Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 278: Perfect Partner

“Are you two back together now?” One of the reporters asked.

Although I knew that these types of questions were bound to be hurled at us, I wasn’t quite prepared to answer any of them. I also hated how nosy these reporters were. Clearly they were not here to cover the naming of the school or any topic related to community service. All they were intent on finding out more about was my relationship with the prince. I stared at them as I pursed my lips together while I decided to maintain my silence.

“You shouldn’t ask me about this. Why don’t you ask the lady instead?” The prince said as he threw the ball my way.

It took all of my effort not to turn and glare at him. Instead, I plastered a lady-like smile onto my lips as I thought of an appropriate answer.

“Who knows?” I replied teasingly without disclosing any other details.

Perhaps Desmond could sense that I wasn’t in the mood to deal with all the reporters because he quickly signaled to the guards to help us out of the place.

...

“Shall we go out for dinner?” The prince asked when we were alone.

I hesitated and that was probably because my mind couldn’t focus properly. The prince must have picked up on that even before I realized it myself.

“Did something happen that I don’t know about? You’ve been distracted for almost the entire duration of the event,” the prince inquired. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Although I tried to banish all thoughts related to that topic for my mind, my mind couldn’t help thinking of how Diana was doing on her trip with Anthony. Even after telling myself that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, I still felt very bothered and troubled by it. Needless to say, there was nothing that I could do. Between feeling helpless and feeling left behind, I wasn’t sure which was worse. It felt like fate was once again very cruel to me to have the event land in the middle of Diana’s trip with Anthony.

I was certain that my sister would have told me the details of their trip had I asked; however, I felt like I would feel even more restless if I knew about the details. Not knowing what they were up to only led me to imagine the worst and that made me feel so rotten inside because the worst for me would mean that their relationship was going well. Since I knew very well that this marriage was arranged for Diana, I also knew that it was my responsibility to wish for the best for her in this relationship and in their future marriage. I didn’t want my sister to end up marrying a man that didn’t love or treasure her. That was what a good sister was supposed to wish for but that also meant that I was wishing for the man that I love to fall in love with someone else.

The more I thought about it, the more selfish and rotten I felt to the point where I started hating myself. I wasn’t sure which hat I should wear and which role to portray anymore as my feelings raged an endless war inside my heart and in my mind. I must have been thinking about that subconsciously in the back of my mind even throughout the entire event, and my distracted state did not slip past the prince’s observation.

“Let’s go out for dinner,” I replied with a polite smile so that he would not press me on a more difficult matter to explain.

“Let’s go,” the prince said invitingly before offering me his hand.

Instead of going to some luxurious restaurant, I ended up dining with the prince in a very luxurious dining room in the palace instead. There was nothing for me to complain about, but I couldn’t wonder why the prince had chosen to bring me back with him to the palace. The food was amazing and it seemed like the meal had been prepared to cater to my taste. Someone definitely did a very thorough research of all of my favorite dishes.

I could observe so many details that told me that the prince had put in the time and effort to set up everything so that our dinner would be a pleasant experience for me. His attention to detail was definitely top-notch. The flower decorations that comprise of all of my favorite flowers and colors. The dishes served were all my favorite food down to the very last dessert.

“Have you thought a little about what I said last time?” The prince asked all of a sudden.

Since he had told me so many things the last time that we spoke, I wasn’t exactly sure which part he was referring to specifically.

“Which part?” I asked directly.

“Have you decided about what you’re going to do about that one sided love of yours?” He asked before he grinned at me.

I ended up letting out a self-deprecating laugh at his question. The truth was, even without Desmond’s prompt regarding the topic, the question had always preoccupied a part of my mind. He probably had no idea just how many waking hours and sleepless nights I had spent dissecting the problem and wondering what I should do with it or with myself. The solution was clearly simple, but it was also excruciatingly hard. I had always known all along that one day I would have to completely give up on Anthony. I wasn’t foolish enough to keep on holding on to him when I knew that there was no future for us.

It was also my job to support my sister and to wish for their happiness. With how desperate the two families were in officially uniting, I wouldn’t be surprised if her wedding were to happen in the very near future. At best, I would give it a few more years until the arrival of the wedding that everyone had been waiting for with bated breath. I could tell what the prince was hinting at; however, I didn’t need that hint from him. I knew very well that giving up was the best solution, and that all this time I had been a coward in evading the inevitable.

“I don’t see a need to do anything about it,” I replied stubbornly.

–To be continued...