Chapter 10: THE COLD PRINCE

[LENA]

Prince Alexandre has hooded brown eyes and dark brown hair that was parted in the middle in a curtained haircut that faded neatly in the back. His waxen skin was almost as pale as mine, but he doesn't have a smattering of freckles on the center of his face like I do. He was pretty tall, taller than Philippe, but shorter than Luca, if my memory serves me right.

He definitely exuded the aura of grace and royalty, but in my opinion, he was average-looking. Not very memorable.

On second thought, he would've been good-looking if it weren't for his facial expression. In fact, there was no expression at all. His gaze was cold, his eyes stony. I sensed disinterest. Indifference.

He wouldn't even look at me. He only looked at me once, when he greeted me for the first time. Even as we were both taking the routine stroll in the gardens, he kept his eyes forward, occasionally looking around, but never at me.

I should be pleased by his indifference. I mean, this was what I wanted, right? I wanted him to dislike me.

But then, why am I feeling annoyed? I hate to admit it, but it slightly annoys me that he wasn't giving me the attention I was used to receiving. I even forgot to do the stupid 'bat walk'. What difference would it make? He had already found me undesirable from the beginning.

We did engage in polite small talk from time to time. All initiated by me, unfortunately. He didn't even bother speaking up first. He would respond to my comments or questions with short answers.

I gave up after several minutes and we continued our walk in silence. I was seething in silence.

Ugh. Why did he even come here? What a complete waste of time. For me and him both.

I suspected why. He didn't come here of his own accord. He was likely forced into this proposal by his parents like I was. But couldn't he, at least, feign a little interest? Like all the previous suitors?

Whatever. At least my real prince is arriving tomorrow. Philippe would shower me with attention. I held on to that thought in the hopes that it would alleviate my annoyance.

We finally reached the pavilion where refreshments were laid out for us. Prince Alexandre was chivalrous, at least. He pulled up a chair for me and waited for me to sit down before sitting down himself.

I decided to try again.

"So…" I began.

"Yes?" he replied curtly.

I had no idea what to say.

"Uh… you should try this." I randomly grabbed a plate of biscuits and held it up to him. In my haste, the plate slipped through my fingers, and the biscuits cascaded onto the prince's lap. The plate bounced off the table and landed on the floor with a loud crash.

Horrified, my hand flew to my mouth.

"Oh my—! Prince Alexandre, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed as I stood up and hurried to his side. I was about to brush away the crumbs from his lap, but he immediately caught my wrist.

"Stop." He spoke in his usual flat tone, but a vein was bulging in his temple. "It's okay, Princess Elena."

"I–it slipped… I am so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it."

I realized he had just prevented me from committing a completely inappropriate behavior. Touching his lap, what on earth was I thinking?! My face burned up in embarrassment. I didn't attempt to converse again. I barely touched the food. Neither did he. We sat there in silence as the air grew tenser and tenser between us.

When I couldn't take it anymore, I stood up and made excuses to leave, bidding him to enjoy his stay in the palace. Guilt washed over me. I hadn't behaved like a proper host and I knew he would be staying for several days. But my guilt was overshadowed by my mortification.

Cece couldn't stop laughing when we talked about what happened sometime later.

"You dumped a plate of biscuits on his lap!"

"I know. I feel so bad," I groaned.

"Oh, don't worry, Lena. He's not leaving anytime soon. You still have time to make amends."

"No way! He doesn't even like me from the start. Why should I even bother?"

"Nonsense. I'm sure he does."

"But you were there! You noticed, didn't you?" I demanded. "Did you see how cold he was towards me?"

Cece giggled. She leaned over and whispered, "The maids are referring to him as the cold prince."

I smirked. "The cold prince. Very fitting."

"Nevertheless, he is still a prince from Allore, Lena. He has the highest chance of winning your hand. Maybe you should start wearing his brooch."

"No chance," I retorted, recalling the ornate box that I had thrown on the back of the pile of gifts in my boudoir, never to be seen again.

I saw him again at supper.

We dined together with my father and grandmother, who were both seated at the ends of the long table, while I sat opposite Prince Alexandre. I refused to meet his eye. They kept a pleasant conversation going on while I remained silent with my head lowered, pretending I was invisible.

They seemed to like him very much. Frankly, I believe it was only due to his status and the promise he would bring should our union ever come to terms, and nothing to do with his personality.

However, he was courteous and refined. I could tell he was very intelligent in the way he spoke, how he seemed to be knowledgeable on every subject thrown at him. He displayed the true qualities of a ruler, something I have yet to show.

It didn't help my case at all. The chances of concluding a betrothal with him were rising. It would be hell if I were to marry that cold prince.

I walked up to my bedroom glumly. The only thing I was looking forward to was the arrival of my true prince.

It's going to be okay. Nothing was set in stone. He didn't have as much to offer as the cold prince does, but I still had time to persuade my father and sway his favor to Philippe's way.

The following day, I rushed down to meet Philippe in the entrance hall as soon as I was alerted of his arrival. He brought me a huge bouquet of vibrant flowers I'd never seen before. He looked as charming as always, and when he smiled at me, my heart inflated with happiness.

"My Princess! It's wonderful to see you again," he said.

"Hello, Philippe," I gushed. "How was your trip?"

"I could barely sit still." He plucked a pink flower from the bouquet and leaned in close as he tucked the flower behind my ear, brushing his fingers against my cheek in the process. "I missed you so much, Lena," he whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

Once again, I was besotted.

I heard footsteps behind me. I immediately pulled away and turned around.

It was Alexandre.

I cleared my throat uneasily. "Prince Alexandre, I'd like to introduce you to Prince Philippe of Charmant," I said, hoping my voice wouldn't tremble. "Prince Philippe, this is Prince Alexandre of Allore."

Philippe looked surprised. I guess he hadn't expected to meet another prince from another kingdom. I hadn't told Alexandre either, but he did a better job of hiding his surprise. Or maybe he just didn't care. I could never tell by his cold expression.

Philippe spoke up first. "A pleasure to meet you, Prince of Allore," he said with a trace of smugness. "Princess Elena here was just expressing how happy she was to see me." He stepped in front of me to block me from the other prince's view. No one could mistake his gesture for anything else. He was staking a claim. On me.

I don't know if that made me feel good. I guess it annoyed me a little.

As always, Alexandre seemed unaffected and kept his face blank when he spoke. "Likewise, Prince of… Charmant, was it?"

My mouth dropped open. He knew Charmant was a minor kingdom compared to his, and he was hinting at it with subtle, passive aggression. As if it was too small to even be memorable.

"I shall be on my way, then. Have a good day, to both of you," Alexandre continued before either of us could respond. I thought I saw a slight smirk on his face just as he turned around to leave.

Philippe was scowling. His hands were balled up into fists. I stepped in front of him to block him from glaring at Alexandre's retreating back.

"Philippe," I said gently. "You must be hungry. Come. I'll have a meal fixed up for you." I smiled at him, hoping to appease him. I hated that look on his face.

His jaw bulged one more time before his face relaxed, and the ugly expression disappeared. "Indeed, I am. Thank you, Princess," he said, putting on his charming smile.

I sighed in relief. For now. I just have to make sure the two princes don't accidentally bump into each other. The next few days are going to be on edge.

Turns out, it wasn't that hard. Alexandre spent his time within the palace. He kept to himself. He was fond of going to the library. He likes to read. One time, when I couldn't find Philippe, I stumbled upon Alexandre sitting in a secluded nook by a window, absorbed in some book he had brought down from the library.

Philippe, on the other hand, enjoyed going outdoors. Something we have in common. I gave all of my time to him. The more time we spent together, the more infatuated I was with him. He just knows all the right things to say to charm me senseless. We were still being chaperoned, though. But I was looking forward to my birthday celebration where we could finally sneak away amid the crowd and be alone.

I told Cece about my plans with Philippe.

My father had instructed me to be officially escorted by the two princes, our distinguished royal guests, during the celebration. So I enlisted, or rather, begged for Cece's help. I asked her to distract Alexandre so he wouldn't notice when I went missing. She was hesitant, but she finally agreed after I promised her a lot of favors in return.

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