Chapter 25
The next day, Sera woke up to the sun high up in the sky, enough to paint the walls gold. She jerked herself up and looked around, realizing that her windows had already been opened and a tray of food sat snugly at the side.
"How did I sleep in so late?"
She glanced around her room and saw that Adna was nowhere in sight, but her eyes fell on the roses which were neatly arranged in a vase, and a smile popped up on her face. Her face turned red as she remembered what Duke Erin said before he left.
She quickly got out of bed, not bothering to clean her face or comb her hair, and she rang the bell by her side.
Soon enough, Adna came rushing toward the room. Her mistress rarely used the bell pull, and once she did, it usually meant it was serious.
"My Princess, what's the matter?"
"I'm okay, I'm okay. Have I received any mail or any present?" Sera inquired. Her eyes gleamed happily and she looked at Adna eagerly.
Adna felt confused at first before things began to unknot themselves in her mind, and a smile appeared on her face.
"My Princess, what letter? Are you perhaps expecting a letter from the one who sent those beautiful flowers?" Adna teased, glancing toward the roses which shone under the sunlight.
Sera bit her lower lip shyly and looked away, her face turning red. "No… I'm not…"
"It's okay, my Princess, I was just joking." Adna patted Sera's shoulder. "I didn't know you would find the Duke fascinating."
Sera twisted her lips, wondering when she started to feel these emotions for the young Duke. It might have been when he said those words to her, or probably when he showed his handsome face up close. She squealed inwardly and twisted the fabric of her nightwear.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Sera asked, trying to divert the conversation.
Adna nodded smugly like she understood what Sera was trying to do, and Sera hurriedly flailed her hands around. "No, no, I don't mean that. I'm probably late for Miss Thalebrook's class."
"No, my Princess. Your Governess came to officially end your studies with the High Steward. I heard him praising how her methods were right and thanking her that she finished before the Assembly."
Sera nodded. She found it surprising that during their last lecture, Miss Thalebrook hadn't told her that it was over. Was she perhaps angry that she scolded her that day? Or did she want to meet her today but didn't get the chance since Sera slept in?
"Oh, the reason I didn't wake you up was because I didn't think it was needed. The King and the High Steward left to the Seabreeze Keep on some business. Apparently, Baron Leoric has to shut down some of his businesses..."
Sera tuned out while Adna was sharing some hot gist with her. The latter was in the bathroom preparing her bath. Her mind was constantly returning to the scene of them seated on the bench.
'Was this what they called love at first sight?'
Technically, it was not a first sight since she had seen him regularly while he came there to discuss matters with her father and sometimes randomly on the streets. She sighed happily, drooling at the image.
Meanwhile, in the Relanor Duchy, a certain someone sneezed suddenly.
"Oh my, who is thinking about my dear son?" A woman with fine lines tracing the corner of her lips smirked.
Erin shook his head, knowing well that his mother was teasing him, especially after his visit to the palace.
"Mother, I thought you had outgrown those myths," he rebutted calmly, taking a sip of his tea while reading the newspaper.
It was midday and the mother-son duo was relaxing on the balcony. Lady Devrane smiled gently when she noticed the way her son rushed to avoid her gaze. After living for several decades, she would be a fool if she couldn't recognize the hearts in his eyes.
He loved her—no, he had loved her and always will. As a mother, she could tell when her son had fallen in love, and that started a long time ago, in the days when he was escorting his father to the palace on business.
He would come home in a trance, but she couldn't blame him. She had seen the Princess for herself, and by the Sun, she was stunning.
She chuckled quietly to herself, and Erin came to look at her.
"Hurry up and bring my daughter home!"
Erin's eyes widened at the fact that his mother had already begun calling Sera her daughter.
"I stand by your mother on this. Hurry and woo the Princess to our side."
A muscular voice echoed behind them, and Erin turned to see his father standing there—the past Duke of Relanor and the current President of the Assembly. His fingers raked through the silver hair in his beard.
"Father!" Erin acknowledged him.
Lord Devrane waved his hand dismissively, telling him to sit down.
"This marriage must work, Erin. I heard she's hot-headed, but I know you would be able to control her. This is for the future of the Devrane household."
Erin bowed his head and nodded. He never felt comfortable about how his father mentioned Sera like she was some kind of tool or pawn, and it seemed his mother shared his sentiment.
"Can't you go a day without being political? You just had to ruin the mood," she tsked and glanced away. "Go and worry about your Secretary. He is drowning in rumours."
She said, sacking him from the balcony.
Lord Devrane left, but not before giving Erin a look—one that said many things but emphasized the need not to disappoint.
Erin didn't respond and sat quietly. The image of the Princess speaking to herself meekly painted itself in his mind. She looked so beautiful and innocent, just as she had always been the past few years, and he felt truly glad that in less than a month's time, she would be his and his alone.
Smiling, he remembered to prepare a day for their date.
"Excuse me, Mother, I've got a letter to write," he said.
The clouds gathered in the skies, promising rain. Minos sat in his office while facing the window. The curtains danced quietly to the tunes of the wind, and the room had turned dimmer as the fire in the fireplace greedily swallowed the wood, but Minos didn't call for replacement.
His eyes looked distant as though lost in thought. It was a cloudy day that day; he sat by her bed while caressing her forehead.
"Uncle, I am back!" He heard a tender voice echo downstairs.
His niece was back from school, and he had to prevent her from seeing her mother in that state, but before he could make a move, Celestria barged into the room.
Her eyes fell on her mother, who lay in bed with a blanket wrapped around her. Her eyes were shut as though she was sleeping.
"Is Mother's cold not gone? I thought you said she had healed overnight?" Celestria hurried over to her mother's side and checked her temperature.
Minos opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, as though the words were stuck at the back of his throat. How was he to tell her that it was an incurable disease? How was he to tell her that it was an ancient twisted heirloom of their family?
"My Lord."
A voice woke Minos from his trance. He blinked twice and turned around.
"Yes?"
"My Lord, I intercepted a letter from the Duke of Relanor. It contains no important information. Should we continue?"
"Yes, copy the handwriting and wait for the Princess's own. Also, monitor the King; it seems he is hiding something," he ordered. But before he turned, he raised his hand as though remembering something.
"Be careful when you are near the King. He is extremely sensitive to your kind and is still powerful. Don't let his harmless appearance deceive you."