XXII

XXII

"You're not a cupid, Lola," I called my best friend, who was currently eating her brunch in Chicago, on the phone to stop her from giving my number to my exes.

I heard her yawn, "Hey, Shirley, good morning, what are you talking about?" Let's say she sounded so innocent that I almost believed her.

"Damn you, Lola," I said but in less serious meaning, we used to say bad words to each other. Finally, the cab stopped in front of the palace's main gate, so I got out and guards inspected me. I presented them my employee's identification card.

"I love you, too," Lola giggled; I wanted to slap her right now. "What have I done this time to make you that angry?" she asked while the guards allowed me to enter the gate.

"Stop acting as if you're innocent!" I could not stop myself from yelling, as a result, people nearby turned their heads in my direction. "It doesn't fit you," I whispered.

"Whatever," the happiness in her voice was still obvious, "So, Paulo is already there in England? Has he already called you?"

"He texted me this morning to see him in the London's Eye this lunch," I ran my hand through my ponied hair.

"Then?"

"Of course, I came," I responded after I entered one of the minor doors of the Palace which was located near the Dining Hall. There was a receptionist desk where two women were standing and greeting the people who entered this door. As far as I knew, it was also used by the visitors who were not included in the VIP list.

There were different kind of doors in the Palace. One which was being used by the Royal Family member, government officials, and Exclusive guests (major door or also known as The Palace Door) and, the rest was called minor doors that were made of same expensive hard wood with The Palace Door. These minor doors were only smaller and less grand than the main door. In addition, people who entered through these were the commoners or employees.

"Really?" the excitement in Lola's voice made me more irritated, "Is there a chance..."

She had no chance to finish what she was saying because I cut her, "No way!" I sighed, "Lola, Paulo is sweet, gentle and romantic, he is the only guy who brought me in that extravagant Ferris Wheel of London, but..." I stopped when someone grabbed my phone and it slipped away from my hand.

I looked at that 'someone' and my big blue eyes became bigger when his striking green eyes gave me the scariest warning I had ever seen. He looked at the screen of my old model phone (which, fortunately, was returned to me by him the hour after our island vacation), and clicked the button to end the call.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted, had no care to the individuals who saw and could report me in the authority because I shouted to the Prince. Thank goodness, we were in the far part of the hallway where only two of us were standing.

"Who is Paulo?" he asked back, not minding my question. His voice was solid and sharp as if it could stab someone directly in the heart and died immediately.

"It's not good to listen to someone's conversation, I hope your ethics lesson being a Prince discussed that to you," I glared at him, "As if I'll tell you who he is."

He was just looking at me without listening to my words, he said, "Where have you been? Why did you not come to my office? Are you with him?"

If I did not know this Prince was a great womanizer, I could think he was jealous at this moment. "Yes, I am with him and what's it with you?"

"What's it with me?" he repeated my question with a laugh, "You'll see."

He held me on my hips. Lifted and put me on his shoulder like carrying a sack of corn. He was strong enough to carry me even though my fists was kept on hitting him on his back.

"Put me down, you son of your mother!" I did not want to curse and increased my sins just because of this man. It was only regretful.

"Be quiet, babe," he smacked my butt that resulted to a scream from me.

"Damn it!" I slapped his back, "Don't touch me and don't you ever call me 'babe'. Ewww!"

"You have the softest..."

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" it was proven that my face right now was as hot as a boiled water and had the same shade of red with a cherry.

He made his turn in one of the corners when he stopped walking. It seemed like the air became thin and the temperature in this hallway increased like a summer noon although it was October here and the winter was near. Only my breathing and Prince Alexander's were the only things I could hear.

I tried to peek through his side, but I was not flexible as what I was imagining. "Hey," I broke the longest silence I had ever experienced in my life, "What's wrong?"

He pulled me down, all of a sudden. I was not prepared to stand on the ground, so he wrapped his arm around me once my feet already reached the carpeted floor. I leaned on him for a few seconds when I realized the reason we were stranded.

Prince Nicholas was amused to the idiot he was witnessing right now. I was the idiot because I looked like one. My dress was already wrinkled. I had no choice but to straighten it as if I had an iron hand. Beside him was Princess Emily, who held their baby.

Prince Henry smiled in the cutest way he could do. His cheeks were pink while his eyes were dark blue like his father, the future King of England. He was also redheaded. Possibly when he grew up, people might see what feature he inherited from his mother. As of now, he was the miniature of Prince Nicholas.

In her awkward small beam, Princess Emily just looked at the man beside me. Maybe she did not know me, but she did not give me at least a glance. Her stare was fixed to Prince Alexander. In the corner of my eyes, I examined the expressionless face of him. His gaze transferred from his brother, to his nephew and stayed to his sister-in-law. As if there were communication in their eyes. As if they did it in the past.

Prince Nicholas cleared his throat and said in his deep yet musical voice, "It's nice to see you with your beautiful friend." He removed our gap in just a few steps and took my hand. He kissed my knuckle, a very English man. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Shirley," I breathlessly answered, "It's my pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Abruptly, my hand was taken away by Prince Alexander, who currently glared at his older brother. He interlaced our fingers and I almost screamed when he squeezed it with too much force. As if he intended to dislocate my bones.

Prince Nicholas just stared at his younger sibling, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"No," the man beside me immediately answered, "Don't touch her, you understand?"

"Sorry," as soon as that word passed through the mouth of the future King, Prince Alexander pulled me away. He just walked as if he didn't see his brother and its family. I looked back to see their shocked faces. I wanted, no, I needed to apologize for the actions of this prince.

I stopped, and put myself in front of him. "What's your problem? Your brother is just a gentleman, unlike you."

"Don't flirt with him, you see his family is there!" the anger raged on his face as well as mine.

"Don't be an idiot! I'm not flirting him!" I exasperatedly sighed, "You know what, no one will respect you because you can't respect anyone even your brother. Saying he's flirting with me, duh, don't turn the story around. It is you who made some eye contacts with the wife of his brother. If I had read some rumors about you and her, I can say that you had a relationship with her years ago and you still have the feelings for her."

I swallowed the lump in my throat when he strongly held my arm, "You have no right to conclude that, I'm still the Prince of this country and you're just an employee. I can put you in the jail whenever I want."

I should feel scared, but I was not the kind of person who would embrace herself and surrender. "Threatening me?" I got my arm back from his grasp, "As if I would care. Go. Put me in the jail. No matter what, there is still the fact that the reason I don't bother to like you is because you still treating me like how you treating the other people, including your mistresses. Holding them in the neck, turning them down at any time you want, and flashing your name, as if all the people even care you are the Prince. I won't doubt if you will ever be dethroned."

I did not hear words from him when I walked pass him and started to return to the hallway where we saw Prince Nicholas and Princess Emily. My body trembled in anger I felt for him. I wanted to punch or strangle him until he woke up and the Prince Alexander I was talking with last morning came back. He could switch off his feelings for me easily. He let me doubt the words he said to me. The words that I had already believed.

I finally got back to the hallway, but the future King and Queen of England were not already there. I stepped toward the window, and saw the beautiful garden of the Palace. Not meters away, I saw them sitting on the grass while playing with their child. There were paparazzi behind the fence and took some photos using the long lenses of their cameras.

The couple did not care if the people invaded their privacy, or even the guards did not bother to shoo those people who could not live without their cameras and invented issues. I saw how Princess Emily turned her head toward those paparazzi outside the palace's fence, and returned it to her husband.

She gave him a peck on his lips, and a smile formed on her angelic face. I did not see what reaction Prince Nicholas had, because his back faced me. He leaned on his wife, and whispered something. Her face transformed from being joyful to emotionless. She nodded once before they returned in their usual sitting position, and the smile made its way again on her face. I thought earlier that her smile was natural, but now, it was more on acting and fake.

Then, it crossed my mind that they were only telling the public that they had a happy family and acting as one in front of the public through the cameras of the paparazzi.

(A/N: Another picture of Shirley at the side :) waiting for your comments and votes)