Rosangela: The Runaway Princess (Book #2)

Prince Xavier’s Point of View:

Since Angela bumped into me the previous night, I hadn’t clapped eyes on her again. According to one of the maids, Angela shut herself in her bedroom the whole night and hadn’t come out of her bedroom yet until now. And it worried me that she hadn’t eaten anything yet either since then.

It’s all Mariana’s fault. She shouldn’t have frightened the poor girl like that. I was well aware of how my people treated their pets and it was understandable if Angela was shocked to see it with her own eyes. I actually didn’t want my pet to know how a pet was usually treated in my kingdom because I never intended to treat her like that. I loved Angela’s feisty spirit and I didn’t want to change that. But Mariana spoiled everything. If it were not because of the fact that she was the woman who helped bring me up, I would make sure she suffers the consequences of her action.

“I’ll go and check on Angela after I have breakfast. I have to make sure she’s okay,” I decided.

I stepped into the dining hall. This room consisted of a long dining table with chairs surrounded it and a large China cabinet that was used for storing dishes, silver platters, and silverwares. The dining table was decorated with a white tablecloth and candles lit in the middle. A giant crystal chandelier hovered over the dining table. Several paintings hung in the walls that were painted red with a hint of golden.

Apparently, my parents, the king and queen of the kingdom of Nightshades had gathered here, but food had not been served yet. My father sat at the head of the table. Meanwhile, my mother took a seat on my father’s left.

“Buenas noches, Mamá, Papá (Good evening, Mom, Dad),” I greeted them as I plonked myself across from my mother.

“Buenas noches, Hijo (Good evening, Son),” they both greeted me in return.

Moments later, servants rushed into the dining hall, carrying our food on enclosed silver platters. They set the silver platters down on the table in front of us before opening the lids up. After that, the servants took their leave with a bow.

“Bon apetito (Bon appetite),” my father said.

Just as we were about to eat, a guard suddenly burst into the dining hall without troubling to knock.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, but this is a matter of some urgency,” he said.

“What’s going on?” My father inquired.

“Many prisoners have escaped from the dungeon, Your Majesty, including the the werewolf that we caught with Prince Xavier’s pet.”

“What?!” My father’s eyes nearly popped out of his head after he heard the news.

“Oh no! If that werewolf has escaped, he might try to take Angela with him too. No, I can’t let him do that,” I thought.

I sprang to my feet and made a dart for the door.

“Xavier, where are you going?” My mother asked.

“I have to check on my pet, Mamá. I’ll be right back,” I replied.

I dashed out of the dining hall and scuttled to Angela’s bedroom in the slave quarters.

I burst into her bedroom while shouting her name, “Angela? Angela?”

To my utter astonishment, the room was empty and Angela was nowhere to be seen.

“Has she escaped?” I asked myself.

I dismissed the idea with a firm shake of my head. “There’s no way she can escape from here. Maybe she just goes to the bathroom.”

I finally went to the communal bathroom to look for Angela, but she wasn’t there either.

“Where are you going, Angela?” I wondered.

As I walked out of the bathroom, a maid approached me.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, what are you doing in the slave quarters?” she enquired.

“I am looking for my pet. Did you see Angela?” I asked her back.

“I am sorry, Your Highness, I haven’t seen her today,” she answered.

I ran my hand through my hair frustratedly. “Oh shit! Where is she going?”

“Your Highness.” I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

I turned around and saw Mariana standing before me. “Yeah. What’s wrong, Mariana?” I asked brusquely because I was still upset with her.

“I saw Angela in the kitchen a few hours ago,” she stated.

My forehead was bunched in a frown. “What was Angela doing in the kitchen?”

“She took a blood bag from the refrigerator. She told me that you had ordered her to fetch you a blood bag for your breakfast,” she explained.

“But I have never ordered her to bring me blood,” I mumbled.

“I knew it! I was suspicious that she’s lying, but I just didn’t have a proof of it,” Mariana said.

My fists balled up and I hollered, “GUARDS!”

Within seconds, a dozen of guards came.

“How may we help you, Your Highness?” one of the guards inquired.

“My pet is missing. You must find her! Now!” I ordered urgently.

With a bow, they hurriedly left to search for Angela.

The guards had combed the palace for more than thirty minutes, looking for Angela, but they couldn’t find her anywhere. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

“Keep looking! She can’t just have vanished off the face of the earth,” I commanded the guards, and they soon obeyed me.

“I think I have to return to Angela’s bedroom now. Maybe I can find something that I can use as a clue to know where she’s going,” I thought.

I finally went back to Angela’s bedroom. When I pushed the door open, I was surprised to find a girl sitting on the edge of the bed with her back towards me.

I gaped. “YOU!!!”