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
Duke Kensington woke up in a daze, feeling restless and unsure what the dream was about. He was covered in cold sweat and tried to recall the details of the dream. In the dream, he saw his son and beside him, there was another person. It was a woman but Duke Kensington couldn't see her face clearly. She was laughing and playing with William, while he watched them from afar. When she saw him, she beckoned him near and following her gesture, he walked towards them, hoping to see her face. There's something about her that made his heart swelled with love and happiness. He didn't want to let go of that moment.He never had any contact with any women ever since his wife passed away a few years ago, leaving him with a son to care for. However, due to the Queen's pressure lately, he had agreed to remarry and the candidate was chosen by the Queen herself. The dream he had last night was unexpected and something he couldn't decipher.Duke Kensington shook his head and cleared his mind. He ne
"Ms Hall! Ms Hall! What are your inspirations behind these wonderful paintings? Can you share it with us?" "Ms Hall, now that you've inherited the Graden Arts Hall, do you plan to expand it?""Ms Hall, when will your next exhibition be?" "Can you comment on the rumours that you've secretly gotten married?"A throng of reporters swarmed around Melissa, asking her a barrage of questions which she couldn't keep up. She smiled politely and held up her hand to the reporters before answering them calmly."Do you believe me if I say that I painted these art pieces based on the dreams I have had over the years?" Before the reporters could clarify, she continued,"I plan to keep the Graden Hall as it is, to honour the memory of my late Master. I will continue to hold exhibitions here and when the time comes, you all will be invited."She looked at the reporters who were busy writing down their contents and some were filming her."As for my so-called secret marriage, it's not true. I do not
Beep, beep, beep, beep...The sound of the machine echoed in the spacious room. Melissa felt something sharp poking into her hand and she winched. She slowly opened her eyes and was confused. The white room seemed foreign to her and she didn't remember any white room in the Kensington Estates. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw mechanical instruments by the bed, and an IV drip attached to her hand. Wait a minute, is this the hospital?Before she could process her thoughts, the door to the room opened and a young lady dressed like a nurse walked in. The nurse went straight to the IV drip and checked it before proceeding to adjust something on the machine next to the bed. She seemed oblivious to the fact that Melissa was staring at her intently. The nurse turned to check the patient next and the moment she saw Melissa's bright eyes looking at her, she screamed in shock."You're awake!!! Oh my God!! Wait, I need to call the doctor!!" She said excitedly. Melissa had a guess on w
Lady Sophia was shocked beyond words. The maids dragged her to the dungeons and mercilessly threw her on the hard cold floor before locking her in. They looked at her in disgust before walking away, leaving her alone to process what the hell just happened. One minute she was in the room with him, ready to carry out her plan but suddenly the Duke had woken up and ordered for her to be imprisoned!Realization dawned upon Lady Sophia that the tide had turned. Her plan had backfired and she had been tricked by him! He knew all along that the tea was laced with sleeping pill and he had come prepared for her. He even had the cook, Mrs Queen hiding in the room, waiting to ambush her! Lady Sophia suddenly laughed. She laughed and laughed until her laughter turned to sobs and eventually into an uncontrollable cries of anguish.She hated the man, she hated him for humiliating her like this. She looked down at her body and realized she was still in her inner wear. Ashamed, she covered herself
"Your Grace, the Duke has returned to the Estates." Carrie notified Melissa, who was in William's room at the moment. Young William was still recuperating and had gone to sleep after the doctor's visit. Melissa turned to Carrie and promptly asked,"Where is he now?""His Grace is in his study. Lady Sophia was summoned to see him earlier." Carrie explained.Melissa who had walked to the door to meet her husband stopped when she heard the name."Lady Sophia?" "Yes, Your Grace."Somehow this news didn't sit well with Melissa.Why did he meet her? He didn't even find me or William when he came back. Melissa bit her lip and thought for a moment before she finally decided to stay put. She had yet to come up with an idea on how to send Lady Sophia packing. Now is really not the time to dwell on useless presumptions about her husband. The last thing she wanted was to have any misunderstandings with the Duke. William's wellbeing is her focus now.After making sure William was comfortable,
Duke Kensington sat by William and held his son's hand. He didn't say anything about the cookies, which made Melissa nervous for some reason. The silence was utterly uncomfortable for her. "I didn't send them to William." She finally said, breaking the silence in the room.Duke Kensington finally looked up and smiled at his wife. "I know you didn't." He replied calmly.Melissa nodded and the room fell into silence again. Both Melissa and the Duke stayed with the little boy throughout the night, observing his condition. Young William woke up a few times in the middle of the night due to discomfort in his stomach but Melissa managed to coax him back to sleep after giving him his medication. When dawn approached, she finally collapsed on the bed next to William due to exhaustion.Looking at his wife sleeping soundly after tending to his son the whole night, Duke Kensington's gaze darkened and he clenched his fist in anger. Something's needed to be done about this, he would not let hi
Melissa smiled at the staffs before she addressed them all."Good day, everyone. Thank you for meeting with me today. I will get to know each and everyone of you in due time so there's no rush today. You can go back to your work. But before you leave, I want to remind you that I do not like to use a third person to convey any message, instruction, order or request to anyone at all. As such, every instruction given to you would be communicated to you personally by me, with no medium in between. If you do not receive the order directly from me, please be reminded that you will suffer the consequences should you act on it. With that said, should you receive any instruction from another party on my name, you must come to me directly. It would only mean that someone is trying to undermine my authority as the Duchess of Kensington and I will not tolerate that. Understood?"All the staffs were stunned and could only nod their heads in understanding. However, some of the older staffs looked d
The next morning, the sun had risen in the sky when Melissa woke up. A warm hand was placed on her back, making her movements restricted. The warm hand suddenly moved and pulled her into a hug. Melissa looked at the handsome guy in front of her and sighed.She traced her finger on his forehead, his nose and finally his lips. Duke Kensington kissed her finger, his eyes still closed. Melissa giggled and pulled her hand back. In a swift movement, Duke Kensington got up and pinned her under his body, making her giggled more. "Running away? Not a chance!" The Duke kissed her, while she stroke his back. Melissa could feel her husband's cock hardened and pressed against her legs. She instinctively spread her legs apart, inviting him in.He groaned and placed his hard cock against her vagina, before he slowly moved it up and down her wet slit. She moaned in his mouth, prompting him to move faster and eventually, he slide his manhood into her tight cave.Melissa's insides squeezed him hard
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you." The Duke whispered in Melissa's ear, comforting her.Melissa nodded slightly and she ran her fingers through the Duke's hair, while enjoying his touch and kisses. The Duke seemed to be under the impression that she's young and naive in this area, and had taken the lead in their first night together. Melissa had allowed the man to do whatever he wanted, especially when she was inexperienced herself. However, she had read and watched enough movies in her previous life to know what to expect and therefore she braced herself for her first time. The Duke's kisses travelled down from her breasts to her stomach, and eventually his lips ended up kissing her most intimate area. He parted her legs slightly, giving him more access to her body and started sucking her cunt. His movements were slow at first but they gradually became faster and her moans became louder with each action he took. "Aaahhh! Zachary!" Hearing his name coming out of her sweet l