Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

Three days before our scheduled trip to Cordova for the princess' birthday, preparations have been done as usual to totally prepare me for my second encounter with the king.

I am fully aware that the previous meetup wasn't as smooth as what we'd hope it to be. Going back on that incident, you can't also blame me for panicking a little. It was my first time going out in the public as the fake prince, and then the invitation was so sudden we barely had time to prepare.

But now… I will make sure that there'll be no mistakes this time! Well, I'll try to be more careful, that is.

"You are stuttering a bit…" Lucas interrupted me from reading a written speech by him and looked at me with those worried eyes of his.

"Is there something bothering you, lately?" he added.

"Well, it's just that…" I tried to explain in a much better way but also feeling reluctant to express my thoughts. "... I am a bit nervous to face the king once again, that's all."

Lucas wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Nervous? But you already have met him once, didn't you? The second encounter should be easy for you, considering that you also convinced his daughter into believing that you really are the prince."

From the floor, my eyes shot up until they made their way to look straight into the lad's eyes. Anxiety can be seen in them.

"I don't know if you will find this odd, but I feel quite uneasy around his majesty," I stated in all honesty. "Like, I have this intuition that the king is not the being that we thought him to be... "

Lucas remained silent while one hand was rubbing his chin. 

"What a strange observation you had there," he finally said. As a reassuring smile emerged from his face, he stretched the hand that was rubbing his chin earlier and placed it now on top of my head while gently caressing my hair, just like what my big brother does to me when I am feeling this way.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Krisella," he crooned. "The three of us always got your back, no matter what the circumstance may be." 

With his statement, he also made it possible to plaster a smile on my troubled face.

"Thanks," I said.

When the most awaited day finally came, I silently cursed under my breath when I felt someone yanking my body to wake me up early in the morning.

"Hey, stop that!" I mumbled, my eyes still half-closed. 

Yet it did not take long before both of them flung open the minute I saw Alex standing a meter away from me, his hands stretched forward to use his magic to wake me up and his lips frowning while he did so.

Wait, Alex?! 

"You are goddamn a few hours late from your supposed-to-be wake-up call," he reprimanded, quite irritated. Alex returned his hands to his sides the moment he saw that I already woke up.

"Hmm… what time is it--" I was still rubbing sleep from my eyes when I almost freaked out knowing that it was already six in the freaking morning!

"Bloody hell!" I almost bellowed.

"I told you, you are late already. So, why don't you start cleaning yourself so that you can change? Your apparel would be here any moment," he explained with a little warning in between.

"Alright! Just leave already so that I could start preparing," I hissed, my eyes glued on the floor like there is something interesting in there. "Or unless you--"

And the moment I turned my head to look at him, he was already gone from my side.

"Good," I murmured and started rummaging for my bath towel.

Before I knew it, I was already smiling from ear to ear, feeling delighted that it was Alex's frowning face that I got to see first thing in the morning.

By the time that I went out of the bathroom, the robe and slacks that I am supposed to wear for today's occasion have already been laid on top of my bed by the servants earlier. Since I was already good at changing into the prince's clothes, I think that I am able to dress on my own right now compared to the very first days of being the fake prince.

I inspected myself in front of the mirror and observed my reflection in the mirror. And every time I do this, it really never fails to strike me in awe how the prince and I looked exactly alike.

It also makes me wonder as to how come I became a spitting image of him…

Suddenly, my train of thought was suddenly interrupted by three consecutive loud knocks on the door that caused my head to look in its direction. 

"Come in," I said, indicating whoever is on the other side of the door to enter the room.

"Great. You have fully dressed already for the occasion," It was Alex who entered, wearing his serious expression on his face like he usually does every single day.

But I must say, he is looking very dashing at the moment with the sleek hair brushed backward to his scalp with no strands of hair standing out. His dashing look is completed by the gray coat and white undergarment.

With this kind of looks he possesses, he can surely get any lady that he wants. And by merely thinking about it, I can't help but feel quite aggravated.

Not that I am jealous or anything of that sort, for your information.

"Yeah. Unlike before, I am not having much trouble wearing the prince's clothes," I smiled, a sheepish kind of smile.

But Alex chose to ignore this and instead immediately turned around and went for the door.

"Very well then, let's head outside as soon as possible. Our carriage is already waiting for us," he declared in full elusiveness.

I was not sure what possessed me, but the next time I remember, my arms are now extended toward the lad as I reach for the hem of his coat. He must have felt it since he halted in his place, turning slightly to look at me over his shoulder.

"Is there… anything you need from me?" he asked, his voice kind of shaking a bit.

I removed my hand on his coat in haste without having to meet his gaze. "N-nothing.

I almost smack my forehead for doing that out of nowhere. Why the hell did I do that in the first place?

He said nothing afterward and totally left the room with me following right behind him.

Finally, after a few minutes walk from the prince's chamber going to the front yard of the castle, a glamorous carriage painted in charcoal with four black stallions to maneuver it and a charioteer in front is currently standing, waiting for us.

"So, I'll be meeting the king again huh?" I said as the start of the conversation inside the carriage when it started to move away from the castle's premises.

"Relax, you don't need to worry about anything," Lucas tried to soothe my troubled heart. "Just have a positive mind that everything is going to be alright."

Well, I wish I could easily do that. But with this growing uneasiness that I felt from the first time I met the king up to this moment for some reason, I am pretty much sure I couldn't just relax and force myself to think that everything will be just fine.

It was my usual quiet and monotonous trip that I've had from the time I first made it to Cordova. To avoid unnecessary issues that could rise in the future, it is best to avoid any more conversations with one another before we arrive at the said place.

And by that time, I've spent my time making myself busy with sneaking a peek at the windows of the moving vehicle, counting carriages that we pass along or people in the streets just to avoid being asleep on the long trip going to Cordova.

However, as much as I exerted all my efforts to not let that happen, the next thing I knew is that Lancelot is gently tapping my cheeks while saying something like we already arrived at the princess' castle.

That's when I realized I had fallen asleep indeed.

In the next few minutes, I kept myself occupied with checking if there was dirt formed in my face while I was asleep earlier while an escort was leading us towards the grand hall of the castle where the party will be held.

As soon as I gave my card to the herald, he quickly opened the door and announced my presence to the people inside after the trumpet was blown.

"Prince Arthur Spellman of Gilead!" he bellowed.

By the time I set my foot inside, the first person that I have seen was-- unfortunately-- the king himself… whom I felt uncomfortable seeing for today.