Born To Be

44| Sinking

"Do you know how to braid it?" she scoffed. 

"Please, I've braided your hair before," I mumbled, quickly braiding it smoothly and then tying it off. "Do you want any water?" 

"No." 

"Any dinner?" 

"No." 

"Any dessert?" 

She hesitated. "No." 

"Any ice cream." 

"If you insist." 

I smiled to myself while getting off the bed and walking over to her. "Which one?" 

"Guess," she dared. 

I eyed her with narrowed eyes. "Strawberry." 

"Why do you know that?" she asked, genuinely surprised that I was able to guess. 

I pulled out my phone to use the intercom before putting it on her nightstand. "Evelyn." 

"Sit down," she demanded. 

"Where?" 

"On my head," she rolled her eyes. "On the bed, you idiot." I went and sat beside her, kicking my shoes off. "You really hurt me," she mumbled without looking at me. She won't even look at me. That is the thing that is slowly killing me. 

"I know," I said guiltily. 

"Now what do you want me to do? Just forgive you and act like it didn't happen?" 

"No," I said quickly. "No, I want you to punish me however you want. You have every right to be upset and act out and make me feel like shit-" 

"You already do." 

"Even more. I deserve it." 

She shook her head, "I'm not going to make it worse for you." 

"You can... slap me?" 

"I'm surprised I haven't already," she scoffed. 

"Look, I don't know. Whatever makes you feel better and me feel worse." 

"Nothing that makes you feel bad can ever make me feel good, Archer." She finally looked up at me. "My heart doesn't function like that. Making you feel worse will only make me feel worse about myself." 

"But you haven't done anything wrong to feel bad about yourself in the first place," I stated. 

"No, but I've... Actually, you're right. I haven't done anything wrong," she nodded. "So, I won't make anything worse for you. But you have to make it up to me." 

"I'll do anything, what do you want?" I asked eagerly. 

"That's for you to know and me to find out." 

I nodded slowly, "All right, fair enough. But the next ball is in two weeks. I have to announce my fiance then. But just to be clear, this doesn't get in the way of that, right? Because I still want everyone to know that you're finally mine." 

She bit back a smile and hid it well. "I'm leaving tomorrow." 

"What?" I felt the blood draining my face. 

"You asked me to stay an extra week. That ends tomorrow. I've been here for a month and a week, I need to go back home." 

"No," I whined. 

"Yes," she countered. "I can't stay here forever, especially if we get married because I'll be stuck here forever then regardless. I'm leaving after lunch. Whatever you do, you're going to have to do it outside the palace. So good luck," she snorted. 

"Then let me stay with you." 

"What?" Her eyes widened. 

"Yes, that's perfect! That way I can still spend all my time with you and making it up to you, and I won't be tortured with my royal family. It's just two weeks, what could go wrong?" 

"Someone could see you. And then everyone would know. And then you'd be in danger. I know you wander around Zariya alone all the time, but that's not safe or recommended. What if people crowd around in excitement to see you and you get hurt?" 

"Then I'll meet them one by one because I'm not like my mother and I won't brush them off," I shrugged. 

"That's so not how it works," she shook her head. "So not how it works. If you stay with me, I'm responsible for you. I can't take that kind of responsibility, please." 

"I'm not a child," I sighed. "I can be responsible." 

She gave me a blank look. 

"It's just two weeks, I'll stay locked in the house if that's what you want, all right? But I'm coming with you." 

"Your family won't allow it." 

"I don't need their permission for everything I do, I'm an adult," I retorted. 

"It'll affect their image," she said, mocking what I said earlier about all my actions affecting my family. "And what people think of royals." 

"People will finally realize royals are not God and not all that better and higher than them. They'll finally know we can be friendly and respect them too. I'm coming with you, you can't change my mind." 

There was a knock on the door and one of the housemaids came in, offered Evelyn the ice cream bowl from a tray, and then left when she took it.

"Just think about all the trouble you'll be going through. Just for two weeks." 

"I'm doing this so I can make it up to you. If I don't, I won't get as much time to do that. I'll be locked in here with some work either about the girls, the upcoming ball, or the duties of being a Prince." 

"Which aren't that many," she rolled her eyes. 

"Have you tried sitting through a council meeting?" 

"Really? Is it that difficult? Does it make your ass hurt sitting for so long?" she taunted. 

I bit back a smile. It was genuinely really amusing when she cursed. Nobody around here does it anyway, including me. It's nice to hear some swear words for a change. 

"It hurts my heart being away from you for so long. That's why I'm coming." 

"Oh, how I'm sinking. My heart is sinking into the depths of adoration for you," she sighed dramatically putting her hand on her chest. 

"Sinking? Really?" I chuckled. 

"Pack it up. You're in love with me, I get it," she muttered. "Don't show it so much, it makes it harder to..." 

"Hate me?" I smirked, scooting closer to her. 

She huffed, putting a pillow in the space between us. 

"Really?" I chuckled, genuinely entertained. 

"Really," she nodded, going back to her ice cream. 

Strawberry. How did I know, one might ask. I know because she sneaks out in the middle of the night to get it sometimes. And the few times I've woken up and kissed her, she tastes like it. That's how I know. 

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Chapter 44

next chapter: epiphany