The soft sunlight slipped through the window. I sit up, squinting my eyes. The second prince was in front of me, sitting on a chair, leaning on the bed as he rested his clenched hand under his chin. I punch directly at his nose. The second prince yells, "What was that for?" Surprise is evident in his voice. I say, "What are you doing here?" The second prince holds a tissue towards his nose, as it was bleeding. The second prince frowns. I ask, "Your Highness, how did I end up here?" My memories were blurry; all I remember is drinking a whole glass of wine. The second prince replies, "Haha, you got totally knocked out". I acted as if nothing happened. Gosh... Why did I go over my limits when I knew better?
The second prince walks over to a seat, directly under the window, and flips his book on the round table. The maid enters, and I follow her directions to the washroom to freshen up. Changing my gown to everyday wear, and luckily, my items for the ball were immediately sent to the duke's mansion. I walk past the guest room I was previously in, and the second prince walks beside me. I'll be provided with food here. "Could you direct me to where it is?" The second prince replies, "Sure"! The second prince mentions, "We haven't exchanged what our names are". "Nice to meet you, I am Lucryss, Second Prince of Virelia." He continued, "What about you?" I continued to introduce myself, "Nice to meet you too, I am Lady Ember, of house Valereth, daughter of Duke Valeren." While I introduced myself, I thanked him for everything he provided me.
As soon as I enter the dining hall, it was astonishing; my eyes were sparkling! A single, massive expanse of polished mahogany stretched beneath a canopy of crystal chandeliers. I took a seat beside the second prince. Everybody in the royal family was gathering one by one. Uhmm... it was extremely awkward. Before they sat down, I stood up, and I walk a few steps away so I could greet them all at once. One foot slightly behind, head lowered briefly. "Your majesty, your highnesses, it is an honour to be in your presence". The queen asks for my name. "I am Lady Ember, of house Valereth, your majesty". The king says you may sit down.
Damn, that was pretty nerve-wracking! The fact that I was able to have dinner with the royal family, and I came over because I was knocked out from wine, is insane. I finally escaped from there. I need to mention how GOOD the food was. Especially the desserts, the fragrance of sugar and butter curls in the air, made me feel like I was in heaven. Currently, I am returning to the duke's mansion, so I'm in the carriage. For some reason, the second prince decides to tag along with me. He was smiling, and I had the urge to punch him, but I held back after I already punched him before. Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have done that, but he deserved it, so it's okay.
Suddenly, with a loud crack! A shudder that threw the desserts in the basket across my lap. I save the desserts before any get smashed. I'm extremely thankful to the crown prince, who kindly offered me the opportunity to take it. He carried himself with an angelic presence, unlike somebody (the second prince), exactly as I remember him in "Whispers In The Rain". The second prince sits right beside me and holds on to my hand. The second prince had narrowed eyes and a tense mouth, revealing his genuine emotion. As he gently squeezes my hand, he asks, "Are you okay?" I pull my hand away. "I'm fine, your highness". His narrow eyes soften a little, although he seems to be worrying. I ask him, "Are you okay?" He replies, "I'm all good as well." We both walk out of the carriage. Two wheels were broken. The coachman drops to one knee and lowers his head to bow. He apologises for not being able to recognise the damage on the road. The second prince orders a fellow guard on his horse to send a word to the nearest repairman. At this point, we were almost one hour away from the duke's mansion, and we were lucky that reaching the nearest repairman would require 30 minutes to go and return.
FINALLY, the guard returns. Honestly, he was such a lifesaver! Waiting in the process for the repairman to arrive was quite boring, but oh well. Once we arrived, Gale helps me down from the carriage. The second prince waves from his seat before departing for the royal palace. I say "thank you!" I was wondering where Luna is. Apparently, she's out again. I was worrying as it's beginning to get late. I enter the mansion, and a servant leads me to my chamber. Where I wash my hands and face, changing into a nightgown shortly after. It was a long journey, and yet sleep refused to come. The thought of the absence of Luna lingers uneasily at the back of the mind. It was already past midnight. I hope she's fine out there. There was nothing I could occupy myself with, so I make my way to the library in this mansion. There were two guards in front of the door leading to the library. I ask, "May I be able to enter?" The door swings open. The tall shelves towering above me, the rows upon rows of untouched books. A maid (Ruby) followed me along, and I tell her if she could bring me a romance book she recommends. I comfortably sit down on a chair and place the book on the table. I pull the chair beside me, tapping on it. I asked with a smile, "to join me"! Ruby joyfully sits beside me. When I first met her, I could tell she truly cares about me. She reminds me of a close friend of mine from high school in my past life. I can't quite remember her, but she stayed by my side ever since then. I flip through the book she brought to me, which was called "Petals Upon The Crown". As I was reading, a strange warmth settles in my chest. The relationship between the main couple was sweet. It was so delicate, it makes my heart flutter! I glance at Ruby, and she smiles faintly, leaning closer. "They're my favourite," she whispers.
Knock, knock. Ruby opens the door, and there is another guard who is speaking with Ruby. Ruby was thinking whether she should let him enter. I inform her that he may enter when she was asking me. He says, "Sorry to come bother you at this time, but someone wanted me to pass this note to you".