PRINCE ADALIZ

Single since birth

WHEN WAS THE last time I've apologised? I don't know.

Then again? When was the last time I've made such a stupid mistake? Daegan and Fabianne had noticed she was speaking English. I'd practice what I'd say to her in the mirror multiple times. I thought of how she'd find me regal and powerful. She probably found me to be a bumbling idiot.

So much so, she'd actually chosen Laurie of all people and his misshapen face.

I pace my room. I'd changed to a white shirt, with a black tie, I'd folded up the sleeves to look a little more casual, a bit more like Laurie, and I'm wearing black slacks. I've gelled my hair up and applied a bit of concealer under my eyes so she wouldn't see the dark eye bags that have tainted my olive skin.

I look at the mirror, Lady Arianna, I feel like we've gotten off on a bad start. I was led to believe you spoke french -

I pull my hair.

I want to talk to mother, I need her advice. But she's not around. I don't know the exact nature of her discussion with Lady Adalane but it's not one I could enter.

So I walk to Jaspers room.

The guard announces my arrival, and I step in. I only speak when the doors are closed. "Jasper, how would you apologise?" I ask directly.

"Apologise?" His brows knot. And he puts down the book he had been reading.

"To Lady Arianna," I say irritated.

"Oh," His eyes light up. "I'll just tell her I'm sorry I didn't listen to her."

"How, exactly?"

Jasper looks at me. It's a look that makes me regret asking him. He's a whole ten years younger than me. Fabianne had been reluctant to the idea, and Daegan? I still couldn't get past the fact he's had two girlfriends I know nothing about. Everytime I think of asking him, I remember he's dated someone before.

Jasper has.

But he doesn't know I've never been in a relationship before.

He wouldn't look at me with pity the way sometimes Daegan looks at me when the Lady Arianna comes into conversation. For me, I'd never liked anyone or knew anyone enough to like them. I'd always had more pressing issues to worry about. I'd rather see Jasper, then see Daegan right now.

"Greetings, Lady Arianna. I would like to apologise for my rude behavior earlier?" Jasper replies.

"That's it?" I ask.

"It's the gist of it. Yes."

I cross my arms. "Your help is appreciated," I say to Jasper as I walk out. I see him wave as I leave, his book already in his hands.

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Her room door is closed when I walk up to it. My palms are sweating. I needed to do this. I need to prove myself. I stand straight and nod at the guard by my side.

He bows and opens the door, he announces my presence and the doors open. Her room is about the same size as Laurie's, as I step in, there's a wall with fresh flowers my mother had picked for her from her garden. I step inside, when I walk in I realise I should have brought flowers or something, didn't girls like that?

I rub my palms on my pants. "Lady Arianna?" I call.

"Here," Her voice comes back in English. I walk carefully. Despite having grown in the palace for the past 34 years of my life, I suddenly felt like an intruder. She's in her walk-in closet, I hesitate at the door.

Normally, they would come to greet me. I don't know if I should step in.

"Lady Arianna?" I try again.

"I'm in here," Her voice sounds a little irate.

I falter, should I step in? I worry that it's improper, what if she's dressing. "Are you dressing?" I ask her in English.

"If I was, I wouldn't let you in, would I?" Her voice is penetratingly sweet that it feels false. Not for the first time today, I'm left wondering what my parents were thinking with this arrangement.

I brace myself, and I step in.

The closet is a mess. I'd stopped by to check with Daegan before she moved in. We've checked everything in, including the entrance to the secret passageway to make sure it was working. It needed a bit of oil which Daegan helped work on.

The closet is a cream coloured room, before she came in, it was empty with more than ample space to keep her items in. Now, the cream coloured walls constrasted sharply with black. Black blouses, black tops, black skirts and black on black on everything. There's random items of clothing on the floor, strewn about without a care for the world.

My eyes find her, she's hanging a black garment. She's tied her hair in a ponytail wearing a black shirt with a black shirt. Her feet are bare.

She doesn't turn to look at me.

Perhaps I should move forward?

I glance at the ground.

It's strewn with her clothes. If I were to move forward I would need to walk carefully to avoid stepping on any of the various garments in her room. I let out a breath, well here goes...

I try to avoid the items of clothing on her floor. I'm successful for a minute till I catch sight of what might have been a lacy bottom that barely covers anything. The sight of it makes me dizzy and I lose my balance falling backwards.

She hisses something, as I fall hitting something painful with my head. She steps right up to me, her black curly hair half hanging on the ponytail, up close I see that a good amount of it was messily on her face. Her dark rimmed brown eyes looking at me.

"Get up! Get up! Get up!" She shrieks like a banshee.

I try to but, it's difficult because I definitely do not want to touch whatever lacy undergarments she's brought.

She reaches for me, and I reach for her hand but her hands go straight to something behind my head. "My boots!" She says bringing the black items to her chest and cradling it.

This is ridiculous.

I move up to my feet, stepping on some of her clothes in the way, "Why don't you get the staff to do it?" I say aggravated. "They're much more efficient." And less messy.

"I need to know where my things are kept," her voice is pointed. I glance at her, and she's standing with those ridiculous black boots in hand, "and you did want me to settle down."

I know I needed to calm down but I couldn't help but feel frustrated, "Yes, well, it's such a waste. We've so many staff to help you if needed. Besides, arranging your clothes yourself is taking too much time."

She raises a dark eyebrow at me, "Well, it's my time to waste."

I want to shout. Instead, I turn around and head to the doors. I open it to see my guard obediently waiting for me. "Get some of the maids to help Lady Arianna arrange her clothes."

I hadn't realised she followed me, but as I turn around, I see her dark eyes throwing daggers at me. "It's not necessary, Prince Adaliz. As I've mentioned before, I'm perfectly capable of arranging my own clothes."

"Yes, I perfectly believe you," I lie.

Her eyes squint a little, which I admit did look a little intimidating. She wore too much dark makeup for a future Queen. It did not suit her small face and merely made me and perhaps everyone she interacted feel a little uncomfortable.

She rests her hands on her hips and took a step forward, staring intently at my face, "Prince Adaliz, I think it will save us both time if we just be upfront and honest with each other."

"Is that so?" I reply, refusing to take a step back. I admit I'm not comfortable with the lack of space between us. Merely because this isn't proper.

"Yes, because at least then you don't have to pretend to like me," She says.

To tell the truth, my heart never races when I lie, but it does now. It beats wildly and uncomfortably in my chest and I force myself not to look away from my eyes. "Why do you think that I do not like you?"

There's no smile on her features, instead they darken more, "So you want me to believe you were excited when your parents told me we're going to get married?"

At this, I can't meet her gaze, I turn away.

She takes a step back, picking up the black boots she left on the floor and walked back to her dressing room. I follow after her, "Well, we don't have much of a choice do we?" I call out feeling frustrated.

"Who told you that?" She calls out, not turning out. Definitely impolite.

"If you had a choice, why are you here?" I ask her then. Clenching my fists by my side.

She turns around, her eyebrows raised, "Because I want to be."

With that, she turns back to the closet and closes the door. I close my mouth, annoyed to have been gaping. I relax my fingers. I check my reflection in the mirror. I was here to be apologise. Yet, instead of apologising, I fear I might have made it worse.

And my heart won't stop racing, I might be having an anxiety attack at this rate. I force myself out of her room, trying to calm my breathing. The lightness in my head hadn't turned over and I find myself feeling like I'm about to go on the ground in panic.

The feeling bothers me. This isn't working out for me or my health. She'd send me to an early grave if I'm not careful. I don't want to risk falling over anything, so without gracing her with a goodbye, I exit her room.

I begin the walk to my room, a different floor, well away. My head is clouded with thought of her. The dark hair. The dark eyes. It's spinning to fast that I'm dizzy. I don't know if I should go to see Daegan. He would understand of if I should lie down. I find one of the many lounging areas in the palace and head straight for it.

The further I went away from her room, the less I felt like I was going into a panic attack.

This isn't good for my health.

What were my parent's thinking?

AN

On a scale of 1 - 10 how badly do you think Adaliz fucked up with Arianna?

I hope your excited for this early chapter. This is like a chapter all of you have been eagerly waiting for, Adaliz meeting his future bride, the loveable Arianna. I'm still writing this story and I think I might have got a little to excited and planned too much for one book with five main characters.

I hope you're ready because frankly, this story is going to be a lot longer than Royally Screwed but a lot more juicier.

And thank you so much for your votes & comments on the last chapter. I've had so much fun chatting with you. I'm feeling a lot better now, less feverish and my appetite is coming back!

Cheers, Pain.