92. Garfield

98 8 4
                                    

"So..." Heidith put a hand on his cheek and looked at the girl beside him curiously. "What do you want to say?"

They were sitting on a mat in the first grape garden. Because of the approaching winter, the weather wasn't hot. Rather comfortable and chilly. The birds provided music to the atmosphere, singing beautifully.

Zadhea was still looking at their painting as she hummed softly. "Hey, look!" She lifted her eyes to meet his. "Isn't it beautiful? Do you know who he is?"

"The artist?" Heidith asked, his voice carrying a hint of annoyance.

"Who else? He's so talented. I wish he could meet Mario and give him some advice. I know Mario is talented, but he's still eighteen. He has a long way to go..."

"Mario?" Heidith raised a brow. 'Great, another guy!'

"Yeah. He's my childhood friend."

"Does he like you?" Heidith suddenly questioned. The moment it came out of his mouth, he became surprised, and he instantly regretted it. He didn't want to ask such a thing. He knew Zadhea wasn't someone easy to get along with.

Zadhea was equally surprised. But at the same time, she knew it was time to clarify the misunderstanding between them.

"Listen to me clearly, Your Highness Prince Heidith," Her gentle but firm voice filled the atmosphere as she spoke. "As you can see, I have friends from the same gender as well as the opposite gender. I think you also have friends from the opposite gender. Like, Stella."

Heidith opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again, letting her do the talking without interrupting her.

Zadhea knew he was listening, although his eyes weren't fixated on her. With a heavy heart, she continued, "Although she's your friend, who knows whether she likes you romantically... We never know what others think of us, and we can't control their feelings. If they like us, what can we do? As long as we don't return their feelings, everything will be fine."

She paused to take a quick breath. "Maybe Mario likes me or maybe not. What can I do about it? The same goes for Lucas. He confessed to me without a warning. He actually caught me off guard with that. It was truly unexpected. And his kiss... Do you think I liked it? Absolutely not. I'm a girl with dignity. I will never cheat on you. Political or not, I respect our relationship. Until the day we break off the engagement, I'll remain faithful to you."

Heidith clenched his fists. 'Until the day we cancel our engagement? What kind of nonsense is that?'

Zadhea went on without noticing his gloomy demeanour. "I know you are a loyal person too. You took my side when others falsely criticized me. I'm more than grateful for that. Truly, thank you! I just want you to know that I'll never break your trust in me. Whether others like me or not, I have nothing to do about it."

"I understand." Heidith let out a heavy sigh.

Zadhea was relieved to hear that. She felt the heaviness of her heart fading away. "Great. I have one more thing to tell you. If you ever find someone whom you want to spend the rest of your life with, feel free to let me know. You don't have to cheat on me. I'll happily give you my blessings."

Heidith squinted his eyes and looked at her unhappily. "What?" He couldn't quite understand what she was talking about. Why should he bother to find someone else when he had the most suitable person by his side as his partner?

"I don't want anyone else. Let's try to work things out between us. I'm sure we'll make a great couple."

Zadhea's heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect him to be so straightforward. "Does it mean... Do you like me?" She looked into his eyes deeply as if to see through his soul. "Do you still like me?"

The Villainess's Oath: I'll Kill The ProtagonistsWhere stories live. Discover now