First date

"The person I want to marry... is you," her cheeks started to get red, and she could the heat on it. Charlotte blinked as her eyes adjusted.

"No way, I'm not going to marry someone I barely know," she uttered.

"Alright. Let's go on ten consecutive dates,"

"W-What?"

" I'll give you the chance to get to know more about me," he uttered. Charlotte was still looking at him with widened eyes. "Once you get to know me... You'll be able to know my strengths. Also... I'm also good at many things," he continues in a whispering manner.

"W-What? Good at many things? Forget it! I'm still not going to marry you, Your Highness. Having a Prince boyfriend is such a hassle. So... I'm sorry, I can't marry you," she said and was about to walk when the Prince blocked her way out.

"You can't leave the palace unless you say yes," he stated.

She scoffed, "Are you threatening me?" she asked.

"Are you threatened?" he asked her back.

"Your Highness... You... can't force someone to marry you. You have to marry a woman who likes you, a woman who wanted to marry you without using force. Find that woman, Your Highness," Charlotte didn't know why is she saying that thing when Elton said to her to say yes already on him. It's her chance to get close to the Princess, but she didn't know why she's rejecting the offer of Prince Duke.

She looked back at the Prince, while he was just looking at her seriously. "Just give me a chance. I'll prove to you that I'm not mistaken that I choose you," he uttered.

Charlotte looked at him with a sigh. He's too stubborn. She walk closer to his ears, "Do you know about the contractual relationship?" she asked him, but he frowned.

"What is that?"

"It's like an agreement on a relationship. Then, if I don't want to marry you after ten dates, let's tore the agreement together and live separately," she said to him.

Prince Duke narrowed his eyes while looking at her. "So... What if you like me after or before the ten dates finished? We can stop the agreement, and let's have a real relationship," he said. "Deal?" he continued.

Charlotte gulped while looking at him reaching out his hands to hers. "Deal!" she stated, and the corner of Duke's lips slid upwards when she reached out her hands to his.

"Let's meet tomorrow then," Duke uttered.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said and bowed her head before she left. Charlotte was biting her lower lips when she was walking out of the palace.

Charlotte was walking back to the temple when she bumped into Alexander, one of the assassins. She covered her face and hide in a corner. They couldn't see each other faces while they were at duty. When she make sure that no one was there, she started to climb back to her room.

When she was inside, Elton was there already waiting for her. He stood and smiled while looking at her, "So? How was it?"

"Ten dates," she replied sparingly.

W-What? Huh? T-Ten d-dates?" he asked in confusion.

"Prince Duke wants us to have ten dates for me to get to know him more. After that, I'll decide to say yes or no on his offer," she said.

"Woah... He's really something, huh?" Elton stated.

"He is. He's so stubborn just like how I have written him," she said.

"What? Written?" he asked, and Charlotte bite her lower lips as her tongue slipped about that.

"You heard the wrong thing. The agreement. He had written an agreement between us," Elton nodded his head after she said that.

Charlotte went to bed early as she had a tiring day, pretending to be someone else. She also thinks about how could she come back to the world she had been living.

When she opened her eyes, it was already morning. The sunlight lit up the room, and she got up. She was yawning when she remember Duke and she will be going to have their first date together. Charlotte went up and started to take a bath. The things in this era were so old, but she had known how to use them since she was the one who had written the book.

After she gets dressed. She then went out and ran towards the palace. Charlotte was already outside the palace, she fixed herself and her dressed before she enters.

The moment she enters, she saw Prince Duke already waiting for her. He frowned while looking at her. "Your Highness,"

"You're late," he said.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's go,"

"Yes,"

Charlotte was walking when she noticed the Prince was gone. "Where is he?" Duke peeked from the carriage he was riding. "Are you still standing there? Let's go," she gritted her teeth and walked back and went inside the carriage.

They're inside the carriage. The silence was dominated on them as they were sitting there, without even saying a word from each other. Duke looks in her direction and saw her looking outside the carriage. She was smiling while looking outside.

"So, when did you come from?" he asked her, causing her to look at him.

Charlotte smiles, "Your Highness. I'm an orphan. I live alone, and I do selling fruits for living," she answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know,"

"It's okay. I never saw my parents too. So, It didn't hurt me," Charlotte was indeed hurt inside. She was portraying Luna's character, but she is still Charlotte inside.

"So... Have you heard of the assassins on the village?" he asked. Her eyes widened at what he said. She gulped, she thought that Duke might have been discovered her real identity.

"What? Assassins?" she asked innocently.

"Yes. I've encountered one of them. I couldn't know if she or he. They're wearing a mask and very dangerous," he said to her.

"How creepy they are. The guards aren't doing anything about them?" she asked.

"No. They had to wait for the King's order to attack where they're living," he uttered, causing Charlotte to gulp even more. "He couldn't know where am I living," she said to herself.

"So, don't go out outside alone. If you want me to accompany you, I will," he said.

She chuckles nervously, "No... You don't have to do that. I can handle myself,"

When the carriage stopped, they both frowned. "Assassins!" the coachman shouted, and Charlotte's eyes widened even more. Her lips parted in surprise and took something to cover her face.

Duke then took out the sword from the carriage and went out, "Stay here," he reminded her, and she nodded her head.

"Your Highness," one of the assassins uttered, and Charlotte peeked from the carriage. Elton was there too, when their eyes met each other, both of their mouth wide open.

"Runaway!" he mouthed, but Charlotte didn't get it.

"What?" she mouthed back at him.

"Run!" he mouthed again, but she still didn't get it.

"Why are you here? Are interfering with me?" Duke asked them.

Elton went closer to one of the assassins. "Let Luna handle this one. She's the assigned assassin for the royal family. Let's go, before Jackson will know about this," he whispered.

"Alright," Elton's lips slid upwards.

"Your Highness. We will let you pass for today, but the assigned assassin will going to catch you no matter what," he threatened him before they left.

Charlotte was sighing all along as she took a dagger from the carriage. When Duke entered, she was so startled and pointed the dagger at him.

His eyes widened while looking at her, "It's me. Ms. Caroline, it's me." he said calmly and leaned in closer to take the dagger from her.

"You look frightened, are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yes, I am,"

"Really?" he lean in closer at her face, seeing how reddish it was.

"Your face reddish. Are you sure you're fine?" he asked again.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am,"

"Okay,"

Later that evening, they were walking together near a riverside. She was smiling while looking at how peaceful the place was. "This place was the place where the Queen and King got married," they both said at the same time and looked at each other.

"How did you know?" Duke asked her.

"Ah... Someone from the elders told me,"

"Ah, I see,"

Charlotte looks at him when she remembers this was also the place where the Queen died because she was shot by an assassin. "It's okay to be weak sometime, Your Highness," she uttered, and he looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I know. The Queen passed away because of the assassins. I know," Duke was speechless while looking at her.

"Yes, you're right. That's why I'm so mad at the assassins," he uttered.

"Ah, I see. That's why you're doing all you can to protect your family,"

"Yes,"

"What about you? What are you afraid of?"

"Me?"

"Yes,"

"I'm afraid to leave this place, and I'll got erased from someone's memory,"

To be continued...