Page 20 of Matched with the Grumpy Secret Prince

There’s a pause on the other end, long enough to make me think they’ve hung up. Then, a familiar voice filters through, polished and formal.

“Your Highness, this is Daniel from the estate. I’ve been trying to reach you on behalf of your father.”

I clench my jaw. “I told you people not to call me anymore.”

“Sir,” Daniel continues, his voice calm but insistent, “it’s a matter of great importance. Your father has requested?—”

“I don’t care what he’s requested,” I interrupt, my voice cold. “I’m not interested.”

“Your Highness,” Daniel presses, “this isn’t just about him. The estate, the family’s legacy—some decisions need to be made, and your absence is?—”

“I said no.” My voice cuts through the line, sharp and unyielding. My free hand clenches into a fist on the table. “Don’t call me again.”

Before he can say anything else, I hang up, the sound of the call ending, echoing in the silence of the workshop.

I stare at the phone in my hand, my heart pounding in my chest. For a moment, all I can hear is the sound of my breathing, loud and uneven.

I know why they’re calling. My father doesn’t ask for anything unless it’s about control, about maintaining the image of a family that’s as fractured as it is powerful. And now, after all these years, they think I’ll come crawling back because they need me?

I slam the phone down on the table and push away, pacing the length of the room.

The memories creep in, no matter how hard I try to push them away. My father’s cold and commanding voice drilled into me every day of my childhood. The weight of the title, the suffocating expectations, the endless reminders that my life wasn’t my own.

And then there’s my mother, her quiet disappointment etched into every glance, and my brother, who stopped trying to reach me years ago. The guilt twists in my chest, sharper than I’d like to admit.

I left because I had to—because staying meant losing myself entirely. But leaving didn’t erase the ties.

I step outside, the warm evening air wrapping around me like a blanket. The sun is setting, casting long shadows across the fields, but the calm that usually comes with it feels out of reach.

I lean against the porch railing, staring out at the horizon. The castle isn’t just a place I left behind—it’s a part of me, whether I like it or not. And no matter how far I’ve run, it’s always there, a shadow at the edge of my life.

I pull out my phone again, my thumb hovering over the voicemail icon. I could listen and let them say whatever they needed to say.

But instead, I shove the phone back into my pocket and head back inside.

It’s better this way. Better to keep the distance, to let the past stay where it belongs.

Even if it never really feels gone.

I sit back in my chair, but instead of picking up the pencil, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

The image that comes to mind isn’t the castle, my father, or the life I left behind. It’s Sophie.

Her smile, her voice, the way she seemed to see more than what was on the surface.

I don’t know what it means or why she’s stuck in my head like this. But for the first time in years, I feel something other than the trepidation I’ve always felt after leaving my old life behind.Today, I’m feeling hope and curiosity, and it scares me to think that my world might be about to change.

SOPHIE

As Graham pushes the door open and steps out of the café, I catch myself glancing after him. His broad shoulders disappear into the golden afternoon light, and his movements are deliberate and steady, like those of a man who knows exactly where he’s going.

I’m not sure what it is about him—his quiet demeanor, maybe, or the way he managed to say so little yet left such an impression. Either way, he’s gone now, leaving only the faint memory of his deep voice and a slight lingering curiosity I can’t quite shake.

“Well,” Mia says, breaking into my thoughts, “I didn’t expect that introduction to go so smoothly. You two were talking like you have known each other for years.”

I raise an eyebrow at her as we sit at a corner table by the window. “He seems nice, and I like his aura so far.”

“Oh really? Soph, you just met this man minutes ago, and you already love his aura?” she replies, grinning.

---