THE ISLAND WOLF - EPISODE 70

Avril pinned her upper teeth on her lower lip in rage. Why was he playing with her? She wasn’t a little naive girl who could be teased around.

“Where is that sneaky wolf?” she said with a scowl on her face. She dumped the paper on the bed and ikrkhurried out of the room, as fast as her legs could e her. She threw the door open and walked through it. In few seconds, she was already hurrying down the grand staircase with her feet making ‘clank clank’ sounds. She hurried through the front door after pushing it open. It was early in the morning and the sun was starting to rise. Avril knew that Dakar hadn’t gone far and she just wanted to catch up with him and warn him never to tease her again. The thought that she missed The Weak End Fight because of his call, and not even doing anything worth it added to her rage.

Servants were the only ones walking around, during some morning duties. There was no distinguished person in sight. She stopped hurrying and slowed down, thinking she wouldn’t find Dakar because he might be totally off the vicinity. But then, she sighted a trail of flowers a few metres from her.
“Ñiraka,” she breathed out with a scowl on her face. She decided to follow it just in case Ñiraka was with Prince Dakar. Few seconds after hurrying alongside the trail, she heard Dakar’s voice.

“…I already made plans with another,” his voice echoed through the atmosphere.
“My prince, it’s been weeks since I last saw you. Please, just let me—”
“—Ñiraka, you know me well. I said I already made plans with another. And, it’s just been a week not weeks we last saw each other,” Dakar cut in.

Avril smirked and walked into the vast space, right in front of Prince Dakar’s whole champers, just before the gate. He was standing there with Camper alomgsife Ñiraka and her maidens. His face showed he was utterly displeased and didn’t want to be standing there and talking with her. Camper wore an amused expression as he stared at Ñiraka’s desperate face. Avril’s mimd wandered to the fact that Dakar and Ñiraka were supposed to be cousins. But she quickly shove it off her mind, because she would end up being confused with why Ñiraka was still his concubine.

“Hey you!” Avril’s voice rang through the vast space, and all eyes raised to look at her. Ñiraka’s desperate face turned into a frown at Avril.
“What is it?” she asked with a deep annoyed tone.
“Not you, sucker. I’m referring to this punk face of a prince!” she retorted and glared daggers at Dakar. Camper’s amused face turned into one of surprise at Avril, and Ñiraka’s frown turned into disbelief as her mouth dropped at the name she just called Prince Dakar. The Prince himself wore an expressionless face.

“Punk face?” Camper asked as he grinned at Avril in amusement. She was still glaring at Dakar as she moved closer and stood inches from him. She looked up at his eyes and stood without saying a word. From afar, one would think the two are about to fight and are first of all, glaring at one another.

Prince Dakar had a dark aura around him which made it hard, impossible for someone who is not Camper to call him names. The elders knew better than to call him names, or even raise their tone at him. But here was a human, new to the kingdom raising her voice, calling him names and looking him in the eye. That meant trouble. Prince Dakar would not take that.
The maidens with Ñiraka suddenly took interest in gazing at the stone floor instead of looking at the new lady staring at their prince that way. It was like they would be punished too if they stared at them.

“Is there something wrong with you? Hey! Stop looking at my prince that way!” Ñiraka tried to put up a fight and pulled Avril’s arm. However, to her dismay, the human girl didn’t move one inch.

“Prince, do you take me for a fool?” Avril asked as of Ñiraka did not just talk to her.
“You look like one,” Dakar replied gently. His tone shocked both Ñiraka and Camper. He should be breathing out hot air right now.
“Geez, you’re stupid to take me that way. I’m no fool. That stupid note you left was filled with lies! I know you did nothing!”
It was Dakar’s turn to look amused. He stepped back with a smirk and he scratched his forehead.
“Is that where the trouble is looming from? The fact I lied?” he asked and Avril crossed her arms. Before she could answer, Dakar said,
“Or was it because I actually did nothing?”
His smirk went higher as he watched Avril’s face turn slightly pink. She looked lost for words on how to answer that, making Dakar guess his answer. He leaned closer to Avril’s ear.
“You’re still coming tonight. Make sure you don’t sleep off this time so you’d make sure I don’t lie to you tomorrow morning,” he whispered. Ñiraka scoffed in disbelief.
“This is her? The one you made plans for?” she asked with eyes that spelt utter disgust.
“Something wrong with that, she-wolf?” Avril asked and raised a brow at her.
“You’re fierce, babe. I like you,” Camper praised Avril with sincere like in his eyes. But Dakar didn’t know how he ended up glaring at his best friend for that remark. Camper immediately looked away and scratched the insides of his hair. Ñiraka noticed that and her heart seemed to swell.

“Have you had breakfast?” Dakar asked Avril who was still rooted to a spot. She gently shook her head.
“No wonder you seem to want to swallow me. Go have breakfast, Fiorella. Before you swallow me whole,” he teased and she noticed a smile was trying hard to break out from her mouth. No, she needed to keep acting tough. No, she shouldn’t show Dakar she loved what he said and how he said it. She came here to act tough towards him, but here she was blushing at his words.
“How am I sure you didn’t poison it?” she managed to ask with a straight face.
Camper tilted his head at her and Ñiraka just couldn’t take it anymore. She knew this Fiorella was trying to rub shoulders with her prince. That should be her, Ñiraka, and not this Fiorella.

“Want me to eat with you? I’ll get to taste it first for any poison,” Camper spoke up and smiled at Avril.
“Yes,” Avril returned the smile and held Camper’s hand then pulled him along. But Camper did not fail to notice the pair of eyes that followed his move. He almost pulled his hand off Avril’s, but her grip was strong. That was how he ended up having breakfast with Avril, in Dakar’s kitchen.

___
Avril arrived in her house a few minutes to eleven in the morning. She was more than thrilled to see her three friends in the living room with her maidens.
“Oh my God!” she squealed and they jumped up and ran into each other’s arms, forming a group hug.
“Finally, we’re complete,” she said excitedly.
“Yeah. I almost felt like I was alone in this world,” Xiào Wéi joked and they laughed.
“When did you girls arrive?” Avril asked.
“About ten minutes ago,” Chidi replied and they went to sit on the long couch which could contain the four of them. Aida and Gia stood by the wall and watched them with amusement.

Nana leaned forward and peered at Avril with a smug smile.
“I heard you spent the night on the prince’s bed,” she whispered and the rest of the girls gave her that same look Nana wore on her face. Avril’s neck turned pink and she palmed her face.
“Oh my God! It’s true!” Nana yelled and the girls screamed and began to clap and fan themselves dramatically.
“What? No, stop! Hey!” Avril tried to calm them down but no, not these friends of hers.
“Gosh, that guy is hot. Do you see that hair of his, man, I wanna braid it,” Nana whined and the three girls screamed again. Avril could see Aida and Gia secretly blushing too. She groaned and jumped on her feet.
“Enough!” she ordered and they stopped. But they were still smiling sheepishly and touching their hair or faces as they acted like they were in love. Avril ignored their acts and heaved a sigh.

“Nothing happened. He still doesn’t remember me. He kept calling me Fiorella and won’t agree that he’s known me before,” she let out and began to pace around. Her friends let out small sounds that she didn’t understand. She stopped pacing and looked at them.
“What?” she asked as she watched their awkward expressions.
“Uhm, Avril… We’re really not alone right now,” Xiào Wéi whispered. Avril’s eyebrows creased as she looked around. Her eyes met Aida and Gia looking at her with surprise. They now realized why she was always trying to be around the prince. She had known him before coming to the kingdom.