The Crown Prince's Love
Chapter 30

As I lay in the darkness, I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but I soon found myself in the clutches of a haunting nightmare. It was a world of darkness, where I was running desperately from an unseen and menacing threat. My heart raced, and I gasped for breath as panic consumed me.

In my dream, I tripped and fell to the ground, disoriented and terrified. The world seemed to spin, and I was surrounded by darkness. It was as if the very ground beneath me had become unsteady, shifting and swirling beneath my weight. Amidst the chaos, a loud, feminine voice pierced the darkness, its chilling words echoing all around me. "Welcome to your doom, Desmond." It declared, emphasizing my name.

My heart pounded as I shouted out in fear, "Where am I? How do you know my name?"

The voice responded with a haunting laugh, "You've been here before, Desmond. With the prince." The words sent shivers down my spine, for they hinted at something I couldn't quite grasp.

The voice continued, delivering an even more unsettling message, "You will die in two months, on your 20th birthday!"

I couldn't fathom the meaning or purpose behind this macabre prophecy. Desperation welled up within me as I shouted into the darkness, "Who are you? Why are you telling me this when you won't even show your face?"

The voice's reply sent a chill down my spine, "If you don't stay away from Randy, he will face dangers."

Before I could respond, the darkness transformed into blinding light, forcing me to shut my eyes tightly. When I opened them, I was confronted by a horrifying sight, Randy, his chest brutally stabbed, blood pooling around him, and his voice barely a whisper as he uttered my name.

"Desmond!" He gasped, reaching out for me.

My heart raced as I tried to reach him, but with a gasp, I was pulled from the nightmare, my eyes fluttering open.

Randy's hand was on my chest, and I immediately turned to him.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice trembling, my hands checking his body for injuries.

Randy, still disoriented from sleep, blinked in confusion. "Is everything alright?" He inquired with sleepy eyes.

"It's okay." I whispered, stroking his hair.

"Just go back to sleep." I kissed his forehead.

"Okay, luv." He responded and closed his eyes.

Unable to sleep and determined to escape the lingering dread of the nightmare, I climbed out of bed and began to prepare for the journey back to school.

The RV engine roared to life in the early hours of the morning, around 4 AM.

As I drove back to school, I couldn't stop thinking about the voice and the ominous meaning behind its warnings.

Was I truly going to die?

~Randy~

I woke up to the gentle rays of sunlight streaming onto my face, signaling that morning had arrived. I stretched and reached out for Desmond on the other side, but it was empty and unusually cold, indicating he had left a while ago. As I fluttered my eyes open and rose from my slumber, I called out, "Desmond," but there was no sign of him in our RV.

"Where are you?" I wondered aloud as I stepped out into the bright morning sun.

I soon realized we were no longer in the mountains but had returned to the location where Desmond had rented the RV. Spotting him engaged in a conversation with a middle aged man, I called out his name once more. When he noticed me, he waved to the man and greeted me.

"Randy, you're awake." Desmond said with a smile.

Frowning, I gave him a questioning look, wondering what had transpired while I was asleep.

Without me asking, Desmond began to explain that he had left the mountains and didn't want to disturb my rest.

"You should have told me instead of handling everything on your own. I would have tried to help, and keeping it from me was not the right thing to do." I admonished him, sighing deeply.

He ruffled my hair and took my hand, leading me toward the Corvette. "We still have an hour until class starts, so we need to head back to school now."

I nodded. "What about our..." I began to ask about our belongings, but he gestured to the back of the car.

"Don't worry, I've stored everything in the trunk." He assured me as he opened the car door for me to enter.

Once I was seated, he took the driver's seat and started the car without further words.

Something seemed to be bothering him and I need to replace out what that is.

With my attention back on Desmond, "Are you alright, Desmond?" I asked, but initially received no response. "Desmond!" I called out, and he finally looked away from the road.

"You called me?" He inquired.

I nodded. "What's happening to you, Desmond? Is everything alright?"

Desmond smiled and briefly released his grip on the wheel to kiss my hand. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" I probed to ensure he meant what he said.

His peculiar behavior made it difficult to believe he was fine.

Could it be the nightmare? I couldn't figure it out, but I sensed something was amiss.

"Are you sure you are alright? Is this about the nightmare?"

At the mention of the nightmare, I noticed his grip on the wheel tighten, causing his hand to turn red.

"I'm fine, Randy. Everything is alright." He replied, sounding somewhat harsh, then let go of my hand and refocused on the road.

I shifted in my seat and glanced away, troubled by his distant demeanor. It was disheartening to argue after spending an entire day together. I despised it.

For the remainder of our drive to school, neither of us spoke.

While I kept looking away, I couldn't help but turn periodically to observe Desmond. He made no effort to meet my gaze, and I yearned to scream at him, to force him to tell me what was bothering him. But I felt it might be best to leave him in peace.

Upon reaching the school, I got out of the car without uttering a word to Desmond and hurried towards the dormitory.

"Welcome, Your Highness." Hilda greeted me as I entered, but I merely waved and continued toward the elevator.

As I entered, I was greeted by the enticing scent of cinnamon, wafting from a boy inside. His fragrance was sweet and warm, piquing my curiosity as I turned to look at him.

He was tall, even taller than me, despite my height of six feet.

He seemed unfamiliar, despite my brief time in the dormitory, while everyone's faces were still relatively new to me, I could tell who belonged to the blue dormitory.

As he was about to respond to my query, Desmond's legs extended as he caught the closing elevator doors and stepped inside.

He shifted his gaze from me to the blonde guy and stood behind me. "Your Highness, why didn't you wait for me?" Seriously?

After ignoring me during the half hour drive, he acted like he cared. I didn't look at him and pretended to be busy looking up.