34 DEVOURAH LE FLEUR

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." She said as she curtsied. "Please accept my apologies if I just arrived. I bump into an accident a little while ago, so I have to ride a different carriage." She said while her gaze was riveted on Luna.

"Please don't mind it and take a seat besides Lady Camilla." She sat quietly as the maids start to pour some tea for her. "This is Devourah Le Fleur, Your Majesty." How can I not know? Her name is well-known among the nobles. She's the Grand Duke's pride, after all.

"We've met already." I said as I take a piece of cupcake. Luna looks at me as if she wanted me to engage a conversation with The Grand Duke's Daughter.

'Do I look like an entertainer for you? She's your guest, talk to her.' That's what my eyes are attempting to convey to her. Camilla, on the other hand, breaks the silence by standing up. "I'm Camilla Rosenblitz, Milady." she added with a small bow.

"Yes. The Princess' fiancé, isn't it?" Devourah smiles while she looks at me with such pleasant expression. "I'm Devourah Le Fleur, Lady Camilla. But you may refer to me as Devie." Such a strong name for a woman who looks gentle.

"Then you can also call me by my name." It seemed like only a few seconds passed before Camilla chose to take a seat, and the table fell silent once again until Luna decided to entertain The Grand Duke's daughter.

FINALLY.

"Does the Lady of Le Fleur's manor interested in marriage?" For all of the good topic she could ever open. Why did she pick such a useless question?

Devourah smiles as she sips her tea. "Unfortunately, the one I wished to be with, has a fiancé already." So she has someone she liked already. That's why she looks at me with such discomfort in her eyes. She should've just turned down the meeting back then. Why did she even attend?

"There are plenty of fish in the sea, Lady Devie. You don't even deserve someone who doesn't even love you." Luna states as she comforts The Grand Duke's daughter. Devie sighs as she touches the lip of her cup. "Love doesn't work on that way, Lady Moonvielle." Luna, who's going to speak some more, leans back in her chair while she nods.

How can she possibly respond if she has no prior experience with love?

"I'm afraid that I should greet and entertain some guests, Ladies. But please let me know if you have something on your mind. My maids are just around the corner." She saw it was becoming awkward, so she chose to flee in this environment. This woman had the audacity to leave me alone in this situation.

Luna's eyes seem to beg as she walks away while waving her hand like a fool. As much as I wanted to get out of this conversation, I decided to stay for some time.

"When are you planning to get married?" I almost spit out my tea when she asked that question. How can she be so straightforward? "Are you planning to marry?" I coughed slightly as I locked my gaze on hers.

"We will, but at the right time. Don't worry too much, Lady Devourah. I'll make sure to send you an invitation." Is just me who thinks that her smiles was odd?

"What do you like about Lady Camilla?" I paused for a bit before continuing as they also seems to be waiting for my answer. "None. You can't just like someone because you see something on them. What if that 'likeable' thing about them fades?" Once the person loses her charm, then it's already over.

Unlike, If you like someone for no reason, it means you like her for who she is, even if her attitude has changed.

..

Why do I sound like a love expert when I've just read all of them in fairytales? "Your Majesty seems to like her fiancé a lot." Even if I can't read her eyes, but I know what those words mean.

"I do. In fact, I'll introduce her to the nobles on my birthday. I hope you have the time to come and look forward to it." She slightly laughs as she looks at me with such unusual expression. "I will make sure to come and greet you, Your Highness." I decided to stand up as I offer my hand to Camilla.

"Well then, I'll wait for you on that day. For now, we have to leave early. I have some paperworks that I needed to work on. I will accompany Her Lady Le Fleur the next time we ran into each other. The palace will be always open for The Grand Duke's daughter. We'll now take our leave." Camilla takes my hand as we started to walk, but pauses for a while as Devourah continued to speak.

Although, she wasn't facing us, but I could sense her straight expression from the front.

"I hope that I could talk to Lady Camilla sometimes and invites her for some tea. Will that be alright with the Lady?" Camilla looks back as she bows to her.

"Then, I'll wait for your invitation, Lady Devie." We walked away as soon as she finished her sentence. It was quite uncomfortable, so I decided to talk to Luna and to excuse ourselves from the gathering.

Luna was looking at me with such interesting gaze, but I just ignored her attitude as we step into the carriage. "Aren't you coming inside?" I asked Serina, but she just respectfully bows.

"I wanted to digest some foods, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I might cause troubles inside." I chuckle as I gave her permission to walk along the knights. She must've eaten too much.

While Camilla's downcast expression suddenly drew my attention. "Are you feeling unwell?" I asked while staring outside of the window.

"Lady Le Fleur is pretty, isn't she?" She asked with a smiling expression while swinging her feet. Well, That's something that I can't deny.

"She is." I responded.

"She's also the Grand Duke's daughter."

"She is."

"They must be very rich."

"Their family owns many properties. Her father is also my father's eyes and ears." That explains why father favored the Grand Duke's daughter.

I chuckle as I look down for a moment. "What exactly are you trying to say?" Her expressions get darker as she glances down. "She's your original fiancé." My brows furrowed as I drew my eyes to her. What did she say?

"I'm not supposed to be your choice in the first place, Your Majesty." Her words make it sound like she's concerned about something.

"Then should I choose her instead?" I touch her cheeks lightly as I lift her face. "Are you insecure because a pretty woman appears in front of you?" She didn't speak as she kept on looking away.

"You were joyful just a few moments ago, yet you're gazing at me with that expression. Are you upset?" I chuckle as I couldn't help it. "Is that jealousy I see in your eyes?" She looks at me as she sighs.

"Can you blame me? I saw your eyes a little while ago and you seem to be captivated by her beauty. How can I even compare myself to a face like that?" Is it because I fixed my gaze to the General's Daughter the entire time?

"If I like her, then I should've just chosen her in the first place, don't you think so?" I stroke her hair while she just looks at me with such confuse expression. "What are you even scared of?" I added.

"That you might not look at me the same way you're looking at me right now. I'm afraid that you'll find someone better than me. Did you hear those whispers? They said you're match made in heaven. She was supposed to be your fiancé if I didn't come in—" I cut her off as I know where this'll go.

"So you were bothered about those?" She nods slightly. As much as I'm aware about her power and beauty, but what can I even do with those? I caress her cheek as I smile.

"She is indeed an attractive woman, but only in the eyes of others. I already locked my eyes on you. Do you want me to cast my gaze elsewhere?" I said I'll marry a woman as a joke. But here I am, comforting my own fiancé.

I didn't even expect myself to behave in this manner. First of all, it's not my cup of tea. Just what did I've become? "I'm not saying that you should. But I hope you'll be open to tell me if you started to like someone—" I cover her mouth as I gently kiss her indirectly, but I quickly withdraw as soon as she remains silent.

"As much as I wanted to kiss you, to prove myself, but we're not in the altar yet. Just wait until we get married, Camilla. Until then, I will not touch you nor do anything that'll make you feel uncomfortable." Her cheeks are turning red as she glances at me for the second time.

Look at her, she gets even more prettier when she's blushing!