Chapter 9: The Visitor

Sera couldn’t understand the duke’s actions so she was pondering about it after she arrived back to the annex. Just why would the duke bestow her a name that was only given to children who should bring honor and glory to the Duchy? He didn’t do that in her past life no matter how hard she tried to be acknowledge by him, and yet he did that when she literally did nothing to get his attention.

“My lady, you should’ve eaten your lunch with the duke,” Mary said while preparing the table for her meal.

It took her a lot of courage just to decline a meal with him. Since she had been filled with doubts and confusion, she couldn’t take any more than that. She felt like she would explode if she stayed there for a little longer. That was just how uncomfortable it was for her to be with him.

“My lady, you have a visitor.”

Sera looked at Mary with a questioning look but the latter just shrugged. They weren’t expecting a visitor so who could it be? It wouldn’t be one of her brothers because they were probably eating lunch together with their parents.

“Can I join you with your lunch?” His familiar voice was heard as soon as he stepped in.

“What brought you here, your imperial highness?” Sera was shocked, though it didn’t show as she bowed her head gracefully and gestured him to sit with her.

Mary immediately ordered for another set of plate and cutleries for the crown prince to use. Who would have thought that the lady would eat a meal with the prince as soon as she declined the duke’s request? Did they have an agreement beforehand? That would explain why the lady didn’t want to dine with the duke’s family and it would be a valid reason if she just told her father.

“I just thought about paying you a visit.” The prince looked around. “Did I interrupt you with something?”

Though he sounded innocent, Sera sensed that the prince had a hidden motive for his visit. What could be the reason why he would spend time knowing that she was a bastard daughter? Was he trying to turn her existence into a scandal?

“No, of course not.” Sera smiled with elegance. Even if she was back to her young self, she couldn’t bring disgrace to her family for acting inappropriately in front of the imperial family. “It was an honor to be visited by this empire’s crown prince.”

“Please don’t just see me as a crown prince.” The prince smiled. “I came here to be your friend so just call me Ric.”

“How could I dare to…?” Sera asked him with wide eyes.

A maid arrived and served the crown prince with his meal. He took a bite of the steak before he looked at her and smirked.

“Why not? You are the sole daughter of the highest ranking duke in the empire. You are the fourth highest ranking lady after the empress, the princess and the duchess,” Ric said proudly as he smiled.

“But I’m…”

“A bastard child?” The crown prince scoffed. “That doesn’t matter if you came from a powerful family.”

“You seem to see my family as a powerful one,” Sera said meaningfully when she noticed something suspicious. If the crown prince saw her family as a powerful one, would it mean that he was planning to lower their influence?

“And you seem to like your family though they had been keeping you like a rare treasure in this annex?”

How brazen could this man be? How could he spout such ill-will towards the daughter of the estate where he was in?

“What is there not to like?” Of course it was a lie that she had to tell to keep her family’s honor intact. She wouldn’t be able to escape from them if they suddenly collapsed.

“If I were you, I would’ve craved for freedom.”

He was right on point. Who wouldn’t crave for freedom when she knew that she would be killed if she stayed there for long? However, she couldn’t be rash with her decisions. She knew just how powerful The Fiore house could be and she knew how she could ruin her family with just her existence.

“I have no need for freedom.” Another lie. Just how many lies would she spout during her meal with him?

“You haven’t seen the world so you don’t know how wonderful it was.” It was a meaningful statement but it meant nothing to her.

The world that she saw outside the annex was worse. She witnessed the worst parts of the empire that most nobles never saw. She watched people die from starvation as she tried to survive herself. She embraced her mother’s cold corpse as she waited for someone who would lend a helping hand to a ten-year-old orphan but no one did.

She had to be smart and agile to be able to eat at least once a day. She had to know the routes where most bullies go and avoid them so that she could eat her own hard-earned food.

It was a tough struggle but she survived. If it wasn’t for the curiosity that she had from her father’s memento, she would’ve been spared from the neglect that she experienced.

“Lady Fiore?” The Crown Prince’s voice brought her back to reality.

She looked at him and smiled awkwardly. What kind of expression did she just show him while she was lost in thoughts?

“My apologies, your imperial highness.” She smiled and bowed her head. “It seemed like I’ve been lost in thought as I pictured the outside world in my mind.”

Ric laughed. “I guess I wasn’t enough to capture your attention?”

“I guess the outside world that you’re talking about is much more interesting than I thought it would be.” She smiled. She could feel her lips getting numb from smiling but she reminded herself that it wouldn’t be for long.

“Would you like to spend a day with me outside?”

Sera didn’t expect the crown prince to suddenly ask her so she didn’t know what to say. She stayed silent for a while and it was the crown prince who broke the silence.

“If you want, I could ask the duke if he could allow you.”

“You don’t have to,” Sera said and shook her head but Ric insisted.

“I’ll do it for you so please don’t refuse my kindness.”

Sera had no choice but to nod and sigh. Just what kind of mess did she let herself into?