A Token of Love

'Arrgh! Who's that now? I just got back for God's sake. So it can't be Zachary or William right?' Melissa turned, clearly displeased and asked coldly, "Who is it?"

"It's a messenger, and he said he's instructed to see you personally to hand over the parcel." Lily said quickly.

"A parcel?" Melissa asked curiously and got up to meet the messenger.

A young boy was seen standing nervously outside the main gate, awaiting the intended recipient. Sir Andrew was standing in front of him, guarding the boy who was obviously scared by his domineering aura. How dare he asked to meet with his Mistress directly! The nerve of this boy! However, looking at the parcel in the boy's hands which looked so exquisite, he didn't dare to throw the boy out. What if the parcel was sent by Duke Kensington? Although he looked scared, the boy had stubbornly refused to divulge the identity of the sender, making Sir Andrew more frustrated at him.

"Sir Andrew! Let him in." Melissa called out to Sir Andrew. Upon receiving his Mistress's instruction, he allowed the boy in and ushered him to where Lady Melissa was waiting.

"My Lady, I beg your pardon but this is a gift for you. I was asked to deliver it to you directly." The boy said, hands forward with the parcel and eyes downcast, not daring to look at this noble lady.

Lily reached forward to take the parcel and handed it over to Melissa.

"Thank you. May I know who is it from?" Melissa asked the boy.

"I was told that My Lady would know when you see the card inside." The boy answered.

"Alright, I understand. You may go." Melissa dismissed the boy.

Melissa studied the parcel and it was a red coloured box, tied with a silver ribbon. It looked expensive but the content seemed light. She wondered what it was.

Upon reaching her room, Melissa carefully opened the box and saw a stalk of a beautiful red rose laid on top of a card in the box. She removed the card and opened it. On the card was a note saying, "Congratulations on your recovery and finally able to go home. BB"

The handwritten note showed excellent penmanship and it was obvious that the sender was not a simple person. 'BB? Who is that?'

Melissa thought hard but couldn't connect that initial to any characters in the novel. 'Is this some kind of trick by that nasty Anastasia?' With that thought, Melissa threw away the rose but kept the card for 'future reference.'

In his study, Lord Benjamin Blackwell was seated in his chair, facing the nervous looking boy.

"Did you deliver it directly to her?"

"Yes, My Lord. The Lady received it personally." The boy answered.

"Good, this is for you." With that, he threw a bag of coins to the messenger boy. The boy was glad his task was successful. If not, his Master might not be pleased and would punish him instead.

An impatient knock could be heard as soon as the boy left. Upon his approval, the person entered and immediately sat in front of him.

"Brother, did you meet the Queen? What did she say? Did she agree to it? When can I marry the Prince?? This year??" A barrage of questions were thrown at Lord Benjamin as soon as his sister came in.

He frowned upon seeing her eager face. 'Why can't she just be like Lady Melissa? She doesn't even have an ounce of her gentleness and charm. How is she a Blackwell??'

"Ana, seriously, is there even a time when you don't think about the Prince? Is that all you care about? Don't you want to do something more useful in your life??" Lord Benjamin questioned his sister. 

"Haha! I'm an Earl's daughter. Mother said I just need to marry someone wealthy and be the lady of the house. If I can be the Prince's wife, I will have everyone at my beck and call at all time. Isn't that great?" Lady Anastasia boasted to her brother. 

Lord Benjamin took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions, lest he might unleash his long burrowed anger towards his only sister. All she ever talked about was getting married, obtaining wealth and power using that route and now that Melissa is out of the game, she thought so highly of herself as the Prince's only choice. How stupid can she be? 

"Her Majesty will host a tea party and the palace will invite all the eligible young noblemen and noblewomen to attend, you and Prince Xavier included. You would have the opportunity to approach the Prince then. It's up to you to charm the Prince. If you fail, don't blame anyone but yourself." Lord Benjamin said.

"What??! This is ridiculous! Why would the Queen decide as such? I'm the most eligible candidate for the Prince. Isn't this a waste of time?" Lady Anastasia shouted, clearly angered by the sudden change of plan.

"The Prince doesn't want to marry, not to you or anyone else. So if you love him, you need to change his mind about that. The Queen is gracious enough to pave the way for you." Lord Benjamin explained patiently.

"But why would the palace invite those other ladies as well? It should be only me." Unsatisfied, Lady Anastasia retorted.

"Do you really think the Prince would show up just for you alone? Come on Ana, don't be absurd. Plus, wouldn't it be good to be able to snatch him right under the noses of everyone else?" Lord Benjamin said the one thing that his sister loved most: Showing-off.

Lady Anastasia thought deeply about what her brother had said. Yes, that would be the best! She needed everyone to know that the Prince belonged to her and no one else should get near him! 

"Why, don't you have enough confidence to let him fall for you?" Lord Benjamin provoked his sister further. 

"Of course I can make him fall in love with me! Alright! I will attend and make sure everyone knows that only I am worthy of the Prince." Lady Anastasia said with arrogance and left the room. 

'Of all the eligible men around, why must you choose the Prince?' Lord Benjamin thought to himself.

He didn't specifically dislike Prince Xavier but he had a strong instinct that the Prince was in love with someone else. Although his sister had told him that Prince Xavier and Lady Melissa had spent some time together during Prince Xander's birthday celebration two years ago, which then prompted her to lash out at the poor girl and made her disappeared after that, he still couldn't be 100 percent sure. This was because it was the Princess who had informed his sister about it, and therefore the information might not be accurate. Everyone knew that both the Princess and Lady Melissa had a sour relationship and she might be fabricating the whole thing. 

Lord Benjamin really hoped the girl that the Prince was in love with wasn't Lady Melissa. If that's the case, then it would create more complications for him. Facing that damn Duke Zachary Kensington is annoying enough, and if the Prince is thrown into the mix, he might not stand a chance considering the Prince's royal status, not to mention his outstanding good looks. 

Lord Benjamin knocked his fingers on the table, thinking of his next gift to Lady Melissa.