"What are you talking about?" Yelena finally asked as she shifted her gaze to the woman named Gina Larson.

She maintained a blank face, seemingly unfazed by the warning. But her heart was not the same. It was not what she could easily control.

​​

"Don't put your trust in Felix Valestra. He is not what he seems to be." Gina repeated her warning. The two women glanced at each other with confidence and a nonchalant face, both of them were not the type to be easily shaken.

Yelena turned her face away from the woman and smiled. It was not the smile which she always wore, but much more like a sarcastic smile. "Aren't you the Crown Prince's acquaintance? Am I mistaken?"

The woman was not intimidated by her sarcastic words. Instead, her eyes trailed to the direction where the busy Crown Prince was standing. "Did you know that Felix even drove his ex-lover to death? He is that kind of man. The more you spend time with him, the more you will suffer. I only tell you this because I don't want you to end up like -"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Larson. But if you are trying to tell me about the past story of Felix, I'm not interested." Yelena looked at the woman straight into the eyes. "Anything that concerned about my man, I will only hear it from him and not some acquaintance."

She gave Felix a quick glance and again looked at the woman. "If you could excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

She turned around and return to the restroom where they went before; leaving the woman behind in a perplexed face.

* * *

"What was that?" Yelena asked herself the moment she shut the door of the restroom. The room was a very small one with just two couch and a small table in it.

She sat down on one of the couch and recalled what she just heard. A man who drove his ex-lover to death? Felix did that?

Nonsense. That's the word which first appeared on her mind. She tried to brush away all the things she heard from that so-called acquaintance, but... why was it so hard?

"Why are you here?" The voice startled Yelena who was busy fighting a battle on her own mind. Her eyes instantly flew to the door where the voice came from and saw Felix standing there.

She smiled as she let out a breath. "I'm just bored. You're such a busy man. Are things always like that in your country?" She asked right away.

Felix nodded and sat next to her. "Yes. It's almost impossible to have a casual outing for me." He replied. "Do you want to have a joint dinner?"

"It will be fun. But with whom?"

"Alonzo and his close friend. She came to attend the exhibition and her name is Gina." Felix simply replied.

He didn't notice the changed in her reactions as he rose from his seat right away. "Let's go. They are waiting for us." He offered his hand to her.

With reluctance, Yelena holds Felix's hand with a slight smile. But when they realized that they need to maintain their secret, their hands were separated again and leave the Art Gallery separately.

* * *

"I don't see you looking at my work. I'm quite disappointed." Four people were having dinner in a private room of a luxurious restaurant when Alonzo stated his disappointment to Yelena with a grumpy face.

Even though the Prince was already a grown-up man, he looked like a child who acted up whenever things don't go his way.

Yelena smiled at the childish cousin of Felix who was acting like a rebellious teenager. "I take a look at it in the very first place. You're a great artist." She praised Alonzo.

Prince Alonzo's face brightened up at the compliment. "Really? You like my work?" He was grinning from ear to ear which made him resembled a psychopath.

"Stop acting like a little kid, Zo." Felix was the one who made the effort to put an end to his cousin's childish act. He didn't want his girlfriend to feel uncomfortable.

"Hmmph! I don't even ask you. Are you trying to be an overprotective boyfriend?" Prince Alonzo crossed his arms and glared at his cousin which earned him a chuckle from the Captain.

"Let's have our dinner in peace." She said to the two men with a mocking smile.

"I'm really curious about your occupation. You're very beautiful, so perhaps are you from the entertainment industry? But you don't feel familiar." Gina was the one who changed the topic. She knew nothing about the Crown Prince's new lover. As such, it made her curious. Besides, the new girlfriend was more than beautiful.

As always, the Crown Prince was trying to speak up for her but Yelena holds his arm with a smile. She wanted to answer the woman herself.

"I'm in the Army. I'm a Captain." She replied and smiled out of courtesy.

With that response, Gina's blinked in surprise. With a perplexed face, she asked, "Army? You're a soldier? But you don't look like one." She inwardly scoffed at the response. The Crown Prince was dating a mere soldier? What a joke!

"She's in the Special Forces and her grandfather is the Army General. The biggest thing is that her mother is the -"

"That's enough, Zo," Felix speak up to stop his talkative cousin and gave him a warning gaze.

"The Chairwoman of TR Group." Oops! The Prince still finished his words despite the warning from his cousin. As soon as he concluded his words, he smiled at the couple as if he was pleading innocence.

"It's fine, Felix," Yelena said in a calm voice to soothe her boyfriend who was glaring at his hopeless cousin. "It's the truth anyway. Nothing can be hidden forever."

Her calm voice completely changed the Crown Prince's expression. He looked her at once with a smile. "If you're okay with it, then it's fine." He said to her in an affectionate voice.

Hearing Yelena's identity, Gina nervously rubbed her hands beneath the table as she looked at the affectionate couple before her. She could hardly hide her feelings.

Inferiority complex. It was what the only daughter of a prestigious noble family in Edeladon, Gina Larson was battling ever since she was a young girl!

Despite being the only daughter of the Duke who would inherit all her father's royal titles, she was never feeling secure.

"Excuse me for a minute." Felix gave Yelena a light kiss on the face and rose his seat to answer the call from one of his close cousin from his mother side.

He stepped out of the room and stood next to the door with his phone on his ears, talking to his most favourite cousin who was also his best friend until... a woman's voice call him.

"Your Highness." Gina who just walked out of the private room was standing just a foot away from him.

"I'll call you later." Felix ended the call with his cousin and looked at the woman. "Lady Gina." He greeted her.

"Are you really in love with that foreigner?" Gina asked as she took a step towards him.

"I don't think such a talk is suited between us, My Lady. I'll be going inside." He brushed the woman's off with a formal yet cold tone and walked past her but... she grabbed him on the arms.

"In the past, I never showed it because the one you loved was my friend. But now, why would you choose that foreigner? A soldier on top of that! She didn't deserve you, Your Highness."

She looked at the man whom she admired for many years and desperately hold onto him. And what always break her heart was the Crown Prince indifferent behaviour towards her. No wonder he's still the same person - the cold and cruel man who drove her friend to her demise.....