Chapter 18 — Side Changed

Jasper was starting to like Rain, which Diana found unbelievable. She was dumbfounded.

"Why?" she let out.

"I don't know. I just—ugh!" Jasper couldn't explain himself. There was nothing about Rain that was particularly spectacular. She was clingy, snobbish, and ill-mannered. Then what was it that he liked about her?

"Jasper, Rain loves Ivan," Diana stated the painful fact. Jasper closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

He muttered, "I know. That's why I have no plans to get in between the two lovers."

"Okay," Diana whispered, feeling sorry for him. Jasper always fell for the wrong person. It's not like he wanted to fall for them; Jasper knew well enough his royal family wouldn't accept it. He had bad luck, just like Diana.

"What about you, Diana? You love Ivan. Don't you want him for yourself?"

Diana smiled sadly and replied, "No, I want him to be happy because I love him, and we all know his happiness lies in Rain, not me. Therefore, I'll leave him behind and run away forever."

"Run away forever?" Jasper arched an eyebrow. Diana heaved a sigh and started explaining her plans and everything, including her break up with her boyfriend. After learning the entire truth, Jasper said, "I understand. But would you be able to leave him? It's not as easy as you think it is."

"I'm well aware of that. But nothing in my life has been easy. I can at least do this much for the sake of the person I love." Her voice wavered as she spoke, uncertainty visible on her face. "I'll give Ivan the best present ever."

"Okay. All in all, to help our guilty conscience, both of us will help Ivan and Rain get together by sacrificing our feelings. We shall not do anything to be closer to them, but rather try to maintain our distance," he uttered. Diana nodded hearing Jasper. "I'll help you with your plan, Diana."

A bright smile evolved in her face. "Thank you. It's a deal then?"

Diana stretched out her hand for a handshake. Jasper chuckled and shook his hand with hers.

He murmured under his breath, "Deal."

Soon, it was seven p.m. The sky started to get darker, the moon and the stars trying to reflect light on the dark heavens.

Diana was putting on her earrings, busy with her train of thought. She was going out for dinner with Ivan. Earlier, she was excited about it, but now she wasn't anymore—not after the conversation with Jasper. She couldn't be close to Ivan anymore. But here she was, going out for a so-called hangout which definitely looked like a date.

Diana huffed and sat down on the edge of their bed. I need to cancel this dinner, she thought.

As soon as Ivan entered their room, Diana instinctively clutched her forehead, pretending to be sick. She started groaning in fake pain. Ivan worriedly glanced at her, before running up to her.

"Are you feeling sick?" His voice was laced with worry and concern; his heartbeat almost stopped at the sight of Diana in pain.

Although Diana felt bad for worrying Ivan over nothing, she continued her pretense, "Yes, my head is spinning. I feel nauseous."

"Do you have a fever?" Ivan touched her forehead to find out if she had a high temperature, but it felt normal. He felt suspicious.

"Not a fever. I feel so weak," she acted.

Ivan's eyes traveled from her head to toe. She was claiming to be feeling sick, yet she wasn't sweating nor was she looking pale. She looked perfectly normal. He knew that Diana always acted sick when she was unsure of what to do in a situation.

Catching onto her plan, Ivan cleared his throat. Hiding a smirk, he told her, "I see. You're really sick." Diana did a victory dance in her mind, thinking that he fell for the trap. He continued, "But I had a special reservation arranged for us." He released a heavy sigh. Diana started having second thoughts on her plan. "I was so excited." Mumbling, he looked down with a pout on his face.

Diana felt bad for puncturing his enthusiasm. She didn't want to ruin everything. She was trying to fix it up, between him and Rain by maintaining distance with him.

"Ivan, I—"

"It's okay, Diana. Our hang out doesn't matter. You need to see a doctor immediately. Maybe I should call an ambulance."

Her eyes widened in shock. Just the thought of seeing a doctor scared her because she hated hospitals. The smell, the nurses, the white lights—everything sucked there. Moreover, she hated visiting doctors because she knew they would give her lots of medicines, and worse—an injection. It was the last thing she ever wanted.

Diana jumped up from bed, standing straight and stiff. "There's no need. Somehow, I already feel better." She flashed him a bright smile, showing off her dimples.

"Is that so?" Ivan inquired in a mischievous tone. Diana felt embarrassed, knowing her plan failed miserably. He chuckled, noticing her bashful behavior. "Then, shall we?" He held out his hand. Letting out a frustrated huff, she held his hand, and soon, a smile formed on her lips. "To the doctor or the restaurant?" he asked which made Diana roll her eyes.

She slapped his arm playfully and muttered, "Idiot."

Ivan laughed in response.

They made their way out of the palace. On the way, Rain and Suzanne noticed them. Seeing their closeness, tears streamed down Rain's eyes within a few seconds, and a smirk made its way across Suzanne's lip. Rain and the queen had been on a walk together because Suzanne wanted to explain the responsibilities of a bridesmaid to Rain. Regardless of what Suzanne thought of her, she still had to explain Rain's duties because she didn't want anything or anyone hampering the royal wedding.

Ivan opened the car door for Diana. She eyed him suspiciously, teasing him before getting in. "Since when were you a gentleman?"

"I've always been one. You just need to know me better." He winked at her and entered the car.

They made small conversations on the way to the restaurant with a few black SUVs following them for protection. With Ivan and Diana together in the same space, they didn't have a minute of boredom. They had endless topics to talk about, yet at some point, they came to an abrupt stop due to embarrassment.

When they were just virtual best friends, they used to flirt with each other, but now it was different. Just a little flirting could fuel their feelings which were the last thing they wanted. They convinced themselves by repeating in their minds that it's just a friendly hang-out, not a date.

At some point, they thought, Can't we forget about the issues at hand and just enjoy ourselves? However, they immediately brushed off that thought.

Finally, they reached the restaurant. Ivan made sure to reserve the whole floor so that no one could disturb them. They made their way inside the restaurant, hand in hand. The receptionist greeted them with a charming smile laced with a bit of envy, seeing the perfect couple.

To the world, Ivan and Diana looked like the ideal couple, but only they knew what problems they had in between them.

Diana was mesmerized at the sight of the elegant place. She felt like she was back in the palace. They sat on the furthest corner, near the window.

"This place is amazing," Diana complimented.

He told her, "It's my favorite restaurant around here." Ivan came here before for many business conferences, but he never brought a girl with him since it emitted a romantic vibe.

I planned to bring Rain here when I started liking this place, but now the only person I want to take out for dinner is Diana, he spoke to himself in his mind.

"Then the food must be good." Diana drummed her fingers on the table playfully.

"All you care about is food," he joked.

"Good evening, si—Your Royal Highness. What would you like to order?" a waitress asked politely, trying to cover up her nervousness. Standing in front of the future king and queen sure ought to be nerve-wracking.

Diana chuckled at her anxiety and ordered their meal as she already knew what kind of food Ivan liked.

On the other hand, Rain was pacing back and forth in her bedroom. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated huff.

"What should I do? What should I do?" she uttered under her breath, panic striking her.

She saw Ivan and Diana leave the palace together. Since then, she had been acting like a maniac. She had asked a maid where they went and learned that they went out for dinner.

Rain was starting to feel insecure. No matter how much Ivan loved her, no matter how much she trusted Diana, a man and woman going out together like that was a big no-no for her.

She finally decided to grab her purse and cell phone before dashing out of her room. Just as she stepped out the hallway, she met with Suzanne.

Diana taught Rain how to greet the queen whenever she saw her, but at that moment, Rain couldn't care less.

"Ah, Ms. Summers," Suzanne's sugar-coated voice made Rain halt her steps. She turned around abruptly and gawked at the queen. "I was looking for you." Suzanne approached Rain with Ruyeli trailing behind her. Ruyeli tried to stifle her laughter, hearing Suzanne's sweet, fake tone.

"Why?"

"We never even had the time to get to know each other. Every time we talked; it was all about work. Let's have dinner together tonight," Suzanne told her.

"But I've some business to attend," Rain tried to excuse herself.

Suzanne gave her a bright smile, which covered her real intention. She said sternly, "I wasn't asking for your permission. It's an order."

Suzanne turned on her heels and started walking towards the dining hall. Rain groaned and cursed Suzanne before following her.

It was the first time Ivan and Diana had gone out for a date. There was no way Suzanne would let Rain spoil their night.

Meanwhile, Ivan and Diana finished their dinner with light chats sprinkled in between. Ivan told her about the adventures he had in Italy when he stayed there for two weeks, while Diana shared the new experiences she gained with Ruyeli.

As they were walking out of the restaurant, suddenly, the paparazzi surrounded them. Diana was caught off guard due to their sudden appearance and shifted closer to Ivan. Instantly, he wrapped his arm around her waist to give her a sense of security.

The news reporters bombarded them with questions.

"Are you here on a date with Ms. Stevens, Your Royal Highness?"

"We would like to know how you met each other in detail."

Diana pulled up a smile on her face and answered all their questions calmly. She knew how to handle situations like this very well. She was well trained. Ivan was proud of her as he went along with her lies.

"Such a perfect couple!" the female reporter exclaimed in awe.

"So, when did you realize that you were in love with each other?" a male reporter interrogated.

Both Diana and Ivan fell silent. How were they supposed to answer a question they couldn't even answer in front of each other?

"It just happened before we knew it," they replied in sync, surprising themselves.

"Aww!" everyone exclaimed.

Ivan and Diana looked at each other with surprise. They stifled a chuckle.

"Best friends' minds work in the same way, don't they?" Diana whispered into Ivan's ear. He nodded his head in response.

Maybe we were just fated to be only best friends, not more than that, the two of them thought to themselves.

"Now you will have to excuse His and Her Royal Highness," one of the security guards let out. Soon, the guards surrounded them and made way for Ivan and Diana to let them get into the car.

They got into the car and looked at each other for a moment before bursting into fits of laughter. It was probably to avoid the tension their reply to the last question was going to exude.

Diana uttered, "They ask so many ridiculous questions, don't they?"

Ivan hummed in response, and they drove off.

They returned to the palace. Diana was removing her accessories when Rain walked into their bedroom without knocking.

"Rain, you should knock before entering someone's bedroom," Ivan rebuked while taking off his wristwatch.

"Don't fret about the small stuff, Ivan, baby." Rain bounced over to Ivan and kissed his cheeks, much to his dismay. Rain felt as if the connection they shared was lost, yet she shrugged it off. "Today, I am not here to talk to you. I want to have a talk with Diana."

Diana stopped doing her job and looked at Rain with surprise. "What?"

Rain gazed at her with complete seriousness. Diana understood that Rain meant business. She sighed as Rain said, "Let's talk, Diana."