64: Watching you

Watching you

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—

Anastasia's lips trembled at Dante's question. 

She was the brown-skinned maid who was always blending into the background, and no one had ever noticed her. But this week, she had been overwhelmed by male attention, and she didn't have to wear expensive clothes or makeup to attract it. 

Anastasia was sure she hadn't done anything to show interest in the prince because her mind had been filled with finding her sister's killer and escaping. And this was Prince Dante, the cursed Blackthorn prince who mostly despised women, regardless of social status, and tolerated only the ones in his family. She wouldn't even dream of having a chance with a prince. Marianne was an example of what happens when one involves themselves with a prince, and she wasn't going to repeat the mistakes her sister made. 

When Anastasia took a few seconds to respond, she felt Dante's thumb caress the skin of her wrist. 

"W—wasn't what you were doing a form of discipline??" Anastasia asked him, her big brown eyes wide with nervous anxiousness. 

Dante slightly tilted his head. His midnight eyes flickered with a wicked glimmer, his lips devoid of any trace of a smile. He questioned her, 

"Which part made you think of it as a punishment?" 

Anastasia's mouth went dry, and she blushed. How could she say that out loud?! Who knew that the prince was going to thank her like this? If she had known, she would have pretended to be sleeping rather than have them stand here in this compromising position! Suppressing her nerves, she said, 

"I will be very careful next time, and not repeat—" 

"Are you sure? Avoiding a question hardly demonstrates it," Dante chided her with his eyes on her. 

Anastasia had known Prince Dante to be quiet, someone who kept to himself and didn't hesitate when it came to drawing his sword. But she didn't know that he had this sinister side to him, which was simply waiting to torture her. Just thinking about how shameful it was that she had almost slid against his knee, her face turned flush. 

When the look in Dante's eyes turned serious, Anastasia saw him move closer, and she closed her eyes. She implored him, whispering, "Please don't hurt me!"

Anastasia felt Dante's breath brush against the length of her jaw like a feather. She then felt his words reverberate against her neck, 

"It's the last thing on my mind. I promise not to hurt you unless you give me a reason to." There was a slight huskiness in the words he spoke to her. 

Dante's breath caressed the crook of her neck before traversing across her shoulder. Though he didn't touch her there with his hands or lips, his action sent shivers running down her body. 

He had lost control of his senses with her within reach, but he didn't want to impose himself on her when she didn't feel the same. Not yet, at least. Forcing her would place him in the same class as his deceased father, and he wasn't going to stoop to his level. That didn't mean he couldn't ignite the yearning desire in her. 

Dante's lips returned to the side of Anastasia's head, and his words fell on the shell of her ear, "But not all pain has to hurt. Some can bring you indescribable pleasure."

Anastasia's eyes flew open, and she saw him slowly pull himself back for them to meet each other's gaze. She whispered, 

"Like eating something spicy? Yet you eat it anyway?" 

"Maybe. Like when you kill an enemy and feel the pleasure of his defeat at your hands, as their blood glides down your sword," Dante stared at the doe-eyed woman, who tried to skirt her way around the subject. But he dragged her back into it by saying, "But there are better things than that. Sweeter than the taste of dates that have graced your lips. Like when you tried to get away from me but touched my knee. But more intense than that."

Though Anastasia's lips moved, no words came out. This was more than enough discipline that she could take for the night, especially with the effect of the liquor having worn off. She said softly, 

"I… I need to wake up early tomorrow." 

"It wouldn't be right to deprive you of proper rest," Dante hummed, staring at her before he let go of her hand and took a step backward. He noticed her olive skin had turned flush. He took the first-aid box that she had been carrying until now. 

Anastasia watched him turn to the door, not sparing another word, and twist the doorknob. When he opened the door, she said, 

"I will be more attentive from now on," bringing her sprained hand closer to her chest. 

Before Dante could leave the room, he turned his head without looking at her and remarked, "And I await the day when you won't be," before leaving. 

Anastasia stared at the space, hearing Dante's receding footsteps, and she quickly closed the door, locking it. When she went to place her hand on the wooden surface of the door, with her forehead about to rest on it, she winced. 

"Ow!" Anastasia pulled herself away from the door. 

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The following morning, Anastasia had slight dark circles under her eyes because her mind couldn't let go of what Prince Dante had said and done. Everything was so vivid that even now, as she cut the fruits into perfect squares in the kitchen, she could still hear his words echoing in her mind. 

As if her existing trouble wasn't enough, Prince Dante had decided to add more to her plate, forcing her to balance it on top of her head. 

"Maybe he was joking," Anastasia murmured to herself. 

"Did you say something?" Lady Sophia's maid turned to her with furrowed eyebrows. 

Anastasia's eyes widened at the slip-up, and she bit the inside of her cheek. Turning around to meet the maid's curious eyes, she made a noise, "Ahhh…ugh…ahh." While showing the cut fruits. 

"Of course, you need to take them out to the dining room. Do it while they are still fresh. I heard that if you keep the fruits out in this state for too long, they lose all their nutrients, and Lady Sophia and her children need to be served only the best kind of food. Go now," the older maid dismissed her. 

Anastasia quickly picked up the bowl and headed straight to the dining room. 

She said to herself, "That was close." Her mind was preoccupied and she felt exhausted, which caused her voice to slip out. She had to be careful if she intended to have a long life! 

"Anna!" 

The sudden voice startled her, causing her to jump in surprise before she turned and caught sight of Prince Aiden descending the stairs. She offered him a bow, and he stopped near her. He took a quick look behind him as if making sure no one was there to hear him, and he asked her, "Wow, you look terrible. Did you not sleep last night?" 

Anastasia pinched her fingers and smiled. She answered him, "Not that well. Did you sleep well, Prince Aiden?" 

"Aiden, Anna. Aiden," Prince Aiden reminded her strictly. He said, "I think I did, even though my hand bothered me a bit. Thankfully I haven't cracked any bones. How about yourself?" He looked down at her hands. 

"There's a little swelling. But it's fine," Anastasia didn't want to make a big deal out of it. 

"Is that what kept you awake? Or was it Issac's actions?" Prince Aiden whispered to her with a frown. He let her know, "Issac is not worth your time, Anna. You deserve a man who will respect you and be kind and gentle. Do you understand what I am saying?" 

Anastasia nodded and continued to smile at him. She then heard him say, "You don't have to worry about Lily asking you what happened yesterday because I have already informed her about it."

"Thank you," Anastasia offered him a thankful bow. 

Even though they were whispering like mice, they failed to notice that on the floor above them stood a person who not only saw but also heard them speak. The person's lips set themselves into a thin line while a deep, questioning frown came to form on their forehead. 

Anastasia, accompanied by Prince Aiden as they made their way towards the dining room, curiously asked him, "Why do you address Princess Emily as Lily?" 

Prince Aiden stared at her with a blank expression as if the answer was apparent and stated, "Because that's her name. Em—ae—ly. Lyly! It becomes Lily, silly Anna," he laughed before arriving at the front of the dining room and stepping inside it. 

While the third prince greeted his sister, Anastasia placed the fruit bowl at the centre of the table while rearranging the plates around it. After a minute, Lady Sophia, Lady Noor, and Prince Dante entered the dining room with Aziel. 

"Good morning," the royal family members greeted each other before taking their seats.

Anastasia tried not to look at Dante as she served the food, and when she glanced at him, she noticed he was busy reading something from a parchment.

"What are you reading, Brother Dante?" Prince Aiden asked. 

"It is the new edicts that Maxwell has passed. The Elder ministers won't be taking part in the meetings unless they pertain directly to the royal family members," Dante stated, with his eyes on the words written on the parchment. He continued, "Lady Maya has taken control of the palace, and Maxwell has assumed authority over court decisions. There are other minor changes apart from these, like Maxwell occupying Father's room."

"Maya is making sure that the throne won't slip out of her fingers by taking control of the reins," Lady Sophia softly huffed. 

"Maybe we should try to talk to Maxwell and see if we can come to some sort of agreement," Lady Noor proposed with a look of worry. "Not that it isn't bad to stay here, but I worry it won't be too long before our right to reside in the old palace will be taken away too."

"There's no point in talking to him. Proposing a discussion will only lead to humiliation, and we have been humiliated enough already," Lady Sophia didn't look at them and stared at the food in front of them. She said, "If only King William had picked Aiden or Dante."

"Milady, there's Victor, too," Aziel reminded the deceased king's wife. 

"I am aware, but Victor is too young to sit on the throne, which makes his chance of assuming the throne lower than the other two. Anyways," Lady Sophia sighed before looking at her son and asking him, "What is this news from the village that has reached my ears? Did you get into a brawl over some woman?" Her eyes briefly moved to look at Dante, who continued to read the parchment with a look of indifference on his face. 

Prince Aiden, who was drinking his juice, coughed while Princess Emily's back straightened. Though it was a given that Anastasia was the princess's maid, their mother didn't share the same way of thinking as them and believed the maids were meant to serve the royal family, not look for a life outside the palace.  0

"I think you heard it wrong, Mother," Prince Aiden smiled at his mother, who stared back at him with a look of disappointment on her face. 

"Why don't you clear it up for me then?" Lady Sophia arched her eyebrows. "Your father is dead, your throne was stolen, your mother was exiled to the old palace, and God knows what will happen to Emily. Do you think it is good to fuel further speculation, to invite rumours about how you could be the one who killed his father? Whoever this woman is, you shall—"

"One of them was speaking ill about our family," Prince Aiden defended himself before his worried and mistrustful mother would ramble on further, "Brother Dante and I beat him up because he was looking down on us. The part about a woman is just a misunderstanding. You can ask Brother Dante if you don't believe me." 

"I think what your mother means is that you should keep a low profile and refrain from drawing attention to yourself, Prince Aiden," Lady Noor advised the young prince. She said, "We still don't know who killed King William and cannot be certain if Prince Maxwell will shift blame onto the next potential candidate, whom he might see as a threat to stealing the throne from him."

"I understand," Prince Aiden bowed and added, "I will be cautious."

Princess Emily asked the minister, who sat with them at the table, "Did you come across the ghost again, Aziel?" She asked in a whisper. 

Aziel leaned over slightly and whispered, "I got out of bed yesterday to see if I would see the ghost again, but I didn't find it. It is said that ghosts have fixed timing when they come out to roam at night."

"Because during other times the ghosts go to work?" Princess Emily grinned, the smile on her face stretching wide until she saw her mother give her a pointed stare from her seat. 

Aziel's expression appeared to agree with the princess, and though the others could hear them whisper in the room, none of them remarked on the absurd subject. The minister said, 

"One might find it funny, but it has been said that some souls wander even after their death. Not necessarily as a transparent ghost, but rather like a living being, even though their body begins to turn cold and empty. As if the person has unfinished business that they are trying to fulfil."

Anastasia, who couldn't help but overhear this, pondered over the old minister's words. Because what he said sounded just like what had happened to Marianne. She couldn't forget her sister's smile in the dark alley as she turned to look at her. Unfinished business? Did she want to tell her who had killed her? Or was there something else?

"What are you doing, standing there instead of serving?" The minister asked upon noticing one of the maids standing still like a statue. 

Anastasia quickly bowed in apology and began to circulate around the table, ensuring the meticulously-prepared food was served without delay. 

Dante's eyes lifted from the parchments he had been reading, and his gaze fell on Anastasia, who was serving the food and pouring the juice everyone at the table requested. His eyes lowered to her right hand, which was being used to carry out the tasks. 

When their eyes met, she quickly averted her eyes to look ahead of her. His eyes looked at the contents of the table before he demanded, "Bring me the butter." 

Anastasia, the closest one to it, gingerly reached for the butter dish with her left hand while the royal family members were busy having breakfast. She walked around the table, coming to stand next to him. She was about to place the dish on the table when she saw him raise his hand. 

Though Dante didn't turn to look at her, Anastasia was very aware of his attention to her. To think that this man who appeared indifferent was the same person who had trapped her against the wall, she thought. 

Before Anastasia could place the butter dish in Dante's hand, his hand went to take it from her, such that his fingers grazed against the back of her fingers. Her heart stuttered at this, and as subtle as the action had been, she quickly turned to serve the other members. 

After several minutes, when everyone had left the dining room, Anastasia was cleaning the table and heard neighing and the hooves of horses. Walking towards the window, she caught sight of Prince Dante and Prince Aiden leaving the palace with the minister. 

"Anna, what are you doing?" Princess Emily asked, who had come to take a peek at what she was doing.

Anastasia quickly turned to face the princess and raised her hand that held the ragged cloth to show she was cleaning. The princess smiled with a look of guilt in her eyes. She turned behind to make sure her mother wasn't there before stepping inside the room and saying in a low voice, 

"Forgive me for setting you up with that scum, Anna. I didn't know he was going to take advantage of you," Princess Emily apologised to her. "I only did it with good intentions. I am just happy to see that you are unharmed and my brothers were present."

Anastasia knew that the princess was only trying to help her, and she shook her head before assuring her with a smile that she was fine. Though many things had happened since yesterday evening, her head was preoccupied with what had occurred in her room. 

Princess Emily said, "We will be returning tomorrow to the royal palace, and I thought we could spend some time with Lady Lucretia today. Brother Dante has gone out, and we could keep her company. Unless she's resting."

Once Anastasia finished cleaning the table, she washed her hands, and went with Princess Emily to Lady Lucretia's room. 

Princess Emily didn't knock on the door but turned the knob and stuck her head inside the room before pushing the door open. She greeted the older woman with a bow, 

"Good morning, Lady Lucretia. I hope I am not disturbing you."

Lady Lucretia sat upright on her bed with her back against the pillow. She looked tired and slightly pale. Noticing the princess, she smiled, before her eyes fell on the maid behind her. The maid appeared to be the same person who was walking outside the palace, Lady Lucretia noted in her mind. She then smiled and said, 

"You can never disturb me, Emily. Come in." 

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