Bab 4: Chapter 4

A month ago, he had wanted nothing but to ditch his date with the woman his mother wanted him to marry. But if he had, he would not have met this mysterious woman who had haunted his dreams.

"Elijah, what is wrong with you?" His mother's voice echoed in the hallway as she marched toward his office.

Damn! There goes his quiet morning.

The Queen might act gracefully calm and sophisticated in front of their subordinates. But she could turn into an overly protective Mother Bear when it came to him.

"I got to call you back." He said to the man on the other line, knowing there was no way they could continue their conversation once his mother entered the room.

However, he still pretended to be busy as he read the file on his table. He hoped it would, at least, dissuade his mother from reprimanding him like he was still the young Prince.

He was a grown man, for fuck's sake.

But his mother seemed to think he was still in his pajamas, drinking his milk. Nevertheless, he loved his mother very much. He would never do anything to hurt or disrespect her.

"Elijah, there you are." The Queen marched into his private quarters, not waiting for any invitation.

As usual, his mother looked as Regal as ever. One of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, the inside and out. It was the reason the entire Kingdom loved her as their Queen.

"Mother, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" But, of course, he already knew why his mother sought his time. It could only be one thing.

His pending Engagement.

Pending until he had agreed to such an arrangement, which he intended to keep that way for as long as he could.

"Really? You dare to pretend to be clueless." Queen Coraline sat elegantly on his couch as she sought his attention. "You know exactly why I am here, Prince Elijah Drummond."

It was a different story when his mother started calling him by his full name. At this point, he needed to take her seriously, dropping the file in his hand and looking up to stare his mother in the eyes.

"I did not intend to offend you, Mother. But as I said before, I do not agree to this engagement." As far as he was concerned, that was not negotiable.

Besides, he was also aware that the Princess had already refused the engagement. Therefore, there was no point in pursuing such a union.

"But it was you who had insisted on seeing the Princess. What had changed?" His mother inquired, visibly confused with his behavior.

He would not deny that he had initiated his desire to meet with the Princess after the night they had spent together.

He believed he had fallen in love with her.

Well, at least the woman who he had slept with that night. But unfortunately, he had learned the truth. The woman was a con artist, acting as Princess Jasmin in her stead.

He was a fool, a stupid fool, falling for a fraud.

"I changed my mind. I realized it would be a mistake to marry the Princess." It was indeed his oversight.

He should have paid more attention to the woman his mother intended him to marry. He should have noticed the impostor in his midst.

But he was not about to smear the name of the Princess by exposing her malicious action. After all, she was far younger than him and immature.

"I think we would not be a match." He could see that now.

Still, he blamed himself for the situation he had put himself into. He should have been more sensible and analytical.

But instead, he found himself blinded with lust. He had allowed his guard down and acted like a horny teenage boy who could not control his libido.

It was an unacceptable behavior of the future King.

Nonetheless, he was still just a man, despite what people thought. He was susceptible to making a mistake, which he had no intention of repeating the second time.

"But you are not getting any younger, my son. If not Princess Jasmin, you need to choose a wife. You have to produce an heir to the throne." His mother insisted, citing his responsibility to their family and the Kingdom.

"I will, Mother, but there is no rush." He believed he was still young. He had other responsibilities that he had to deal with that were more important than settling down.

Unlike in the old days, the Royal family could not rely on fiefs and taxes on their subjects. In the modern era, monarchy was just a mere status symbol.

Being born into the Royal family would not be enough anymore if they could not sustain their political connection and amass wealth through their business association.

"Pardon me, My Queen, but the King requested your presence at the garden." His mother's assistant interrupted them before her mother could say more.

Immediately, his mother excused herself, leaving him to deal with his thoughts privately.

Save by the bell.

He could not deny that he had not forgotten his encounter with this impersonator. He would not be in this mess if she had been the Princess.

Truthfully, he had never met anyone like her. He was genuinely intrigued by her. He would have loved to see her again against his better judgment.

But who was she?

Did she also realize she slept with a Prince and not some driver? He had many questions but no answers.

"Any news?" He quickly asked when his investigator walked into the room. "Tell me you have found her."

So far, after weeks of searching, nobody seemed to know the identity of the woman who substituted for the Princess.

Even the woman who hired her could not give them a name since she used an alias. But he would not give up. He believed he would find her eventually since she could not just vanish in thin air.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. But we still reached a dead end." The lead they received did not pan out. "My men are carefully retracing your activities that night. Hopefully, we will find something soon."

He had already told his investigator everything he could remember from that night. He had even sketched her face. But still nothing.

He should have asked for her number, but he doubted she would have given him the correct one. When he woke up the following morning, the Princess had already left, leaving him with just a piece of her broken locket.

It looked old, antique even. It might probably be why it broke so effortlessly. But the picture in the locket was just of a baby, hardly a picture he could use to identify the fake Princess.

"I have one more thing I need you to do. Dig up information about this locket." He instructed, showing the detective the piece of jewelry in his palm.

It could mean something or nothing at all.