The Prince
"You..." Her heart was palpitating like it would come out anytime soon.
"Serving me includes wiping my body too," The man stepped closer to her and she cowered back slightly, "But you aren't fulfilling your duties well, are you?"
How could he think she was going to wipe his body? It was impossible. She was fine with her gardening and was stuck with this job for a day.
Suddenly reminded of something, she glanced at the man in front of her. He was naked in the bath. How did he wear his clothes so fast? She blinked, her face turned red realizing the direction of her thoughts. Why did it matter how he wore his clothes anyway?
"Look at that little face going all red. Having thoughts about me, huh?"
Esme lacked words to describe what was going on in her mind, "You are the Prince," A whisper left her lips. A statement sounding like a question.
"What do you think?" The man raised an eyebrow, neither denying nor accepting it.
It was probably because the boy she saved years ago had a dirty appearance, tattered clothes that she had assumed he was poor.
But now that she was connecting the dots, everything started falling in place. Why would there be assassins behind a poor boy who had nothing?
Who can barge inside the dungeon so confidently and outrageously without having the fear of consequences of being caught?
And not to mention that he walked into the servant quarters without getting caught which means he possessed magical powers as well.
She inwardly chastised herself for believing that this man was a poor nobody yesterday.
Maybe her mind was so fixated on Arlan that she forgot to observe things properly.
"My Lord," Now that wind has changed its direction, Esme decided to change her attitude to smoothen out things before it gets late, "Apologies for my misbehavior yesterday," It took every ounce of strength in her to act servile like this.
"You don't need to apologize to me since you are my woman now," He watched in amusement as her expression changed from a docile girl to a fierce tigress in an instant.
"Since when did I-" Esme halted, realizing her mistake. She might provoke this man if she acted like this, "My lord seems to have some misunderstandings," She looked down at her feet. This Prince was really sick from the head.
Her thoughts betraying her calm facade.
"Oh? Didn't you say that you work under the Prince?" Aleister pinched her chin as he tilted her face upwards, "The men working under me are my men. So, in that way, you should be known as my woman."
Embarrassment coursed through her nerves. What did she do to deserve this? Esme closed her eyes, regretting uttering this lie. Lying is not a good thing.
She moved her face slightly but the man's grip on her chin tightened as if he knew she was thinking of running away from here.
"Am I wrong, my dear moon?"
H-His dear moon? Her eyes widened as a blush crept her cheeks, "My lord, what would it take for you to let me go?"
"Your death," The man spoke without a change in his expressions as he let go of her.
Her blood turned cold. Was she going to be the 19th maid who died mysteriously in the hands of this moody Prince?
"I was joking," He teased.
"You are not good at it," The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She pressed a palm atop her mouth when his eyes narrowed at her, "I'll take my leave, My Lord," She mumbled before pressing her palm back on her mouth again.
Aleister glanced at the girl who was saying this while looking into his eyes. Those customs were meant to have her bow to him if he did not remember them wrong.
7 years can do much to a person but the one in front of him has not changed that much. She was still proud to her bones, just like the first time he saw her.
Esme quickly turned around to leave before the man came up with another quirk to bother her.
Holding her gown in her hand, she made it in her mind that as long as she did not stumble anywhere, she would manage to escape from here.
"Ah..."
The moment she stepped forward, the man grabbed the tip of her thick braid.
She turned around to look at him questioningly. Did he change his mind? He is not letting her go anymore? "My Lord...This is INAPPROPRIATE," She spoke through gritted teeth, trying her best to not come off as impolite.
"That's what I wanted to say," He nodded, surprising her.
Was he agreeing to her on how ill-mannered he was? Esme blinked.
"It is inappropriate to watch me from behind the pillar. The next time, you can join me," He dropped her braid.
She blinked again. Once. Twice. Thrice. And then it dawned on her that he knew she was hiding right there.
Her face turned hot as she quickly secured a palm around her braid and ran out of his room.
As soon as she got far away from his room, she leaned on a wall for support with a hand on her waist as she panted. All of this was out of her expectation.
She lied to a man that she worked for the Prince. But the man turned out to be the Prince himself.
Moreover, she was looking at him hiding behind a pillar during the bath and he knew it.
"What have I done?" Esme leaned her forehead on the wall with a conflicted expression on her face.
She had yet to find her brother in this enormous Castle but she has already gotten herself entangled with a trouble.
The sounds of footsteps made her raise her head all of a sudden. They were unhurried and in a distance but her sharp hearing has been a blessing. Someone was nearby.
'Is it him again?' Esme pursed her lips. Her luck shouldn't be that bad.
She looked at her surroundings only to realize that she did not know where she was standing.
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