Confusion

When Audrey woke up, she was in a strange room. She knew it wasn't her father's house, but it wasn't the room she stayed with Mia. Her head felt heavy as she slowly lifted herself from the bed. And her eyes tried adjusting to the room as it was dark. 

She rubbed her temple, groaning at the sharp pain. She needed Phina at that moment, but then the memories of the day earlier flashed through her.

She was supposed to be married to the crown prince by now. She was supposed to be the crown princess. What happened? She remembered kissing that strange gardener before passing out. She stood up as fast as she could.

"Settle down, Kitten."

That voice was familiar. And that nickname was, too.

She ignored him, and stood up, taking in the frame of the gardener… no… no… she meant the first prince.

"What am I doing here? I should be at the royal wedding."

Finally, she was able to see him properly, and just like the first day she met him. He was breathtaking. He wore one of those commoner clothes she believed he had used in deceiving her and held a cat in his hand while stroking it lazily.

He shrugged, "You missed the wedding. You were busy sleeping in my room."

She looked down at her dress. She was still in her wedding dress, which was strange, but she was glad he hadn't tried to change her clothes. If she missed the wedding, then who did the crown prince get married to? She frowned; that was her dream. She was supposed to become a crown princess. It was all she had thought of but couldn't fulfill it now.

Without knowing what to do next, she ran towards the only exit she had seen in the room. She needed to ask the crown prince. She needed to know what had happened. As she went to the door, she pulled the door, but it didn't budge. She tried harder, using every ounce of strength left in her, but the door didn't budge.

When she turned back, she saw the first prince staring at her while casually touching his cat. The cat looked relaxed in his arm like it would rather not be anywhere else.

If she wasn't in that position, she might have tried to touch the cat as she loved animals, but she could barely think of animals when her dream had been shattered without second thoughts.

Annoyed, she moved back to the first prince, "What do you think you are doing?" Her voice sounded hoarse, but she didn't care as she yelled at him. To her, she was yelling, but her voice sounded so small that he couldn't hold his smirk. She had always amused him.

The prince didn't flinch at her word, he stared at her interestingly before responding, "I feel you might be hungry when you wake up. So, I made the maids prepare something for you."

Audrey hadn't noticed the small tray on the table out of annoyance. Her eyes narrowed at the plate before turning back to the prince. "What I what is to leave this room?"

He placed the cat down and casually walked to the bed, lying down, "You need to get used to this, Kitten. This is your room now."

Audrey frowned, shaking her head. She refused to be married to this guy, and no one was going to force her. As she tried to argue her point, she felt a bit dizzy. She hadn't eaten earlier in the day, so she was very hungry. But there was no way she was eating out of his food; it only felt like she was submitting herself to him and agreeing to be his wife.

That was the last thing she'd do.

"Where's Phina?" asked Audrey confused.

Damien cocked a brow in confusion, "Who's Phina?"

When she fainted at the Cathedral, no one dared to approach her, not even her parents. They watched Damien lift her until he had brought her to his room and nursed her back awake. It seemed no one wanted to associate with her because he had claimed her as his. But Damien didn't have a single regret; he would be damn before he allowed anyone to touch her again, especially his brother. 

Audrey frowned, "My maid, Phina, she was given to me at the beginning of the contest. Where's she?"

He nodded, "Oh. I had no idea you had a maid. If you want her so badly, I will bring her here."

Seeing a loop, she held onto it. "If you are interested in pleasing me, how about you open the door? I've to leave here. I need to see my husband."

She would never accept that the crown prince had married someone else when she was seconds away from becoming his crown princess.

Damien chuckled. His voice sent a strange shiver down her body until it settled in a familiar part of her body. She had never reacted to someone's chuckle that way. It was strange and annoying. "You need to get used to the fact that you're mine now, kitten. It would do you no good to always show your claws. "

She stared at him in disbelief, but just as he had casually leaned on his bed, he pulled himself to his full height. Audrey would never get tired of how beautiful he was. She was a fool to have believed he was a gardener. Of course, that level of beauty could belong to someone of royal blood.

He stopped before her, and her eyes stopped at his lips, reminding her of the kiss they had shared at the cathedral. She could still see the place where she had bitten him. It was a small wound. Just like that memory had infiltrated her brain, the memory of the kiss did, too, making her avert her gaze from him.

Damien smirked as if he could read her thoughts. "Don't think about it too much. I'm just trying to feed you before you faint. Now, come on." He pulled her hand gently while Audrey looked for something to hold that would stop her from moving with him. She pinned her feet on the floor and stubbornly refused to follow him, even if it was for her own good.

If he hadn't made that stupid claim, she might have been in her husband's room finding out what happens between married couples. Before she knew it, she was effortlessly lifted off the ground. He had picked her up as if she weighed nothing and deposited her on his bed.

"Don't ever bother to run. There's nowhere to run to."

While looking at her, he picked up the tray and dropped it before her. "Eat. You need to get."

Audrey closed her eyes; there was no reason for her to eat. She just wanted to leave this room. She needed to see Phina. Or Mia. Or her parents – especially her father. There was no way her father would leave her with this man. He had burnt the first wedding invitation, stating that he wanted to have no relationship with him. She knew her father couldn't have changed his mind so fast because of a kiss.

She refused to pick up the spoon and eat.

Damien stared at her in annoyance before picking up the food. "Fine. If you want to stay hungry, don't blame me. I'll send your maid over to help you change."

He picked up the food and left. She heard the sound of the door getting locked, which meant he had locked her in. Yet, she refused to believe it. She ran towards the door as her strength could carry her, pulling the door which refused to open.

Audrey slid on the floor, her back to the door as her stomach grumbled. She might have taken some of the food if he had left it. 

She remained there, thinking of what would happen to her next. There was no way he would keep her in here forever, and as long as they weren't married, she wasn't obligated to listen to him. She just needed to find a way to escape his clutches. 

She stood up and scanned the room for anything that might be of assistance to her.

The cat sat in a corner of the room, staring at her. Audrey walked to it and petted its head slowly. "Are you also forced to stay here? I'm sure you want nothing more than to escape from this room."

The cat meowed its response, and she took it as affirmative.

"Don't worry. I'll come back for you after I escape."

She patted its head more before searching the room. The room was bare; there was nothing personal to show who it belonged to. There were few royal clothes and more commoner's wear.

Audrey picked up the clothes, staring at them as if they were some secret about it. Did the first prince go about deceiving people in these clothes? She couldn't help but wonder. It was no wonder people hardly knew what he looked like.

She dropped the cloth since it wouldn't help her escape mission. But, the more she searched the room, the less hope she had. There was nothing that could help her in the room; the sooner she accepted that, the better for her. The room was bare. 

Bored, she went back to the cat, patting its head. "Now I understand why you are so calm. Who's this first prince?

Just then, she heard the door hand rattle and stood up.

She stood close to the door, ready to hit him with all her strength. As long as she could see anymore outside the walls of his room.