50 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PART 2

Ashleah furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "Prince Blake, stop creating assumptions that aren't even true mmm?" She smiled at him, the Prince just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

After that, Ashleah and Prince Blake bid their goodbyes. The Princess quickly walked her way to the nearest maid who had a drink, and snatched it away from her. D*mn, she was thirsty.

Even though she thought that she was already finished dancing, OF COURSE she wasn't. As she was drinking the cold glass of water, she saw how a hand reached out for her, obviously asking for her to dance with him.

Ashleah looked at the man's face and took a deep breath. 'I do hope that this Prince does not want to marry me too.' She gladly accepted Prince Raven's hand.

As they walked their way to the middle, Ashleah heard whispers from other noble women, they.. were talking about her.

"Princess Izel acting like they all want her?"

"I do like that one Prince–"

About to roll her eyes, she heard a soft chuckle as Prince Raven's hands snaked its way behind her waist, their hands intertwined as her other free hand was now on top of his broad shoulder. Ashleah raised an eyebrow and shook her head playfully.

"I guess her highness already found out that I do not wish to get married to her, does she not?" He smirked as they swayed their body with the smooth and relaxing rhythm of the music.

"I am quite fast in catching up with what's happening in my surroundings Prince Raven." She smirked at him, making the Prince a little bit surprised, he never knew that the Imperial Princess can be like this.

"My Father wants me to marry you, your highness–" he paused for a while and twirled Ashleah around before contiuning what he was saying. "–I just wanted to be a king, and I don't want to be in a marriage without love. I-I know it sounds kind of cheesy–"

"No, it is not cheesy." Ashleah quickly blurted out receiving a surprised look from Prince Raven.

"Pardon?" The Prince said, blinking his eyes a couple of times with an awkward smile on his lips, Ashleah chuckled and repeated what she said.

"I said, Prince Raven's dream or what he wants is not cheesy. I mean, it is actually the same for me. I do not wish to get married to someone I do not like nor love." She said, but as soon as she finished saying those words, as it left her own mouth.. Ashleah made a short span eye contact with Nash, who took the glass of wine away from Axis and drank almost all of it.

"Your highness, to be honest.." Prince Raven took her attention, so she blinked her eyes and looked at the Prince, trying to smile. "Ever since we came here, I really feel like I've been receiving those death glares." He chuckled to himself.

"What are you even talking about? It's not like someone inside the Imperial Palace hates you." He surprisingly scoffed as he chuckled soon after. Shaking his head he leaned a little closer to her ear and whispered.

"You are indeed dense just like Prince Enver told me. Oh, and please do not worry for I do know that he is in a very sweet and cute relationship with Count Nicolai." He gave her a reassuring smile before moving his head away from her.

"So you've been friends with him?" Prince Raven was about to open his mouth yet, another man tapped his shoulder, it was Prince Akriel.

"Oh and yes, I am indeed friends with him." Prince Raven answered before walking away, Ashleah felt awkward as they started dance. Prince Akriel had this strong and not wavering facial expression. He did not even bother acting up like he was enjoying any of this.

"Do you feel any discomfort dancing with me Prince Akriel?" Because of her voice, the Prince blinked his eyes a couple of times as he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Then, can you please tell me what's been bothering you?"

He took a deep breath before spinning Ashleah around, he looked straight into her eyes. "Can.. I tell you a secret?" Ashleah saw how his eyes were in a state of 'I don't even know if what I am doing is right, but I'm going to do it' The Princess nodded her head, and warmly smiled at him; Of course they were still dancing.

"Of course, I can be your human diary Prince Akriel." She giggled.

"My lover is here, among the crowds.. and she does not know that I am also one of the candidates that wants her highness' hand in marriage." He sighed, obviously the Prince was very stressed with what's happening to him currently.

"With that huge crowd of nobles inside the ballroom.. Where is she?" Ashleah wandered her eyes around the huge ballroom of the Imperial Palace. After some time the Princess gave up and waited for Prince Akriel to point out where his lover was.

"There, there she is. Your highness please do slowly turn your head around, she looks like she's having casual talks with the other noble ladies. The one with Coral Copper Hair, that's the daughter of Duke Luz from our kingdom, Lady Ciara."

As Ashleah turned her head around, she saw a very beautiful and petite woman who had the coral copper hair that Prince Akriel was talking about. "My, she is indeed very attractive, is she not?" She giggled as her eyes landed on Prince Akriel who was staring at his lover with the eyes of a man who completely fell head over heals all over again.

"I cannot tell my Father that I am in love with the daughter of Duke Luz that can anytime take the throne away from him any moment when the nobles try to attack him. Duke Luz has a lot of nobles on his side to be honest." He shook his head as he sighed in a very disappointed way.

"That is indeed very hard." Their dance lasted for a few more minutes, Prince Akriel thanked her for almost a million of times making her chuckle. Ashleah sat on the throne, very tired.

Emperor Adler just laughed as he covered his lips and whispered to his daughter right beside him. "It seems like my daughter is tired with non stop dancing with those Princes that are asking for her hand in marriage hmm?" Ashleah pouted her lips and glared at her father.

"Oh come on Father, please do stop teasing me like this." She sighed as she slowly massaged her nape, for a few minutes Ashleah had some time for herself and also for her Father. They chatting with each other happily, actually.

Suddenly Prince Lovis appeared right in front of them, Ashleah already knew why the Prince was here so she quickly stood up and turned her head around her father who had this teasing smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you so much for having this dance with me, your highness." He smiled, as they started to dance Prince Lovis just continued to talk about what happened to him inside the Imperial Palace. For that, Ashleah thought that Prince Lovis was just here because he indeed wanted to marry her.

"I actually am not here to marry you. I do not wish to marry her highness, I just wanted to finish this very amazing thing that I am actually doing right now. I also do not wish to be the Crown Prince of our Kingdom, yet because I was the oldest son and was raised by mother to be just the King of the kingdom." He pitifully chuckled to himself, as he shook his head and twirl Ashleah around.

The Princess saw how his eyes held depths of sadness and despair, how he wishes that sometimes he was not a Prince. "May I ask what you are inventing currently?" Ashleah questioned him, trying to change the topic.

Prince Lovis eyes beamed as he took a deep breath and started talking about it. "It is something that when you click on a certain button it flashes and it's like a painting yet-" Prince Lovis continued talking about it, but Princess Ashleah quickly created a conclusion out of it.

'So Prince Lovis is the one who's going to invent cameras huh?' She smirked to herself for she was now talking in front of the man who was going to invent cameras. "Well then, I do hope so that when you finish inventing that specific thing, please do give me one. I am going to anticipate with it!"

Finally, Axis asked for her to dance with him. Ashleah giggled as she danced with Axis. "My, you do seem like you were having a lot of fun with the Princes aren't you Ashleah?" He tilted his head and then smiled at her teasingly.

"Oh shut up Axis, I was just having some friendly conversation with them. Stop making assumptions and issues about us, seriously." Ashleah looked around the crowd before rolling her eyes at Axis making the man chuckle to himself.

"My, the Princess looks around before rolling her eyes around me huh?" He said, obviously refraining himself from laughing. "Well, there is something you do not know." She furrowed her eyes, yet the man quickly changed thee topic. Their dance lasted for a few more minutes.

As Ashleah felt the long stare from Nash, they were now dancing. "You do look like you were having a lot of fun with them earlier huh?" He said, making Ashleah scoff.

"And it is indeed my first time seeing you like this Nash, you always seemed so cheerful huh?" Ashleah raised an eyebrow making Nash do the same, they were now acting like a child. "Cut the crap Nash."

They continued dancing after that they quickly went their way to the terrace, Ashleah laughed out loud as she felt the cold yet soft breeze of the night, she closed her eyes and felt relaxed soon after.

As her eyes were closed, she someone who came closer to her face. She opened her eyes, and it quickly widened when she saw Nash so close to her, the man smiled and was about to kiss her but suddenly-

"Nash, Ashleah-" Axis froze on the spot and mentally punched himself.