FOR ONCE Miskha woke up feeling refreshed and highly energetic. Normally, she would make her way to the library,—seeing as she’d been trying to avoid Prince Dev,—but today seemed like a good day to go for a walk. She liked doing that sometimes when she caught herself waking up earlier than expected. Dressed in a white cotton blouse coupled with navy blue slacks, she slipped on a pair of sneakers before sneaking out of her room without notifying Horacio or her other Guardian. This morning, she simply wanted to be alone. A smile curled upon her lips as she strolled down the hallway, headed towards the beach. What she thought was going to be a good day instantly went south, for whom should she run into but Prince Dev. I must truly be cursed. She thought to herself, but as usual, she had to stay cordial, so she flashed him a wide smile,—albeit a fake one. “Good morning, Prince Dev. You’re up early.” She greeted him as she made sure to keep her distance while she spoke to him. There was no way she was going to allow whatever happened in the past to repeat itself. Those incidences still unnerved her, which was why she’d made it a point to keep away from the male. Still, it didn’t feel like her attempts were working, because somehow or rather, she’d bump into him anyway. Whether it was by chance or he’d purposely sought her out, she didn’t know. Whatever the reason, she didn’t feel like it was fair that things like that kept happening to her. Noticing that she’d been standing awkwardly in front of the man, she backed away and made her excuse to leave. “Well, I’ll see you around then.” Then, without a second thought, she spun around and started walking away.