Page 9 of Tech Prince Troubles (Runaway Prince Hotel #6)
Chapter Nine
ADRI
life is not solely about work
I turned to face the entrance. Outside, Sam had already reached the café’s patio. Too late to go back. Why did I have to ruin it? We’d been having such a lovely conversation, even if talking about my birds had made me feel awkward. He probably assumed I wasn’t interested. What had I been thinking?
The moment the fountain glitched and the water stuttered, my system switched focus, and I couldn’t process both at the same time.
So I’d left… which meant standing here, in the lobby, feeling foolish.
Worse, there was no point in going to the Tech Hub at this hour.
Rick wouldn’t be in until later, and he was the only one I could consult about this glitch.
The only one at the hotel with the training and authority to run NiraTech scans.
I could do it myself, since Rick had permitted me access to the server, but that would mean exposing my personal credentials, undoing all the careful reroutes and shielding I’d set up to keep my family from discovering where I was.
I sank into the nearest chair. Sam had been so kind. I appreciated how he hadn’t been as chatty with me as he was with his baristas and most customers at the café .
Whenever I came in, he greeted me with a smile, prepared my espresso, and even inquired about my shift, but never pressed for more. He made me feel welcome as I was. But I hadn’t felt truly seen until he sat next to me.
It had been wonderful to sit with him, listening to his voice as he shared stories about his day. Even when he asked me about my drawings. I’d been so nervous sharing them with him.
From a young age, we were encouraged to find a hobby, an outlet to balance our systems, for “Life is not solely about work.” After my Choosing—when I’d picked my human name and form—I’d stopped sharing my drawings with my mins.
Not because I thought they’d judge. It simply hadn’t occurred to me.
But Sam had genuinely liked my birds, as if my art held value beyond mere relaxation.
There’d been a moment when he’d seemed on the verge of sharing something personal.
In that instant, I’d felt I could confide in him completely, felt I might have made a friend.
But he did not, and that moment slipped away, leaving us once again as customer and barista, discussing superficial topics like our workdays and his appreciation for my drawings.
I rose with a sigh and retreated to my room. Perhaps it was for the best. It wasn’t as if I could tell him who my family was.
Settling on my balcony, I stared at the trees, trying not to get lost in what I should have done.
A bird landed on a branch. Watching it preen brought a welcome relief.
I reached for my sketch pad, the screen flickering on to the drawing of the fountain.
Prince Bartholomew. A runaway prince. Like me.
A prince and a barista. Could that be true?
Sam had called it a fairytale, like the human stories I’d consumed after lessons were done. Niralen had no fiction authors, only our meticulously documented history. Frank was an avid reader, but reading never calmed me the way drawing did .
I searched for information about them online, and Sam was correct.
Prince Bartholomew had found love here with a barista.
Their story drew me in, and I consumed all I could find about them.
I even found a mention of Layla and her spouse, Sheena—a former princess herself.
No wonder they embraced our presence with such ease.
I wasn’t the only prince working here; the hotel had a long history of harboring royalty.
So far, I’d recognized one or two in passing because I’d met their families or representatives in an official capacity.
Perhaps I should draw Bartholomew’s statue again. Even if I was uncertain about showing it to Layla, Sam’s compliments had warmed me. I’d share all my art with him, just to make him smile at me like that again.
A ping alerted me of new messages from my mins.
With my shields and reroutes reinforced, I sent replies to them all—both personal and project-related.
So far, they’d had no reason to believe I wasn’t doing rounds.
I visited many of our projects in person often enough that my mins wouldn’t realize I hadn’t checked in at any of them in a while.
Just in case, I scheduled two visits to the Langhide Project—the closest to Princedelphia—in the coming weeks. I could contact my mins from there.
I sat back. All this “cloak and dagger” stuff—as humans called it—was exhausting. Layla seemed to know exactly how I felt. It was in the way she looked at me whenever we crossed paths.
Three birds later—with replenished energy—I felt calm enough to go back to work. I headed to the Tech Hub early, hoping Rick would already be in. Perhaps that would prevent me from dwelling on Sam and missed opportunities.
Rick was at the screens, muttering to himself as he browsed through the latest logs.
“Hi, Rick.”
Rick frowned and turned. “You’re early. ”
“I wanted to talk to you. Is there anything about the fountain in the logs?”
“No. We don’t check it; it’s not related to the renovation. It’s not even in the same section.”
“I know it shouldn’t be, but I observed the fountain earlier. There was a stuttering in the water flow, and I sensed the same pattern as the glitches here show.”
“Well, it’s an older system connected to the hotel’s plumbing, but I’m not sure the fountain is in our grid.” Rick frowned and put the schematics on the other screen. “No, see, it’s not connected. It’s in a different section.”
“I’ve sat at the fountain every day, and this is the first time I witnessed this glitch. The same power fluctuation we’ve been experiencing in the ballroom and the floors above it.”
Rick dug up the system logs for the correct section and put them up on one of the large screens. He’d been right. Nothing out of the ordinary.
“Okay,” Rick said. “I hear you, and I’m not dismissing it, but I can’t find anything worrying here. All we can do is note it and run a few more checks. It might just be a non-related random issue.”
“Nothing is random,” I said, just as Jim walked in.
He seemed startled to see me, addressing Rick without acknowledging me. “Layla said to tell you the latest order came in.”
“Thanks. I’ll check it out when I have a minute.”
I didn’t understand why Jim was so awkward with me, but it sent unease scratching across my system.
Humans usually were more curious than suspicious when they met me, so Jim’s behavior seemed…
odd. Especially since Rick and Riley had been so welcoming, treating me as their colleague.
So I observed him as he and Rick discussed a guest issue.
The way he glanced at me th rough half-lidded eyes and turned away when he noticed me watching him.
“Double-check the connection. If that doesn’t work, bring them a replacement.”
The moment Rick stopped talking, Jim grabbed his tablet and left without a word.
Rick sighed. “I’m sorry. He’s just… I don’t think he does well with strangers. He was even more skittish when he first started working here. You know about the charity event Layla’s organizing? Once this whole ballroom renovation is done.”
“Yes, she gave me a leaflet from the Princedelphia Vocational Center. The charity event raises funding for career training and helping people secure jobs.”
“Yes, exactly. That’s how Jim came here—through the Vocational Center.
He doesn’t volunteer much about his background.
All we know is that he’d been struggling.
” He shrugged. “So, I don’t think it’s you.
He just doesn’t connect easily with others.
We’ve been trying for a year to take him out for coffee, but he always seems to go home. It takes some people a while.”
At all the functions my mins and Kin-Bertie took me to, they’d taught me how to interact with others in a professional capacity, similar to what the Vocational Center did.
Lessons I never appreciated enough. Instead, I’d grown weary of engaging with others on the environmental topics they were passionate about.
Weary of the pivotal tech contributions being dismissed.
Perhaps if I’d been more appreciative, they might have taught me how to talk about subjects outside work.
“Anyway,” Rick continued. “Many see the Masquerade Ball as an excuse to dress up and hide behind masks, but the tickets, the money, they really help. Layla hires the majority of the staff through the Vocational Center. Their support is vital, which is why it’s so important we fix the glitches in time. ”
I pulled up the ballroom schematics, ignoring another ping from my mins. They’d be more than willing to support this cause. But there would be plenty of time to worry about that later. “I understand, and I’ll do my best to assist you.”
“You’ve already done a lot.” Rick smiled, then his expression turned serious. “I’m sorry if you feel I’m dismissing your concerns about the fountain. I’ll monitor it and add it to the log.”
“Thank you.” As I reviewed the Project Overview to determine my tasks for the night, Riley walked in.
“Ah, Adri,” she said by way of greeting. “Just the person I was looking for.”
I blinked. “What for?”
“Something in the chandelier seems to affect the energy transfer. Could be the material. Can you check in case I have to strip it down?”
“I thought you didn’t want to alter the original material.”
“I don’t, but the lights are flickering. Mind giving me a few minutes? Better to check it now than after I’ve put it together.”
Filing the to-do list for later, I rose and grabbed my tool set. “I can do that.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“You two do that, and I’ll check that order Layla said came in,” Rick said, then glanced around the room. “As soon as Jim returns.”
Riley opened the door and waved me through. “See ya later.”
As we waited for the elevator, Jim emerged from the stairwell. Rick didn’t have to wait long.
Riley grinned at him. “Hey, Jim. Had a nice break?”
Jim frowned. “Not a break. Customer Wi-Fi problem.”
“Lost their password card?” Riley turned to me. “I can’t believe how often they call us for that and then blame it on the cleaning staff. As if… ”
The elevator doors opened. She turned back to Jim, but he’d already walked on. “Was it something I said?”
“Perhaps he’s just busy,” I replied. Rick’s words about Jim not talking much buzzed along my system. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was more than that.