The Crown Prince's Love
Chapter 55

The guards tried to push me forward, but I struggled with them.

They stopped and let me watch them, but they didn't let go of my hand. "What... what... are..." Ana stuttered.

"Stop pretending!" Desmond shouted at her. "I know that you are the cause of everything that has happened, so stop acting like you don't know about it!"

Ana cleared her throat and looked around, searching the eyes of the students present and looking for who would back her up, but nobody said anything. "You all truly believed that I sent out the audio?" she asked, and when nobody answered, she burst into laughter. "You all must be stupid to think that I would do something like that. It was not me!" she yelled at Desmond.

"I have known about you two for a long time now, and I didn't say a word. What would I gain if I sent the audio?"

"Maybe you expected that I would return to you!" Desmond replied. "You can deny it, Ana. This was all you, and I have to admit that I am disappointed in your pettiness. I never expected that you would go to such extremes just to be with me!" "Desmond, it is..."

Noah cut her off before she could finish.

"Save it. Follow me, Desmond. The King is expecting us!" He announced and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards me.

"We will take you out of the forest ground now, Your Highness," the guards announced and pushed me out of the forest.

I didn't say a word until we reached the car, and I was seated.

Even when Desmond sat down beside me in the back seat, I didn't say anything. We just stared at each other briefly, and he looked away. Then I saw the large gash on his elbow and the blood trailing down his hand.

I had done that because I was angry. I had hurt my partner without realizing it. "Desmond..." I tried to touch him, but he shifted away, avoiding me like a plague. "Are you going to avoid me too?" I asked him, my voice shaking with desperation.

"Please don't shun me out. I am sorry for hurting you, Desmond."

He turned to face me, but he didn't say anything, and then Sonnia, who had joined us in the car, broke the connection between Desmond and me by announcing another bad news.

"We have a bigger problem!"

~Desmond~

"The council of elders is already aware of the situation, and they've started asking questions," Sonnia paused, lifting her gaze from her phone. "That's not all. Numerous unfavorable comments are circulating about both of you." she paused and then continued. "I will..."

"Now is not the time to announce the comments. We already know they won't be positive, so there's no reason for you to say anything," I interjected.

I rubbed my hands together anxiously, lowering my head, wondering how we had been discovered despite being extra careful.

My parents would undoubtedly be disappointed, and the king would be furious that I had betrayed his trust and failed to protect the prince, as he had ordered.

Why couldn't we just be open about who we were and show that we, too, were individuals with feelings?

It was infuriating to know that the world wouldn't accept us.

With everything exposed, there was a high chance the king would order Randy and me to be separated.

The thought of never being with my him again, coupled with the knowledge of my impending demise in two months, weighed heavily on my heart.

"This is all your fault!" Noah accused, pointing his finger at me.

"Stop saying things that aren't true!" Sonnia yelled, cutting him off. "None of this is their fault. They were unknowingly recorded. The least we can do is support them and hope that our parents replace a way out of this mess!"

Noah laughed, folding his arms. "I bet Dad will order them to separate because it's the only option. They can't be together anymore with the way things look."

I rubbed my hands together, knowing it would likely come to that.

The king had warned me not to reveal our secrets, and now that it had happened, he had the opportunity to separate us without hesitation.

"Don't you dare say things like that," Randy barked at Noah. "You can drop the act now because you always pretend to care about me when you truly don't give a damn about what I do!"

"Randy!" Noah yelled back, pointing a finger at him. "No one is hating you. With the way things are, you're the one who can't see that the world will never accept you both. I know you might hate me for saying this, but it's the truth, and..." Randy suddenly stood up, trying so hard to hold himself back as though he was ready to hit Noah at any moment.

"Randy," I muttered his name, grabbing his hand and pulling him down.

I rubbed his hand gently and smiled at him as our eyes met.

"Everything will be fine," I reassured him.

He stared at me, sitting down beside me, not letting go of my hand.

He shifted closer and rested his head on my shoulder.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Desmond. I can't let Father say things against us. I can't bear the thought of being separated from you, and I..." "Shush," I placed a finger on his lips.

"That's okay, Randy. You don't have to say anything else. I can tell you that everything is going to be fine, and we will be accepted."

That was a lie.

I was getting my hopes up even though I knew it was unlikely. "I will do everything to avoid being separated from you," I assured him.

"I would do the same, Desmond," Randy muttered.

Noah and Sonnia sighed, but neither of them said anything.

Throughout the rest of the ride, none of us spoke until we reached the royal home.

When we arrived, we were bombarded by reporters rushing towards the car, eager to ask questions.

Thanks to the royal guards, we managed to get inside after wasting precious minutes trying to shake off the reporters.