“We don't talk about much honestly, just a bunch of random things and whatever comes to mind,” I replied honestly.There was no reason for me to lie because there was nothing worth keeping secret between us or worth keeping from my parents. Our meetings were so planned and predictable that I would have considered them boring had it not been for the prince’s entertaining attitude and the interesting game of Gomoku that he taught me. Although slowly, I was learning the tricks of the game and I could feel myself getting better. If nothing else, the meetings with the prince came at the exact right time when I needed a very good excuse and a very tempting distraction in my life.“Can you be sure to tell us some more insight or at least something interesting the next time you return from seeing the prince?” my father ordered before rolling his eyes at me and clicking his tongue to show his dissatisfaction and annoyance.“I'll try…” I replied vaguely although I knew that nothing new would ev

I did not at all share the prince’s confidence and an uneasy feeling developed inside of me when I wondered what exactly our relationship was. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine what we would appear like in the view of other people when we made our appearance together. People were always so ready to gobble up gossip and they were undoubtedly prepared to get the wrong idea about us. However, I didn't even understand what my relationship with the prince was actually like. Were we just close friends, or are we something more? To say that I was confused would be an utter understatement. “If that's something that you would like to say, you can go ahead and say it, Dahlia,” the prince said as he stared directly at me. “I actually don't have something to comment or say but I do have something that I would like to ask you,” I replied as I sat up slightly straighter than before. After reminding myself that I didn't actually have much to lose, I decided to ask the prince directly.“What are

“I hope it helps that I'm here to share your pain,” I muttered sarcastically. “If you keep on talking, this event will surely get less boring,” he said before chuckling softly. “Is that so?” I replied back while making sure to keep my voice down so that no one would overhear us. I kept staring straight ahead although I could feel the prince’s gaze resting on my face. He clearly wasn’t paying any attention to the presentation and he didn’t even bother to put on an act. “Of course. It’ll get even better if I can hold your hand,” he replied before reaching his hand out for mine.I moved my hand away from his at the last moment and the prince ended up laughing at my attempt to get away from him. He was clearly enjoying himself and that meant that he had made the right decision in bringing me along with him. After what I thought was an excessively long presentation, the main part of the event finally came to an end. However, it seems like the role of the prince at the event wasn't yet

I can't let him find out about this. I wasn't sure how well the prince knew Anthony personally, but they definitely knew each other. “Don't put words in my mouth. There's no one that I like,” I stubbornly denied. The prince stared at me in silence for a few seconds before he smiled and then shook his head slowly from side to side. “Did someone ever tell you that you're not a very good liar?” He asked, although it wasn't truly the question. At that moment, I was absolutely certain that he could see through me and my lies, and I wondered how much he truly knew. “Are you going to continue to deny it?” The prince asked. “I'm just telling you the truth,” I replied softly without backing down. “Well then, if there's no one that you like, I guess that works in my favor. Let's go on more dates until you start falling for me,” the prince suggested as if that was the best solution. “I don't want to do this,” I said firmly as I decided to take a stand. Instead of getting angry at me, th

Aside from those vile comments, there were also countless comments expressing how well suited we appeared for each other. I wasn't sure which types of comments made me cringe more inside, and I wondered what kind of face these people would make when they found out that none of the things that they saw were true. I wasn't dating the prince, in fact, I haven't even seen or spoken to him in almost a month since the last time that we saw each other at the event. So far my shameless parents were over the moon excited ever since the photos of the prince and me kissing went public. The two of them clearly enjoyed the attention and I could imagine them boasting to the other nobles and their business partners about my relationship with the prince and how much he seemed to favor me. That all happened before they started realizing that the prince no longer called on me, and that I no longer left the house to meet the prince at the palace. “What is wrong?” My father asked with a frown between