“Where did you say she went to?” Xander asked the guard. “The market, your highness,” he replied with a bow. “Without a guard?” Xander’s tone conveyed his disapproval. He couldn’t understand the woman. First, she disrupted his wedding, professing love to him. Then, she gave him cold shoulders, addressing him rudely and disrespecting him before others. The woman was a living illustration of mixed signals. “She went with her friend and Dante, your highness,” the reply snapped him out of his thoughts. Dante? Almira always rejected his offer to keep her company, yet she felt comfortable going into town with a spineless ugly slave. He felt insulted.Xander stood, ready to go in search of them. With Dante in her company, things were likely to go wrong. The people couldn’t stand him, so definitely, they would try to pull a stunt. If he got there on time, he might just be her knight in shining armor.He felt elated at the thought. Almira was not the king to cling to him
When Princess Almira summoned him, Dante found himself in a pool of tears again. He had lost the only gift he had ever received. He was both angry and sad. Angry at himself for being such a weakling, and sad that Prince Xander seized every opportunity to remind him of that. He approached her room with uncertainty. Would she notice that the bracelet was gone? He hoped not. It might not be a cheap gift, but there was a prospect that it wasn’t that significant. Kitanna opened the door, greeting him with a smile. He forced on a smile and proceeded in. The shopping bags caught his eye instantly. What time did they get all this? He was with them the entire time and didn’t see any purchase take place. Except for the bracelet, of course. The princess lost her cool after the attack and requested they return home. Dante felt guilty for ruining a potentially great day. The princess graciously rejected his apology with her kind words. Note the sarcasm. “ Over here” Almira ordered. It was d
It felt so unreal. Was there ever a time he had such a pleasant bath with sweet-smelling soaps and warm water? It felt so relaxing. He had never been in a bath before, maybe as a baby or when he was too young to appreciate the feeling. Now, he could boldly say it was divine. “Push yourself up a bit, Dan. I can't wash your hair properly if you’re buried in water, '' Almira said. Dante obliged. No way he was going to question her after she had just let him experience the best feeling ever. A part of him was afraid she would kick him out if he even breathed the wrong way. “It’s so greasy. When was the last time you washed your hair?” Almira asked. “Two months ago” Dante replied without hesitation. “Let me rephrase that. When was the last time you washed your hair properly, with something other than water?” “That would be seven years ago or more. I remember sneaking into Xander’s bathroom to try on the new shampoo the queen got for him. It was a stupid decision, but I
"Did you say Jephthah?" Almira asked, unable to conceal the shock on her face. "Do you know him? You looked surprised," Kitanna observed. Almira couldn't deny it. For some reason, she glanced back at Dante who had a puzzled look on his face. "Where is he, now?" She asked. Kitanna tried to remember if she'd met him before. If Almira knew him, then definitely she must have met him at some point. "The throne room. I was asked to inform you. Do you know him? Have I met him before? I can't seem to remember," Kitanna inquired. Almira didn't reply. Instead, she walked out of the room, leaving Kitanna confused and suspicious. "Is everything okay?" Dante asked. Kitanna's worried expression slipped away to give way for a bright smile. "Everything is alright. I must confess, you look really good. Almira took her time to work on you," Kitanna commented. Dante blushed deeply. "Now the princess has gone to attend to her visitor, do you mind keeping me company?"
"I don't believe you," Jephthah plainly stated. Almira couldn't decide whether to walk away or snap. She decided to do neither. The triton had always been insufferable. His trust issues found pleasure in soaring every time she was away. The man wanted to keep her at his side all the time. She could understand that he felt the need to be in control because of their nature, but it was overbearing most times. Especially in their situation. As much as she hated it, she couldn't be with him all the time and openly too. Jephthah's read a whole different meaning to it. He nagged about neglection and accused her, more often than not, of keeping a secret lover. The jealousy was not adorable in anyway. It ended in big fights and weeks of silent treatment. "I do not want us to fight over something so trivial, Mira," he said, like she was the one brooding an argument. Almira didn't say it aloud of course. His temperament was just as bad as his trust issues. "Let me handle this".
“I can’t believe you!” Kitanna exclaimed. Dante whipped his head around to look at them briefly, before turning his attention back to his book. “Do you really hate him that much? You haven’t even given him a chance. How do you know you won’t like him?” Kitanna asked. “Do you like him?” Almira’s question caught her off guard. “What? Why would you even say something like that? I am just looking out for you. I don’t want to regret this decision in the future,” Kitanna said, her features scrunching with annoyance. “You can have him if you like him,” Almira continued like she didn’t hear a word of everything Kitanna said. “I don’t like the Prince. He’s your mate, I wouldn’t even dare. I just want you to give him a chance. It doesn’t have to be a long time. Maybe a week. If you still don’t see your future with him, you can go ahead with whatever you have in mind. I promise I won’t try to stop you,” Kitana pleaded. Almira gave it a brief thought. “A week is
The day was painfully long for Almira. All she wanted to do was take a long nap and forget the day ever happened. She couldn't stop cursing at Kitanna I'm her head felt making her agree to waste her time.Xander's arrogance was on a whole new level. Since Almira agreed to spend the day with him, he had been on and on about his inheritance. Almira's ears were bleeding and pleading to hear no more. She barely commented on anything as he was so focused on bragging. "What do you think?" The question hit her like a truck. Almira did not in the least expect him to seek her opinion or thoughts. "Impressive, right?" He grinned. Almira stared blandly at him. "I understand your surprise. You know, not many have the opportunity to amass the kind of wealth my father does," he added. "I come from a kingdom where the streets are made of gold. Diamonds are littered everywhere like they have no value. What makes you think I'd be impressed by the pathetic show-off of properties way infe
Dante spent the rest of the day, reading and waiting for the princess. Kitanna already informed him that Almira would be unavailable for most of the day, as she had to spend time with Xander. Dante felt unsettled with the information, but he had no right to be concerned about it. The princess had the right to be with whoever she wanted to be with at any period of time.The downside was that he had to spend the rest of the day missing her. Kitanna tried her best to keep him company but it didn’t quite take his mind off the princess. It was a scary feeling. He had no right to even think about the princess, not talk of missing her. “You’ve been on that book all day. Aren’t you bored?” Kitanna asked. Dante sucked in his lips gently. He couldn’t possibly tell her that he had lost concentration in his reading. “It’s a really long book,” He replied instead. Kitanna drew closer and peered into the book, she turned to look at him with a knowing look. Dante swallowed, uneasy at the cl