“You’ve mated with him more than once before, right? Who knows? You may already be pregnant...” the duchess said and for a mont she looked genuinely excited.
“I don’t think that is the case...” I replied softly.
“Hmm? How can you be so sure?” she asked with widened eyes.
“Well...” I murmured when I rembered the prince’s warning.
Despite his warnings, I didn’t think that I could talk to anyone about how we went about our intimate duties. It was just too embarrassing for to voice out loud and that was precisely why I struggled to answer the duchess’s question. Just as I was about to apologize to her for my inability to give her an answer, the sound of her clapping her hand together echoed in the dance studio.
“Wow, I have to say that this is more than a little unexpected. I guess the rumors that I’ve heard about Prince Leonard not wanting to beco the next king might be true after all...” she said before she smiled again at .
I wasn’t sure what the prince truly wanted for his future but what bothered more at that mont was the fact that I couldn’t quite read what the duchess was thinking or feeling. She had a look that resembled curiosity on her face like a young girl that had just made a pleasant and surprising discovery. If I had to take a guess, the news that she had just learnt did not displease her. Taking into account the fact that she is Prince Florian’s mother, her reaction might make sense. If Prince Leonard truly did not wish to beco the next king, then her son might have a better chance of ascending to the throne.
“Aww...that seriously is too bad...” she said with evident disappointnt.
For a mont, I thought that her reaction wasn’t real and that she was just acting her part while showcasing so sarcasm. However, the way her eyes seed to shine slightly less brightly than normal and the way that her beautiful lips smiled quite sadly my way made second guess my initial reading. The slight stinging pain in the palm of my hands made realize that I had clenched my hands into such tight fists that my fingernails were digging into my flesh. I wondered what was really going on, but I wasn’t sure if I had the courage to ask the duchess straight on.
The beautiful woman’s smile widened and then she started to laugh a little. In fact, after trying to unsuccessfully stifle her laughter, the duchess looked away from and then threw her head back laughing. All the while as I watched her explode with laughter, I had no idea what she found entertaining or funny.
“Duchess...” I murmured softly to get her attention.
Duchess Flavia had tears in the corners of her eyes again by the ti that she sobered up enough to return her gaze to my face. She flashed another smile before taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. I just watched her in silence as I waited for her to completely collect herself.
“Sorry...but...just imagining the prince holding himself back every ti that he sleeps with you...” the duchess explained before she went back to giggling.
Her beautiful face and flawless skin were flushed a beautiful deep shade of pink. Thankfully, this ti she did not laugh for too long. Her words made my entire face heat up and I wondered if my face was now as pink as hers.
“You must be quite confused right now. It’s quite cute, really. Everything that you think kind of shows on your face,” the duchess said before smiling adoringly at .
It wasn’t the first ti that I had been told that and I was certain by that ti that this particular trait wasn’t working in my favor at all. My heartbeat quickened as I promised myself to find a way to stop everything that I felt from showing on my face.
“I’m sorry...” I apologized because I didn’t know what else I was supposed to say.
“Don’t apologize, Mila. It’s not a bad thing, plus, I think that it’s a very cute characteristic,” the duchess said while waving her beautiful fingers to dismiss my apology.
Silence settled between us while we both seed engaged in our own thoughts. I could sense that sothing wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t seem to put my fingers on what exactly was making feel strange. Sothing was bothering , and I felt unusually unsettled and restless.
What was it about what the duchess said that didn’t seem quite right?
“You know, Mila. I really really like you. I think that you’re honest, bright, and also a very good student...” the duchess said and suddenly her tone was quite serious and formal.
“Right...” I whispered as I wondered what exactly she was trying to get at.
“Well, simply because of that, I’m going to be honest with you as well. This will probably sound quite unbelievable to you, but I would appreciate it if you would hear out,” she said before pausing.
“Of course...” I quickly said.
The duchess showed a very sweet smile before there was a far away look in her eyes. I had no idea what she was seeing in her mind or what kind of mories she had recalled, but for a mont, the look in her eyes felt stone cold.
“I don’t want my son to beco the next king. I just want Prince Florian to be free...” she said before pursing her lips into a thin line.
She didn’t want her son to beco the next king?
She was certainly right about it, sounding quite unbelievable. I had always thought that everyone would want to beco king and that as his mother, the duchess would have many things to gain from her son becoming the next king. The very troubled look on the duchess’s face made my heart ache. If I hadn’t seen her dance so energetically and flawlessly before, I might have been obliged to believe that she was suffering from so kind of illness.
--To be continued...
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