chapter 16:

"Umm....hello."

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady." Alejandro side-stepped me and skipped inside.

He wandered into the house, followed by me and the other two ladies, checking the doors and entering into one which I assumed to be the living room.

He made himself comfortable by sitting on a love seat. Without a sound, Valery took her seat beside him whereas Ivanna sat other couch of the living room.

"Who is it?" Edward called from the kitchen.

"It's us," Ivanna yelled back.

The room fell dead silent after those words left her mouth. Not a sound from kitchen, either. Valery's face was expressionless and Ivanna's was ducked, checking the wooden floor.

After a minute of deadly silence where I was fidgeting with my fingers and Alejandro was looking at me with a blank expression, Edward entered. "Nice to see you all."

Alejandro nodded. "Same here. We are forever in debt to you. Now if you will excuse us..."

Alejandro started to rise from his seat. Suddenly Edward's face became alert. "No! You are not leaving. I started cooking for all of us already. Perhaps, a dinner might do good."

Just say yes, Alejandro. I could at least formulate a way to escape his wrath if he just accepted the invitation then. His robotic tone was bleeding my ears and raising an unknown fear in the pit of my stomach. And by no means I was ready to attend a lecture.

I ticked off Alejandro's mood and  was damn sure that not only me but also Valery and Ivanna were going to pay a visit to Mr. Alejandro's temper. Maybe, by the end of the dinner, his anger subsides a little.

"No Edward. This is something serious. But sure, I will meet you sometime soon."

"But-" Edward  started to protest but by one stern glance from Alejandro had shut his mouth. He just managed to nod and drop us off by the door.

"See you later, Edward," Ivanna gave him a side hug and proceeded towards the car.

"Bye," I said, a whisper, actually. I waved him using my right hand and he waved me back but not before giving me a side-hug and whispering, "Be careful next time and good luck with Alejandro. Though I don't know why does he care so much about you."

There was an unreadable expression on his face before he managed to slip a reassuring smile on his face. I looked one more time at the beige colour two storey house, the brown door  matched with it, and the man standing by the door last time before something crossed my mind.

I ran in his direction, and hugged him tight once. "You have been a good friend to me. I don't know how you saved me but I am safe now is what it matters. We may not meet again. So, thanks for all the help you did me. Saved me two times and making my ex jealous, etc. Thank you."

I  released him from the hug and adjusted myself. He was confused, and was trying decipher my words. But before any question had arose, I left him hanging by the door, in deep thoughts.

The car ride to the palace was dead silent. I did not knew what to expect once we step into the doors of palace. Do mom and dad know about this? What about Sein and Phillipe? How would they react if they get to know that someone tried to kidnap me? Once again.

May the odds be on my side, was what I wished all the way to palace. What if Edward did not see me on time? Where would I have been by now? I might be dead by now, right?

I rolled the window glass up when cold night air was giving me shivers and freezing my fingers. This cold's just a small stone when compared to the winter nights I had spent in New York years back. But now, I had been residing here for five years that I do not even remember how the winters felt in NY.

This just proved, how many changes had been in my life.

Now, I am A Princess. Is this the reason why someone is after me? If so yes, I don't want this life! It was better when I worked in the cafe and Ethan was safe along with me.

"We are here." Ivanna nudged me gently and I jerked from my trance. I silently slipped out of the car and trudged towards the palace doors, hugging myself tight as a protection from the cold night. Guards bowed me on my way, and I ignored them for the first time which was very unlike. I have more important matters to think about.

I reached my room and opened it silently. I was startled to see Phillipe and Sein on the bed along with little Ethan curled up on Sein's side. They both stopped their murmur conversation, once I had made my presence known. Phillipe murmured something to Sein and Sein nodded at him.

I did not comprehend his words due to the distance that parted us, but understood when Sein took my son in his arms and advanced towards the room door. It's when my brain registered. A long night awaited me.

***********

The room was silent. We all were occupying the couch and the bed of my room. The atmosphere was thick as that of hunger games arena. Full of tension, and fear, for me. I did not know how many people would snap at me for not being careful with myself. For going to the restaurant without security. I should have at least let Ivanna tag along my side.  Then again, we did not know the lengths my kidnappers would have went to abduct me. Maybe, Ivanna.....would have been dead trying to save me. Whatever happened, it was right.

No one was harmed.

"Do you remember the appearances of any of your...uh kidnappers?" Sein broke the silence first.

I simply shook my head no.  "They put chloroform when my back was facing them."

"At least the first time they tried?"

"He wore a mask."

"And who saved you again?" Phillipe asked, his tone somewhat sceptical. But I answered anyway, "Edward."

"The guy from the lunch?"

"Yes."

"He saved you today too, right?"

"Yes."

"Interesting." He was tapping his index finger on his chin with a distant look on his face. He was trying to calculate something. But what?

"How can a person save you two times? That too in really very unexpected situations and places." His tone was tinted with suspicion indicating a piece of puzzle that was missing. But, what could it be? I couldn't imagine something suspicious at Edward's side.

"Maybe it was coincidence," Alejandro said. Exactly what I was thinking. Weird coincidences happen all the times. Maybe, it was one of them. We have to be grateful towards the guy.

Phillipe shook his head. "It's not coincidence."

"Did you notice something odd about him?" Sein asked me.

I started to travel down my memory line. There wasn't a situation where he had done something out of normal. Always jovial and light-hearted. He had friendly and harmless conversations whenever we crossed paths with each other, though he irritated me at first. But, anything out of normal? Nothing.

Then it stuck me. "When I was about to unlock his laptop, he snatched it from me and turned red with anger in seconds. Though he apologised me later, I still can't forget that look on his face. I mean, he never acted angry."

"And also, how can a person meet other person, out of blue, where ever he goes?" Ivanna said.

"Pardon me, I did not understand you." Valery turned towards Ivanna.

"Like, every time Sofia went out since her kidnap, Edward made his appearance somehow."

She was right. This tiny detail that had a capability to make a huge difference on my opinion regarding Edward. Now, even I started to doubt the guy. How can someone bump into the same person every time she goes out? This was a matter to contemplate. My observant skills proved to be non-existent.

Alejandro put his head in his hands, and Valery, who was sitting by his side, placed her tine hand on his shoulders rubbing small circles on his back to release the tension.

"How can I miss this tiny details?" Alejandro boomed, startling each one of us, even Phillipe.

"Calm down. We will find something out," one of us said.

"Apart from that, anything different?"

"No," I answered Sein's question. As far as I remembered, nothing seemed abnormal about him.

I sighed hoping all this were mere coincidences and nothing. Edward's my friend and with every new possibility of abnormality, my stomach churned. It was better when I disliked him.

I massaged my temples due to all the headache making its way to my brain.

"Let me," Sein said replacing my fingers with his. I leaned into his touch when my nerves calmed due to the pleasure.

"Don't you think the colour of his eyes is very irking?" Phillipe questioned.

"What do you mean?" My senses alerted when his eyes were mentioned. I always wanted to decode his eyes. Even at the restaurant, a strange feeling developed inside me which had wished to study them. Those unusual purple orbs. They stroke the curiosity in me, right on day one.

Was that just my curiosity? Or any instinct? Why's this so confusing?

"Don't know if any one of you felt that. But something was hidden beneath that fake expressions always. He wanted to leave the table, do you remember?" Phillipe asked me while others did not blink an eye despite the late night. They wanted to know what was wrong.

"Yeah and I held his hand." Sein's fingers ceased for a second but resumed again.

"It was not because Sein was glaring at him but because the way I was measuring him." He was glancing at the door knob biting his bottom lip trying hard to concentrate. But what was he trying to concentrate on?  I never asked so may questions to myself.

"Why were you measuring him up anyway?" Alejandro asked, more than curious.

"On my first glance at him, something clicked in my mind about his eyes. Not his face though."

"This is so damn confusing. But I don't think we can doubt on Edward. He never gave any chance for us to. But then again, all these clues suggest something else," Ivanna tugged her hair in frustration. I understand you Ivanna, is he acting clever or dumb? Can we actually suspect him?

"That was clever of him to act friendly. But we we need to break the code if there is any. We need to note all the clues and get to know about this guy more," Phillipe said. Inferiority started to consume me. Slowly. The way Phillipe could detect and suspect what's wrong established jealousy within me. He's not the soon-to-be ruler of Spain, but was really smart and intelligent than his sister. Should I really become Queen when there's an outstanding and deserving person right by me.

Phillipe deserves this more than me. I can't even protect myself, what will I do with the country?

I'll think about this later.

"What are you thinking ?" Sein whispered in my ear.

"No-nothing."

"About the lover boy? If you love him so much and you are sure he is not wrong then I will prove he is innocent okay?"

I turned my body a 180 degree and looked at him flabbergasted with my mouth agape. Was he for real? "He's not a lover boy and is least of my concern right now. He is just a friend okay? There is no need for you to prove anything. All right?"

He nodded his head raising his hands in surrender. "Now continue massaging my temples."

"Did you write all the clues down Alejandro?" Phillipe asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. We will start investigation on this. Right from tomorrow, okay?" His stern voice shook the girls in the room and held an edge of pure authority. I witnessed him being so seriousness for the first time, and I wanted to gush about my big brother in the way little kids talk about their brothers. How brave they are.

I did not have any idea of what tomorrow awaited me but this care was very over-whelming.

**********

Long time, no see eh?

Here goes another one. Enjoy.