Fateful Encounter?

A rectangular hologram gleamed with golden lights floated in the air.

Task: Befriend Miuerella

XP Points: 500

Dynastic Points: 500

The object that glowed like a star slowly evaporated into bubbles after a minute.

I shook my head in disbelief. The story clearly stated that Bethany and Miuerella met at their coming of age ceremony.

I had this strong desire to grab the book once again.

Bethany, a woman as fragile as glass. The Marchioness even had this ridiculous delusion that anything would make her daughter sick. She always inspected dust in their furniture by smudging her finger on the surface. Any maids who failed to comply with the cleaning standards faced punishment. Children avoided her in fear that they might break her bones.

The present Bethany was an exception.

 Dipping my slender, rough feet in the gluey, trodden mud was not a problem. When the violent storm hit my city, the entire community even dived in the intimidating murky floodwater.

“Let’s do it if that was my duty,”

My enthusiasm faded when she vanished like a magician.

I did not want to question everything. I would include any inconsistencies or errors in the report.

“My lady, did you need anything?” Nora asked.

“Where did they put my luggage?”

“The butlers already took care of it, My Lady,” she explained in a reassuring tone.

I closed her eyes when the chilly gust of wind visited. I did not want the dust particles to penetrate my orbs. It was such a hassle to wash away those unwanted grit that made me cry liters of tears before.

When it calmed down, I looked up at the dim, greyish, stratus clouds which covered most of the sky.

The scene showed the whirlwind of events, the chain of reactions lurked in the corners of the property.

“What was in the sky and you look focused?”

The owner of the voice almost gave me a heart attack. I stepped backward. The curious fellow moved forward.

This chasing game would make me crazy, so I stopped.

Why were they here? I screamed.

Reyner Ivrea, the love interest of everyone, the Crown Prince of Daria.

His charm was a puzzle for me.

Was it because the color of his iris was deep sky blue? Or his beaming smile that radiated happiness? Maybe because of the power of a leading man?

Whatever the reason may it be, I needed to get his trust.

I gave a respectful nod, the first and crucial step for the duration of this gesture. Next, I lifted the voluminous olive woolen skirt to prevent tripping. The third was confusion, a dilemma on what foot be on the front before I knelt.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince of Daria and Duke Frederick”

“Raise your head.”

The Crown Prince repeated his question.

“Answer her question, Miss Grimaldi,” the Duke ordered.

Lines formed in my eyebrows. I looked up at the sky for again, looking for the answers that would satisfy these two handsome gentlemen in front of me.

Two questions distracted my mind: Why did I have to explain why I admired the beauty of the dark sky? Why did Duke Frederick know me?

“Your Highness, the sky is magnificent,” she answered.

It took a few seconds before the Prince responded.

“If that was what you think, I did not have any reasons to object to it,” the Prince said.

“Your answer lacked details,” Duke stated.

My ears tingled by what the Duke had expressed. I forced myself to smile and look innocent, though I wanted to smack him. Frederick Ivrea, one of those people you do not want to mess with.

A valiant warrior--- a perfect description for the Duke of Athenesy. Exterminator of corrupt officials, pirates, and any person who attempts to overthrow the Empire.

Even if they say that a person has a heart of stone, another saying mentioned that the hardest bread does not stand a chance when dunked in hot coffee, that coffee is Miuerella.

Author’s Note: This is a Filipino saying which meant that no matter how strong you are, you are weak with unexpected things.

“Your Grace, I apologize if you thought that I gave an unsatisfactory answer. Please, enlighten me.”

With every word that came out of my mouth, I kept reminding myself to chill.

“The question stated a specific thing in heaven to admire it. Your answer was vague.”

I felt that my veins already popped on the side of my forehead. Thankfully, the Victorian-style black wool bonnet that elegantly covered in satin concealed it.

“Hey! Frederick, that was alright! Do not bother Lady Bethany anymore. Look! I did not know if she shivered because of the cold or if it was just you. Let us go inside,” the prince said worriedly.

“Your Highness, please allow me to hear Lady Bethany’s complete answer.”

My jaw dropped because of his manners. Where did it get the courage to disobey the Crown Prince? Yes, they belong to the same family tree, but everyone knows that the Crown Prince was still higher than the Duke!

“Fine. That was your last question, and Lady Bethany, if you love yourself, you will give him an intriguing answer,” the prince said as he put the mittens on my bare hands.

“Thank you very much, Your Highness. I am sorry if my plain and boring answer confused the both of you,” I said sarcastically.

The Prince smiled as a reply, and the Duke gave him a thumbs up.

“I know that beauty is a subjective matter for everyone. What is beautiful to me can be ugly in your eyes,” 

The two nodded, so I remembered the dog ornaments placed on the dashboard of our sold vehicle. Every time my father drove, their heads shook. I could not help but grin because of the cute scene. When the Duke was back in serious mode, that made me swallow my saliva.

“I can clearly see the mixture of two colors that formed a new hue. Of course, it is not a bright color. It was still helpful for us because it warned us to prepare for the terrible weather. Another example is you, Duke Frederick,”

The Crown Prince turned to his cousin. He shrugged his shoulder when he saw that the new subject of the matter smirked.

“They said the face behind that mask was hideous. I think they were wrong.”

“Would you still say that if you could really see what kind of monster I hid behind this mask?”