Ever since last night, my mind keeps straying back to the incident with Casimir. After all, it is quite difficult to ignore it when someone mistakes you for another, especially when it's his ex-lover (not that I am sure of that Rose is his ex). However, it is the most logical link I had.

"I won't hold back anymore, Rose"

What exactly did he mean by that? Was he going to kiss me?

Before I could let my mind wander off even further, Reece interrupts my train of thoughts.

"Rissa, quit dazing away. What's up with you and Caz? It has been like that since yesterday. Both of you left the party together without a word and for some reason, Caz is refusing to see any of us for the rest of the week." Reece questions worriedly.

I shrug hesitantly, uncertain of what explanation I could even give her.

Did they even know about Rose? I was unsure if I could even speak of her.

Casimir had skipped school today, with the excuse of a bad hangover which I suppose could be true to a certain extent. However, deep down, a part of me did not believe in his reason entirely.

"Under most circumstances, I would not say anything but seeing how worried Ree is and how Caz has not been responding to any of our calls or texts, I hope you can tell us what happened." Silas says out of the blue, startling me. After all, the boy hardly speaks. To hear a word from him is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is near impossible to get him to talk unless he wants to.

"Sy is right. You don't have to pretend that things are alright and keep everything bottled to yourself. I heard from Dom about the sudden outburst he had before the party. We just want to let you know that it is nothing personal and if it's bothering you, you can always talk to us. We are your friends and whenever you want to talk to us, we are always ready to listen." Ezra tries to assure me.

Oh right. His outburst about the dress. Though he did seem sorry for it, his reaction still continues to puzzle me.

"I wasn't planning to say anything duckling but that best friend of mine has been a complete jerk to me the entire morning. He's been ignoring all my messages since three in the morning and believe me when I say that I am one hell of a spammer. Oh that's only if you find it an attractive quality of course." Dominic comments as he runs his hair through his golden strands in defeat.

To think that he still is in the mood to flirt right now.

I let out a sigh, knowing fully well that as Casimir's closest friends, they deserve the truth. They are probably the only ones who care for him as much as his parents do.

Uncertainly, I let them in on what had happened.

"I didn't want to worry any of you but I guess that keeping silent wouldn't necessarily be any better." I pause, feeling unsure if the revelation would be a good idea. I stir my drink nervously before continuing. "Casimir mistook me for a girl named Rose last night."

The second I mention Rose, tension arose. All of their eyes were widened as they exchange glances at each other.

"D-Does he remember what happened?" Dominic stammers fretfully and I could see him clenching his fist in unease from my peripheral vision.

Clearly, something was up and they knew something that I did not.

"I suppose so, seeing how unwilling he is to talk to any of us." I answer, trying my best to rid my mind of any replays from the previous night. "But that is besides the point. Who exactly is Rose?"

My question seems to stun them. Reece furrows her eyebrows in disbelief and all of them had a look of incredulity on their face. All except for Silas of course.

"You don't know who she is?" Reece questions in shock and I frown.

Am I suppose to know who Rose is?  I have only been in Acreria for slightly more than a week and before that, I barely knew a thing about the place. It is not astounding that I know nothing of the royal family's history. Though the biggest reason is my lack of interest in their lives, I cannot deny that growing up, never have I imagined that I would end up being a personal bodyguard for the Prince of Acreria. As surprising as it may be, I did not train to become a guard in Acreria. At least, not in the beginning. I was merely practising combat for the fun of it and to protect my family when necessary. After all, our wealth attracted many who searched for an opportunity to betray us and unfortunately, some were wicked enough to want us dead.

Nonetheless, my interest to become a royal guard was eventually piqued by the ones who sought our demise.

My thoughts are quickly interrupted by Ezra who is clearly surprised. "Have you never heard of Princess Rosalia Lunette II?" He exclaims in a loud whisper, as if trying to ensure that no one else could hear him.

Noticing the look of confusion I probably had plastered on my face, Reece then adds on hastily. "Goodness gracious, you must be living under a rock! Have you not heard a single gossip or rumour in the school about it? Have you not seen any news about Casimir and Rosalia? The two had split two years back."

"It was really sudden and no one knows the exact details regarding what had happened between them but Caz had a really tough time getting past it. Though, he hasn't had any... episodes for quite some time now..." Dominic pauses and bites his bottom lips anxiously, clearly worried about his friend. His fists are clenched so tightly that he accidentally cracks a knuckle. As if realisation had dawned on him, he continues. "The dress. It had to have triggered him. Dang it, Ree. Couldn't you have chosen another dress?"

Reece is startled by Dominic's abrupt harshness and Silas quickly grasps onto her hands as if trying to comfort her.

"Dom, watch your tone." Silas immediately warns Dominic for faulting Reece and I am taken aback by the sternness in his tone.

"Sy is right. Ree was probably just excited and forgot about it. None of us would want this for Caz." Ezra tries to mediate the tension between the two. He then quickly suggests, "Why not we just visit him after school to make sure he's alright."

Everyone remains silent while Reece and I agree in sync. On the other hand, Silas is still glaring daggers at Dominic and Dominic is clearly affected by Silas' unfriendliness. Nonetheless, both of them did not utter another word and simply nodded their heads.

♚♚♚

"Remember, just pretend that we are unaware of what happened." Ezra reminds us quietly before knocking on Casimir's door and proceeds to call out to him. "Hey Caz, it's me Ez and I'm here with the rest of the group too."

As expected, no one responds. Surely, Casimir is avoiding us.

"We heard you were unwell and we just wanted to pass you some notes for today's classes." Dominic randomly makes up an excuse on the spot.

Once again, no reply.

"Screw this," I say before pushing open the doors unannounced, only to reveal Casimir who is sitting by his desk and he seems to be engrossed in whatever he is studying.

He turns to look over his shoulders and is clearly displeased and irritated by our unwelcomed visit.

"Clearly, none of you understood my silence. Get out." Casimir orders coldly before looking back at his desk and folds the piece of paper he had in front of him swiftly.

Everyone stands rooted to the ground, as if taken aback by his unanticipated outburst. On the other hand, my eyebrows are furrowed in frustration at his unreasonable discontent with us.

"We just wanted to check on you—" Ezra tries to explain but gets cut off by Casimir.

"Now really isn't a good time. I'm sorry for my outburst if it had scared any of you. It's not intentional. I just want some time alone. As you can see, I'm alright. As my closest friends, please respect my wish to be left alone." Casimir regains his composure and apologises, as if it had just hit him how harsh he was with his friends.

Dominic purses his lips, evidently doubtful of Casimir's claim that he is alright. Nonetheless, before Ezra could even respond, Dominic agrees to leave. "We'll be on our way then. Call us if you need us, Caz. We're here for you. We always have been and will always be."

Ezra seems unwilling to leave but before he is able to protest, Dominic drags him away by the arm. A look of uncertainty is smothered across Reece's face and she glances back and forth at Casimir and Dominic before whispering into my ears. "Please look after him Rissa."

With that said, she leaves with Silas and I'm left alone in the room with an infuriated prince.

"Did you not hear a word I said?" Casimir questions in a tone that is drenched in annoyance.

"Oh right, I apologise for making you wait, your highness." I reply sarcastically.

I give a small curtsy and walk over to the door to swing it open even wider than before, earning myself a look of perplexity from Casimir.

"What the hell are you doing?" Casimir bellows, clearly even more vexed than before.

"Didn't you say to get out? I'm letting the air out right now." I reply nonchalantly and I try my best to withstand the urge to lash out at him for his impertinence.

"Are you blind? Can you not see that I'm in no mood to bicker right now?" Casimir questions crossly through his gritted teeth and gets up from his seat. His eyebrows are scrunched in exasperation yet he seems exhausted at the same time.

"Then tell me what's wrong, Casimir." I demand, trying my best to seem unfazed by his rage despite the incessant pounding of my heart against my chest that refused to seize.

"There's nothing wrong, Rissa." Casimir states sternly.

"You're obviously lying, Casimir. It's written all over your face," I point out.

"It's pointless even if I tell you. You won't understand." Casimir explains as he runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"You don't know that. At least give me the chance to understand you, Casimir. Whether we like it or not, we're basically stuck with each other because I'm your bodyguard and that means that we'll have to trust each other. Have some faith in me. Don't carry the burden alone." I insist and I can feel my heart squirming uneasily.

It almost feels as if I am hurt by his lack of trust in me. Of course, it is perfectly understandable but I cannot deny that his words sting.

His gaze softens slowly and pain reveals in his eyes. He appears sorrowful, something I never thought I'd witness of him.

His breath shudders, as if attempting to muster whatever courage that was left in him.

"Rosalia was abducted."