"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 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

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

The palace was in disarray. Everyone scurried about, moving in and out of the palace. Doctors trooped in with medical kits. Dante stood in a corner watching with confusion. He couldn't ask anyone without getting yelled at or ignored. He wasn't allowed near the palace either. Almira on the other hand was confused. Xander was in a life-threatening situation, yet she felt no form of pain. It made her anxious and confused. Though the doctors were able to neutralize the poison, Xander was still in critical condition. Almira couldn't help but notice Jephthah's absence. She had a nagging feeling that he knew something about the spiders. "Anna, cover up for me, I'll be back," She told the maid. "Where are you going? Is there a problem?" Kitanna asked. "You are too inquisitive. Just do what I asked. I'll be back shortly."Almira walked out without waiting for a response. She walked around the palace, trying to sniff him out. She found him in the garden, watering the plan

Earlier, Dante was still rounding up the novel he was reading when the strange music began in his head.He panicked, tugging the book somewhere safe. His heartbeat quickened as the tune grew stronger, assuming control of his entire mind. A scream tore out of his throat. His mind went blank once again.So when he was knocked off a naked woman with Almira's foot pinning him, the fog in his mind cleared and the princess' disgusted face came into view. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Dante heard Kitanna's worried voice and traced it to a set of naked women.His eyes widened and he quickly looked away. "That monster tried to have his way with us! We must tell the King about this! He must be put to death, or punished at least."Their angry statements made him flinch. His chest tightened when he met Almira's eyes. The one thing he dreaded seeing on her face was there. Disgust. "I didn't do… I would never try to hurt anyone on purpose. Please believe me…" Dante pleaded. "