Enticing Series 1: Nightmare

"You can't do that!"

I was about to enter the study room when I heard my mother screaming. It was as if she and Daddy were arguing about something so I slowly opened the door and peeked in on them, trying my best not to get noticed.

It is not something new to me, but I know that when they are fighting, it always has something to do with me and my siblings. So, I thought I should listen first.

Maybe they were talking about me. I might have done something that Daddy didn't like unconsciously.

"That is the only thing I can do to save her." My father's voice is calm. But I can also feel in his voice that his decision is already final because he always believed that what he does is always right.

So I was even more curious as to which of us, siblings, they were referring to.

"Marrying her off with that prince will only ruin her life forever," Mom insisted. Her voice was filled with fear and worry. "You know how cruel that bastard is. He will just take advantage of our daughter and they just wanted to use her because the people of this country trusted her more than the royal family."

"I know that," Dad said. "I am well aware of what they want from her. But what can we do? If we don't get her married to Prince Hector, her life will continue to be in danger. You know that we no longer have the ability to protect her."

Ah, they were talking about me.

Well, I am aware of the things that have been happening in my family even though I am often out and socializing with common people.

I am not a princess. I am just a simple daughter of a duke that has been actively doing what I want to help, not only the people in our domain but also anyone who really needs help.

That is what my late grandmother taught me.

Helping others is something that is not based on what title is attached to our name.

So I just followed what she started.

I helped a lot of people around the country. I have set up several foundations and most of my rich friends have donated to them voluntarily. We helped many students so they could continue their education without worrying about their tuition fees.

I also have built some public schools supported by my foundations and it was being used by children who lack money to study.

Above all, I also built several public hospitals using the money that my grandmother bequeathed to me.

I focused on the education and health sector for the goal of the foundation that I created because those are the things that our government neglects the most.

I want nothing more than to help people. That is what is always in my mind. I don't need anything in return for all the things I did for other people.

It is not even my money. I was just continuing what my grandmother wanted.

So I didn't really expect that what I was doing would become a big issue, causing my life to always be in danger.

I have received a lot of death threats. And our previous close relationship with the royal family that rules all of Hexoria Kingdom has also gradually cooled because the citizens are looking for me more than them.

And because of that, I stopped going out more often in public but the citizens were not happy with it because they thought that the superiors of our government were preventing me from appearing before them as giving way to the members of the royal family.

Well, part of that is actually true.

Several palace ministers also talked to me and forced me to stop everything that I was doing. They wanted to get rid of me in the public's eye. They also wanted me to transfer all of my foundations to the royal family.

But of course, I didn't agree with that.

Not that I really care about the fame but I know that the ministers just wanted to take my foundation for granted. They will just use it to gain money.

How would I know? Because if the palace really wanted my foundation, the king would immediately give a decree about it.

But I haven't received anything from the king itself. It was all the palace ministers who kept bugging me.

So, I told them that the only compromise I could give them was to reduce my exposure to people.

Before, I was always socializing in public almost every day. I reduced it to twice a month as promised to the ministers.

And I only work at home to take care of the paperwork needed by the foundations and hospitals that I manage myself to avoid getting seen in public.

I already started this so I can't just stop what I am doing. I promise my grandmother and I don't want the people I am helping to feel sorry because I am hurting the pride of the ministers of our country.

And it is not like I am trying to outshine the royal family. I also don't have the intention of harming our government and making them look like they are not doing anything for our country.

As a matter of fact, the Azarias, the clan that leads the Hexoria Kingdom, have been doing everything they can to take care of the people they serve. They always make ways to ensure every aspect of the needs of every citizen. They are great leaders of our country.

But people do not really appreciate all their hard work because they rarely appear in public. So people couldn't feel their presence.

And now that my father is thinking things like this, I guess, the people around the royal family, who were actually making this issue a big deal were still not happy with what is going on.

They consider a simple Asper Reign Dahlia a big threat to the leadership of the Azaria Clan. They think that I am the reason why the people of Hexoria were not looking at them. They think that I am only ruining the image of the royal family.

"No!" Mom still strongly objected to my father's idea. "She was just trying to help other people. She doesn't like fame, she just has the capability to help others. And it is not her fault if people felt her presence more than the royal family."

And their argument inside the room continued because neither of them doesn't want to give way to their decision.

"So?"

I was slightly startled when I heard my brother's voice from behind me but I immediately recovered and turned to him.

His eyebrows were raised while looking at me and placing both of his hands on his waist. "It turns out you brought a bigger problem here now, Asper."

I sighed and grabbed his hand as I pulled him away from the study room.

I don't want our parents to know that I heard them arguing because Daddy will definitely force me to agree to the solution he was thinking of so that the threat to my life will disappear forever.

I took him to the garden and he hasn't changed the way he looks at me when I face him. There are still traces of questions and it seems he has no intention of letting me go until I come up with a way to stop the problem we are facing now.

"Look, sis," he said. "You are the only one who can solve this and you know it, right?"

I know. I know that I am the only one who can end this problem because I am the one who brought it to my family.

That is why even though I don't want to, it looks like I don't really have any choice.

For the betterment of everyone. For the convenience of the palace. And to make my family's life more peaceful.

Asper Reign Dahlia's Pov

A clear morning dawned on me when I opened my bedroom window. That is why I thought of hanging out on its balcony and drinking the coffee I brewed earlier after taking a shower.

One year.

It has been that long since I left our house and ran away so that Dad's plan of marrying me to the prince of this country wouldn't go through.

And within a year, the attention of the palace and its officials gradually disappeared from me because I also completely stopped appearing in public.

But even though I don't show up to people anymore, I continue to help them with the foundations and hospitals that I have built.

That is one thing that I can never stop no matter what happens. But all of my transactions with them only happened via email and the one who is currently in charge at the office was my youngest sister, Aasiyah.

Well, only a few people know that I left our house.

Jasper, our elder sibling, was the first one to know. He didn't even agree to this plan because he knew how dangerous it is for me to leave my parents' house.

Somehow, my parents' position still protects me inside our estate so others are not making their move whenever I am at him.

Well, I understand his concern but leaving our house and hiding away from the people wanting me gone is the right call for this problem. This is the only way for me to end this mess without marrying the cruel prince of Hexoria Kingdom. It is the only way for my family to get back the peace in their life and for the royal family to stop worrying that I might rebel against them.

In the end, he realized my point and agreed on my plan. After that, I immediately told my mother and Aasiyah about it and they didn't hesitate to agree.

Mom said she would rather let me go and hide while doing things I love than be locked up in the palace with the prince who will surely try to enslave and use me for his own gain.

Then, Aasiyah volunteered to manage my foundations and hospital on-site so it will continue to operate even though I am not around.

I also got to say goodbye to my other two siblings, Kezia, the second child, and Easter, the fourth child.

Like Jasper, they also didn't like my plan but after explaining everything, they also just agreed and just told me to take care of myself and never do anything stupid.

I would also like to say goodbye to my father personally but I know that no matter what I do to explain what I want, he won't accept it because in his mind, marrying the prince is the only permanent solution to protect me.

Even if that is not what I want for myself.

So, I didn't bother and just left a letter for him.

With some clothes and enough money to live comfortably, I ended up in a small town in the southern part of our country.

Yain City.

This is still in the countryside. Not a lot of people are coming here since there is not much attraction here, well, aside from food. Besides, most of the people living here were high profile and wanted to stay away from the mess in the larger city.

The rest of the people living here were foreigners who were married to the local people here. Elderly people who have retired from their job and have chosen to stay here and others are people who are used to quiet surroundings and away from the noisy city.

And this is a perfect hiding place for someone like me who wants to avoid the eyes of the public and the palace since media coverage here is also rare.

The part of town where my house was built was not yet developed. I only have a few neighbors and they are too far away from my block, which is good for me because I don't have to socialize with them.

Well, except for Miracle, my only friend in this place. I met her two months after I got here.

But even though it is not that developed, this city has a good economy. Aside from farms and other agriculture businesses, this place was filled with good restaurants that the tourists visited.

And to make sure that no one will notice me, I always stayed inside my house while Miracle managed my SweetHeart Cafe, my source for my daily expenses.

I stopped using my personal assets and the money that I inherited from my grandmother when I moved here. It is one way to prevent Dad or anyone from the palace from tracking me down.

So, I established a cafe that serves desserts, coffee, and teas just to support myself here.

"Asper!"

I looked at Miracle who was standing in front of my house's gate.

She was frowning while looking at me.

"It is early in the morning, Mira." I laughed. "You seriously greeted me with a frowned face?" I stood up and immediately came to her.

She is Miracle Ryedale, Mira for short. She is only two years older than me but she has more experience in handling a business, especially a cafe. That is why I didn't hesitate to ask for her help and hired her as the manager of my cafe.

She was the one managing my store while I stayed inside my house baking the product that we are selling at the SweetHeart Cafe.

"Didn't I tell you that I would be coming early today to get Mrs. Santiago's order?" she said as soon as we met in the kitchen. "That client wants her order to be delivered in the morning because she meets with her friends."

"Can you please relax even just for a bit?" I handed her a cup of tea. "Please sit down for a while, enjoy the tea that I got for you."

"Asper!" She glared at me. She is so strict when it comes to the cafe. She always likes to take care of everything and she never lets us fail every client that we get.

I sighed.

Well, it is my fault that she was like this. I let her do all the work outside and at the store while I enjoy baking in the comfort of my own house and kitchen.

So, it is my fault that she didn't even know how to relax even for a while.

"Fine," I said. "I will prepare the orders so just calm down, okay? Sit there, enjoy the tea, and relax."

She breathed deeply and nodded. Well, she didn't really have a choice but to sit, drink the tea and relax while she was waiting for me.

Asper Reigh Dahlia's Pov

"Any news at the cafe?" I asked her as I put the ordered cupcakes in the box.

I only visit the store once a month to avoid getting seen by many people. And if there were a lot of customers at the store, I immediately went home so I wouldn't bother our employees serving there.

I just ask Miracle for everything that happens in the story since she is always there.

"I was planning on hiring an extra waitress since we are getting a lot of new customers these past few days." She put a folder on the counter. "You can check the resume of those who got interviewed yesterday and tell me who you want to hire. Aside from that, I also need to hire two new delivery drivers because the order for deliveries is also increasing."

"You mean, within the five months of the cafe, it is starting to be recognized around the city?"

She nodded. "Your accidental encounter with Saraya gave a good impact on your store," she said. "Her visit to our store was such a big help."

Saraya is an internet food influencer. She likes to travel around the country and feature different cafes and rate its product.

And unexpectedly, while she was making a video for her new target cafe, she bumped into me.

It was a bit strong so I fell and sprained my wrist. That is why they had to bring me to the nearest clinic and get me treated.

She apologized too much even though I already told her that it was not her fault. I also didn't look around my surroundings at that time because I was busy staring at what was happening inside my store.

And guess what? She thought I was a homeless woman who was waiting outside my own shop. She even took me inside the SweetHeart and treated me to a lot of sweets, as her way of saying sorry.

She also ordered something for her and when she tasted it, she decided to feature SweetHeart in her video instead of her initial plan.

And since I didn't want to take her moment, I didn't correct her and let her take a video inside the store. I just told the waitress to guide her because I can't be seen in the camera.

Miracle also didn't want to be included in the video but Saraya got to tour the whole store and included it in her video.

Miracle laughed as she remembered what happened. "And until she left, you still didn't tell her that you were the owner of the SweetHeart Cafe."

"And until she left, she still thought of me as homeless." I laughed and shook my head.

Well, I still couldn't believe that happened. I mean, I was wearing decent clothes. Clean jeans and a shirt so I never really imagined that someone would think of me as a homeless person.

"I was curious, what were you doing outside the store that day?" she asked. "And you didn't even try to enter the store."

"I was in the area that time so I decided to take a quick check at the store," I said after placing five boxes of cupcakes in front of her. "But when I got there, I saw that you have a lot of customers inside so I didn't bother to enter."

"Oh." She nodded. "Anyway, speaking of that woman." She finished her tea and stood up. "She called me yesterday and asked if I saw you peeking in the store."

"Why?" I asked. "Is she coming back here?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "She didn't mention anything. She just told me that if I see you again outside the store, give you something to eat again."

I chuckled. Her views on me didn't really change, huh? What will she do if she finds out that I am the owner of the SweetHeart Cafe?

"You really got that girl's attention, huh."

"And it is not my intention." I walked her outside and helped him put the box of cupcakes in her car. "When she calls again, tell her the truth so she stops worrying about me anymore."

She smirked. "I don't want to. I want her to know all of this when he comes back here so we can see her reaction."

I just shook my head. She really likes to make fun of someone.

She was about to enter her car when we both turned our heads at the vacant lot beside my house. There was a big truck parked there and it contained construction materials.

"Oh. I didn't know someone was already bought that lot," Miracle said while roaming her eyes around. "Did you know about it?"

I shook my head. "I think it just arrived." The materials haven't been unloaded and the workers were still having a meeting.

She looked at me. "Do you want me to look into it?"

I nodded.

Whoever lives in that lot will become my neighbor so it is better for us to know about them first so I can prepare for my disguise. The only partition we have in our lot is a wall that only covers the first floor of my house so there is always a possibility that they will see me, especially when I am on my room's balcony.

"Just the basic information about everyone living there," I said. "I just want to make sure if I need to avoid getting seen by them or not."

"Okay," she said. "I will give you an update later." She entered her car and started the engine. "I gotta go. I am sure, Mrs. Santiago is already waiting for me."

"Message me the next order. I will start making it," I said. "And oh, I will also be making the list for my personal grocery and for the ingredients that I need for our product. Get the twins but all of it immediately."

Since I am using my own kitchen to bake our products, some of my employees at SweetHeart were assigned to buy the ingredients that we need for our product.

I am still not contacting any suppliers yet since I only make small batches. But now that we are gaining more customers every day, I guess I have to find good suppliers.

"Okay." She drives her car.

I watched her car until it completely disappeared from my sight and that was when I decided to go back inside the house.

Before I could even close the gate, I frowned when I saw a black car stop behind the truck that came earlier. It is near my gate so I stood there waiting for them to get out of their car so I would know the face of my future neighbors.

But they were taking so long and I got bored so I closed the gate and went inside. I will just wait for Miracle's update later.