall say I can now tell you the reason why you're here,"