14

"Lady Karin, welcome!" two lines of people, 6 in each line welcomed me just in front of the stairs towards the main door. I stand like a statue, unable to react as my mind drifts away all along the way here.

A woman; tall, slender, with fair skin, black hair, and sharp eyes, walks towards me and my convoy. She looks so formal, with those maroon suits and iPad in her hand.

"Lady Karin, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Azul," she held out her hand. I feel slightly reluctant to accept the shake. My eyes waver, finally setting to Khittan who stands next to me.

"You know the drill, Karin," he persuades me. With my heavy heart, I accept the handshake.

"The pleasure is mine,"

"Let's go inside, shall we?" says Khittan. His voice sounds merry. I couldn't help but feel annoyed by that. He seems not to care much about my feelings. I'm dragging myself to be here, and he seems to enjoy every single part of it.

Somehow, I pray that he'll trip on a rock or something, and fall!

We are about to walk past a main gate when suddenly, Khittan stops me.

"What?" I ask him.

"You did forget the custom..." I frown. To be honest, it's been 15 years. It's logical if I eventually forget so many traditions and rules, especially when I'm the one who decided to leave.

"I know. But, that's if-"

"Starts with the right leg. It's for the fortune and luck," Khittan pats my shoulder.

Talking about fortune and luck! I don't think I'll have those right now, even in the future. I mean, look at my circumstances!

However, deep down inside, I feel grateful. Maybe this is the best for everyone. At least, it is still following my demand.

:::

"No!" I chime in tiny. After Khittan's suggestion, I excused myself to have a small 'discussion' with Khittan, away from the crowd.

"Fransco is the best place for you now,"

"Do you think the press won't find me there?! They can have this cafe's address in less than 24 hours after the news broke out! Do you think my parents can handle this matter? I don't think so!" I was so close to choking the man to death.

"I can just ask the Royal Chamber to put on media restriction,"

"Which takes maybe like 5 days to issue? I might leave too long, but I'll never forget the government policy!" I strongly disagree with Khittan's suggestion. "Besides, you might forget a crucial fact..." I sigh.

"What is it?"

"We're engaged. If I come back home, we might end up getting married..."

"I thought you already called your parents?" this is where I started to feel frustrated.

"I only reach Pa's assistant. She told me she would convey the message. Nothing ever since,"

"You know too well that you shouldn't trust any of our parents' assistants," he scoffs and laughs in tiny.

"I shouldn't trust anyone's assistant at this point. Breh!" I spoke based on my experience. And I know Khittan knew it too well.

"So, what now?" he asks.

"I don't know. But seriously, I need to hide!" he watches me, pausing a bit to think. After a while, he nods his head a bit.

"I think I have an idea..."

:::

"There are 12 rooms in total. This is the living hall and dining in combined," I drag my legs, exploring the big ass room just in front of the main entrance.

Instead of going back to Fransco, Khittan suggested that I should take a hide in one of his houses. Or, perhaps I should call it a mansion. No ordinary house will have this huge hall with 12 rooms! I mean, this building can be a school!

"The interior has been designed according to your preference, at least with some information that we gather about you, malady..."

"Just call me Karin. I feel weird when people call me malady," I walk past Azul. I study the environment and the interior decoration. It's all white, grey, and woody; my favorite. The air circulation is nice and breezy.

"Let me show you your room," the convoy continues roaming around the house. After a while, we arrived at the second floor. There's a line of rooms.

"Your room is here," says Azul. She opens the door of the room at the end of the lane. Spacious, with a nice view but no balcony.

"The toilet is en-suite. There's a walk-in closet on the left. And, there is a small conference space, in case you need to call your friends or family,"

I can see the space. It's a small cubicle-like space with the latest home office PC, conference equipment; mic, lighting, router, and speaker. There is also a gaming headset.

"Where is the kitchen?"

"Why would you need a kitchen, malady?"

"I need to cook my meal,"

"The meal will be served straight to your room. 5 meals a day. For laundry, you can just throw it at this hole. It will lead straight to the laundry room. The maid and kitchen staff will prepare everything..."

"I thought I was gonna live alone?"

"Yes. You gonna be alone in this room,"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not allowed to leave the room. Besides, we provide you with all the things that you can use," I'm stoic. In a deep shock now!

"What if I need to go for a run?"

"Sorry, but you can't. If you feel like you wanna exercise, we can call a trainer to your room," this is absurd!

"This is not hiding, this is an imprisonment!"

"Sorry malady, but we believe it's for the best. If the media have caught sight of you roaming around, they will know your location. There might be things like drones or news choppers that will expose you in no time," I am about to make a hole with my legs. My feet tapped nonstop, feeling frustrated, betrayed, and injustice.

"What if my friends come for a visit?"

"I'm sorry, malady. But, no visitors allowed,"

"What?!" this is too much!

"You can always have video chats with them or phone calls. Don't worry, all lines are encrypted. No one will trace back to you," the more I listen to Azul's briefing, the more angrier I feel.

"I need to talk to Khit!"

"Sorry, malady. But, the Crown Prince just took a leave," I ran towards the bulky bodybuilder.

"Where to?"

"He needs to go back to Fransco for some royal business," my heart goes downhill. Now, I do feel like a prisoner!

"No! Call him, now!"

"Sorry, malady... He is probably in flight now. He cannot pick up the call," Now, I'm panicking!

"That's impossible! There is no way he couldn't!"

"He can't. He's the pilot,"

Damn!

I hope someone shoots the plane now!

I wanna scream out loud now! Damn you, Khittan! You tricked me into this! I should've known better!!

I slump on the bed, trying to figure out things. The staff has already left the room. Now, I'm alone like a dog!

I'm seeking liberty from my birth country, but now I'm been imprisoned even if I'm away.

What an irony!