Ezra Fallon

"Hah.." Princess Dione let out a lengthy sigh, not caring that her actions could be frowned upon as improper for a lady.

After storming out on Duke Devland, she had not gone back into the crowded ballroom and instead wandered outside into the garden. She was desperate for the fresh air and to be away from those hypocritical gazes that seemed to always follow her. It was only a year ago when they were falling over themselves in a vie for her attention and now they treated her as less than the ground beneath their feet. She no longer had the energy to play the perfect lady with such shameless people.

The air was heavy with the scent of varying flowers. The moon hung high above and softly illuminated the stone path to the partially hidden gazebo, an area of the garden that was not well-known. The gazebo had not always been there - her father had created it for her mother whose pastime was tending to the garden. He was mostly against her mother working in the garden because of the harsh sun and long hours that came with it so he made a secluded area for her to rest for short periods and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Dione's heart clenched in her chest as she lightly dusted the gazebo's bench and took a seat. Over a year ago, when her father's funeral was held, William had forbidden her from attending. She was not even allowed to properly grieve her own father and it was something that still took a heavy toll on her mental health. Since then, everything that her father had given her or her mother had been forcibly snatched by her half-siblings and this gazebo was the last thing that she had.

It was pitiful, really. She could almost laugh at her pathetic situation.

Princess Dione recalled her conversation with the Duke. In all honesty, she could not blame him for his blunt words. It was even understandable. Had she been in his shoes, she would have called such a person naive and sheltered from the real world.

Love is a privilege to nobles of the Salian Empire. Her father could only promise that she would not be subjected to a loveless marriage because he was the Emperor and she was forever doted on by him. Now that the circumstances had changed, the reality was cruel. She was a detested princess of the Salian Empire and her marriage was destined to be transactional.

Maybe it was her heart that blinded her but she simply could not give in to such a dreary fate. Especially not to a fate shared with a man twice her age and a long list of partners.

Her plan was shaky at best. There was always the possibility that the man she loved did not love her back. There was a chance that he would not agree to enter a contract marriage with her and she would be back to square one. There was an endless list of possibilities in which her plan could go awry but what was the use of dwelling on such negative matters now?

The sound of footsteps steadily approached.

Dione withdrew her attention from the infinite rows of flowers and met a familiar gaze. She had never been anxious around him before but now she could feel her heart beating against her ribcage as if its intentions were to escape her.

"Ezra." Her voice was soft, not all like the harsh tone she used with the Duke earlier.

"Dee." The man in front of her called just as fondly, his dark brown eyes drowning in warmth. He was a handsome man that stood taller than her, with broad shoulders, a scholarly aura, and long brown hair. He did not look like a palace knight at all.

This man was her personal guard, Ezra Fallon.

Ezra dropped to his knees in front of her, cupping her ankle. "Are you alright? I heard that you managed to injure yourself at the ball earlier." His expression was one of worry and guilt.

"I'm fine, Duke Devland allowed me to rest in his lounge chamber. It doesn't even hurt, see?" Dione responded, flexing her foot slowly. It was a lie, as she had never hurt her foot, but how could she possibly explain the real reason that the Duke whisked her away?

She could never reveal something like that.

Ezra frowned upon the mention of Duke Devland but he did not say anything. He rose from the ground and took a seat next to her with an apologetic tone, "It is truly my fault, Dione. I was supposed to be your partner tonight but I was overwhelmed with so many tasks that I was only able to get here just now. I do not know what I would do had something terrible happened to you."

"It is not your fault, I understand that my brother has been making has been deliberately making things difficult for you. Besides, I may not hold the same respect as when my father was living but I am still a Princess of this empire. No one is brave enough to do much more than insult me."

Emperor William was hellbent on making the people around Dione miserable so that she would become isolated. He would overwork them, cut their pay or simply switch them to different departments without notice. Since then, the only people to attend to Dione were her personal servant, Marianne, and her guard, Ezra.

Even with her understanding, his guilt and worry did not dissipate, "Did the Marquess or his give you trouble again?"

In instances such as this, Dione would find it better to lie but she could not bare to do so in the face of such dense concern. So, she told the truth, "Only some unsavory words. I managed to get away before he could do anything substantial to me."

Ezra's guilt intensified and his hands clenched at his side. He felt an intense anger building inside of him and his mind ran wild, imagining all the things she was subjected to by the Marquess and his filthy mouth. In his mind, Dione was like a pure white rose, untainted by the filth of the world. How dare the Marquess lay his grubby hands on her and try to stake a claim?

Because of the knight's guilt and anger, a sudden silence enveloped them. With a pounding in her chest, Dione knew that it was now or never. She could not let a single moment more pass by without either confessing her feelings or presenting him with her proposal of a contract marriage.

Ezra came from a family of influential knights that dated back to the founding era of the Salian Empire. Though his family did not involve themselves in politics, they were still powerful enough to go head-to-head with the Emperor's maternal family, the Alastairs. As long as he agreed to marry her, she would not need to worry about her brother stopping them nor did she have to face marrying someone she did not love.

A part of her figured that it was okay if he did not love her back. They got along extremely well and she did not believe that he would never come to love her as time progressed.

She turned to him with confidence, "Ezra-"

The sound of trumpets drowned her speech. Ezra did not hear her and turned to face the direction of the ballroom.

He sighed, "Emperor William must be entering now. It is best that you are not absent from the ballroom since he has ordered the presence of everyone in attendance for his announcement." Ezra turned to her reassuringly, "Don't worry, Dione. I will ensure that the Marquess does not come anywhere near you this time."

"Ah, thank you, Ezra." Dione smiled but it did not quite reach her eyes.

As she walked alongside him back in the direction of the ballroom, she could not help but feel as if she had lost her only opportunity.