My eyes widened! What a question!! How am I supposed to answer this?!
"Ahhh… that…" I don't know if he guessed it or discovered it just by looking.
He brushed his hand through his hair. "Follow me," he said and strode out of the passage.
I followed him in confusion, wondering where he was going. I quickly stopped and started trembling the moment he entered the throne hall.
Ahhh! Finally, I'll be beheaded today! But I'm not ready to die yet! He definitely wants to inform the queen about us!
Seeing I didn't follow him, he stopped and came to me.
"Please, don't…"
"No, I won't dare. Just follow me," he said and ordered a maid passing by to join me. I sighed in relief. It would be more comfortable if two maids followed him than just me alone!
I followed him nervously to the queen. I covered my neck with my hair and bowed my head.
"They'll run errands for me. Don't look for them today," he said.
The queen glanced at us and lazily waved her hand.
"Follow me," he said again, and we quickly obeyed. I could see Elena glaring at me.
Ahhh! I didn't know I was this precious. At first, it was royal friends, and now an enemy from the royal background!
When we left the throne hall, he whispered something to the other maid. She nodded and left. Then he glanced at me and headed toward a darker area. As we approached, a hidden tunnel appeared not too dark, since we could still see. It was one of the palace's secret basements.
"Where are we going?" I was dying to ask, but… how?
At the end of the tunnel, the air turned cold. He opened an old wooden door and went inside.
I inhaled deeply and followed. I expected creepy things like cobwebs, dust, and old junk but to my surprise, it was a modern wine cellar! And in the middle was a huge green table with lots of balls! I'd never seen or even heard of such a thing! But then… I saw Ethan.
He was holding a long stick, pushing the balls with it. I frowned in confusion. Why use a stick to push balls into holes? He could just use his hands, huh!
Cool music was playing, and Elijah was vibing to it with a glass of wine in his hand. They both paused when they saw us.
Ethan's eyes met mine. I quickly looked away, blushing.
"I knew it," Thomas murmured.
When Ethan came to me, the first thing he did was move my hair aside to check my neck. He nodded in satisfaction.
"What is it?" I asked nervously. That thing almost drained my life and he just nodded?!
"Nothing much. Just a hickey I left this morning. Your skin's very sensitive."
"This morning?" Thomas frowned. "You've been sleeping with her? Since when?"
He must be wondering when Ethan turned into a bad boy!
Ethan ignored him and went back to his game, but Thomas followed.
"You're hitting on her? Do you want to get her killed?!"
Ethan faced him, raising a brow. "What's your problem? Why are you so pained?"
"I'm talking about what's on her neck! Are you serious?!"
Ethan chuckled darkly, then suddenly turned back and threw a heavy punch straight at Thomas's jaw.
Thomas hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Oops!" Elijah raised his brows as if nothing serious had happened.
I covered my mouth in shock. "E-Ethan?" Did he want to kill him?!
Thomas looked at me in disbelief. "Ethan?"
I looked at him in confusion, isn't his name Ethan?.... Then I froze, realising what I'd just done, I called the crown prince by his name!
He spat some blood and glared at Ethan. "What was that for?!"
"Why does she smell like you?"
Thomas gritted his teeth, struggling to stand.
I sniffed myself but smelled nothing. How did he even know?
"You're hurting your brother because of a maid?!"
Ethan's face darkened. "If I don't, you'll try to touch her another day." He smirked, grabbed Thomas by the shirt, and clenched his fist.
I rushed to him, pulling his arm. "No! You got it wrong! He didn't even touch me! He only noticed I was sick and brought me to you!"
Ethan looked at me, slightly amused. "Do you think you can fool me that easily, my queen?"
"Ahhh…" I was speechless! Did he just embarrass me?! I could see the weird looks on Elijah and Thomas's faces. Why would he call me his queen?!
"He gave me his cloth to cover the mark, that's why I smell like him," I quickly defended him.
Elijah burst into laughter. "You're a bad liar, our queen. Since when did the almighty Thomas start caring about someone in distress?"
I ignored him, my eyes fixed on Ethan. "You don't trust me, right?" Tears filled my eyes. I didn't want them to fight because of me!
Ethan looked surprised, then suddenly pulled me close and hugged me tight. "I don't want to see tears in those eyes," he hissed softly.
He pulled back, frowning. "You're hot…" He touched my forehead. "Shit."
Then he grabbed my hand and led me toward another door.
"Hey, Ethan!" Elijah called. We stopped and looked at him.
"Are you sure about this?"
Ethan raised a brow. "Do I have to think about it?"
"What?" Thomas muttered. "You want to…" He stopped and glanced at Elijah. "Don't act surprised, Elijah. You already knew her before." He chuckled. "So, you're her ex!"
Ethan ignored him and pulled me into another dark room.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked nervously.
He sighed. "To make you feel better." We stopped in front of an old door. He turned to me and gently held my face in his palms.
"Allison, do you love me?"
I frowned but nodded, wondering why he was asking that.
He smiled softly and kissed my forehead. "Now listen… no matter what they ask you after I open this door, just say yes."
"I don't understand you, Ethan."
He chuckled and glanced at the strange hickey on my neck. "You don't have to understand," he said, and then opened the door.
My eyes widened at what I saw inside!