"Tonight, I will wait for you once more. If you won't show up, I would have to barge inside your bedchamber," he said, sounding polite but there was a clear warning underneath his smile. "Since you are now a baroness, you will be treated as a guest and be placed in the side palace. It will be easy for to co to you."
Esther frowned inside and lowered her gaze. 'Is he taking advantage of his position? How dare he do this to when I saved him? This ungrateful weak human!' She sighed at her helplessness. 'But why am I even letting him control like this? Why can't I say no to him? I do not understand myself as well…'
The two of them remained quiet for the rest of the dance. Just as they bowed towards each other at the end of the music, soone approached them. It was a pretty young lady Esther didn't know, but it was soone Prince Theron recognized since they belonged to the sa generation. It was Clarisa Walter, a relative of one of the dukes working under his father.
"Your Highness," she curtsied with a sweet smile, "may I have the privilege of dancing with you?"
In other kingdoms, people would have frowned upon a lady asking for a man on her own initiative, but in the more liberal Kingdom of garis, there was no such distinction between genders. It rely caused Prince Theron to be surprised, but he was not the kind of man to disrespect a lady by saying a straightforward 'no' under the gaze of the public.
He rely looked at Esther as they parted from each other. "I believe Lady Esther won't forget what I said."
Esther nodded and stepped away from them to join the rest of the crowd. She took that chance to go towards one of the farthest tables with drinks, as only after dancing with the Crown Prince did she realize how parched her throat was. Soon, the next piece of music was played, and luckily, she managed to successfully avoid the young n who seed intent on asking her to be their dance partner.
A middle-aged lady approached Esther and stood next to her while looking at Prince Theron and Clarisa.
"They look good together, don't they?" Esther heard the lady say.
Esther followed the gaze of the woman and nodded. One was clad in clothes as black as the night sky, while the other looked like gentle silver moonlight. Both of their appearances were peerless, and it seed like while dancing, they were casually conversing with each other. The Crown Prince must have said sothing funny because a beautiful smile graced the face of the blushing young lady.
"My daughter is the next Queen of garis," the middle-aged lady continued, causing Esther to look at her with a questioning gaze., "I am sure Lady Esther knows her place."
When Esther did not offer any form of response, the middle-aged lady smiled. "I believe you are a smart woman. You understand how important their union will be to the kingdom. After spending enough ti in the palace, you must know how things work among the royalty and the nobility. That is why you should not get your hopes up. Simply because the King rewarded you for what you did, it doesn't make you one of us. A baron is the lowest class of nobility, still no different from a commoner; you're just a bit luckier. If you wish to continue enjoying the benefits of being adored by the royal family, you better support my daughter and that will secure your place here. After all, my daughter will be the next Queen of garis. If you really want to remain in the palace, perhaps we can reserve a spot to make you one of her ladies-in-waiting?"
Esther offered her mocking smirk. "Your daughter seems to have a bright future, Lady…?"
"Aurora Walter," the woman responded, emphasizing that she belonged to the high nobility. "I am the mada of the Duchal House of Walter."
"Oh, are you the Duchess of Walter?"
"No, I am the wife of the late first son of the Duke—"
"Then Lady Aurora, do address as Baroness Burton, as I am neither your acquaintance nor am I a vassal beneath your family. I am reminding you that I am a noble with a title and a rank bestowed by His Majesty, unlike you who married into the Duke's family." Esther's gaze was cold and her tone was firm. "Second, I have no interest in who is the next Queen so there is no aning in what you are warning about. If your daughter is that capable, then you should not worry about the other ladies here, including ."
Her response angered the other woman. "You—"
"Excuse ," Esther said as she turned away from the annoying woman. She left without giving a chance to the other lady to say anything. Before she stepped out of the banquet hall, she cast a last glance at Prince Theron who was busy attending to the lady dancing with him. She could see him talking to her and they looked in complete harmony.
Esther departed without giving any attention to those who were trying to approach her. The more she walked, the faster her steps were. She was sowhat angry, but she did not know why.
'Why am I angry? Why?!' Her thoughts were a ss. 'What that woman said does not even matter to . Why am I letting myself be affected like this? But how dare she tell to know my place?! It is she who doesn't know hers! Does she even know who I am? I can make her and her daughter serve and even that Duke of Walter who they're leaning on won't dare say no to . Pathetic humans!'
Esther left the hall through the main entrance and the guards present outside greeted her politely, knowing she was no longer an ordinary servant now but a noble lady favoured by the royal family.
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