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\'I should be the one dancing with His Highness, not you!\' Clarisa shouted in her mind.

Clarisa\'s mother had repeatedly said that Esther lived in a forest and was nothing more than a hunter, but seeing the young baroness firsthand, Clarisa could not believe this fact. The way Esther carried herself and the way she was dancing along with the Crown Prince as if she had been educated to dance from young, one could see she was raised in a noble background. She must have been taught etiquette and other skills like any other proud daughter from a noble household.

That was why Clarisa had doubts. Her grandfather was a duke, and he was the right-hand man of the King. In terms of authority, it could be said that he was among the most powerful men in Megaris, second only to the royal family. Information coming from Duke Walter could not be wrong. Since he told her mother that Esther was a commoner, then this piece of intelligence must have been verified.

\'Did she learn all this after coming to the palace? No, I do not believe so. It is easy to see if one is pretending to be of noble birth. Besides, they say she\'s skilled with a sword. The art of swordsmanship is something you need to master for years. What if she\'s a daughter from a fallen noble family? Perhaps her family was stripped off of its title before her generation, and she\'s scheming to get her family\'s honour back.\'

The young lady of the Walter family was convinced of her deduction, and her eyes that were already burning with hate and envy now included disgust in them.

\'If so, it seems like what I heard about the rebel\'s assassination of Queen Theodora must be true. She pretends to be a saint, but she\'s exploiting the kindness of the royal family. This girl has already started her moves the moment she got the opportunity to get into the good side of the Queen so everything would be easy for her. What an ambitious vixen!\'

She looked at her mother. "Mother, Her Majesty often invites the wives of the officials to afternoon tea parties, doesn\'t she?"

Her mother raised a perfectly plucked brow. "Indeed. The Queen hosts a tea party about once or twice a month. During springtime, she loves to show off her gardens and her greenhouse, so she throws parties on a weekly basis so that people can come to admire them. Do you have anything in mind, dear?"

"Why don\'t you bring me along when you see the Queen? If she sees me often, it will help to win her favour."

"My dear, as you say," her mother agreed with a satisfied smile.

Despite being under the jealous gazes from the crowd, Prince Theron and Esther found themselves disregarding the attention, immersed in their own world. Her gloved hand was held in his warm hand, while the other one was resting at his shoulder. On the other hand, the Crown Prince held her gently at the waist as he made her move along with him with ease.

All along, his dark eyes never left her pretty face and she did her best to not look at him straight, fearing her own body\'s response to the hypnotic powers of his gaze. As their bodies smoothly glided over the dance floor, she tried to keep her eye pinned on the gold royal crest stitched on the collar of his black outer coat.

Being this close to him reminded her of the intimacy they shared that night inside his bedchambers. A lovely pink blush could be seen spreading on her cheeks.

"Lady Esther," he called for her, which made her look up at him.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Why didn\'t you show up after that night? Do you no longer worry about my health?" he asked, peering straight into her caramel-colored eyes.

"Your Highness," she started in a patronizing tone, "You are completely fine so there is no need—"

"How do you know I am completely fine?" he interrupted her.

"The royal physicians said so…"

"So since they said that my body is fine, you chose to believe them without checking on me with your own eyes?"

Feeling nervous under his gaze, she didn\'t know how to answer.

"I waited for you every night," he said, his gaze softening. His tone was not teasing, but sincere and vulnerable, as if he\'s disregarding his pride to show her how much he longed for her for an entire week, and that she had been cruel to him for not showing up.

Esther found her heart racing, and she let out a shaky breath. She didn\'t know how to respond, as she didn\'t understand her own reaction to what Prince Theron admitted.

He moved his face closer to hers and whispered in her ear, "Are you trying to avoid the remaining punishment, Lady Esther?"

That soft lingering whisper, his seductive voice, the way his lips lightly brushed her ears, they gave her goosebumps and she nearly missed her step in the dance. She felt like her breath was stuck in her chest; thankfully, Prince Theron guessed her reaction and timely pulled her body closer to him. She heard him continue speaking, "When are you planning to get the rest of your punishment?"

With a spin just in time with the music, the Crown Prince moved back and appreciatively studied her flushed face. "I am waiting for the answer, my lady."

"I-I…Apologies, Your Highness," she mumbled under her shaky breath.