Chapter 6

✧The Prince Charming Isn't So Charming✧

Our protagonist Eliana had been through many emotions in the span of her previous lifetime…happiness, regret, loneliness, confusion, you name it. But never had she experienced being this overwhelmed…ever. As the young female was treading on the footsteps of the crown prince so she can ask for the dance, the amount of people surrounding her made her feel uneasy, and the awkward stares she received didn't help at all. Is this what it really feels like to be Eliana Gentileschi? Every single eye in the room was fixated on her, some women even came and shook hands with her while others patted her on the back with infectious grins on their faces. All of it felt so unnatural to the girl… She could tell that these people were fake, and they weren't even trying to hide it. Although Eliana felt highly uncomfortable, this wasn't enough to faze her even a bit. She sauntered behind the crown prince with her head up high and her nose in the air, ignoring all the weird looks she received by the nobles passing by her.

"Of course…I should've expected this. I am an object of envy for many people. They detest me… or should I say Eliana for many reasons. One of them definitely being that I'm the crown prince's fiancé...I just have to bear this torture for a few more hours, and then I'll be good. For now…I need to focus on requesting that dance from the prince- Oh- He went inside!" Eliana thought, as she made her way through the crowd and after the prince, who had already entered a room upstairs.

Eliana walked up the steps and into a thin, narrow corridor before pausing in front of the door of the room he entered in. It was a plain white door, with four beautifully carved gold panels that gave it depth and texture. While standing outside it, the young woman decided to get her thoughts in place rather than jumping straight into the pit hole.

"Alright Amy- I mean Eliana- This is where you get your act together… Inside there is a prince. A real life prince! So no making mistakes! One wrong step and you're…I hate to say this...dead! No suspicious movements or behavior, act completely chill and no getting distracted by his beauty! I admit he's handsome…rather TOO handsome, but that is no excuse for you to mess up! Lastly, remember that you're doing this for the sake of your peace, and not because you want to. Once this ball is over, you will stay out of the crown prince's way, making it easier for Lady Flavia. I don't wish to be a third wheel or something in their relationship! He will marry Lady Flavia and I will live a happy unproblematic life. The end" Eliana inhaled deeply before proceeding into the lounging room. She tried the door knob, and the door swung open, with its creaking noise bringing chills to her spine.

"Um…pardon my intrusion…?" Eliana's turquoise orbs surveyed through the spacious and heavily furnished lounge. The room was large, yes, but the prince was nowhere to be spotted? Perhaps the girl had mistaken another room for which the prince went in. Eliana was about to throw in the towel and exit from the room when she heard a soft groaning sound.

"Huh..?" To her, it seemed as if it was coming from the large sofa behind. Not knowing what exactly to do, Eliana took careful and slow steps towards it, in hopes to find the source behind the voice.

"What do you want?" A male, with golden locks and ruby red eyes emerged from the sofa he was laying down on, looking exceedingly annoyed.

Eliana immediately identified him as the prince from before, but was dumbfounded to see him in such a state. Unlike before, the pleasant expression on his face was gone, and rather he looked displeased. His locks were disorderly and his hair overall looked messy, as if he had just woken up from a nap. The bright positive energy emitting from him had vanished and the prince appeared to be extremely languid.

"I asked you a question, what do you want?" He repeated once again, with a grunt.

"Oh- I- I was hoping if you'd like to dance, Prince Kieran?" Eliana said, snapping out of the train of thoughts and performing a low bow in front of him.

"A dance? Oh lord, not one of those again. My feet are killing me, so I refuse your offer. Now, please leave me alone so I can get some much needed slumber…" He lay down once again, and gestured her to go away with his hand.

This attitude of his made Eliana furious, and although she appeared calm on the outside, her insides were boiling with rage. Never had she witnessed such disrespect in her life, especially by a male. She read enough novels, and watched enough shows in her previous life to be conscious of the fact that Crown princes do not behave like this at all. The image she had formed about him had been completely shattered into pieces. He was far from the prince charming she thought he was. What added to her fury was that he didn't even bother to address her with a name, nor make an effort to speak politely.

"Yes Your Highness...I'll leave you to your nap..." Eliana said, with her left eye twitching uncontrollably. She was really preventing herself from saying anything rude to him despite wanting to go off at him, at that moment. The girl swung around, and her face was red with suppressed anger as she was heading out of the room.

"Wait…"

Eliana paused in her tracks once the voice entered her ears, and swiftly turned around with a forceful smile. "Yes, Your Highness…?"

"You're Alena Gentileschi, right?"

The young woman squinted her eyes and her smile stretched wider as she spoke. "It's Eliana, Your Highness…"

"Alena.. Eliana.. same thing.." His head leaned a bit to the side as he rested his cheek on the knuckles of his hand. "No wonder you entered a royal's private territory so boldly. You're from one of those stuck up families…and you're also my fiancé, right?"

Eliana was gritting her teeth from effort to remain silent, so she nodded her head to his question. Stuck up family? Really, is that how he sees his soon-to-be in laws? The only one who was stuck up was him.

"Hmm…Well I guess there is no helping it. I have to dance with you for the sake of your position. You know, since you're my fiancé. Otherwise people would judge you horribly and assume you're not fitting to my taste which was the reason why I didn't agree to dance with you…" The left side of his lip tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on his face.

"Not at all, you're Highness! Please! I don't wish to intrude upon your 'lovely' nap at all! Go ahead, and snooze. To your heart's content!" Eliana exclaimed, somehow still managing to keep up the polite act. With saying those words, she lightly bowed to the prince before rushing out of the room, without even bothering to take a look back even once.

The prince who was eyeing her leave in such an abrupt manner couldn't help but observe her. It was intriguing for him to see a noble, with such a high rank, pretend so horribly. He was used to fake courtesy's all his life, so seeing someone who failed to put up a proper act was somehow amusing for him.

Just then, a young man entered the lounge from a side door which led to another room. His presence was like a breath of fresh air, and he approached the prince in a gentle manner. You could tell by just a look, that he was a true gentleman, with an air so mesmerizing. The man had rich chocolate brown hair, that had tousled griminess, and his eyes were deep and catastrophic with vivid dark blue color that had specks of sliver in it. In other words, he was a handsome devil.

"Oh, you're awake? I thought you were in deep sleep...How'd you wake up?" He said, sounding concerned for the prince since he looked observant.

"Oh it was nothing. Just a bothersome fly…" The male muttered, once again laying back on the sofa and closing his eyes.

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This encounter with the prince had left Eliana in a furore. Was this his true colors? She wondered. If this is how his personality was, she was more than glad to give him up to Lady Flavia. No power in this world could lead her to marry the prince and that was final to Eliana. If there was a thing she couldn't stand, it was disrespect. The infuriated female dashed her way through the nobles and into the garden where she initially wanted to go, for some peace and tranquility. Once she stepped outside, she could feel the cool breeze caressing her into a blissful silence. It was a starry night, and the stars were glowing like large street-lamps. There was a crescent moon above, shining its light over the rose garden and highlighting the crimson red roses. The girl exhaled softly and gazed upon the dark blue night sky. The silence really did help her calm her nerves, and she stood there without making a sound. After some moments she mumbled softly.

"I wonder if it's true what they say… When people die… they become stars….." Eliana drooped her head low for a second, before once again glancing upwards at the stars. "Are you up there Wena…?" When she uttered Wena's name, her voice sounded broken with grief and a tiny droplet of tear ran down her cheek. Upon noticing this, she immediately wiped it away with her fair fingers. "What am I doing?...Wena wouldn't want this…She would want me to try my hardest no matter how hard it got…" The girl whispered to herself softy, clenching onto her other hand. "I know you're near me Wena, I know you're watching me somewhere up there…"

Just then, a noise was heard from behind her. It was the noise of rustling leaves, as if somebody stepped on them. Eliana abruptly turned around and a shadow melted into the darkness of the twilight, revealing a figure of a girl. The girl had black raven hair, pale skin, amethyst purple eyes and lightly red tinted lips. She was beautiful and Eliana stood there, staring upon her countenance as if she was otherworldly. The girl was none other than…Flavia De Luca. As soon as they laid their eyes upon each other, a strange sense of familiarity came over them. As if...this was not their first meeting. The wind blew by them passionately, causing the girls hair to beat around in the air as they stood there in silence, under the moonlight, with their eyes locked on each other. What is this odd feeling? This strange familiar aura? The girls could only repeat these questions in their heads. It looked like fate had rolled the dice once again, and brought these two separated best friends face to face with each other….