|Princess Zoey's Point Of View|I immediately stand up when I see Prince Patrick. He bows his head in respect and glances at me with his infamous smirk, which I never saw during the period we dated. And seeing him in front of me, not even the slightest bothered by the breakup and remembering the lies he has told my parents... it makes my blood boil."Are you going now, honey?" my mother asks me, looking at my half-touched plate."Yes, mother. I think I better go now." I say, looking straight into Prince Patrick's eyes."I'll ask a guard to escort you down there," she says."No need. I will ask myself."I leave my food and walk past Prince Patrick without sparing a glance at him. But before I leave the dining room, I hear his voice ask my parents where I am going. Like he cares! Self-pretentious bitch! Aaa!It is pretty surprising, indeed, how I used to love him so much, but now I am loathing after him. But still, a small part of my mind doesn't want me to hate him...I walk down a cor
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| I play with the two rings in my hands. One is slightly bigger than the other, and I curiously put the smaller one on my right hand's middle finger. It fits perfectly. So I let it stay there. I realise my scent is slowly fading away. The ring is working well. That is when I hear a little shuffling sound from the cell and take a sharp turn to look behind me. I spot that the peasant has moved a bit, just enough for the light to reach his face, and now I can finally see how he looks. ...I thought commoners were ugly, that they looked tired and plain. But the person in front of me is far from plain. Without realising it, I am looking at his face, observing his features, wondering how a mere peasant like him has developed such features. There are wounds and cuts scattered everywhere on his face, but still– I flinch when he stirs in his sleep, and his eyes open slowly. But his attention is on the hay beneath him. I make no sound but compose myself to look
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| A few days passed since I met the person who marked me, whose name is Micah. I tried my best to ignore that I was marked and forget that he existed. But the more I did, the more I remembered it. The more I tried to forget him, the more I remembered that he was in an underground dungeon. Also, as I am wearing a pheromone stopper ring, and he is wearing a similar one, it felt like we are wearing a pair of couple rings... During that one week, I engaged myself with my duties, mostly taking care of the budgets and checking records of every part of the palace. I did that to engage my mind in the work so I would stop stressing about shit. Plus, the fact Prince Patrick didn't visit my kingdom was good news too. But... During those days, as I walked down the corridors, my eyes always caught a familiar person... It was Micah. Though I was trying my best to forget about him, he was always there. He was given labour work in the storerooms, where he was assigne
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| Next day. I pace in my room, and my mind wanders everywhere. After Prince Patrick blabbed shit during last night's dinner, my parents didn't say anything. And that itself makes me feel uncomfortable. But one thing that makes me happy is the fact that the idiot Prince won't visit us again. He'll be gone for the best and never comes back. I sigh and sit on my bed. There are still a few things left unsolved. What might happen to me? To the future of the kingdom? And to that peasant? Is he going to spend the rest of his life in prison? Seriously! I will die in guilt. And... will my parents consider what Prince Patrick said?! Aaaaah. These twists are eating me whole! I hear a knock on the door, and before I ask that person to come in, it opens. And my friend, Duchess Winter, comes in. She immediately closes the door behind her and walks toward me, looking worried as ever. "I've never hated myself this much. I am so damn sorry! I had to go out of the kin
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| But it happened every single night for one week. Maid Pamela had to form up different lies and go check on that damn person who made me worry over him. She came every night with news like, "he's asleep as usual, your highness.", "he's having a meal, your highness.", "he's dozing off in the cell, your highness." And I can sleep peacefully after knowing that he's doing good. But... one little problem. No. One BIG problem. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!? "I think you shouldn't go today." I finally say to Pamela, who gives me a concerned look. She has come to my room to know if I want to know about Micah. But... this is completely nuts! I should stop this before it gets out of hand! She smiles; "Your highness. I know you are hesitant about everything you do now—especially things regarding... that commoner. Your... former relationship ended badly. And I know how Prince Patrick treated you at the end because I heard your argument. He hasn't loved you, and that
|Duchess Winter's Point Of View| When I arrive at the palace of Euthoria, I go straight to Zoey's room. I barge inside only to see her talking with maid Pamela in hushed voices. They stop talking when I arrive, and Pamela walks out. "What's that?" I ask regarding their suspicious act "I am going to do something bad," Zoey admits. "Oh~ Like what? Are you being naughty~?" I tease. "Ugh..." Zoey facepalms. "Get your dirty mind out of here! I am talking about something bad, not naughty. So will you listen to me?" she asks. "Yeah, of course." "Wait. Why are you here again?" "I am here with hot, hot news about Prince Patrick," I say. "You MUST listen to me 'cause you've misunderstood everything! Even I can't believe it!" I exclaim. "Oh. What happened?" she asks. "Before that. I want to know the bad thing you are doing. I want to be your partner in crime~" I say with a sinister laugh. "Okay, okay, but don't make fun of me, okay?" she makes me promise. I do, but not wholeheartedly.
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| Duchess Winter is cunning. She walks to the underground dungeon before me and asks me to hide behind a wall. After a while, she comes out but not alone, with ALL the guards following her from behind! She winks at me before walking in the other direction, leaving me as shocked as ever. How the hell did she take all the guards out of the dungeon? Even me, being the princess, cannot do that! I should probably master her cunning skills. I quickly whip my head and look in all directions to make sure no one's around, to make sure I am not being watched. As I am sure, I slip through the door and quickly grab a flame stick from the wall. I carefully walk down the swirly stairway, lighting my path with the stick. Once I am on the ground, I go in the direction that I remember where Micah's cell is. I open the door to the separate corridor and enter, hanging the flame stick on a hook on the wall. Then I walk to the second cell where Micah is and peek in. He is
|Princess Zoey's Point Of View| The next day, I had a serious conversation with Duchess Winter about my plans. Talking about serious things with her is rather hard, but today I find her LISTENING to me. "So what? Are you going to have Micah as your mate? Like, a lover?" she questions me. "I... I think so." I mumble. "Though I am a bit hesitant. He has already invaded my mind. So I think it's fine." I shrug. "Damn. So how are you planning to do it? Like, any plans on how to meet him?" "I haven't thought that far!" I squeak out. "I JUST decided to... to- let my mind wander, okay? I haven't planned anything yet. But I know one thing. To fulfil my goal and become the ruler one day, I need him. No other alpha would agree to be by my side, helping me to be the Queen, without planning treason, right?" "Right. I agree. But I suggest you get to know him more before you launch your plan, alright?" "Okay... Help me with that, Duchess Winter." I bow my head as a joke. "Okay, thy student. I