Oriana stared at the Crown Prince warily, her eyes following his hand movement as he moved the chicken on his plate. It was weird sitting at the same table alone with him but she had to, since he has just saved her from being punished.

"Dunk, dipping, or pure?" Adric raised his eyes, and when he caught the girl’s golden eyes staring back at him, a small smile graced his lips. Oriana had a confused look on her face as she didn’t understand what he asked.

"What will I do with you? Always finding the slightest opportunity to admire my features..." Adric shook his head but received a glare from Oriana.

One minute he was acting like an angel, the next minute he was showing his true self. Oriana scowled; she must have hit her head somewhere to believe that he was finally becoming a good person.

Adric enjoyed the change of expressions on Oriana’s face, like she was cussing him out in her mind. He smiled,

"There there...don’t be shy now; you can always ask first before looking. That’s the proper way to do things."

The princess, who couldn’t take it anymore, scoffed, "I was not admiring you or anything close...I was just, you know what, never mind." Oriana sighed; it was no use explaining to him.

"Okay...I asked how you like your chicken and sauce," Adric continued eating, his expression calm as if he didn’t care about what the girl wanted to say.

"Why did you help me?" Oriana asked; this was the right question, and not for them to sit like they were best friends enjoying breakfast.

Adric hummed, "That’s a new way of eating chicken; how does it work?"

"I’m not talking about the chick-" Oriana saw the faint mischievous look on Adric’s face that he knew what she was talking about, he was only trying to make her talk.

"Can you ever be serious? What is wrong with you!" she exclaimed, already tired of going back and forth with words with this Crown Prince who had come into her life like a plague. She hadn’t known him for more than two days, but Oriana could feel her years cutting short every time she spoke with him.

Adric paused in his eating when he heard the girl’s slightly raised voice; he raised his arched brows with surprise without really saying anything. Oriana quickly pressed her lips,

"I’m sorry about that...I’m just a little stressed out," she apologized immediately. This man had the power to ruin her life if he wanted to, and he had still helped her not just once but twice. Even though he was insufferable, she still needed to watch her words around him.

Adric nodded understandingly; he took the tablecloth and dabbed his lips. "From what I heard, you’re the one who stresses people; how come you’re stressed out? When did it start?"

Since you came! Since you decided to step your feet into Orion! The princess screamed in her head; she could feel her temperature rising, maybe she was finally going to age quickly and perish. But understanding that Adric was not just someone she could talk to, Oriana smiled,

"I mean, I was scared when I found out that I was almost going to be punished this morning. Your Highness," she bowed, trying to keep her cool. As difficult as it was, she needed to keep it down for her own good.

Adric leaned closer, then pointed at Oriana’s face; he reclined in his chair and touched his own face. Then he sighed,

"I’m trying to remember the word for it, but just know that when you lie, it shows on your face. Here, this part of your eyes crinkles when you smile," he pointed at the side of his own eyes and then continued, "Then just something about your face which now looks like you’ve swallowed an unripe lime,"

Oriana quickly touched her face; was it that obvious? She asked herself, picking up the spoon to look at her face in it.

Adric sucked his teeth, "You won’t see it clearly there; I mean, I would offer you a mirror, but I wouldn’t want to shatter your illusions." He nodded his head.

Who is this man? Oriana inhaled deeply; first, he called her a duck, next, she looks like she swallowed an unripe lime. Now he wants to shatter her illusions; this man was just indirectly calling her ugly. Oriana sighed; she just needed the nearest cliff. No, Adric wouldn’t be the one jumping because someone like him can never just die completely. She, Oriana, would gladly jump head down so she could live in a world free of this man.

"What do you want from me?" She finally asked.

"For you to be yourself and stop lying. You’ll only end up being a chronic liar." He tapped his finger on the table like he was scolding a child.

Oriana huffed, "I do it to save myself; you don’t know how I’ve lived my life, so don’t judge my ways of surviving." The girl retorted, feeling cornered. Not ready to have such conversations with Adric, as he would only tease again, she continued,

"You already know the truth, and you won’t marry Sophie. Why don’t you just leave already? I know I’ve made a mistake; I’m sorry about it, please just leave." She begged earnestly. Her sleeping schedule was already ruined with her mind occupied on how to avoid him, only for her to fall into his trap over again.

The Crown Prince hummed, "Very well then, I’ll be leaving."

Oriana jumped out of her chair, with a look of surprise, "Really?" She looked at Adric’s face closely to be sure he wasn’t trying to play with her mind. But all traces of his usual playful smile were gone, only to be replaced with a serious look.

"Mhm, and also, here is your precious necklace," Adric pushed the necklace on the table and slid to where Oriana was, who quickly grabbed it before he would change his mind.

"Finally," Oriana smiled, raising the necklace to her neck she fixed it back. Then she remembered that Adric was not just any man but someone she should tread with cautiously. "What are you playing at?" She narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously. He must surely want something in return.

Adric pushed his chair back, dipping his hand inside his pocket. "I must confess I had a little fun during my stay here, but it’s not enough to want to stay for long. Also, why do you have serious trust issues; did nobody ever show you kindness?"

It was a casual statement, but Oriana felt it. She gulped softly, bringing her hands down to her side. It was true she didn’t trust anyone, neither has anyone shown her kindness except her grandmother, but the woman left without a proper goodbye, and since then, she had not let herself accept anyone into her heart.

Noticing the girl’s silence, Adric continued, "Trying your best to forcefully cover up your pains makes you a child with no soul." He remarked. "Next time we meet, make sure you’re not in trouble." With that, he left the dining room.

Oriana’s eyes followed him until he disappeared at the door; she scoffed, "Who is he trying to advise, and who told him I’m covering any pain up. Tch!" She harrumphed, looking around the room where she was now left alone.

"I’m happy; maybe I get punished once in a while, but I feel no pain," the girl nodded to herself. "I’m fine..." She muttered, her thoughts were about to derail to one filled with sadness, when she remembered she had finally won the battle. Adric was leaving. She smiled brightly,

"This calls for a celebration," The princess muttered to herself.