62: Early end to the inn's celebration

Early end to the inn's celebration

Kindly please read the comment I have left in this chapter~

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Anastasia noticed Dante raise his glass to his lips before he downed the two remaining sips in one go. His eyes looked empty and a little bored. With the empty glass hanging in mid-air, the barman behind the counter took it from his grasp before swiftly refilling it. 

Suddenly Anastasia's view was obstructed by Issac, who had returned holding two glasses in his hands. The young man loudly declared, 

"I brought the orange and pineapple-flavoured ones, not knowing what you like. Try both of them," he offered them to her. 

Anastasia raised her hand, pointing her finger at the closest glass. 

"You are shy, aren't you?" Issac laughed and handed her one of the glasses. "There will be some good things to eat tonight, but they are still being prepared," he said, taking a big gulp from his glass, and she took a sip from hers. 

Anastasia's eyebrows rose in surprise as she tasted the pineapple drink. She licked her lips. Being a servant, she didn't get to eat or drink the many things served only to the royal family, the ministers, and the guests who visited the palace. 

"Do you like it?" Issac asked her, and Anastasia nodded with a smile. "Why don't you try this one? It might help you decide which one you like better," he said as he pushed his glass towards her. 

Anastasia shook her head, letting him know she was happy with the glass she had. Once she finished the contents, the young man replaced it with another one. She awkwardly sat there, half listening to the young man speak and half listening to the music being played while her eyes occasionally wandered around the inn.

Her eyes moved where Prince Dante sat, and she wondered if his wound was healing well. If she hadn't seen it, she would have never known. 

Issac noticed the beautiful woman's attention occupied, and he followed her gaze, noticing her stare at Prince Dante. To bring back her attention, he praised her, 

"You are such a lovely woman, Anna. It is so good to know that you aren't taken, which I am surprised at because you are so pretty. I have been waiting for the right woman to take as my wife, but I didn't find anyone suitable until now. But you, I know you will be wonderful." 

Anastasia was overwhelmed by the young man's persistent attention and his imposing words. He had been attentive and sat next to her the whole evening since she had entered the inn, which made it hard for her to interact with anyone else. 

"Give me a moment. I will be back," Issac said before leaving her side. 

Feeling her throat grow dry, Anastasia stood up from her seat and felt her world spin. She quickly sat back down again. She stared at people's feet and then slowly got up before heading towards the counter. 

As she approached the counter, she noticed Dante watching his younger brother stuff berries into his mouth while the two women by the younger prince's side cheered him on. Walking up to the counter, she said, 

"Excuse me, Sir. I need a glass of water."

Hearing Anastasia speak, Dante's eyes shifted from Aiden to her. She had placed her forearms on the counter, leaning forward in such a way that caused her back to arch delicately while she waited for the barman to notice her. 

Anastasia was looking around when her eyes fell on Dante, who remarked, 

"You must be feeling brave tonight to be speaking."

She stared at him for three seconds before asking, "Am I?" She whispered, "He doesn't know me, so I thought it should be fine."

The barman came over to her and asked, "What would you like, Miss?" 

"Two glasses of water," Dante responded to the barman, and the barman nodded. 

As Anastasia's mind felt a little fuzzy, she decided to take a seat. She asked, "Are you thirsty too?"

Dante watched her closely before he uncrossed his legs. He raised his hand before moving his two fingers for her to lean closer. Anastasia, without a thought, leaned closer and asked him, 

"Prince Dante?" 

A frown appeared on his forehead, and he asked, "Have you been drinking?" 

"No, you have," Anastasia replied solemnly, and this was enough for Dante to narrow his eyes at her. She said, "You were the one who drank three glasses." 

Dante's lips twitched and twisted in dark amusement. He said, "I didn't know you were keeping count. What did you drink?" 

"Pineapple juice. Do you want to try it?" Anastasia asked him, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. The barman placed the two glasses of water in front of them. Dante pushed both glasses towards the young woman and ordered, 

"Drink." 

Anastasia reached for a glass and quickly finished it. She then asked him, "What are you doing here?" Considering how he had turned down Issac's invitation, she believed Dante wouldn't step in here tonight. 

"All the bottles were empty, and I was thirsty. Also, to keep an eye on a certain drunkard," Dante replied, raising the glass to his lips before taking a small sip as he watched Anastasia's curious expression. 

"You can leave Prince Aiden in my care. I will bring him back safely," Anastasia assured the prince, even though her mind felt a little muddled. As if suddenly worried, she leaned towards him and whispered, "I think something is wrong with me. I feel like my head is scattered. Like eggs that have been whisked together."

"That's what happens when you drink liquor. How many glasses did you drink?" Dante asked her.

Anastasia tried to recollect the details before saying with a frown, "Two. But I drank pineapple juice, and it tasted good."

"When pineapple juice is mixed with rum, sometimes it can be hard to discern the presence of the alcohol due to the sourness and coarse texture of the drink," Dante explained to her. 

Anastasia noticed another shot of alcohol being poured into his glass. Unlike her, who felt like her head was swaying, Dante appeared perfectly fine as he sat beside her. She asked him, "How come you aren't drunk?" 

"Are you offended or questioning the number of glasses I drank?" Dante raised one of his eyebrows before answering, "I just happen to have an extremely high alcohol tolerance. Four glasses aren't going to do anything to me."

"Then… you drank the other day while stitching the wound…" Anastasia had believed that he had the drink to reduce the pain, unless that wasn't the case. 

"The liquor my grandmother concocts contains different ingredients and is much stronger than the ones served here. I must have inherited it from her," Dante replied, watching her stare at his full glass. Drinking alcohol felt like water to him, as if his body knew to tolerate it. He looked around the inn, and he mindlessly asked her, "Don't you have someone waiting for you? The one who invited you here."

"Who?" Anastasia asked, her memory seemingly wiped. She was enjoying the music a little more than she had before. 

Dante supported the side of his head with his hand while he watched Anastasia. He murmured, "You really are something, aren't you?" 

Anastasia watched the people around her merrily enjoying themselves, and she felt relaxed. Is this what freedom feels like? She asked herself. The air around here was so different from the life she had known all these years. She then turned to look at Dante and asked him in a low voice, "Do you feel it too?" 

Dante straightened his head, feeling like a thief that had been caught. He asked, "Feel what?" 

"Like a bird. If you stretch your arms wide, you can feel like you are flying," Anastasia said, and Dante noticed her lips stretch into a smile. 

"Drink two more glasses, and you will see stars," Dante muttered. 

She was about to say something in response when Issac appeared and called out to her, "Anna!"

Issac! Anastasia had completely forgotten about him after she switched seats. When she quickly went to stand up, her body swayed backward. Before the young man could grab her or her back could hit the protruding edge of the counter, Dante's hand shot forward, landing on her back. 

Anastasia felt her heart stumble in her chest, and when she regained her footing, she murmured, "Thank you."

Issac noticed the quickness of Prince Dante's reaction and saw the prince retrieve his hand. He also caught the beautiful woman looking at the prince. Pursing his lips, he stepped forward and said, 

"I have been looking all over the place for you. I didn't know you were sitting here. You must have been waiting for me and got bored. Let us g—"

"Issac," Prince Dante interrupted the man. "Did you tell her what the drink was before offering it to her?" 

Issac looked between the young maiden and the prince. He nodded, "I told her the drinks were of different flavours. One orange, one pineapple. Isn't that right, Anna?" He asked Anastasia with a smile. "She liked the one she chose very much. Did something happen?" 

"Yes," Dante replied, standing up from his seat, downing his drink, and placing it on the counter. "I was wondering if you are planning to become a barman or simply enjoy mixing alcohol into a woman's drink without her knowledge before offering it to her." He turned to look at the commoner. 

Issac laughed nervously before saying, "My Prince, as I said, she enjoyed the drink." He then asked, "Princess Emily left her in my care, so why don't you let me look after Anna now?"

Anastasia went to speak, but Dante caught hold of her hand to silence her. He said, "Quiet." 

The young man's eyebrows furrowed upon noticing this, and he asked Anastasia, "Is something going on between you two? Have you been serving him?" 

Even though she felt slightly more than drunk, Anastasia's eyes widened upon hearing the man's words, and she shook her head. Where did that even come from? She asked herself, confused. She shook her head.

"A little too quick to jump to blaming the woman you have been wanting to marry," Prince Dante remarked, narrowing his eyes. A few people nearby stopped what they were doing, while others were busy in their world of merriment.  0

"That doesn't answer my question, My Prince. She must be a well-kept secret of yours that you pay such close attention to her, enough to have her sit next to you." Issac pointed his finger at Anastasia. He then turned to her and said, "What a disappointment. Here I thought you were pure, but you are nothing like you presented yourself to be." 

Anastasia's face paled over the false allegations. Her hold on the sides of her skirt tightened. Her face started to turn bright red. Two women sitting nearby whispered among themselves while looking at her with contempt. 

Prince Aiden's eyes widened in surprise upon noticing his brother in the inn before his eyebrows furrowed at what was happening near the counter. Swallowing the rest of the berries, he made his way near the scene where his brother and Issac stood facing each other, and next to his brother stood Anastasia. 

He heard his elder brother say, "A man whose ego is as fragile as a twig. Emily will be disappointed that she allowed her maid to come here in the hope that you would be a good prospect for this woman. But clearly, you are not. Looks like you like to test your women before deciding."

Issac glared back at the first prince and said, "Maybe it doesn't matter to you because your mother spent her days entertaining other m—"

His words were cut off because a punch landed squarely on his jaw. He was blindsided because it was Anastasia who had punched him. 

Anastasia's hand throbbed with intense pain, but she was angry at this man who kept going on and on and didn't know when to stop. 

"You little whore!" Issac lunged towards her, but Dante caught the young man's arm, punching his nose, before twisting it behind his back. "AHH!" He yelped when his arm was twisted further. 

By now, the music in the inn had come to a halt, and so did the people's voices, as they  faded into silence upon witnessing the scene and hearing what was happening. Dante stared at Issac's head while he continued to twist the man's arm, who cried out in pain. He said in a low and threatening voice, 

"Hopefully, you will remember this the next time you try to do something like what you did just now." 

"Prince Dante! Please spare Issac!" A woman named Naila appeared in front of them. She said, "He doesn't know better and will not repeat whatever he did again!"

Dante looked up to meet the woman's eyes, and his lips curved into a smile that sent shivers down the spines of those present, causing people to take a step back away from him. He said, "True, but he will know from now on." With that, he twisted the young man's arm for everyone to hear it crack, dislocating his shoulder. 

Issac writhed in pain and agony, rolling on the ground when Dante stepped away from him, while some of the villagers who weren't well acquainted with the first prince gained first-hand experience of what he could do to those who crossed his path without a second thought. 

Dante's hand slipped into his trousers' pocket. He then turned to place a coin on the counter before walking out of the inn. Anastasia didn't wait and followed him while Prince Aiden approached Issac and commented, 

"Stay away from my family and Anna, you scum." He bent down to deliver a final punch to the already suffering man before exiting the inn. 

Soon Dante, Anastasia and Aiden reached the old palace. Most of the lights had been put out as the older women had retired to their rooms, and so had Aziel and the few servants. 

"I think I will go to bed. Goodnight," Prince Aiden murmured, and he disappeared up the stairs. 

[Music Recommendation- Pensar en Ti- Ganges] 

Anastasia watched Dante continue to walk towards his room, and once he entered it, he closed the door behind him. She quietly made her way to her room before closing her door. 

A sigh escaped from Anastasia's lips.

Earlier in the evening, when she had left this room, she had been excited, and a glimmer of hope sparked in her mind, but reality had extinguished it. She was a servant and a person belonging to the lowest class of society, with little to no hope of having someone to call her own. 

She picked up her night dress, and when she was changing into it, she winced, feeling her knuckles throb in pain. Not only had she been belittled, but even Lady Lucretia had been dragged into it. 

The lone candle in her room glowed brightly, and she pulled out the ribbon that adorned her hair so that she could unbraid it. She then heard someone knock on her door. 

Anastasia walked towards it before opening the door and found Dante standing in front of her room. Half of his face was shrouded in shadow while the other half was bathed in the glow of light that spilled from within her room . 

"Was there something you needed?" Anastasia asked him.

"I am guessing you hurt your hand quite badly and would need this?" Dante raised his hand, which held the first-aid box. She wasn't the only one who had punched the man. 

Anastasia lightly quipped, "It seems like we treat each other's wounds now."

Dante's lips threatened to curve up, and he remarked, "So it seems." He noticed the dress she had worn earlier lying on the chair. 

When they heard someone's door open softly, they looked at each other, and the next second, not knowing what to say, Anastasia took a step back, and Dante stepped forward. 

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