XLVII

(A/N: OH EM GEE! I finally post an update! I'm sorry and thank you so much for those who still waiting for me and for not getting tired to wait for another update! I have good news! Only two more days of exam and...I finally have a vacation! Yeah, I missed writing so much. I was hiatus for like a year, and I'm so excited to tell you all the things that will happen to Her Life with the Prince. I'll make sure to bring to you all the remaining chapters as soon as possible! Enjoy reading! GOD bless you!)

XLVII

"....you understand? Shirley, Shirley, are you still with me?" I heard Katherine speaking, but I was lost again in my dark world. Maybe, trapped was more appropriate to use.

We were having a deliberation about the financial statements we initially submitted a couple of days ago. It was not yet final because there were still transactions that would happen in the next days.

What made me uncomfortable was I left the overstated miscellaneous expense account as it was because when I reviewed the financial statements of the previous years, the same account was in the similar situation. Yet, no one questioned it.

I broke the rule of being faithful as an accountant in presenting the financial statements because I chose to be faithful to the man I loved. But, the question was he really faithful to me.

It had been ten days since I came back from our wedding. Nine days since I discovered the past. And, eight days since Alexander supposed to be landed back to England. Obviously, he was not yet here and never heard any news from him. I had no freaking idea if he still wanted to come back. Probably, he had already forgotten about me. He got what he wanted from me and I gave it to him anyway.

"Shirley, I think you need to rest for the day," Katherine finally got my attention. She looked at me as if I was a new species. "You have dark circles under your eyes and you entirely spacing out during the deliberation earlier."

I noticed that only Katherine and I remained in the conference hall, the others had already left I don't know when. "Are we done?" I asked her that resulted to a frown on her face.

"Yes, we are adjourned for exactly ten minutes ago," she looked at her wrist watch and at me again, "You are in your own universe since then or maybe few minutes before then. Why are you like this? Are you...are you still sane?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'm alright. I'm just having a hard time."

She leaned forward that made my eyes open. Her brown orbs looked directly to my blue as if reading my mind.

"Are you in love?" She blurted and playful smile crept to her face, "A girl won't act like that if she's not sickly in love to a handsome boy."

I laughed unlady-like just to make sure she would believe me, "I'm not in love, just having insomnia so it's hard to sleep."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrow, "Your eyes say the different when you're looking at him." My eyes got bigger when she said 'him' while she narrowed her eyes as if getting the jackpot. "A woman can read another woman, remember that. Your eyes twinkle every time Prince Alexander is around." I flinched at his name. "And remember, an accountant is a good observer."

"Katherine, it's not that..." I stopped when the door of the conference hall suddenly opened.

We both looked at the intruder and my heart sunk when my most beloved pair of green eyes met mine. I felt tears forming, but it was not time to cry, especially when someone was with us.

I missed him. So much.

Katherine nudged my side using her elbow before standing and greeted Alexander, "Your Highness." The latter waved at the former and she whispered to me, "Good luck girl. You can do it. It's free to confess your feelings, you know." She grinned and left the hall.

Leaving the two of us alone. Again. It seemed like a century ago when this same scenario happened.

I loved him more than anyone, but betrayal was between us. He was not the only who betrayed our relationship. Behind my mind, I betrayed him also, I did not know how or when. However, my subconscious kept on reminding that I had already damage our relationship.

The same warmth covered my body and I felt alive again. He was really here. It was not a dream anymore like I had every night since he went to New York. I wrapped my arms around his neck and everything seemed like went back to its right path even though it was not.

We had a lot of things to talk about, but I would not let it disturbed our little reunion. For now.

"I missed you so much, Shirley," I sobbed when I heard his voice again. He kissed my hair and all the revelations of the past had been forgotten.

We were in our world again.

We stayed like that for the next moment until he spoke again. He broke our hug and looked at me intently.

"You're not eating properly, are you?" He held my curves and eyed my stomach as if he would see something there.

Honestly, I was not in the mood of eating last week. I had no appetite, especially when I was missing him so much.

"Now, I feel hungry," I found my voice low and I saw the smirk formed in his face so I asked him, "Why are you smiling like that?"

He held the back of my head and put my face on his chest. "After all you're still innocent my love." I was confused for a minute before I realized what he was saying.

I smacked his chest. "That's not what I mean," I whispered.

"Let's have dinner?" He offered and I just nodded, "In my room, what do you think?"

I got excited all of a sudden because it was my first time to go to his room. I always wondered how it was looked like.

The rooms of the royals were in the third floor. No employees were allowed to go there except for special invitation and servants. To follow the protocol, we used the connecting stairs in Alexander's office and his room. We entered a door that revealed a long stairs going up and another for going down. The going down stairs was connected to my room.

We went upstairs and he opened a door that looked like the same to my room. I was surprised that his room was nothing special. My room back in Chicago was more decorated that his.

It was simply painted by dark brown almost black and no extravagant paintings hung on his wall. There were some pictures of his family on the study table in left side of the room. It was between two big bookshelves where books were organized properly. There was a door in each side of the bookshelf and I bet one was for his rest room and the other for his walk-in closet.

The king-size bed was placed in the middle where the head was leaned on the wall. It was the first thing that would be seen if someone entered the main door. The other side of the room was simply made of small living room with two couches and small coffee table. There were also two doors. The first one was where we entered and the other was connected in another room.

Alexander saw me looking at the door and answered my mind's question, "It was a door connected to your future room." He held my waist and put his chin on my shoulder.

I smiled, "My future room?"

He nodded and kissed the side of my face. "I ordered food for us. My servants will bring it here."

After few minutes, two servants knocked and entered the room. They prepared a small table and two chairs. They put the food on the table. There were four different dishes that made my mouth watered.

We sat across each other and started eating. I also missed food. I never eaten like this before Alexander went back to the palace. I did not chew the food regularly and swallowed it immediately when it went to my mouth. I could feel Alexander watching me, but for once, I did not care. I was laughing when I realized that I loved food same with how much I loved him.

After we ate, we cuddled on his bed. Doing nothing but staring to each other's eyes. Suddenly, I thought of Emily. Were they like this in the past? Of course, they had a relationship for years. Jealousy shot through me and I knew Alexander read it in my face.

"What's wrong, Shirley?" He asked and held me tightly.

I put my hand over his chest where I could feel his heart. "I'm just thinking why you did not call me when you're still in New York," at least it was not totally a lie.

"I've been busy to make things right, Shirley," he sincerely said, "I want everything to be smooth before I named you to my parents and to the whole world." I could feel under my palm that his heart beat faster in his each word, "Next year, in the very first month, you'll stop working being my accountant. I talked Isaac about this and he will put you as a general accountant in his company. Then, I will name you as my girlfriend for a while. I hope you understand that. We can't..." I put my hand from his chest to his mouth.

"I understand it, Alexander, but you don't need to do this, I can find myself a job especially when I have the experience in the palace," I argued. It was not that I did not like the idea. However, he was not obliged to help me in everything.

Silence surrounded us. We listened to each other's breath until he broke it, "You can't oppose in this, Shirley. You can't find a better job like this with your only two months experience in palace."

"But," this time he was the one who covered my mouth.

"Remember our first kiss?" He asked and removed his hand for me to answer.

"Yes, in our office," I suddenly became confuse to change of topic.

"No, that's not our first kiss," he frowned as if I told him that I already forgot his name.

I left his warmness and sat to see him carefully, "What?"

"Our first kiss happened the night when you're sleeping after I left you in the parking lot of the club," he tried to make me remember the scenario. Still nothing came. "I kissed you while you're sleeping, but in my surprise, you responded."

I looked at him with my mouth opened, "You mean, that night, I thought it was only a dream."

"You're not dreaming, that's why I came into your office the next day to make sure that you don't remember me going to your room that night," he explained while he caressed my cheek, "At that time, I knew that you're different from the girls I've involved with." That hurt. "But, I'm in denial. I'm afraid that you'll leave in the end of the day. Then, this feeling evolve. The more I made myself farther from you, the more I'm falling. And now, I don't know what will happen to me if you realized that I'm not good for you and you leave me alone in this palace."

I saw tears falling from his eyes like how my love for him went deeper. It was not the beautiful words he said, but it was how he opened his heart for me. At this very moment, I knew that I was the only one living in his heart.

"My prince," I said and wiped his tears with my bared hand, "I won't leave you, never."

"Will you accept my offer, hmm, Shirley?" He asked, afraid of my answer.

Past was past. Whatever happened in the past between him and Emily was already a history. I should not cry because of that. Alexander had loved her, but Alexander currently loved me and would love me more until I could not hold it anymore. I was his present and future, what else should I ask for? Nothing. Alexander himself was enough for me.

Before I could answer his question, my mobile phone rang and I got it from the pocket of my skirt. I looked at the screen to see my mom calling.

I was not able to greet her because her words and cry erupted my whole body.

"Shirley, your father is in comatose state."