A Bitter Meeting

As Melisa had hoped, this time, Crown Prince Alexius did not ignore her letter anymore. Alexius also invited Melisa for tea at his palace not long after.

From an outsider's point of view, nothing could be happier than being invited to spend time with their future husband. Some of Melisa's teachers praised her openly. Melisa smiled and thanked each one of them. But in her heart, Melisa knew that they all did that just because Alexius finally seemed interested in her.

Not to mention, Melisa couldn't bring herself to be happy about the generous invitation. Along the way, Melisa kept her mouth shut, and her eyes closed. Melisa felt lucky because, as usual, Teresa was forbidden to follow her to the main palace. Melisa was the only one in the carriage. So, in that rare time, Melisa spent it taking off the happy mask she had been wearing in front of people.

"We have arrived, Your Highness."

When the carriage finally stopped and someone opened the carriage door, Melisa finally had to put her mask back on by smiling politely at the person who had helped her down. Even the people who usually ignored her helped her gladly this time. Melisa accepted all their help gladly. After Melisa had learned a lesson from her new teachers, she knew that refusing help from others would only make her look silly and lowly in front of others.

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ordered me to escort you to the Royal Greenhouse first. Currently, His Highness still has important business that he cannot leave. But once everything is settled, he promises to return soon to see you."

Despite Alexius secretly sneaking out of the palace frequently, Melisa knew that being the crown princess took up almost all of her time. Melisa had been waiting for a reply to Alexius' letter for weeks beforehand. Being asked to wait a few more hours was no problem for Melisa.

"I see. I'll wait for him then"

Led by Alexius' chamberlain, Melisa was finally taken to wait in the greenhouse owned by Alexius. The beautiful place made Melisa unconsciously let out a sigh of relief when she was left alone in that place. Seeing the beautiful flowers blooming in that place made Melisa enjoy her waiting time without thinking about anything else.

Among the flowers there, the one that caught Melisa's attention the most was the purple-blue flower that Melisa had seen the most in the palace garden that she had seen when she first came to the palace. Melisa had no idea that Alexius had grown the flower in his greenhouse. When Melisa saw the flower again, she unconsciously reached out her hand to touch the beautiful flower.

"It's a flower that I nurtured with my own hands. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would refrain from touching it."

Melisa's hand stopped midair when she heard a quiet voice from behind her. Melisa quickly pulled her hand back. The girl got up and then turned to face Crown Prince Alexius, who had just arrived at that place.

"I welcome your arrival, o, the noblest of the Sigmund Kingdom. Your Highness, may health and prosperity follow you always."

Melisa greeted Alexius smoothly, perhaps because the lesson on how to greet Sigmund's royal family had been well ingrained in her brain. Melisa bowed respectfully before Alexius. But when Melisa realized that Alexius had no intention of greeting her back, Melisa could only smile despite the bitterness in her heart.

"I have come as you wanted. But Princess Melisa, I did not expect that you would use such methods to force me to follow your wishes."

Alexius might have been speaking calmly to Melisa. But from her gaze, Melisa could only see the negative emotions emanating from the man. Disappointment and anger dominated Alexius' emotions the most. Of course, after Melisa had used Alexius' lover in their bargaining process, it wasn't strange for the man to feel disgusted with Melisa.

"I didn't want to do it either. However, Your Highness, you are making things difficult for me."

Melisa smiled, though the smile did not reach her eyes. Melisa gestured for them to sit down first. Before quietly, Melisa made her wish known.

"I must do this, Your Highness, if I want my kingdom to be safe. Without the help of the Sigmund Kingdom, my kingdom could disappear at any time because of the war between our kingdoms. We lack resources and are already tired of facing endless wars. Even if you don't love me, I will still make sure this marriage happens for the sake of my kingdom."

Finally, Alexius' gaze softened slightly under Melisa's honesty. The man paused to think about something. His brows furrowed for a long time before he replied to Melisa's words in a tone that sounded a little doubtful.

"Are you really not going to demand love from me?"

Melisa knew it would be difficult to live without the love of her husband. But Melisa smiled anyway, then nodded confidently.

"Yes. I'll even keep your relationship with that woman a secret as long as you're willing to help me carry out this marriage as per our royal agreement."

Alexius also knew he wouldn't be able to formally marry his beloved due to their vast difference in status. Therefore, in order to protect his lover, Alexius had no choice but to accept Melisa's offer.

"Alright, I'll do it. However, I will only believe you if you are willing to sign an official agreement with me. Come to this place tomorrow at the same time. I will come with our agreement letter. And only after you sign the letter will I truly believe that you will not use innocent people to achieve your goals."

"I understand, Your Highness."

Melisa replied obediently when Alexius finally agreed to her offer. Although the outcome of their conversation was not as beautiful as what Melisa's parents wanted from their future son-in-law, the girl was grateful that at least she had gotten permission to remain in the palace, even as a shield for Alexius' secret lover.