May I, My Love? ✔

13. t h e c o n f r o n t a t i o n

"You're playing it wrong love. I'm sure you can play it a bit better than now."

'I'm so dead today!' I thought as my mind finally registered the owner of the voice.

My back was still rigid, and I remained absolutely unmoving, wishing the person will just leave me alone, but my subconscious knew better. I was still pretty shaken up from last night's events, and I knew I didnt have the strength left to be dealing with this right now. I was puzzled, when all the events that had occurred in the past week ran like a movie in my head.

Why was it that ever since the ball was announced, I've been having all the bizarre things happen to me?  

What was it with all the sudden hurricane in my life?

Prior to this, I had never dared to be so bold and adventurous, be it in wearing wigs and acting not so classy; or dancing with a mere stranger and falling for him in a matter of minutes – when all I knew about him were his grey eyes. 

Listening to this voice was already giving me butterflies, so much so that I almost forgot what they had said. Gradually, the words pieced themselves together and when I finally understood the underlying mockery and arrogance behind those words, I was furious.

'Not playing good enough?! This is my composition for God's sake!'

My feathers had been ruffled, and in that angry trance, I spun around with a force I didn't know I had, and looked at him straight in the eye.

In the morning where there were no artificial lights, his normally shiny grey eyes looked darker, almost black, and that made him more intimidating. I too, would have been affected, if only I wasn't riding on the high of my frustrations and fury from hearing his risible words. And so, as I saw him leaning casually on the door of the cottage, I lost all control on my tongue, and lashed out at him.

"Not good enough? How dare you come here, listen to my personal music without my permission, and then gather the audacity to correct me?!"

He didn't say anything, unlike me who hurled a volley of words at him, just raised a brow at me. He waited patiently, maybe he wanted me to do something about my outburst, but it was already too late.

My heart rate quickened once I realised the gravity of my words, and how easily I had spoken them. What was I thinking? That he will be intimidated by me? Never! He's the prince, for God's sake. I couldn't bear to look at him in the eye, afraid that he will chastise me for being so disrespectful. I seriously need to get my head checked up after this.

"Well, I'm waiting for something. Are you going to stand there all morning?"

He spoke up again, prompting me to apologize for my words. Even though I was fully aware that I should apologize to him, deep down i didn't think he really deserves one. He was the one who barged in here first, and intervened my peaceful morning, disrupting the serenity of this place, and called me out on my apparently faulty music.

I wasn't exactly satiated with that brief outburst, and had many things to vent to him about —

How he shouldn't have come here acting all high and mighty.

How he shouldn't have looked at me with those gorgeous intense eyes and made my heart flutter all the while knowing his position.

How he shouldn't have made all those promises to only look at me and cherish me without uttering a single word.

How he shouldn't have ever entered my life. Or the other way around, I'm not sure anymore. I just know he shouldn't have done anything.

I had so much to say but all those words got caught in my throat as soon as I caught his gaze, and Wyatt's words from yesterday resonated in my mind cruelly.

I don't deserve him. My position is to bow down to him and be on my own way. Stop this before it starts. To not fall into a pit when I know I won't be able to come out alive.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have.... I shouldn't have spoken to the prince so harshly. Please forgive me."

I gave him what he asked for without a fight, and kept my head low as I had no idea how he would treat me as a prince.

Again, after a few moments of utter silence, I found him studying me. Bemused, I looked at him with a frown on my face when he answered my unasked question.

"It annoys me to know that you're the kind of person that needs to be told everything  explicitly."

What?! Is he calling me an idiot now?

He walked further in the room, straight towards me in that royal gait of his, continuing his explanation.

"I asked for an apology for playing the song in the wrong way. Not for the outburst. Let me show you the right way."

He insisted on reaching where I was standing in front of the piano. Since he was the prince, it was possible that he got the training to play the piano too, but this was too much. His arrogance, mixed with his proximity, was a hazardous combination. Either I could rip his head off, or kiss him until I come back to my senses.

As a result of getting out my disgusting and disrespectful thoughts, I quickly moved away from him as if I had been singed. Hardly did he know, that I had already suffered third degree burns.

"No, I can't allow that. I apologize again if you think my playing was faulty, but I will have to go now. If- if you want, you can use my piano for as long as you want. Good morning."

I told him as I prepared to go back to the main palace. 'So much for early morning peace.' I was promptly stopped by his hand on my upper arm.

"You shouldn't think of leaving me here all alone at all. Since if I tell anyone about the way you have treated me in the past few minutes, you and your family are going to be in a lot of trouble. Sit down, Harmony Rose."

'Oh bullocks!!'