It was a proposal

"Uhhhh where is it!"Hailey was already getting frustrated as she now dropped the lantern she was holding,her hands searching for the storehouse key in any possible places she thought it would be but she still hadn't seen it.

"Where did you keep it"her mother who now stood behind her questioned as she was also getting impatient.it was late and she was already tired.

"I don't know.....I kept it here.i think...."Hailey went ahead to hand search her pockets again to check if she had perhaps missed it but she still found nothing.

"Why are you so reckless hailey...there!look at it lying on the floor"Mona said finally seeing the key which laid next to the shoes that were on the floor."mother! You can't keep calling me reckless over some key that I just happened to misplace for the first time"

Hailey huffed as she now went to pick the key on the floor heading to the door side so she would go out and lock the storehouse.

She grabbed the handle of the entrance door pressing it down to open only to see her two siblings at the entrance door to have the lantern on her hand drop making a loud noise.

"Shhhs why do you have to be so dramatic Hailey"Dylan was the one who spoke rolling his eyes as he abruptly used one of his hands to push Hailey to the side entering inside the house.

"Dylan?!"came Mona's voice as she saw her son entering inside the house to have her run to where he was grabbing him by his arms.

"You came!tell me...is Cathy alright?"Mona asked Dylan as she had not seen Cathy standing by the door side,her mind being occupied by the fact that she had seen Dylan walk right through the entrance door.

"What happened? What took you so long to come....tell me! Did they torture you? Are you alright...….."Mona was already bombarding him with questions but her voice was Soon to trail off as she suddenly heard her youngest child's voice right beside her.

"Am right here mama"Cathy said.she could see mother was worried about her and ran to hug her.

Mona who couldn't be more relieved that her two children had returned back home had a wild smile on her face as she withdrew from the hug now holding Cathy's face with her palms.

"I thought I would never see you again"mona said as a matter of fact.

it wasn't everyday one got to escape from the palace unscathed.

"But…..how did guys....did the king finally let you go?"Hailey was the one to ask as she now closed the door shut her eyes skimming the two,who just walked in here now.

Cathy shook her head.she herself didn't know why the king suddenly had a change of heart but she did not want to think about it and neither did she want her family to worry about it.

"I advise that we just let it be and just forget all these had ever taken place and beside,no one will believe us"Cathy said but Hailey only became more curious.she had remembered the king saying he had some sort of feelings for her but why wasn't her sister saying anything about it? or was it all just a lie? And the king had finished using her for whatever games he wanted with her?

"How are we sure he's not going to come back here looking for you"Mona frowned.at the back of her head somewhere,she knew the king to be dangerous as she had heard many rumours about him to he ruthless and merciless and in this case she didn't know why he had decided to target her daughter and use her as a pawn.she really hoped that was the end of it and her daughter would spared.

"Urrrrrrrrrrh can we all just quit with the whining!! Let's be honest here…..we would have all lived a better life here if only Cathy would sit her butt down and stopped being so stubborn"Dylan said,still deadpanned on the idea that his sister should have gone ahead to agree to marry the king.after all in his eyes it was harmless. there was nothing to loose here.

"What do you mean Dylan"Hailey asked turning to Dylan who had already found a sit on one of the seats present there in the living room.

A crooked smile appeared on Dylan's lips eager to tell the two women how their beloved sister and daughter had rejected the king.

"Cathy?"mr rain who had come out of his room because of the voices he kept hearing from where he was sleeping only to see his youngest daughter in the living room and as his eyes roamed around a bit he also saw Dylan sitted on a stool who immediately got up to his feet.

He wore a baffled expression as he looked back and forth at the both of them.

"Papa!"Cathy ran to her father who was already dazed as he had not expected to see them at such hour and day.

"My darling! how come you are back he..."

"The king let me go papa"Cathy said knowing what her father was going to say as she now flew her arms around her father.

"More like you forced your way out of there.did you all know the king had plans of marrying your dear daughter here?"Dylan suddenly chipped in to have all heads turn to him including that of Cathy's that glared hard at him.

Everyone's eyes went wide with shock as they now stared down at Cathy who could only curse under her breath as she had not planned on telling them what the king had told her earlier on and besides it wasn't like she believed any word he had said to her till now.

"No no no,you shouldn't mind dylan and his silly words.i promise you,he didn't mean what he said"Cathy said facing her father who now held a frown on his forehead.

"Stop lying Catherine"came the non chalant words from Dylan as he was ready to fuel up the lurks of curiosity he had started as he continued,"I could well enough remember when the king had openly proposed to you in the dinning table but you rejected it even though you knew how that proposal would have benefitted us all"

Cathy gritted her teeth in frustration knowing well enough that her brother was twisting his words from what had actually happened."he didn't propose to me Dylan"Cathy said glaring at him but he only offered her a bright smile instead.

"Then what would you call what happened in the dinning room?"Dylan shot the question at her and for a while Cathy turned silent before she finally said,"he was only teasing me Dylan.anyone with a common sense could know since it wasn't a direct question"

"I am pained sister.for you not to realize that the king was hellbent serious"Dylan said his once charming smile dropping,his face now turning serious.

"You rejected the king?"Hailey's widened eye couldn't believe what she was hearing.her sister had actually turned down the king's proposal!