"Want to give up?"

Prince Kian walked in with large strides. However, when he noticed that his mother was behind the folding screen, he stopped in his tracks before turning to the red chair that seemed comfortable to sit in at a glance. "Kian, you had better have a good reason to barge into my chambers," said Queen Rhea as she put on another lighter outer garment. Prince Kian regretted his impulsiveness, but he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand his brother bullying Freya. Prince Kian had completely forgotten that he was the one who loved bullying weak maidens the most. It was his favourite hobby. "Mother, I...I want a new servant," he suddenly blurted out when he realised he hadn't come up with a proper plan. Queen Rhea emerged from behind the folding screen with the thin white fabric of her garments fluttering in the breeze. She carried herself with a majestic and breathtaking air, like a motion painting, as she walked slowly towards her son.

"Is this the reason why you disregard the palace rules and barge into my chambers? Kian, you're not six anymore. You need to stop being impulsive," she said as she sat down on the two-person royal chair, which was also a deep shade of red.

"I...Mother, it's urgent," he said before getting up and sitting next to her, tugging at her arm. He knew that all it took to get what he wanted was to act aggrieved and docile, so he did just that. Sure enough, Queen Rhea gave in to her son once again.

She stroked his hair affectionately and asked, "Which girl would you like? Mother will send her to your quarters to serve you."

Prince Kian pursed his lips, a little reluctant to say, but after some thought, he finally opened his mouth. "Freya from the Wright family. I would love for her to serve by my side," he said, not daring to look into his mother's eyes. His mother had always given him everything he had ever asked for, so how could she refuse this simple request?

Prince Kian suddenly felt a sharp, painful sting on his cheek, and his ears were ringing. At that moment, he had not yet realized that he had been slapped across the face. With his head tilted to the side, he placed his trembling palm on his throbbing cheek and glanced at his mother.

When their eyes met, Queen Rhea's heart suddenly softened. Her attitude took a 180-degree turn, and she pulled him into her arms. She stroked his hair affectionately and whispered, "Child, mother only has you and she will give you anything you ask for but... don't go after Roan's things. You aren't strong enough to fight him yet. Mother will get you a beautiful maidservant to do as you please but just forget Freya, okay?"

Prince Kian left his mother's chambers still in a daze. She had never hit him before no matter how outrageous the crime was. For a person who had never been denied anything in his life, this left a sting in his heart. With an air of depression surrounding him, Prince Kian left for his chambers.

Meanwhile, Freya who had been relatively isolated her entire life was suddenly surrounded by a group of enthusiastic girls. They were congratulating her but they couldn't hide their true feelings. Freya couldn't stand it thus when she got the chance to slip away she stepped outside for some fresh air.

The cool breeze directly slapped her face and swept away the little buzz she had from drinking wine at the banquet tonight. She looked down at the pond in front of her mesmerised by the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water when she sensed someone approaching her.

She turned her head slightly and was met with a familiar face. It was the face of the overly friendly girl she met earlier. She recalled her name as Rose Mayarn and like before she was clad in pink with a smile like that of an angel.

"You should be careful. Now that you are his royal highness' new favourite you shouldn't be standing near a body of water with your back to the rest of the world," said Rose as she straightened her skirt elegantly.

Freya smiled slightly before saying, "But I can swim."

Rose leaned in close and said, "They might not know that," before she chuckled softly. Freya wasn't much of a conversationalist so she glanced at the moon's reflection her thoughts straying back towards what transpired tonight. She didn't even feel awkward about the silence between them.

She might not have minded but Rose felt a little awkward so she opened her mouth and said, "People are forming alliances so... how about we become allies in stealing the crown prince's heart," she proposed and Freya turned her head slightly to look at her. She had no idea why people would need alliances but she still agreed.

Freya soon understood why people were forming alliances. She just had one question. Who came up with this perverted system to choose a wife? What happened to I like you, do you like me too and let's get married.

She had directly skipped the selection round where the young women were quizzed on the history of Odassal and its bordering countries. At that time she thought that it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard and that the so-called quiz eliminated a lot of contenders leaving only twenty women.

Freya sighed as looked at what they were about to face. "Want to give up?" said a familiar voice coming from behind her. Her muscles stiffened and for a moment she didn't react. Her breathing stagnant she stepped aside refusing to give this man her back.

"Your Highness," she said as she bowed her head. Roan didn't answer for a long time that Freya thought he left silently but she saw a black boot appear in front of her eyes followed by a second one.

She had kept her head bowed the entire time waiting for Roan to respond but the person meant to keep her in this posture for as long as possible. As mentioned in the rumours he enjoyed toying with people as a pass time. She just had to be the unlucky one today.

Just when she thought his steps had stopped he took another step forward then another closing in on her.

Her heart jumped as she subconsciously took a step back. If this continued she would directly fall into crown prince Roan's embrace. She clenched her fist as she stepped back again but this time her back hit the wall lightly and she knew she had nowhere else to run.

She finally raised her head and called out, "Your Highness."