Chapter 5 Not In Love

• Chapter 5: Not In Love
• "How does it feel being royally chosen?" one of the reporters asked.
• "Your Royal Highness, is she your girlfriend? Do you love each other?"
• "How did your love story begin?"
• Ivan wanted his soul to leave his body. He didn't know how to respond to the questions being hurled at them. Meanwhile, Diana just gave the journalists a fake smile. She knew they were the hot topic of the country now.
• When she looked at Ivan's expression, she rubbed his arm with her hand. She leaned closer and whispered, "Smile, Prince. You don't want to see the headline 'Constipated Prince' tomorrow, do you?"
• Realizing her words, Ivan tried to pull off a fake smile too. "I suck at this. How can one give a fake smile?"
• "Do you think I am smiling out of happiness?" Diana retorted. "Just pretend to smile and walk towards the car. I'm sure your parents and the guards are there. It's just a test. They want to know how I handle the public."
• "Let's just go then."
• Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. When Ivan grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away, she remained glued to her position.
• "What's wrong?" he asked. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.
• Diana smirked. "It's a test. How about I ruin it? It will make the king and the queen hate me."
• "What do you have in m—" before he could finish speaking, Diana dug in her shoes into the gravel and broke her heel on purpose.
• Immediately, gravity shifted and made her fall backward. But just as she could fall flatly on the ground and create an embarrassing accident, a heavy hand grabbed her waist.
• Diana opened her eyes, only to find a pair of green eyes looking into her brown ones.
• "Aww..." a lady reporter let out. Soon, everyone started to admire the couple's cuteness.
• The king and the queen, along with Merida, were watching them. Suzanne smiled. "She knows how to handle the public. Perfect!"
• "I knew I raised my daughter perfectly," Merida said proudly.
• How did a commoner do that? This is unusual. I am happy that we reached her before it was too late, the king thought.
• Diana tried to stand up. She grumbled, "Why did you save me, you dimwit?"
• "You were about to fall so—wait. It was the plan?" Ivan took a minute to realize.
• She rolled her eyes. "How can I forget that you always realize everything late? Ugh."
• "What kind of woman breaks her heel on purpose?"
• "Well, now what? You ruined my plan. What will we do?" she asked.
• "As you cannot walk now, I have to do this," he mumbled. Before Diana could ask what he had to do, he carried her up in his arms, her knees held up by Ivan's hands.
• The crowd was filled with awws as Ivan walked towards the car, carrying Diana along the way. The paparazzi followed them, continuously clicking pictures of them.
• Diana wrapped her hands around his neck. "Wrong move, dude. That was a very wrong move."
• "Well, I had to help you. We can make them hate us later."
• As soon as they reached the parking lot, Merida and Diana got into their car.
• "We will send a car tomorrow. Be ready to come to the palace and meet others," Suzanne said to Diana.
• Diana smiled and nodded. Diana had a habit of smiling; in fact, it was always hard to tell whether it was real or fake. Each time she smiled, her dimples popped out, making her look the cutest of them all.
• Sparing one last glance at Ivan, Diana held his gaze before breaking the contact and started driving towards her house. Her phone chimed, and she knew it was Aiden. Diana decided to ignore it and call him later. She wanted to tell her mother everything about Aiden, but she had to discuss everything with Ivan first. After all, they had to stick together through this tough phase. That was one benefit of being such close friends; they understood each other perfectly.
• ###
• Ivan stepped inside the queen's chamber to talk to her. Suzanne was doing her pedicure, sitting on her easy chair.
• "Do you want something, son? If you are here to thank me, then there is no need. I am your mother and I am proud of your choice."
• "Mom, I need to talk to you alone."
• She nodded and looked at her maid. The maid scooted out of the room; Suzanne stood up. "What is it, Ivan?"
• "Mom, Diana is not my girlfriend. She is my best friend. You misinterpreted everything." Suzanne waited for him to continue and he did, saying, "I talked to her at night because of our time difference. When I call her, it's seven P.M. in the United States. She is usually free at that time, thus, we talk over the phone. She really is just my best friend. I cannot marry her."
• "If she is your best friend, then does it mean that you don't have a girlfriend?"
• He sighed. It was time for him to tell the truth. He couldn't destroy four lives due to a misunderstanding. "I do. Rain Summers is my actual girlfriend, Mom. I love her. I want to marry her."
• Suzanne frowned. She hated Rain. Rain didn't deserve to be the next queen. She couldn't be a part of the royal family.
• "For how many years have you been in a relationship with her?" she inquired.
• "Three. I liked her but never got the courage to confess. Three years ago, with Diana's advice, I expressed my feelings to Rain."
• Suzanne sat on the bed and made Ivan sit next to her. "Does Rain know you're a prince?"
• He shook his head. "No. As we always went to the same school and college, she thinks my real name is Ivan Cands."
• Everyone thought his real name was Ivan Cands. It was used so that he could blend in with everyone. However, while receiving report cards or certificates, his real name was used, which only the principal knew.
• The queen chuckled. "If you really loved Rain, you would've told her the truth, Ivan."
• "I really love her. I was just scared. Please, don't confirm our wedding. We don't want our friendship ruined. She is my only best friend."
• The queen could hear the desperation in her son’s tone. She wasn’t sure what was really more important for him to protect—his relationship or his friendship? She wondered if he even knew the answer himself.