XXXVII

XXXVII

Leilanie Jayei's vacation in the palace for the past two days was the most irritating event happened in my life here in England.

She was acting as though she would be a princess someday through her marriage to Prince Alexander. Duh? Over my dead body, that thing would never happen. She joined every activity that involved the royal member or announcing to each public occasion that she was here.

I avoided her every minute. I became a normal employee of the palace for the past forty eight hours. I had spoken with Prince Alexander every past midnight because he was too busy to work and made a gap between him and his ex-girlfriend. I did not think he really made a great space for the reason Leilanie became a human tail. She was always there, wherever His Highness put himself.

However, this day was the most unfortunate. Katherine and I walked down the hallway when we met her and Queen Beatrice.

"Your Majesty," we simultaneously gave respect to the most powerful woman of this land.

"Shirley Woodman," it was a more questioning than recognizing. I looked at her, and gave her a smile. "Alexander's accountant," this time, she was stating.

Confusion stirred in my inside. I just stared at her for like an hour before I could form a word to say. I bowed my head, "Yes, Your Majesty."

She nodded as if knowing that fact for the very first time. She gestured her hand to the woman beside her, "I want you to meet, Leilanie," she elegantly moved her hand in front of us, "Leilanie, Katherine Lee, one of my personal accountants, and Shirley Woodman, Alexander's accountant."

Suddenly, the beat of my heart increased its tempo. I slowly met Leilanie's gaze and saw how her evil grin formed on her pretty face. She might reveal my relationship with Prince Alexander in front of the queen. I was one hundred percent sure that she considered it would cause our separation.

I caught my breath when she spoke, "Yeah, Shirley," she extended her arm in front of me, "Nice to meet you. I have no idea that Alex has a very beautiful accountant." I controlled myself to roll my eyes. I shook her hand as a respect.

"Don't be jealous, Leilanie," Queen Beatrice smoothly said, "Once you and Alex get married, I'll transfer her in your office."

"Get married?" if only my eyeballs could leave their socket, they already did. Three pairs of eyes gave me disbelieving looks. I changed my shock tone into the most polite level, "I mean, that's good to hear, Your Majesty."

"Yes, they'll face the altar so soon," Her Majesty boasted, "They'll announce their engagement later."

Later? That fast?

"Yes," Lailanie answered my unspoken question, "After dinner, we hope to see both of you there. Actually, that's why I went here in England this week," she explained, "It is to announce Alex is no longer available in the market."

"We leave you here," Queen Beatrice's farewell. She and Leilanie continued to walk on the hallway until they turned the corner. It was clear that Leilanie looked back at me and showed the triumph on her face. Fudge.

All their statements had not yet sank in until I did not see them anymore.

What? Engagement? Prince Alexander, my prince, would get married to another woman. That was stupid. He was single up to we began our relationship last month. What was happening on this earth?

I heard Katherine cursed, "That Leilanie is getting on my nerves. Attention-seeker female dog. I don't care if she is Prince Alexander's wife. I promise that if ever she become a princess, I'm going to quit this job."

"Don't worry that will never happen," I muttered.

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing," I beamed, "By the way, you go first in the office. I'll use the restroom for a while."

"Sure," without my permission, she got the papers in my hands then left.

I decided to go to the nearest public restroom, but before I could enter the door, someone covered my mouth and a strong arm wrapped around me. I tried to free myself, but a warm breath tickled my ear.

"Shirley, this is me," Prince Alexander husky voiced sent electricity on my body.

He held both my arms and let me faced him. "You scared me!" I exclaimed, then removed his grasps. I crossed my arms with irritation in my face. "What the heck are you doing here?"

He put his pointing finger on his lips. "Come with me," he said in a low voice.

"My lunch break will end soon," I avoided his gaze, thinking that I might melt right away if I continued to look directly at his eyes.

"Sorry for doing this, but..." he trailed off and, all of a sudden, I found myself lifted from him. One arm under my knees and another arm around my back. I encircled my arms about his neck.

"Alexander!" I yelled, but he crushed his mouth on mine to shut me up.

-----

Once the elevator in the back door of the palace closed behind us, Prince Alexander put me down on the ground with my two feet. He wrapped his arm around me, and guided me toward the car outside the fence.

The guards let us out instantly, obviously because of Prince Alexander's authority. Take note, one of them opened the car's door for us, and closed it once we were already inside.

Prince Alexander still had his arms around me even though the car was already moving.

"Hi, Artemis," I greeted the man behind the wheel, and at the same time, His Highness' bodyguard.

"Hello, Lady Shirley," Artemis responded with respect.

"What?" I spat, "Lady Shirley?" I held my stomach while laughing, "That sounds weird."

"Shirley," Prince Alexander's warning tone boomed in the car. I stopped and looked at him with fear, like a five-year girl who just cursed. He said, "I commanded all of them to call you as Lady Shirley. Remember that you're my future wife, so be used to it and don't laugh if someone is calling you Lady Shirley. Understand?"

"Shirley is fine with me, I don't need any additional in my name. Shirley has been already mouthful, what more if there is a lady," I argued.

"Argument is the last thing I want right now, Shirley. I don't want us to fight again just because of small matter," he ran his hand through his hair. He was amazingly hot when he did that.

"Okay, I don't want people to treat me as if I'm higher than them," I sighed, "I'm just an ordinary person breathing an oxygen and working for the money. Calling me as a lady will only justify that life is not fair."

"Fine," he gave me dagger stares before telling Artemis, "Don't call her lady. Do what she wants."

I heard Artemis laugh for a nanosecond, but immediately back to his normal hard tone, "Yes, Your Highness."

I smiled. His Highness knew how to spoil his woman. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and observed the glamorous car. I saw an identification card hanging near the wheel.

The Warden Security Company was printed on top of it. The one-by-one picture was Artemis and his name on the bottom.

I moved into the gap of the driver's and passenger's seat and asked Artemis, "So, besides of Alexander's bodyguard, you're also an employee of Warden?"

"No, Lady.. I mean, Shirley," he simply answered.

"No? Why do you have that I.D.?" my curiosity was really a part of me.

"He is an employee of Warden Security Company," the prince explained while glaring at me, "He's one of their best guards that's why I acquire him. It only means that he's still under that company and not my employee. His job is to guard me. Get it, Miss Accountant?"

"Oh, it's like an agency?"

"Agency. Exactly. They are the biggest security agency in the world," he pulled me to his chest, and whispered, "Stop talking."

"You're a control freak again," I protested.

"I'm not. I just want you to stop talking about anything, especially my best friend's company, but us," he made my legs straddled him. He started to kiss my collar bones.

"What do you want to talk about us?" I held his shoulders to prevent him, but he was as strong as a polar bear. "If we're going to talk about something, we're always ended up kissing each other."

"Let's talk about our marriage," he muttered between his kisses.

This time, I strongly removed his lips on my neck and intently look in his deep eyes. "Speaking of marriage, Queen Beatrice told me earlier that you're going to marry Leilanie and you'll have your engagement later." I did not notice I lost my cowardice only when I finished talking.

He chuckled, "I know. Do you believe it?" I did not answer, I just looked at him. "It won't happen, Shirley. You're the only woman I want to be my wife."

"How about your engagement later?" worries built their barracks in my nerves.

"The reason I'm going somewhere..." he replied, "...with you."