Calian Dexter de Lachlan
You see, it wouldn't do too much fun if I was going to stand by and let her use me.
I've thought about it over and over and I've finally reached my conclusion. If she's using me for her own goals, why can't I use her for my own goals?
I hurried down the stairs so I wouldn't miss her, but by the time I got on the first floor, the traces of the princess were no longer there. But I didn't give up, I pushed through the hoard of people blindly to find the princess.
"Prince Calian, come join us!" a student bellowed through the loud music.
"I'll come later," I shouted back and walked past him.
"Oh, it's the prince!" I heard many say and tried to approach me which I quickly fended off.
After about ten minutes of searching, I finally catch a glimpse of Princess Olivia again.
She was sitting alone at the bar stool and what I mean by alone is that her lady-in-waiting nor her friend are nowhere to be seen.
The one keeping her company was Howard Philberts, son of a world renowned pharmaceutical company. He was known for being a certified playboy and trouble maker. I heard his parents have already spent a fortune in keeping their son's reputation out of the public's eye.
I walked closer, but kept myself at a distance just to hear what they were talking about.
"C'mon princess, I'm sure a drink is not gonna hurrrt. Or is it because you're not allowed to drink tequila? No one will know anyways." Howard kept saying, his words slurred which indicated that he was clearly drunk.
He was pushing the drink in front of Olivia and if only he could force her to drink it, he probably would have.
"I appreciate the offer, but once again, I refuse. Now I appreciate it if you keep your dis--"
"Just drink it, it's not like I put anything weird in it. Why won't you drink it, huh. Why won't you drink it!" he said raising his voice more and more.
People were already looking their way and looking at the princess, but she simply maintained her composure. If she was still able to keep her calm when a guy is literally forcing her to drink, I wasn't able to do that.
I could feel my anger rising as I walked towards them. When I got there, Howard was already raising the glass of tequila and giving it to her. I took the glass and smashed it on the floor.
"Hey, who do you--!" Howard screamed at the top of his lungs, but when he realized who he was talking to, he stopped and took a few steps backwards. "I--I..." he stammered.
"Do you know that harming any member of the royal family can get you jailed for a minimum of three years plus the addition fines that will be applied to that. There are many witnesses here, do you think you should really keep at that?" I tell him coldly and standing between him and Olivia.
His eyes widened and this time, he looked like a deer in headlights. He probably didn't know that that was the case.
He looked like he was just realizing how bad his future consequences can be and if he was drunk earlier, he looked like he was starting to sober up. People have also started to form around us and whispering, a sign to get away from here to prevent bad publicity.
I turned around to face Olivia and she was just in the middle of exhaling deeply, I took her wrist and led her to follow me, but I stopped as we passed by Howard.
"If you understand that, scram." I whispered to which he immediately walked away hurriedly.
I pushed through the crowd while holding tightly onto the princess' hand and led her towards the emergency exit.
Thankfully, when we left the scene, people weren't able to pay attention to us and didn't even know that we were the ones passing by.
When we got out, one of my personal guards was already standing outside and when I nodded at him, he already knew what to do.
As we waited, I turned to Olivia, still feeling annoyed that she could not even fight back.
"You could have been seriously hurt," I started and couldn't help the tone of annoyance in my voice.
To my dismay, she only smiled and nodded. "Indeed, but he didn't."
"Really? If I didn't step up, who knows what he could've done, do you realize that you could have been drugged?!"
Before I was able to realize it, I already raised my voice and I immediately felt bad.
"Whether you would have come or not, I'm fully capable of protecting myself. I've also taken many defense classes and I could have easily called my knight, but I do appreciate the effort."
I was taken aback, what she said was true anyways.
Just in time, my personal guard came with my car. He got out of the driver's seat and handed me the keys.
I took a deep breath, opened the passenger seat's door and motioned for Olivia to get in, but she stood still and looked conflicted whether to go in or not.
"Where are we going?" she asked and I was about to answer her when she added something else, "I'm not sure I want to be driven anywhere with an emotional person."
Excuse me? An emotional person? Me?
I took another breather and calmed myself down.
"I'm not emotional and we're just going to talk somewhere. Talking while there's dozens of speakers booming at your ears is not really a good idea."
She nodded and held her bag close to her as she got in the car. I closed the door and I rounded to the other side to take my place.
My personal guard came and informed me that they would be following us from behind without disturbing us. I nodded and set off.
Thankfully, the destination I had in mind wasn't that far. From the corner of my peripheral view, I saw Olivia taking her phone out to text someone.
I would have liked to be surprised because believe me when I say that it's my first time seeing her hold up a phone.
I took the highway for a good fifteen minutes and exited towards a quieter borough. As I drove, I sometimes saw Olivia looking around my car and it was distracting how constantly she looked at me.
"Do you have anything to say?" I asked and momentarily looked at her.
"Oh no, nothing. It's just that I've never sat in the front seat before."
What am I supposed to reply to that?
'Good for you..?'
'Congratulations?'
So instead, I kept my mouth shut from saying anything stupid and kept driving.
When I saw the familiar neon lights that lit up a small shop, I turned right and parked at the parking lot.
I haven't been here in a while and I could really use some of the apple crumble pie that Nan makes.
Olivia looked at the diner in front and looked at me weirdly.
"Don't be quick to judge, let's go." I advised her as I got out of the car.
When she got out of the car, I saw her shudder at the night cold. She was wearing a short sleeved dark green dress that fit her perfectly, but thinking about it, it didn't fit into Conner's party.
I took off my coat and handed it to her. She switched looks between my coat and me for a little while, as if she can't believe that I'm handing it to her which honestly kind of hurt me.
"Don't look at me like that, I can do at least this much for you."
"Thank you," she thanked and took the coat from me to wear.
I shook my head in an effort to shake off her clear distrust in me and what I could do for her and here she was the one needing me.
I walked up the few stairs of the diner and opened the door. The princess was right behind me and she looked like a tourist as she was observing everything around her before deciding to go in.
When we both got in, I saw that there were no more customers inside and the place looked like it just got cleaned. I glanced at my watch and saw that it's only a little after nine. They close in a few minutes.
"Clarisse, I think someone's here!" I heard a familiar cry out from where seemed to be the kitchen. It was nan Clarisse's husband, Lorenzo.
A few minutes later, a woman in her early 60s walked out of the kitchen with her apron as she wiped her hands on them. "We're closing soo-- oh goodness!" she exclaimed when she saw me.
Immediately, I smiled and walked up to give her a big hug.
"Nan, I missed you so much. I'm sorry for dropping by without notice."
"Nonsense, child! You're welcome here anytime! Lorenzo, come look who surprised us!" she said with the biggest smile I've ever seen anyone wear in a long time.
Nan Clarisse hugged me again and checked my face if I was doing fine and everything and I kept insisting that I was alright. However, she only stopped when her attention fell on my companion.
"Oh goodness--! Is sh-she..?" she asked me as she was unsure if she was looking at the right person. I only smiled and nodded at her confirming that she was in fact standing in front of the princess.
"Pardon my rudeness, your highness! My name is Clarisse Bianchi, I was prince Calian's babysitter from ever since he was a baby." she said and curtsied in front of the princess.
Olivia smiled at her gracefully and returned the curtsy.
"It's so nice to meet you, miss Clarisse. I hope you don't mind us being here tonight when you've all cleaned up."
And there their conversation began.
Finally, Lorenzo showed up and just like nan, pops came out of the kitchen while cleaning his wet hands.
He squinted his eyes at the sight of us and when he finally recognized me, he immediately come over for another embrace.
The greetings started again and I had to introduce the princess to him also.
"Grandpops, as you may know, this is princess Olivia." I inform him and faked a cough as I looked away.
He was one of the few people who knew about my struggles with my fiancée and he always advised me to get to know her first before passing a judgment.
His smile was one I could already guess. He was probably thinking that I took him up on his advise.
Grandpops greeted the princess and when all the formalities were gone, they finally made us take our seats at one of the window seats.
"Now, what do you two want to eat? I can whip anything you guys want." nan Clarisse said proudly and for some reason she seemed to be extra eager in making us a meal.
"If it's not too much trouble, I don't mind eating what you have left in there." the princess said which surprised me.
Nan looked back at me, stunned as much as I am. She's fine with leftovers?
"Oh, please your highness don't be burdened. I'll cook you our famous ribeyes. And as for you prince Calian, I know what you're gonna get so I'll be back soon, alright you lovebirds."
I admit I had to look away when she called us lovebirds. We were far from that.
When nan and pops left to prepare our food and to resume their cleaning, silence settled for a few minutes. I expected it to be the kind of silence that would be suffocating.
The one that was always between us whenever we forced to have a dinner together for two hours, but on the contrary,
The silence was... comfortable.
Princess Olivia took her phone out and started taking pictures of the place, she had this small smile on her lips as if she was a tourist witnessing something amazing.
"First time in a diner too?" I asked.
She placed her phone's camera in front of me and snapped a picture. "Hey, don't take pictures of me, you can get punished for that." I said with the most unthreatening tone ever.
She looked at the picture and chuckled before deleting it.
What the--
She deleted my picture in front of me.
"Why did you delete it?" I asked this time feeling rather offended.
"Yeah, it's my first time in a diner. Although I've always wanted to go to one." she said, answering my first question, but not the one I just asked.
"Alright, I'm guessing you haven't been to the movies yet?"
She raised her index finger and shook her head.
"Uh-uh, prince Calian. It's my turn to ask a question," great now we're playing 21 questions, "if you're close to your carer, why not keep her at the palace?"
"Believe me, I tried, but it's always been her dream to open her own shop with her husband. Who am I to take away that dream? Now, have you been to the movies?"
"Of course I have, I don't live under a rock. I obtained permission to go to the movies with Aaliyah and we were able to watch it, but they reserved one theater room for us."
Gosh, she hasn't been to the movies.
"I heard you broke up with Nancy?"
The question surprised me, so she knew that I was uhm... seeing another girl.
I had to let down my pride for the question.
"I didn't break up with her, we weren't together in the first place. We were just... seeing each other."
Damn this is awkward, so I made sure to change the topic fast.
"You never attend parties, why did you go tonight?"
"Well, you can thank the queen for that. She told me that it'd be good for me if I socialized with fellow students which is what I was doing until you had to interrupt that."
I nodded and waited for her to ask another question, but she didn't.
"It's your turn." I reminded.
She thought for a while as I waited in anticipation, but then she just shrugged off her shoulders.
"I don't have anymore questions, really."
For the nth time tonight, I felt somewhat offended.
I always thought that between the two of us, I was the one who gave our relationship the least of regards but here I found out that that's not the case at all.
"Well then, let me ask a question. What are you planning?"
She stared at me and very briefly, it was like the glint in her eyes changed to a very cold look.
"What do you mean?"
"Power. When you told me you're going through with the marriage for power, that can only mean that you're planning something no? What are you trying to get power for? Are you trying to do something against my people, my family perhaps?" I ask her one by one.
"Excuse me? Are you writing fantasies prince Calian? Are you really accusing me of having plans of harming the Altomarian royal family? I am offended." she answered with such offence in her voice that even I doubted if all my allegations are purely a fabric of my overthinking.
I took a deep breath and leaned back on seat.
"Alright, I apologize, that's not what I meant."
"Then what exactly did you mean then?"
The tension was high and I looked her straight in the eyes as I answered her. "That no matter what your reason for agreeing to fast-track our wedding, it's because you have a goal that you want to accomplish and it's my duty to know whether that goal of yours will in any way harm the interest of my people, my family or myself."
"And what if I tell you that such goal does not exist?"
"I'd say you're lying." I said, but even I wasn't confident in that.
I mean, I didn't know much about her. She may look perfect on the outside but you never know what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe I'm just misjudging her character wrongly.
"And if it does exist?" she asked, looking at me intently, waiting for my answer.
"If you do have such a goal, then I refuse to be a pawn in your chess game."