The Abandoned Princess

3: House of Gold

She was left with no one. Perhaps, she thought, the title Abandoned Princess was truly fit for her.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Summer breeze entered immediately as I opened the window, followed by the floral scent of lavender and the sweet citrusy scent of mock orange wafting gently inside the room.

"What are you doing, princess? No, wait, I think I know what's going on inside your head and I would like it if you could refrain from looking for an escape. We are on the third floor."

With one last glance at the new view outside the window, I turned towards the door. Lucas, the person who happily escorted me to my new room stood by the door with a now complicated smile.

I glowered at him. "I still haven't forgiven you."

"You know I couldn't stop his majesty from carrying you back to the Garnet Palace yesterday. He'll certainly add more work for me if I ever try to take you away from him."

"..."

Yesterday wasn't any other day. After I was called to the office, King Edmund my so-called father had carried me to the Garnet Palace, and with his impassive face, he complained grumbling that the place I was staying was so far from the Emerald Palace.

A chilling thought came through my mind. Was he planning to do this again?

Oh, but I was wrong. It was worse than I had thought.

"How about you move to the Moon Palace." I would be a fool if I took his words as a suggestion. "...Haisley, your maid."

"Ye-yes?" He knows Haisley's name?

"Tell her to prepare your things and move first thing in the morning." It was an order alright.

The Moon Palace is where the royal family actually resides; it's located just behind the Emerald Palace. And since the Moon Palace is still part of it, which is within the same area, it is referred to as Emerald Palace.

A forced "yes" escaped my lips, when I noticed he was staring at me intensely waiting for an answer.

Today wasn't like any other day as well. Starting from this very moment, I would be living in constant fear.

"I heard that Kook had released their new chocolate today," Lucas said as he pulled out a silver box tied in purple ribbon. "And I heard it's a limited edition, about a hundred of these or so, I think. Should I perhaps give it to someone else?"

That chocolate was the cause of why I almost died and why I was standing in this room in the first place. I had this feeling that the chocolate would be the root of my future predicament.

I stared at Lucas' handsome face and then at the box he was holding. And back to Lucas once again.

With the thought of saving Lucas from his tragic love conquest and not because the chocolate swayed me, I forgave the ever-single, Lucas Bismarck.

"Please don't look at me like that as if I'm helpless," he said, crossing the room and handing me the box.

Pleased at his token of apology, I invited him to sit at the small table near the balcony door.

"You know, Lucas. Ever since I first saw you at the library years ago, I felt happy without even knowing why."

"You must have liked me the moment you saw my charming looks, princess." The way he grins and his green eyes glisten in sly, he'll definitely do something stupid with the information I just said.