Upon reaching the pavilion, Prince Xavier invited her to have a seat while he sat opposite her. Somehow, Melissa felt a sense of familiarity at this scene. She had seen it in the original host's memories. But the place was different, in Lady Melissa's memory, it was the gazebo where she had injured herself. Under the moonlight, both individuals sat quietly, contented with each other's presence and the cool weather, each deep in their own thoughts.Meanwhile, at the main palace, Duke Kensington's carriage arrived and he alighted the carriage, holding a bouquet of white roses in his hands. However, before he could reach Lady Melissa's room, a page dutifully informed him that Lady Melissa was not in her room at the moment as she was out taking a stroll in the royal garden. As to her exact location, the page guided the Duke out and pointed to a direction on the east side. On that note, Duke Kensington immediately walked towards the royal garden to find his fiancée. He was in a happy mood
Both men were breathing hard after exhausting all their bullets against each other, ending their war of words. They stood there in silence, glaring at each other, digesting what had transpired, somehow feeling foolish at how they had behaved moments ago. "This clearly brings back memories. I feel like we were 12 again. Remember the puppy that was gifted to Mother?" Prince Xavier suddenly said, lamenting on a memory only known to both of them. "Yeah...from what I remembered, it died not long after that. Aunt Serina said it's due to 'excessive love'." Duke Kensington added.On that note, both men sighed loudly. "I won't let her go, Xavier." Duke Kensington finally said, declaring his stance in this love affair. "Neither will I, Zachary." Not one to back down, Prince Xavier declared the same. "We should let her choose." After some thoughts, Duke Kensington felt this seemed to be the best option. Ultimately, Lady Melissa should be the one to choose her own happiness. "The engagement
The next morning, a carriage carrying the insignia of Earl Baxter Blackwell could be seen approaching the palace. The Queen, having received the information beforehand, was deep in thought while waiting for Earl Blackwell's arrival. She knew very well the reason of this visit, something she had anticipated to happen ever since she tactfully rejected their proposal the last time. Earl Baxter Blackwell, a prominent figure in the society, carried a considerable amount of backing to the royal court and he served as one of the loyal courtiers of the palace. Therefore, although the Queen held the ultimate powers in the royal court, she still needed to be tactful in front of Earl Blackwell. Besides the Earl, the Queen would also be receiving his son, Lord Benjamin Blackwell. Not one to be underestimated, Lord Benjamin had time and again proven himself to be an influential figure in the society, claiming monopoly in the textile industry and was himself a brilliant businessman, second only to
The Queen then invited the Blackwells to have tea with her at the royal garden, to which they accepted graciously. When they stepped into the open area of the garden, a delicious array of pastries were already placed on the table, as well as a hot pot of tea. They continued their chatter at ease, with both the Queen and the Earl mostly reminiscing the past, while Lord Benjamin listened on politely. His eyes however, betrayed his attention as they were constantly looking around, as if searching for something.Suddenly, he saw a figure at the far end of the garden, walking slowly towards the main palace. Anxious, he stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his tea cups on the table. His action surprised the two other occupants at the table and they followed his gaze to see what had captured this man's attention for him to react so strongly. When the Queen realized that Lord Benjamin was staring at Lady Melissa, she frowned and purposely cleared her throat, indicating her displeasure to
When Duke Kensington saw the man who was walking towards him, he noticed that man's gaze was clearly on Lady Melissa, who at the moment was busy talking to William. Annoyed at how brazen Lord Benjamin was at the moment, Duke Kensington immediately bent down and whispered something in his son's ear. His son seemed to understand what his father meant and nodded his head before quickly pulling Lady Melissa's hand.“Let's go Mother, I want you to bake me some more cookies. I want butter cookies today!" Lady Melissa was curious as to what Duke Kensington had told his son, but the next moment William was pulling her away abruptly. So he just wanted cookies! "Your Grace, I will take my leave first then." “Go ahead, I will meet you two inside." Duke Kensington smiled while nodding his head. Looking at the retreating figures, Lord Benjamin frowned. However, he couldn't turn back now as he was approaching Duke Kensington. His eyes followed Lady Melissa but seconds later his line of sight was
Both the Queen and Duke Kensington walked over to where Lady Melissa and Lord William were, which was the royal kitchen. The Queen laughed at how engrossed Lord William was looking at Lady Melissa kneading the dough and she quietly left the kitchen."What're you making?" Duke Kensington asked while taking a seat beside his son."I'm making dumpling." Melissa answered."Dumpling?" Duke Kensington looked at his son, searching for answer but his son merely shook his head, indicating this was the first time he heard of it too."Yes, just wait and see." Melissa felt triumphed in her heart. 'Of course you don't know what's that! All you guys eat are either meat or bread! Oh my God, I'm so craving fried dumpling right now.' In her past life, Melissa was a Chinese cuisine aficionado, she could never go past a week without having at least one Chinese meal. She loved everything about Chinese cooking, and in order to save cost, she had even learned how to cook them using recipes obtained online
After dinner, Duke Kensington asked for Lady Melissa to accompany him for a walk in the garden, while Prince Xavier took the liberty to engage the little boy in a game of chess. Earlier, Duke Kensington had quietly informed the Prince that he intended to speak to Lady Melissa about the matter which the two men had discussed earlier. Realizing the importance of this affair, Prince Xavier acquiesced and took Lord William with him.Duke Kensington guided Melissa around the garden and they both sat down on a nearby bench together. "My Lady, how are you feeling now?" Duke Kensington asked lightly."I feel fine, Your Grace." Melissa answered, looking ahead. She wondered what did the Duke want to say to her. He even sent William away with the Prince.Being an astute person herself, she noticed the subtle actions between the Duke and the Prince earlier, indicating these two were somehow in cahoots with each other. As to what were they planning, Melissa couldn't figure it out."You can just c
"Oh Melissa!" Duke Kensington instinctively pulled her into his embrace, unable to resist this innocent young girl.She felt so good in his arms, he felt her warmth and he could smell her subtle floral fragrance. She didn't resist his embrace, which prompted Duke Kensington to take a deep breath and slowly released her. He looked into her bright eyes and slowly leaned forward to kiss her. Their lips met in a gentle caress, the warmth of their breath mingling. Electricity sparked as their lips brushed lightly, sending a shiver down their spine. Not sensing any reluctance from her, Duke Kensington became bolder and kissed her harder, forcing her to catch her breath. However, the moment her lips parted slightly, the Duke immediately seized the chance and inserted his tongue in her mouth. His tongue seemed to dance with hers, each moving melodiously together.Melissa started to kiss him back, with her hands grabbing his jacket and drew him nearer, eliciting a moan from the man. Her hands