Billionaire's Hidden Princess by Alegna Ciee (tharntype novel english .TXT) 📕

At first, Leticia, being the ditzy No-Boyfriend-Since-Birth that she is, has no idea what’s with the weird tingling sensation that runs through her body out of nowhere. 

But then, as she just continues watching him closely, everything just goes slow and still. 

It’s like he’s the only person that matters right then.  

She just suddenly finds herself not minding the idea of being embarrassed over and over again just to see and hear him laugh like that. 

Leticia had the first impression that he’s just like her – reserved, contemplative, self-absorbing, and everything else that defines an introvert. That's until he suddenly showed him a side that people won't usually display to one another unless they’re already close enough. 

His laughter is genuine, she can tell – there's not a single hint of mockery or scorn, just pure amusement. 

Then again, she deserves to be laughed at for being such an airhead. Earlier, she was too occupied by how she’s going to start up a normal conversation that she jumped to her own misled conclusion. 

She didn’t invite him over to her table just to throw a pity party, though. She just wanted to lend a hand out of empathy and compassion, which she also didn’t need any act of return for.  

“I’m sorry, Miss. I couldn’t help it...” he apologized with a smile, his frame still slightly trembling with mirth. 

“My name’s Livius, by the way. You may call me Livi if you want.” 

“Erm... S-Sure... Then, you can just call me Eya,” she blurted out a bit too timidly for her liking, her face still heating up. 

“Forgive me for not expressing my thanks first, Eya. I was just... a little too stunned when you suddenly asked me to sit with you. Really, I’m sorry.” 

“N-No worries...! And I was also just a little too nervous to recall that you didn’t accept my offer then. I apologize for deciding things on my own.” 

“It’s alright. Thank you.” 

People really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – is what Leticia’s thinking of at the moment. 

In spite of his gloomy mien, Livius is an amicable gentleman. She feels comfortable with him for some reason. He also seems easy to get on the same page with, which then makes her wonder just what part of him that repulsed Alice so much that she’d pour coffee on him. 

“I-I’m sorry for what happened to you, L-Livi... A-Are you okay?”  

Livius visibly pauses at this, remembering the incident earlier. Seeing him avert his gaze and his sunny smile slowly dropping, Leticia starts to regret not zipping her mouth.

"I-It's okay if you don't want to talk..." she then suddenly added at the last minute, flailing her hands about in panic.

"No, it's fine. It's only normal that people would be curious about it, especially with that big of ruckus we made... I didn't expect she'd be that mad, though," he grimaced, dismay written all over his sulking face.

"It just happened that... today was supposed to be the day I'd confess to her. I've had my eyes on her for months now, you see. She didn't know I was the one who'd been leaving all those teddy bears and chocolates in her locker. She was always happy whenever she received them. I thought she'd be delighted once I confessed. But then... turned out she wasn't even a tad bit happy about it."

At that moment, Leticia feels awful for comparing herself to him earlier. All of her attempts in love can't even match half of the efforts he poured in his. 

She finds his story disheartening and dejecting, and though she just met him today and she still doesn't know him that well, she knows that a kind person like him shouldn't have experienced that kind of public humiliation at the very least.

Livius was only in love, after all. 

He didn't do anything bad that made him deserving of that treatment. 

While she thinks she's starting to get fond of him too - even though, again, they just saw each other and it's too early to be certain of something like that, she still knows how to draw the line. It's not like she desperately wants him to see her the same way either.

At this point, all she feels for him is something like that of a friend who wants to see him happy.

"... I had no idea that she's the type who looks more on the outside," he then murmured out of nowhere with a downcast gaze and a deflated tone.

Hearing Livius say that as if implying that staying the way he is now will be something like committing a heinous crime, Leticia can't help but feel just as heavy-hearted and as crestfallen as him. That's until an idea popped up in her head all of the sudden.

"T-Then... What if I help you, Livi?" she questioned, making him look at her again with his brows arched in surprise.

"I'm studying fashion designing, you see. I can help you do a make-over... I-If you want to, that is."

Livius is speechless for a moment, confounded by her uncalled-for suggestion. Leticia just sounded so earnest and guileless that she finally forgot to stutter.

With that determined look on her face, she looks as if she already steeled her resolve to see this through.

"You already helped me a lot by offering me your handkerchief and teaching me how to remove the stains, and of course, I'm grateful for that... But why go this far?" he asked in disbelief and bafflement.

"Simply because Livi thinks he's not worth it... You think little of yourself and you think you're fine with that... you do, right?" 

Now, he's starting to lose any word to say. She just keeps throwing him at sixes and sevens, and she isn't even aware of it.

"Let me help you, Livi. I'll do my best to make you a person she'll never be able to pour scorn on... Ever again."

Livius didn't expect that meeting Leticia would throw him to a world of surprises, but at the same time, he also couldn't really find it in himself to complain. 

If anything, it only amuses and draws him more.