Chapter 66: Chapter 66

Verona led the girl's to the kitchen downstairs and closed the door. The kitchen was a place the Prince hated people entering so he wouldn't easily suspect she had taken them there. Besides, he seemed to be going to stay beside Avril for sometime.

“Is something wrong?” Chidi asked as she suspected something awkward with the way Verona was acting.

“Girls, Prince Dakar had been acting way too different lately. Do you know he almost killed Ñiraka back at the Tournament Ring? If not for Camper, there would be no Ñiraka right now,” Verona whispered to the girls.

“What are you suggesting?” Nana asked.

“That those two could truly be connected like we suspected. Right, Verona?” Chidi spoke up.

“You are right, Chidi. I highly suspect Dakar and Fiorella are connected. Or that he is even getting bits of his memory back,” she replied.

“You know, earlier when we ran to him. I said we were Avril's friends and he didn't even look confused when I mentioned her real name. He instantly knew we were talking about Fiorella,” Nana explained.

“Could it be that he knows Avril is her real name?” Xiao Wéi asked.

“Oh come girls! Anyone would guess it was Avril we were looking for earlier. We didn't even have to add her name before he would know what we were here for,” Chidi argued.

“I'm thinking this event has riled up a lot of emotions in the prince. This is one step closer to Avril's deepest wish. And I do hope something good comes out of this,” Xiao Wéi expelled with a sigh.

Nana took a look around the kitchen and marveled at how spacious and sparkling clean it was.

“This place is so clean,” she mused and wanted to take a tour of it.

“Er... Nana, we better head out now. We're in Dakar's kitchen and he would skin is alive if he finds out we stepped foot here. So, let's go,” Verona said and began to walk through the door.

Nana frowned deeply.

“Then why did you bring us here in the first place? To die?” she asked and hurried along with the girls towards the door.

“He is so strict about his kitchen that no one ever enters except him. So, this would be the last place he'd suspect we came to talk about him and Avril.”

“What if he smells us?” Xiao Wéi whispered as they stepped out of the kitchen. Verona smirked and threw a small white ball, like a camphor into the kitchen and it rolled on the floor to underneath a table.

“Take out the smell?” Chidi asked and Verona nodded.

“Why go through all these trouble when we could just go outside or anywhere else and talk?” Nana whined and Verona rolled her eyes.

“And risk being heard? You seem to forget where we are. The safest place was the kitchen,” she whispered.

As they got into the large living room, Camper was climbing down the stairs from up and stopped abruptly immediately he inhaled a very familiar scent. He had been sensing it around and even in the Fiorella's room he just left. But it was much stronger in the living room.

“Camps!” Verona called his attention and he looked ahead to see the redhead standing with three other women. Immediately, his heart skyrocketed and fell out through his mouth. He stood with his jaw dropped at the girl in the middle behind Verona.

“Camper?” Verona called to him again and he seemed to jerk back to reality. He tore his eyes from Nana and looked at the girl in front looking at him with raised brows.

“Did you read my mind?” he quickly asked.

“No. But your thoughts were too loud for me to not hear them by mistake,” Verona answered then crossed her arms. Camper smiled sheepishly, gracing his angelic face with his dimples and pearly white teeth. He climbed down the stairs hurriedly and walked to the ladies.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he stated and was going to touch Verona's hair but she grabbed his hand and shoved it off.

“Hey, that hurt my heart,” he pouted and she scoffed.

“Where is Prince Dakar?”

“Upstairs with Fiorella. He looks wretched. If your friend doesn't wake up soon, we might have two bedridden patients in this castle,” Camper joked and it was only Nana who found it funny. She chuckled and his eyes glanced at her. He winked then looked back at Verona.

“How may I help you, pretty?” he asked and crossed his arms in front of her.

“Is it okay if the girls and I hang around here often until Fiorella's okay? Especially them. They're worried to death about her and it's only fair that they stick around her for now.”

“I don't know. Prince Dakar really hates it when his castle is frequented by people.”

“I know. But I wanted you to make him understand. Fiorella needs her girls most now.”

Camper glanced at Nana then back at Verona.

“I'll talk to him. Only on one condition though.”

He smiled sheepishly and Verona palmed her forehead.

“Fine. Just five minutes. We would be waiting outside,” she stated as she read his mind. Then she turned around and looked at the girls.

“Chidi and Xiao Wéi, let's go get some of Avril's things from her place. Nana, meet us there in five minutes,” she sternly said.

“Oh come on, you don't mean that exact five minutes!” Camper whined and she tore him a deathly look.

“Five minutes, Camper. Five minutes,” she drawled and walked away with two of the girls, leaving a confused and surprised Nana behind. Camper shook his head at the receding backs of the girls then looked at Nana.

“Hi, we meet again,” he quipped and stretched forth his hand for a handshake. Nana took it with a doubting face.

“What is it? I have to go and join my friends,” she stated.

“Nana, I was wondering...” he moved closer to her and flipped fallen hair bangs from his forehead. He struck a deep eye contact with her and his own eyes held admiration in them.

“I was wondering if you'd be free...” he drawled and gently trailed his fingers on the contour of her face.

“Free?” she asked, not looking away from his trailing hand.

“This weekend actually. I wanted to take you out to see Prince Dakar's garden. It's Autumn and the burst of colors is exhilarating,” he completed then lifted her chin up slightly to look at his face. His index finger held underneath her chin, while his thumb caressed beneath her lips. Nana could see his long lashes clearly from her new view. Camper had super long, dark and straight eyelashes. Slowly, she felt his hand encircle her waist and she shuddered.

“What do you say?” he asked and she gulped.

“I... I don't know. I'm usually busy,” she managed to answer.

“On Saturdays?” he asked again and she nodded.

“Sunday. I'm sure you are not busy on Sundays, Nana.”

“I could...create time.”

Slowly, his lips tugged sideways in a curved smile and a deep indentation appeared in that cheek. Nana almost lost her breath. How could someone be so good looking?

“Sunday then. I'll take you there.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Camper finally released her from that compromising posture and took two steps back. His hand took hers and caressed her fingers.

“See you later, Nana,” he whispered, let go of the hand then walked back towards the stairs. Even after he disappeared through them, Nana stood there with her mouth agape.

“What just happened?” she muttered to herself as she blinked her eyes repeatedly. She had been totally caged in when Camper was talking. Damn, how could she act otherwise with that tactic of his?