Chapter 3 The Candlestones

• Chapter 3: The Candlestones
• "Honey, are you done yet?" Merida hollered from downstairs. Moaning inappropriate words that her mother would never allow, Diana locked her phone and went to her mother, who was waiting by the living room.
• Merida took one look at her and was satisfied. "You look stunning, Princess."
• "Princess?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Strange. Her mother never called her that before. Her behaviour was really suspicious ever since she came. Something was going on, and Diana could sense it very well, but she didn’t know what. "Whatever, Mom. Now, can you tell me where we're going?"
• "My answer is: it's a surprise!"
• Diana groaned once more at Merida's response. Still, she followed her mother to the car and hoped the day would come to an end soon. After all, Diana was very tired. She hoped that whatever event they would go to, it would end early so that she could get flop on the bed and retire.
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• In the palace, Ivan was heading towards the car along with his mother. He wore a blue suit, which was chosen by Suzanne.
• "Where are we really going, Mom?" he asked at last. However, he didn't get a chance to get an answer from his parents; a servant came and handed him the suit, telling him to get ready soon as possible per the orders of the queen.
• "We are going to meet someone special." The queen smiled. "It's a surprise. You will definitely love it."
• "Is Father coming too?" Ivan asked. The king was a busy man after all.
• "He will join us soon. He cannot miss the special union of two lovers." Suzanne's response made Ivan uneasy. Thinking it was probably a smart move to stay silent, he kept shut for the rest of the car drive.
• When the car came to a stop, Ivan glanced through the window. It was a small restaurant that his family had recently bought. He didn't know the reasoning behind their buying the restaurant nor what they were doing here.
• "This is the place where I met your dad for the first time. That's why we bought this restaurant. In this place, two lovers meet royally and get united forever. We did it with plenty of dukes and duchesses, now it's your turn to meet your lover. Come," Suzanne explained. Ivan's entire body stiffened.
• Two lovers will meet and get united? Only one thing cut through his brain: it was a blind date! What the hell was his mother saying? Did she somehow find out about Rain? Will he meet Rain here and finally get united with her?
• He got out of the car and walked along with Suzanne. Soon, his father followed next to him. Ivan could feel a lump in his throat that made it uneasy to swallow. Sweat had even started forming in his hands. His heart rapidly thumped with nervousness.
• What if it wasn't Rain?
• He entered the restaurant, and his eyes fell on a familiar brown-blonde-haired girl. He couldn't believe it. What was she doing here?
• "Diana?"
• "I-Ivan?"
• Diana was just as shocked as Ivan. She had been totally clueless about the situation and was now absolutely confused about what to make of the situation given before her. It was unbelievably unexpected.
• "Ivan, what are you doing here?" Diana sprang up to her seat and rushed towards him. Beside him was a familiar middle-aged couple—wait, actually it was the king and the queen. Why were they here? thought Diana. Why was Ivan with them?
• Diana was clueless about everything so she couldn’t even utter a word. Merida saw this and got up from the sit, giving a smile. "This is my daughter Diana Stevens." She looked at Ivan, who was fidgeting nervously. "This handsome boy—I presume—is Prince Ivan?"
• Suzanne nodded a yes as an answer. She even placed a hand on Ivan's shoulder.
• Eyes growing wide and blinking several times, her mind spun in several different directions. There was no doubt that Diana was now beyond confused. "P-prince Ivan? What do you mean 'Prince'?"
• "Stop pretending now, honey." Merida tapped Diana's shoulder and further spoke, "Come on, everyone. Let's have a seat and start talking."
• Suzanne and Devin took a seat as Diana trailed behind them, making sure to step in beside Ivan.
• "What the hell is happening?" she asked, hissing at him. "Why are we meeting here with our parents and why in the world is my mom saying I was pretending? What am I pretending to be?"
• Color had drained from Ivan's body. He couldn't believe it—his parents were trying to set him up with his best friend! Suppressing his anger, he tried answering calmly. "I think our parents are trying to marry us off. We're gathered here to discuss that."
• "What?" Diana gasped in horror. "Why? Why is this happening? How did they even—" She stopped, eyes narrowing to slots as she peered at the man beside her. "Are...are you really Prince Ivan?"
• Ivan's silence answered her question. Diana wanted to shoot herself from embarrassment. He was really the prince.
• "I was just joking about you being THE prince. I never knew it was true," she mumbled. "Wait. If you're the prince, then your parents are the..." She looked at Ivan with a horrified face. "Oh my God!"
• Even though they were currently undergoing a tough time, Ivan couldn't help but let out an amused smile at Diana. Her face said it all; she was filled with guilt and embarrassment with the way she greeted the royal family.
• Everyone sat down on their respective chairs, with Ivan sitting next to Diana. The waiters swooped in to serve them food and drinks as everything was already pre-ordered by the king himself.
• When the waiter handed her a glass, Diana immediately took a sip of her orange juice.
• "So, as everyone knows, we found out the truth of you two being in a relationship." The moment Suzanne said that, Diana choked on her juice.
• Where did that come from?