I watched his car drive away before I turned around and headed back. When I turned around, I could see Mishe and Abel peering through the transparent wall. They seemed very interested in what we were discussing. “You are different, Gemma. Even His Royal Highness Prince Emmanuel paid a visit here to see you!” Mishelley said.
To which Abel responded, “I bet Tara will go crazy if she finds out that you’re close with him.”
I disregarded everything that they said and headed upstairs without stopping.
“Gemma, at least explain why he wanted to see you,” they pleaded.
I twisted the knob and opened the door with a pull. There is a familiar violin that is currently resting on my bed, and there are pieces of paper stuck to it. I took it in my hand and placed it on my lap before I started feeling it with both of my hands. This is my mother’s violin; of course, it’s my favorite thing she’s holding. Even if she kept this for ten years, I will vividly recall what it looks like even after all that time has passed. A violin owned not only by Mama but also by the King. Also, the reason why Prince Augustus nearly killed me.
"Nothing would make me happier than if you enjoyed playing with it as much as I did." I’m not sure why my mama suddenly gave this to me, but maybe she overheard us talking or Prince Emmanuel told her about the event before. Nevertheless, I am happy for whatever reason. I’ll keep this for the rest of my life and will never hide it.
Mornings haven’t been this exciting since I left the palace. Mama helped me get ready for the event, and she gave me some advice about what she thought would be best for me to do. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to attend my first solo play, as it was a private event for VIP's personnel only.
Mama gave me the violin case as Kuya Samuel opened the door and was surprised to see Lincoln standing there. He waved and said, “Hi!”
“L—Lincoln? What brings you here?“ I wondered out loud.
“Prince Emmanuel ask me,” he said in response. “He couldn’t make it, so he asked if I could drop you off. Not that I’m doing anything, so I said yes.”
I sneered at him. “At least you’re not one of his bodyguards, so that’s good.”
Lincoln insisted on carrying my violin case, but I refused multiple times. And even opened the door for me like he was my bodyguard, and I was his world-famous boss.
My body didn’t let go of its jittery feeling until I spotted a group of individuals huddled together as though they were awaiting someone. I felt the want to run away from the situation and hide in my depressing room.
Lincoln stopped his vehicle off to the side of the road. “All right, we’ve arrived... Gemma?”
I was not in the mood to perform, so all I did was cast a glance downwards. Consequently, I lost all of my self-confidence. “I’m only fooling myself, so how come he chose me to play? How come I’m here feeling thrilled when, in reality, I’m not very talented?”
“Whence do these words emerge? Before, you were all giddy with excitement about this event.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “Oh, gosh! Gemma, you have no idea how amazing you are, which is why guys like myself are head over heels in love with you...”
I couldn’t help but guffaw with mirth. “Who’s this person like you?”
“That’s an insult,” he said before laughing along with me. You’ve now friends-zoned me three times, but it’s alright at least once I made you laugh."
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable with my laughter.” I apologized. “But no one else quite matches up to you. You are the only Lincoln that exists.” 
Lincoln placed his hand on top of mine. “Don’t, Gemma. You’re only making me want you again.” his expression turned hopeless.
“Sorry… about that.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Having each other as friends is the most important thing.”
If only I had fallen in love with a regular guy and not the future king of this country, things would be much simpler.
Through his art, Lincoln helped me regain the lost confidence I had in my own body. He was supposed to drop me off at the building but ended up accompanying me to the event. I don’t want him to go because I’d be too nervous to go on stage if there weren't at least a few people I recognized in the audience.
As we made our way through the crowd, Lincoln’s hand was on mine, and we were holding onto each other. He never stopped checking on me to ensure that I wasn’t being held back by anyone until we reached the door of the building. One man took one look at the red envelope and hurriedly opened the door for us. As we entered, an elderly gentleman greeted us; he addressed me by name, so I can only presume that Prince Emmanuel had already introduced us.
“I was waiting for your arrival,” he said. He continued talking, but I wasn’t paying attention, so I missed most of what he said. “Prince Emmanuel is always raving about how good you are, and he even showed me a video of you playing the violin, and I have to say, you are talented,” I heard him say. I was keeping an eye on Lincoln as he steered off in a new direction.
My nervousness was plain to read on my face, and he picked up on it, so he mouthed the words “Don’t worry, you’ll see me waving” 
I found myself in a large room crowded with people who were performing. Not sure how many of us will be performing here. This could be a very important event. The old man walks away and leaves me alone at the vanity. Taking a good hard look at myself in the mirror reveals just how anxious I am right now. Fearing that the audience won’t be impressed by my performance. The two girls in the rear caught my attention. I happened to overhear their idle chatter.
“I heard from the staff that the crown prince is here, which means...”
“His supposed fiancée is also present.”
“That’s why they didn’t announce what's the event all about,” 
"So, who knows? Perhaps they’ll select someone to play an instrument during the wedding of the prince!"
The young lady sighed. "The lucky lady who captured the heart of the prince. I wished I was in her place."
I snatched up my violin and bolted out of the jam-packed rehearsal space. I just can’t do it! My palm began to shake, and then the floodgates of my emotions opened.
“Is he okay? Did you ask him whether he hates me? Did she finally open his heart for Felicity? Because if he did, I— I am sincerely pleased for him.”
Maybe Prince Emmanuel didn’t respond because he’s finally made room in his heart for Felicity and he’s happy about it. It’s good. So why do I feel he betrayed me and the sentiments I had for him? I don’t understand why I’m the last one to get hurt. Why is that... Why is it that I still can’t let myself love someone else?
A wailing sound came out of my mouth in time with the blaring melody. I moved my body away from where it had been lying against the wall. I was crying my eyes out as I gazed around the packed theater while the shaking became increasingly severe. There were so many people around me that I almost missed Lincoln.
“You probably wouldn’t see me in the crowd, but I want you to look here,” he said, pointing to the large badge with a sad expression that was fastened to his left chest. “I want you to look here. I can promise you that I’m the only one in this throng that has it,”
And at that very moment, the sorrowful badge he wears popped out of nowhere.
I hastened my pace and headed in Lincoln’s direction. Lincoln suddenly got to his feet, a look of concern on his face. He grabbed my hand and yanked me away from the center of attention without saying a word. “Please get me out of here,” I said, looking directly into my eyes, which were almost pleading with him. He never once questioned me for the reason. Then his fingers reached out and grasped my shaky palm.
Lincoln kept believing in me even when I stopped trying. “Gemma, this has nothing to do with him; rather, it is all about you. You should not let this great chance slip through your fingers. If you keep performing, people will begin to accept you for who you really are. And maybe, just maybe, the world will accept your love for him at that time. If you squander this chance, Augustus will be very disappointed. This is not his dream; it is yours.”
“Do you think he invited me here on purpose so that I could see him and Felicity together?”
“Augustus could be a jerk, but he’s not the type of person who would do that,” he explained. "Perhaps he sees this as your best chance of achieving your goal."
“You think?” I wailed, finally done crying.
His head bobbed in agreement.
Lincoln, as if by magic, soothed my nerves and calmed my heart. When it was my turn to perform, I stepped onto the stage with confidence and poise. I glanced around the room before I began and noticed that all eyes would soon be on me.
I slung the violin over my right shoulder and held the bow to my left. I closed my eyes and gently brushed the end of the violin bow across the string on my violin that produced the first tune. Hearing and appreciating the beautiful music that the violin can produce.