Chapter 20: The Lost Innocence

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Thankfully, that opposite-of-innocent thing that transpired that night between the sole occupant of the Willow room and the midnight visitor remained unknown to the other residents of the west wing. This bit gave the young architect a huge relief.

An embarrassing confrontation and interrogation about their midnight business is the very last thing she had in mind.

Albeit these thoughts, their night activity has brought a rather vibrant glow to the petite lady. Somehow, she felt more rested and more at peace.

Pippa woke up to a lovely morning but to a rather empty and cold bed. She was somewhat disappointed but when she remembered what happened the night before, a small enigmatic smile emerged from her lips.

Technically, she has lost her innocence to a royalty and to a young man that she truly like. "truly love! No, like is enough for now. Love is too much. We cannot say that unless we are sure." she nagged herself.

Like any other mornings, she was at the dining hall before half past six. She always wanted a quiet morning so early breakfast suits her best.

But to her great chagrin, the man who took her innocence beat her to it. The prince was already there and he wasn't alone. There are 3 other persons with him, the prince's cousin, Papa Vitto and her father. They seemed to be having a serious breakfast meeting.

"Good morning nugget," Alfonso Arias greeted his daughter as soon as he saw her entered the huge hall. She was planning to be as invisible as possible but that was totally hopeless now, all because of her overly cheerful father.

"I want to join you but unfortunately, I'm tied with these four at the moment." The smiling man added.

The young architect smiled back as she glanced briefly at the youngest member of the group. "It's alright Papa, carry on. I am in a hurry anyway." She lied effectively so as not to make her father feel bad.

As expected, the Prince acted formally when their eyes met. He bowed his head slightly and pulled back his gaze quickly. He didn't say anything or smile either and that made the young woman disappointed and pissed again.

Despite the annoyance, she remained calm and polite. "Good morning gentlemen, your highness," She gave them her most vibrant smile before sauntering straight to the buffet table.

Pippa ate her food in great haste. She wanted to disappear before the group could wrap up their small meeting. Suddenly, she felt guilty and ashamed of what she did last night.

Memories of her lost innocence flooded her in a snap and this made her want to shrink. Her composure was slipping from her fingertips like water and before she lost it, she scooped the last of her food and dashed out of the dining hall without saying good bye to her father.

She couldn't help but reminisced what the moon has witnessed last night. To counter all these images, she anchored herself to the annoyance she was feeling but her effort was futile. The sensual images seem to be more persistent and determined.

By the time Pippa reached the sanctuary of their work cottage, she was already panting vigorously. She drew a deep breath as she struggled to resurface from the lustful images invading her head.

"Freaking hell! Stop," she hissed at herself as she shut her eyes tightly. She was gripping the back of her chair trying to calm all her heightened senses.

She was too preoccupied to notice that someone has entered the cottage. A tall lanky young man with a lopsided boyish grin. "Good morning, Pippa." Apparently, Prince Aaki has followed her all the way from the dining hall.

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