Chapter 4

Wow...!!! What was that parable again? Oh! I remember. MY EYES HAVE SEEN MY ANUS.

This is beyond just seen. This is paradise! This is an island world in planet earth.

The moment I entered the palace, my eyes remain wide open just as my mouth right now. I can't close my lips for all the marvelous luxury winking at me.

Everything here is more than elegant and sophistication. I just feel like am in a dream and I need someone to wake me up.

Never in my life I've I seen such beautiful mansion before. Even the one mom once owned and tbe ones dad had are not twenty percent up to this one right now.

Everything is like a dream.

From the exterior to the interior – they're all breathtaking. I wish I could just lie on the smooth shining cold tiled floor and look up at the shining golden Chandelier or maybe cling on it like Tarzan for the rest of my days.

I begin to imagine myself as mougli, swinging from one end of the chandelier to another.

There's a very big Chandelier with so many crystal like bulbs in it – at the middle of the open room. The ceiling is so high and made of gold.

The curtains at various edge – guiding the huge windows are also gold like.

There's another windows located at the upper most near the ceiling. Little curtains to the size of the window, are crest to one side. If someone was as tall as that extent, it would have seen through to the outside.

There's also an arc – very high, tall and wide. It stands like a bridge cap with each ends sitting on top of the thick pillars that rested on the strong golden handrails.

Whoa. I want to touch the handrails and confirm if they're cool.

Each handrails has art statues of dragons wanting to roar out fire – at the beginning of the handrails.

To me, it's like they're saluting me and welcoming me into their grand style.

The stairs are wide – reaching an end-to-end edge of the staircase. Golden cups that holds bright white lights, shining and reflecting on the stairway, sat like traffic lights on the dragons shoulders and on top of the pillar-arc.

The arc is not plain. There are quite some drawings of old history glued on its walls.

As the escorts who brought me here followed and gesture me the way, I continue feeding my eyes.

We entered another passage – still the same direction from the one we just left.

Big arcs with fine bulbs and little chandeliers greeted as I march along. The ceiling remain high and the walls on every sides has marvelous pictures of portrait arts.

I love art. Unfortunately, I don't want to study it because my instincts only choose science. I want to see the top of the world and not really the things of the past.

The passage lead us to a downstairs region – where two grand golden stairs make parts in division. It's like two rivers that never meet.

And everything I still see are all made in gold, gold, gold, and nothing but gold.

Does the king and queen love gold that much that they had to fill the palace with golden colors? Only few walls close to the windows are painted in white.

The curtains gold, stairs, Chandeliers, statues, and so on – all golds!

We got to another passage – after taking one of the stairs, where the smooth tiles are black and white in shape of diamonds.

This side of the palace is only covered in clean white like they were painted today. Every windows here have zero curtains and they're wide opened.

I inhaled the freshness of the night and the cool air coming from the outside.

I turn back to see where we've been walking for minutes that looks like hours. The door we took in, looks so small from afar. I imagine my fingers holding it in a small dice shape.

"This way." One of the hefty men in black suit gestured me towards a big, huge, tall brown door that stands firm in front of me like a massive gate.

The door is doubled – each on both sides. And as they opened it, my eyes pop all round!

A bigger luxury greeted me Welcome, Ms.

I imagine myself standing alone in the middle of the doorpost, staring at the elegant queen size bedroom and before I could stop daydreaming my ass –

"Make her look her very best tonight. The Prince hates waiting." One of the men told the maidens – dressed in black and white uniforms.

And before I hear the sound of the door shut behind me after the men had left, a middle aged woman gestured me to the bed-bench.

I slowly followed. My brows furrowed like I was going to face crimson. My eyes went around again, hailing the beautiful things that fascinated the room.

If I hear this to be my room, I'll wave goodbye to New Zeeland and my pot size bedroom over there.

The bed-bench felt so good under my ass. It's White and literally my opposite in color. The queen-size bed has two giant blue curtains that reached the ceilings. They're already clipped to the sides, giving free way to the white and blue bed.

For fuck sake, am not snow white. Why is it decorated in blue and white?

Look at me talking like I owned the room. I don't even know yet if am some kinda invader that borrowed someone else's bedroom and am blabbing about the colors in my head.

My head went back to the maids who were now picking up different dress from a clothe rank.

All I see on the hangers are just gowns – the ones that'd expose some parts of the body. They're definitely looking tight like body-hugs and pencils.

"I'm not gonna wear that." I didn't even remember how I said that out loud. Then, I stood up same time.

The maidens are all middle aged and they turn around to face me. Their brows creased into a confused expression.

I repeated what I said with all boldness inside me, then I stood and waited for anyone with the nerve to pinch a word at me.

It took five seconds before one of them shook her head. "Ma'am, it's an order coming from above. You must wear into any of these."

Order from above? To dress like a seductive mistress? Is that how royals are supposed to be?

Fuck! I can't stand, imagining myself in a red strap dress, or maybe blue – because of this room's decorations or maybe green – blah, blah, blah!

I don't just want to wear gowns!

"What am putting on already serves me right for this so-called fucking date and if anyone is going to be against this outfit, then let that person go kiss the fucking ass of a stink!"

They all stood in unison, staring at me like they've just seen a ghost pass by.

The door suddenly opened without a knock and one of the men that escorted me here earlier, walked in, wearing a huge scowl on his face.

"Isn't she ready yet? What's keeping with the delay?" And when his sharp eyes went to my direction….. "Why is she not dressed yet?"

One of the maidens lowered her head and answered nervously. "Am sorry, Sir. But she refused to fit into the dress the queen prepared for her."

THE QUEEN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOM!!!!! DOOMED!!!!!!

Why didn't somebody mentioned her in the dress earlier? How was I supposed to know that it was the queen's order for me to dress into that red strap pencil gown that'd show my cleavage and curves in all the right places?

Hope nobody will...wait a minute. Let me think.

I assume myself thrown into the lion's den and again, I imagine myself kicked into the royal prison for blasphemy.

The man narrowed his eyes at me for a while, then said to the maid. "Fine."

What does he mean by fine? Wait, hope it's not what I'm thinking? I'll better go back to New Zeeland and hide under my bed for two days straight.

"Follow me."

Eh..? Huh….?

Was he talking to me –

He stopped by the door and turned around when he realize no one at his side. "I said FOLLOW. ME."

Oh. He was actually talking to me.

I picked my briefcase I had been holding like an handbag since I got here and bounce along with him.

He was taller than me so I didn't imitate his height as we walk side by side.

We passed a hallway with beautiful interior designs, then we landed on another floor and, a grand opening that led to the full view of the night.

I first thought it was the rooftop. I was taking a view of the night skyline that I didn't even realize the man beside me had long left.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I gasp. When no one answered me, I answered myself by turning my head to my side and there I saw a small fine dining – ganished with different dishes.

But that wasn't what made my heart skip a beat.

A good looking – you know am not too good at complimenting looks and appearance, but grandma said to acknowledge good things when we see one.

Good-looking, breathtaking, gorgeous, brawly, muscular, well-built, handsome man in his twenties, sat there all alone, ravishing the dishes and expensive wine.

I wanted to taunt him for daring to touch the food that wasn't his – what if they were poisoned?

But then, I came to realize another thing. What if he was my said date and the food wasn't just poisoned?

I study him for a while.

Dark long hair, tied straight into a man bun behind his head. Is he a knight? I use to think only knight has long hairs like his and they look beefy like him too.

He didn't seem a bit of all the negative things I hallucinated when I got the offer. He is very much the opposite. Any woman seeing him right now in my shoes, would definitely fall head over heels for him.

But why is he wearing black rimmed glasses like a nerd? Doesn't he want me to see his eyes properly through the transparent shields?

If he's going to be my date, I think he is too handsome and mature for an ugly nobody like me.

Am just standing here, looking at him like he's a photograph while he devours all the food alone?

No!

Am also a candidate of this invitation.

I help myself pull out the chair across his. Before my ass dropped on the softness of the chair, he placed a small billboard card on the table.

And I read this…..

DON'T TALK TO ME BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU.

Ouch! That's a bit harsh from an handsome charming man to an ugly pimple-cheek woman.

I pinned my lips together and assume it's noted.

What another way of insulting someone's daughter. Bravo!

He didn't spun a glance at me and I just help myself with serving my own dish.

Ha! Even the cutleries are made of gold too?

Something flash in my mind. Why did he choose to write than talk? He could have just said it with his mouth instead, other than writing like a mute.

Wait, hope he's not mute?

I look down, my briefcase was still there – just for self defense, actually.

Dinner was going smoothly with the silence in the atmosphere. I was wondering if this was how a date looks like. Damn, it's so boring. Not until...

Ahem! Ahem!!

I choked. Now I remember why grandma use to say, DON'T TALK OR THINK WHILE EATING.

I quickly grab his glass of filled wine and gulp the whole thing. He paused with food in his mouth-closed and that was when our eyes met for the first time.

Grey eyes like a dull weather meeting a pair of sea green ones.

What a mixture!

He stood up abruptly, swallowing down the food in his mouth and I saluted how his gullet made a sharp move as the food goes down his oesophagus.

My eyes suddenly narrowed into mathematics, doing plus and minus of where the food went after his oesophagus. His chest became my calculation board. While one part of me congratulated his full tall figure like a strong tower of protection.

Damn this guy is somewhat like a Greek god to me.

The Prince Harry I drew in my head before now, wasn't gorgeous like this. He was a goblin and this guy standing right here is far from that.

Very, very far.

What do I name him now? god – what?

Think, think, think...

He marched out with the cologne of anger, leaving me alone in this open place to enjoy nothing but cool cold.

"Hey," I stood up as his retrieving back began to fade away. "Um….." What's his name again? Ugh, Irene, your brain is something else. "Prince Harry?"

What did I do to scare him away? I use to hate him before now because I've never met him before but this guy is too fine to be hated.

Am the one who should be hated and thrown out of here. I just scared him away.

"Prince…." I hurried out of the place as my voice echoed.

I almost trip on the smooth tiles.

Before I knew it, be was completely out of sight. I didn't know which route he took. The place has too many directions and stairs leading to different place. I don't even remember my place coming here anymore.

Thankfully, I met a guard that said….. "Come. I'll show you to your room."

But I didn't want to…..wait! Am I spending the night here now? Dad didn't include this to our conversation.

But same, I needed to apologize to Prince Harry, just Incase I mess up things back there unknowing to me.

And the next thing that happened, shocked me.

Just guess.

The so-called room said for me to spend the night wasn't the same blue and white room I was expecting to enter.

It was something else.

Just conclude it as a night with Prince Harry. He was lying halfway on the king-size bed – the dark red curtains clip sideways shows his full image in white garment. One of his arm over his head as he leaned on the black headboard with a phone place on his ear.

And here I was thinking him to be a mute man. His deep melodious, angelic, strong English accent with cracked velvet edge voice, sound so seductive and alluring in my ears as he speak to someone over the phone.

His glasses were taken off and his eyes too far for me to study but his expression talks about annoyance. His eyes not looking at me and his dark hair left freely on his shoulders.

Fuck me! I left my briefcase!

Ooops! Tsk! Door closed.