Full House


His eyes widened and murmured.


"I had to accept that the heavens won't give me to you.
"


He announced we must reveal our cards now.
I accepted it.


First was his card.
He had a straight because he had 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 cards.


"Please reveal yours.
"


Ten of hearts,
Ten of diamonds,
Ten of spades,
Nine of hearts,
Nine of diamonds, which meant...


"A full house.
Congratulations, you didn't have to marry a jerk like me."


He extended his hand to mine.
There was one more thing I had to ask, though.


"Why Prince Liam?
We did not spend enough time together but, in all the people, you were the one who cared about authenticity the most."


Yeah, when he revealed himself as the Prince of Tozia, that's when I saw his character's stats.
He has Earth elements which explained why he was interested in flowers.


They doused the bouquets in authenticity spell that only people with Earth elements have.
If I told a lie, the flower would wilt in an instant.
He chuckled.


"This was the idea of the three of us.
I'm sorry if that offended you."


These two leaders wanted to add a reality show style of suspense, huh?
They should share a certain percentage of sales from the tickets and drinks with me.


Who knows?
Maybe I'll need to money someday.


The referee announced me as the winner, followed by confetti rain made from flower petals and leaves.


For the last time, I wanted to turn down the Prince respectfully.
I requested privacy between us.


We met in the garden near the arena.
There was this oak tree enough to shield two people from Mister sun's rays.


I laid down the folded red cloth from the basket I carried and sat down on it.


"I wanted to thank you for showing admiration towards me.
But as of the moment, there is one thing I had to achieve and, I won't settle down until I finished it."


"Oh my, you only called me here to remind me about my heartbreak?
Ouch!"


He pointed at his heart and told me it was bleeding because I cut it open.


"If I cut it open, for sure, you were 6 feet below the ground now.
"


"You didn't appreciate jokes, don't you?
"


"I beg, Your Majesty.
Listen to what I had to say. Could we please be friends from now on?"


"Of course, I wouldn't say no to your offer!
"


The chirping birds on the tree made me smile.
I want to run in the rice fields now I kicked those pesky princes away.


System:
Congratulations!
You just shooed the two princes!


"By the way, how was the Duke?
"


"I didn't know.
I was busy preparing for our match."


"Did you know I only punched him lightly?
"


"So...
"


"Maybe the only cure for his condition was a true love kiss.
Go ahead, Don't be selfish with the medicine within you."


I glared at the Prince.
There was no doubt he was that person's long-lost twin.


I did not know why.
The next day, my feet brought me to Duke Frederick's estate. His hysterical mother hugged me the moment I opened the door.


This was the silly Prince's mistake!
If he didn't joke about the ridiculous fairytale trope, something would not unsettle my brain like this.


She led me to the Duke's room.
There, his bed nailed him for almost a week.


He was the male version of Sleeping Beauty.


The Duchess told me to sit while they prepare refreshments.


I sat on the wooden ladder-back chair on the right side of his bed.


I listened to his breathing.
There was no unusual about it. I also borrowed one of his hands. Looking at how our hands overlapped, it was bigger than mine.


The massive explosion of yellow light on our hands made me close my eyes.


What was happening?


"Beth?
Is that really you?"


I turned into a statue.
The Duke, who went into a deep slumber, scratched his eyes. His mind processed why a woman was sitting beside her bed.
I watched as he sat on his bed to face me.


If earlier I was a statue, now I became a sculpture hammered into pieces when he suddenly hugged me.


"I'm sorry, I didn't save you.
You had to marry a jerk prince from another kingdom. Don't worry, you won't be his wife for long."


I broke the hug between us.


"Your Grace, Listen.
I already saved myself."


He had this 'how did it happen' look on his face.
He smirked and embraced me, but this time he made us flop on his bed.


Bethany Grimaldi.
exe had stopped working.


When my mind and body enabled its function to process this gigantic stimulation wrapping his limbs on mine, I fought like a pupa who wanted to escape from its cocoon.


This competitive man tightened his hug.
I had learned a lesson today. Do not barge into a perverted man's room alone.


My soul, mind, and heart went berserk.
Why did his mother, a maid, witnessed our cuddling moment?


"Oopsie!
"


She shut the door.
Everything went silent afterward.


"Your Grace, the bathroom needed me.
"


He released me and pointed his hand in the bathroom's direction.
I ran towards the exit door.


Choosing these flat, lightweight, yellow shoes was a smart move, especially if you need to escape the Duke.


I'm not actually safe because...


"Oh, done already?
"


I passed by the drawing-room and, there she was, sipping her tea.


She patted the space behind her and sat down next to her.


"Thank You for letting me visit the Duke, Your Grace.
Shouldn't we call a priest?"


She told me a priest would be unnecessary as the Duke always shooed them.


Next, she held my arms and said, "Don't worry, I am the woman who understands my son's circumstances.
Here at Athenesy, we would take care of you even after you give birth to my grandchildren."


This was the House of Misunderstandings.


"Hey, what was on your mind to run like that?
"


He wore a robe but didn't tie it so you can have a view of his abs.


"Son, maybe you startled her.
"


I nodded at the Duchess's statement.


He poured the tea on the teacup and gulped it like water.


"Fine, let's meet when I am on my best.
"


I thanked them and asked Nora to call the chauffeur.


Bethany, you didn't learn from the first mistake and, you did the second.
What was going on in your mind? What was on your mind?


A week later...


"Well, if that was your problem, then why don't we go on a trip together?
"


"You were the best!
You can read what was on my mind!"


Actually, that was also my way to get inspiration from doing sketches.


The publishing house demanded the sequel for Ella's novel.
She updated me about her work in progress.


For the location of our next sisterhood trip, I choose Tozia since I had to retrieve one of the hidden gems.
What I didn't expect was another disaster.

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