Emily's point of view

We wheeled our luggage to the expressway, waiting by the sidewalk for our transport or so we thought because almost immediately, a breathtaking limousine came to a halt in front of us.

"Whoah!" Cecil and I exclaimed at the same time, jaw-dropped.

"I wanna be royalty," Cecil fawned over the car even though she had enough money to get herself one.

"You wish for a lot of things," I laughed at her just as the chauffeur stepped out and opened the door for us to get in.

"Yeah," She sighed, "Like I wish Pedro was here wIth me. You know, he complains that I don't spend enough time with him and yet, when the opportunity finally comes, he chooses to spend it with Anabelle - ouch, my poor heart," she complained.

"Let the young people be, it's his time so it's not a crime he chose to have fun with people his age than the old you. I'll just take advantage of the little time I have with Akim before he finally grows up and decides that girls and his phone are a better company, " I said.

"I would never leave you, mom, " Akim said to me with hearty eyes.

"Ooh, so sweet," I placed my hand on my chest, "But I know better than to trust a man's words,"

Cecil burst into laughter before she thought of something, "You know I really thought Pedro was going to end up with Isabella. I mean they were oozing with chemistry,"

"Isabelle?" I gave her the look, " Are you pulling my leg or something? That girl is incapable of loving - gene borrowed from her father. Besides, that was when they were kids, bug my brother to update you on her status and you'd keep your son away from her by all means," was my advice.

I know Isabella's my good niece but Cecil's my friend and Pedro, a son to me, I'm not going to watch him fall into the fire with his eyes opened.

"Alright, advice taken, " Cecil accepted with good faith.

"By the way," I asked, leaning back against the seat I had lower back a bit, "How did you arrange all these? If I could remember, even with our connection, royalty is not easy to win over,"

"Point of correction," She adjusted, "I haven't won them over yet, that would be your responsibility at the ball tonight - I've tried enough. Also, it wasn't that difficult if you have people in positions of power,"

Seriously, I couldn't understand Royalty at all. Why organize a week-long birthday party instead of fixing it on D-day instead. Just wasting time, space, and resources.

Well, I was not complaining since the expenses were not coming from my purse. If anything, it benefited me. I'd be the one socializing, having a great time of my life, and making more connections with rich, influential people. Who knows who I would make an acquaintance with?

I couldn't tell if Ahmed got my message or not. Because if he did? He wasn't showing it. How did our marriage come to these? I knew the only thing holding Ahmed from divorcing me was the presidential election. Once it was over - whether he won or not - I better be set to go.

"We're here!" Cecil squealed as soon as we came to a stop. She was even more excited than Akim who took in everything with a solitary look - until he stepped out.

"What the…" my breath was taken away by the sight of this great mansion. Who was the architect in charge of this place? The castle was a mix of Medieval and Renaissance style with a hint of modern touch.

The staggering 135,280 square feet was a fortified building with a moat and a drawbridge featuring a thousand plus rooms of which there were about two hundred bathrooms. The views from this mansion are unparalleled as one can enjoy the view of the deep and wide moat from the high walls.

Not to talk of the vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, grand foyer, and the hallway that seem to run on forever- I was going to get lost in here.

We were assigned to a single room which was my choice. We were already staying for free - thanks to their extended courtesy, their prince seems to be a huge fan of our designs - so I wouldn't want to make things more difficult. Besides, we weren't the only guests staying over - lots of them actually - so I just made sure to use fewer rooms.

However, the room assigned to us was a one in a million; with large windows, modern amenities, and a comfortable bed, ensuite bathroom - what more could a woman ask for?

After that, we spent the rest of the day getting a tour of the castle by the head butler and I couldn't help but notice something.

"Excuse me, sir,"

"What is it, lady Emily?"

"I haven't seen the prince's picture throughout our tour? Is anything the matter because you have shown us of his mother, father, grandparents, great grandparents, great-great ...."

Yeah, the lesson was info-packed.

And I had a good reason for asking. I mean, I couldn't even find an image of him on the internet. He was so damn mysterious. I needed to know who I was going to talk to tonight at the masquerade ball - which is in approximately five hours - to have an idea of his personality. This deal was too expensive to be handled carelessly, I can't afford to fail.

"Oh about that," The man cleared his throat, "Our prince is a very shy, private person. I'm sure you'd know about him tonight,"

"But sir -"

"And back to our tour,"

Wonderful. So I was to have a meeting with someone I have no idea what he looks like. Just great! What if I piss him off unintentionally? Like it happens in movies: I bump into him or destroy something precious to him? Boom! What a great start!

Soon the tour was over and we got to have two hours of sleep before getting prepared for the ball. But then, when we were set to go, Cecil had a bad stomach.

"Gosh, I feel like dying," She moaned from the toilet. Her hole must hurt.

"You know? I can cancel tonight and take care of you, after all, there are still six days left of these parties," I offered.

Cecil has been the closest person to me over the years, she stood by my side and it's expected that I stay with her tonight.

"No, Emily. Go out there and have the fun you've been lacking in your life lately," She groaned.

"But then, you need someone -"

"I'll stay with Cecil, mommy," Akim said out of nowhere.

"Really?" I was touched. In a situation like this, kids his age would want to be out there, exploring this new place but here he was, applying to be a babysitter.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Akim? It's not a crime if you don't want to stay, just tell me, okay?" I massaged his scalp.

"No mom, I'm cool. Besides, I heard that it's an adult's party, it's not going to be fun for me anyway, "He said with a bored yawn but I knew he did it on purpose.

Akim might be slow to show his feelings - because of the bad experiences with his father - but the boy is a curious bee as kids his age should be.

"Alright, here's the deal. I'll take pictures and tell you all about it once I'm back. How's that for a deal?"

"Sure," He agreed.

We bumped fists, sealing this deal with our signature promise sign; made by twisting our fingers at some angle and making sure our thumb met in the end.

Finally relieved, I picked my purse and made my way outside where a servant was already waiting to send me to the banquet hall.

I was wearing a yellow off-shoulder gown, that had its edges intricately embroidered with golden roses while it's skirt was a Lincolnshire print fabric. The dress was designed by me - If I wanted to strike a deal with them, I had to show them I had an idea of their culture.

The dress was simple and breathtaking but not too distracting enough to take people's minds off the celebrant, the prince - who hasn't made his appearance for over an hour now.

Since this was a masquerade party, no one could see each other's faces - like how would this help me locate the prince- else I'd be able to recognize some people at least.

Sure, people who were awed by my dress schmoozed with me, inquiring where and how I got the dress which resulted in me exposing my identity and arranging a meeting with them but I was running out of patience.

From what I heard, the prince was single and most ladies here wanted to get a piece of him - not me neither was I prepared to fight for his attention with them.

If Cecil had gotten his number, it would have been a lot more consolating. I would have talked to him one on one and not have to get in the earshot of anyone who mentions the name, "Prince Kai,"

"Hi," Someone said from behind me. It made me jump out of my skin - I was so immersed in listening to these ladies' fantasies about Prince Kai.

With a bored look, I turned around to sight who disturbed me and froze those eyes. Why did it look so familiar to me?