Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

I was in a bit of a rush as I was going to school on a beautiful Monday morning. Having always been triggered to wake up by my mentors for the past few months, I was able to turn off my alarm knowing I would wake up on time.

"Gosh, why haven't either one of them showed up in my room this morning?" I wondered to myself as I was passing down the streets and reached the marketplace in an incredible amount of speed.

I expected to be late for my first-period class, but I wasn't. Mr. Pumpkin ended up being late also for his first-period class, as he had to run an errand this early in the morning.

Taking my steps towards the assigned seat, the adrenaline rush that had kicked in on my body on my journey slowly starts to fade. Here, I saw Maggie, Ariella, and Cailin talking as usual. They only paused for a moment when they noted my presence.

"Good morning," I greeted them back, smiling. "So, what's up?"

"Haven't you heard the latest rumors spreading all across Citadel these days?" Ariella initiates, and it made my forehead wrinkle a bit.

"You know I am not really into rumors," I say, but curiosity gets the best of me so I added, "What about it?"

"We've heard some gossip that the captain of the magic army has been seen dating this certain girl," Maggie narrates. I felt an invisible lump have immediately formed inside my throat by the time I heard that.

"And?"

"They say this girl is a commoner," 

After hearing the news, I choked from the saliva I was swallowing. All three heads whipped towards my direction as if concerned.

"Are you alright?" Cailin asks. I nodded.

"Yes, I am," I smiled. "So, did they…. like… see the face of this girl whom Al-- I mean the captain is rumored to be dating?" 

Ariella gave me a weird look. "I thought you said a while ago that you are not into rumors?"

It must have been a stupid move to dig deeper. However, I would like to know the details of this rumor and whether it has anything to do with me.

"I know what I said, but it's impossible for me not to get curious by the way you deliver the message, you know." I tried to joke around like I wasn't so desperate to know everything about it.

"Ah, I see." Then Ariella answered my question, "No one has seen her face, since she was like… gone in a blink of an eye."

Mentally, I was relieved. I will have to report this to Alex later and discuss how we can be more cautious around people from now on. Obviously, we have been a little bit careless about it in the past few weeks when he is the one who's picking me up from the alleyway.

"Do you think she has gone invisible?" Maggie suddenly blurted out, which immediately piqued my interest. "Like she doesn't want to be seen by others since she is a commoner and the captain is a member of the royal council?" 

I was trying my best to fight the urge to make another gulp as I was listening to them right this second.

"You had a point there," Ariella waves her right index finger in the air then rubs his chin with the same hand. "I think he was really suspicious with that man from the start. It's like… he was hiding from us or something like that."

My breath hitches, but not to the point of making it so obvious around my friends. How come they could make accurate theories for such a young age?

"Isn't that obvious? It's called a forbidden love," Cailin butts. Then dreamily, she continues, "I've read about it a couple of times already from almost all the romance books I've purchased in the past." 

"Want to do something fun later after class?" Ariella says and nudges us to move closer in fear that someone might hear our little secret. "Why don't we spy on the captain and take evidence of this treachery? Hmm?"

My eyes almost went wide after hearing that. But as calmly as I could, I met her gaze.

"It's not fun at all," I hissed. "Isn't that a little bit… private… to meddle into someone's life?"

Inside my head, I was wondering if Ariella still holds a grudge against Alex for what happened to her childhood friend during the war in Sodor.

I saw Cailin and Maggie bobbing their heads up and down, agreeing to my statement.

"Krisella's right. We shouldn't meddle into his private life," Cailin opposes. "We might get a sentence for it if we get caught,"

A smirk appeared out of Ariella's mouth. 

"If we get caught, that is," she repeats Cailin's words with a little bit of excitement in her tone.

"No!" we shouted in chorus.

"Gosh," she says, eyeing each one of us. "You don't need to shout like that."

Our conversation had ended when Mr. Pumpkin has finally arrived with folders clutched in his folder. Even when the discussion has started, it seems that I still couldn't get out this so-called rumor inside my head, making me lose focus on our class.

If the whole school... or the whole country, if that's the case... learns I'm the girl seen with the captain of the magic army... what can I do? It will always be easy for the lad. But for someone like me who has no means of defense, life would change very drastically.

And all the people that I once knew might slip out of my fingers once they knew that I have been lying to them the whole time…

I was still thinking about this as classes for today are all over. My friends have to go without me since I am part of today's cleaners. I was piling up the chairs as neatly as I could when I heard Jill and her best friend and sidekick Emily Peterson are talking from behind me.

"Despite her status, that lowly girl still has the guts to see someone as handsome as the captain of the magic army, if the rumors are confirmed to be true." Jill spitefully said, snickering from behind. For a moment, I stopped piling up the chairs and was stunned for a moment.

Is that what I am? A lowly girl who is far out of Alex's league? Is that why he rejected me when I professed my love for him? Now that I think about it, I really act foolishly by acting that way without even thinking twice about it. I let my guard down and let emotion control me.

I may have looked like a pathetic idiot in front of him that time, huh?

"Totally right," Emily hisses. "A guy like the captain deserves someone from a noble class. Someone like you, Jill."

A laugh escaped Jill's lips before saying, "You really know how to make me flatter, don't you, Emily?"

Jill was a mean, spoiled brat in the first place since I heard that her dad is a mayor of a certain city. To what city it is, that I don't know about.

Must I really… give up on him and forget my feelings just like that? 

If it is for the best, then I may have to do so.

Later that night, I couldn't sleep in my bed. I never imagined I was going to be this vulnerable when it comes to matters of the heart, especially at my young age. What was wrong with me?

Wearing the prince's garments, I stepped into the kitchen. My mother had said to me once that drinking hot milk would help me sleep, so I would like to find out for myself if that is true.

Since the servants are already sleeping, I did not bother ringing them up and went straight to the kitchen. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Alex taking a sip of what appears to be freshly-brewed black coffee.

"Why are you drinking coffee at this time of hour?" I raised one eyebrow. "Don't you need to sleep?"

"I have a lot to take care of tonight, and sleeping won't help me finish it tonight," he countered and didn't say a word after that.

At home, whenever I see my brother drinking tea or coffee in the middle of the night, it could mean that something is bothering him. Would that be the same case for this lad next to me?

"Is… something bothering you?" I dared to ask. He only ignored me and pretended not to hear it.

"I think I might be disturbing you," I added. When he didn't say anything, I started to go for the door, forgetting all my plans of having warm milk for tonight. 

When I was near it, I was startled when I felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me towards him. Before I knew it, he was now hugging me so tightly, it seems he didn't want to let go.

"W-what are you doing? Someone might see us--"

"Can we remain like this for at least a minute? Please?" he says, but more like a plea. 

Despite not responding, I quietly agreed to this. I stood there as he hugged me very tightly. Suddenly, he began sobbing hard.

"Alex? What's really the matter?"

It took him long enough to answer back. 

But then, in between his sobs, he says, "My grandmother…passed away just now."