The words left him. He took a step back, fearing the outcome of the encounter. The soldier advances toward him. "What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be down in the well?". The question hit his panic button. Dante stepped back, mouth closing and opening without forming any words. He couldn't think of anything to defend himself. The man would never believe him if he said he had no idea how he got there. "Are you stealing?"It was more of an accusation than a question. Dane felt like he was soaked in ice. His emotions were all over the place, jumbling his mind in a frenzy. The soldier matched towards him, ready to throw him out, but Dante was faster. Slipping away from his hold, he dashed out of the room without looking back.The cold morning breeze slapped his skin. Though the hair provided some form of warmth, the cold was still enough to make Dante grit his teeth.On arriving at his barn, he unwrapped the duvet and emptied his bag of clothes. He skimmed through
Almira returned to the palace with only thing in mind. Stay away from Dante.She had come too far to jeopardize everything she shared with Jephthah. It might be an overreaction avoiding him, but she had to be extra careful. It was scary how effortlessly he made her break a promise she had kept for years.A guard met her halfway. Almira raised a brow when he blocked her path. ‘The King summons you, your highness,” he informed her. Almira felt unsettled. She had no business with the king. In fact, their only interaction had been during dinner, where they had definitely concluded she was mannerless in their heads. “Why? I have no business with the King. What does he summon me for,” Almira asked. His surprise was evident on his face, but Almira needed an answer to her questions. “It concerns Dante, your highness,” he answered. Her blood ran cold. Several thoughts crossed her mind. Dante was in trouble for sure and somehow, he had included her in his mess. The king couldn’t ha
"Student? And they just let him go?” Kitanna chuckled. Almira shrugged. "The ancestors are wise”.Kitanna blew up with laughter. She'd never thought the princess would go out of her way to help someone. Making up lies just to save them. "Where is he?” Kitanna asked. "Avoiding me,” Almira replied with an eye roll. The first he did the minute he was released was run. “He's an ingrate.” "You said he was going to be punished. The poor boy was too terrified to wait for another second. He was probably scared you would change your mind,” Kitanna defended. "I'd be traumatized if you didn't defend him. Dante does not look like a boy to me…” Almira paused, her mind creating a detailed picture of his face. "I think he only has an abundance of hair. Everything else is perfectly human. I was shocked at first, but after a closer look, I didn't mind,” Kitanna shrugged. Almira gave her a look. "I am not talking about his hair, Anna. I meant his face. He doesn't look like a boy. He may be sk
Dante walked away from her quickly, his cheeks burning like a pan taken out of the oven. It was unfair of her to say things like that. She didn't know the effect they had on him. No one enjoyed looking at him. They were rather disgusted by his appearance. “Why are you walking so fast? Are you flustered?” Almira asked, lips curling into a smirk. Kitanna nudged her. “Since when did you start flirting?” Almira was taken aback by the question. She never counted her actions as flirting. The words just seemed right to her and she did enjoy looking at him.Dante walked stiffly, pretending he wasn't listening to the conversation. Almira noticed his body language and smirked. “So what if I was flirting with him? Do you have a problem with that, Dante?” She called out to him. Dante nearly tripped. He didn’t expect her to call him right out. “You like it, don’t you?”He didn’t dare look back. His flaming face would expose him more than Almira already did. Deep down, he knew she wa
“Where did you say she went to?” Xander asked the guard. “The market, your highness,” he replied with a bow. “Without a guard?” Xander’s tone conveyed his disapproval. He couldn’t understand the woman. First, she disrupted his wedding, professing love to him. Then, she gave him cold shoulders, addressing him rudely and disrespecting him before others. The woman was a living illustration of mixed signals. “She went with her friend and Dante, your highness,” the reply snapped him out of his thoughts. Dante? Almira always rejected his offer to keep her company, yet she felt comfortable going into town with a spineless ugly slave. He felt insulted.Xander stood, ready to go in search of them. With Dante in her company, things were likely to go wrong. The people couldn’t stand him, so definitely, they would try to pull a stunt. If he got there on time, he might just be her knight in shining armor.He felt elated at the thought. Almira was not the king to cling to him
When Princess Almira summoned him, Dante found himself in a pool of tears again. He had lost the only gift he had ever received. He was both angry and sad. Angry at himself for being such a weakling, and sad that Prince Xander seized every opportunity to remind him of that. He approached her room with uncertainty. Would she notice that the bracelet was gone? He hoped not. It might not be a cheap gift, but there was a prospect that it wasn’t that significant. Kitanna opened the door, greeting him with a smile. He forced on a smile and proceeded in. The shopping bags caught his eye instantly. What time did they get all this? He was with them the entire time and didn’t see any purchase take place. Except for the bracelet, of course. The princess lost her cool after the attack and requested they return home. Dante felt guilty for ruining a potentially great day. The princess graciously rejected his apology with her kind words. Note the sarcasm. “ Over here” Almira ordered. It was d
It felt so unreal. Was there ever a time he had such a pleasant bath with sweet-smelling soaps and warm water? It felt so relaxing. He had never been in a bath before, maybe as a baby or when he was too young to appreciate the feeling. Now, he could boldly say it was divine. “Push yourself up a bit, Dan. I can't wash your hair properly if you’re buried in water, '' Almira said. Dante obliged. No way he was going to question her after she had just let him experience the best feeling ever. A part of him was afraid she would kick him out if he even breathed the wrong way. “It’s so greasy. When was the last time you washed your hair?” Almira asked. “Two months ago” Dante replied without hesitation. “Let me rephrase that. When was the last time you washed your hair properly, with something other than water?” “That would be seven years ago or more. I remember sneaking into Xander’s bathroom to try on the new shampoo the queen got for him. It was a stupid decision, but I
"Did you say Jephthah?" Almira asked, unable to conceal the shock on her face. "Do you know him? You looked surprised," Kitanna observed. Almira couldn't deny it. For some reason, she glanced back at Dante who had a puzzled look on his face. "Where is he, now?" She asked. Kitanna tried to remember if she'd met him before. If Almira knew him, then definitely she must have met him at some point. "The throne room. I was asked to inform you. Do you know him? Have I met him before? I can't seem to remember," Kitanna inquired. Almira didn't reply. Instead, she walked out of the room, leaving Kitanna confused and suspicious. "Is everything okay?" Dante asked. Kitanna's worried expression slipped away to give way for a bright smile. "Everything is alright. I must confess, you look really good. Almira took her time to work on you," Kitanna commented. Dante blushed deeply. "Now the princess has gone to attend to her visitor, do you mind keeping me company?"