Fallen in Love, with the Wrong Person

Lady Anastasia waited nervously for the man to appear. She wondered if she made a mistake by agreeing to help this dangerous man. She had heard of Mr King's reputation from her father's conversation with his friends not long ago. Mr King hailed from the north and had recently made a name for himself in the mining industry. He's known to be ruthless and connected to the underground world, basically indulging in many illegal activities. 

Despite knowing this, Lady Anastasia had no qualms in interacting with him, all because of her desire to exact revenge on Lady Melissa. When she wanted to leave the gallery the other day, Lady Anastasia had caught a glimpse of this man drooling after Lady Melissa. The lust and desire in his eyes were obvious. A dangerous idea came to mind and she had approached him. Today they had decided to meet to speak further of their collaboration. 

"My Lady, sorry to keep you waiting." A cold voice sounded from behind. 

Lady Anastasia turned and saw the eery-looking man. His smile was sinister and caused a chill down Lady Anastasia's spine. She shivered slightly before she nodded in response. 

"Are you sure you can help me?" He asked, doubt in his eyes. 

"Yes, of course. My brother's birthday is coming up and she's invited. Here's an invite for you. Make sure you come and wait for my signal. I'll drug her and you can take her away to deal with her as you please. Remember, we are not to interact with one another. I don't want anything to link back to me." Lady Anastasia said confidently. 

"What do you gain from this? Do you need me to help you with something?" Mr King squinted his eyes to look at her. 

"I hate her. Help me tarnish her reputation. You've got nothing to lose. If you want, you can also keep her after that. She can be your plaything." Lady Anastasia told the older man, causing him to smile more sinisterly at this thought. He didn't think that a noble lady like her could harbour such evil thoughts about someone else. 

 "Very well. I thank you in advance for your assistance." Mr King bowed slightly and walked away, feeling satisfied that finally his dreams would come true. After meeting the strikingly beautiful Lady Melissa at her gallery's opening day, his desire to sleep with her reached its peak and he had been hammering countless women after that day, but none could appease his hunger for her. Finally, this golden opportunity came to him. It wasn't easy to get her alone, she's always guarded. With Lady Anastasia's help, he could get his hands on her easily. 

Lady Anastasia snorted in glee. Just you wait, bitch! 

Melissa stepped down from her carriage, her spirits refreshed after a good night sleep. Unaware of the danger lurking around the corner, she walked slowly into the palace, still thinking of yesterday's intimacy between her and the Duke. When she reached home that night, realisation started to sink in and she felt troubled. She had actually allowed Duke Kensington to touch her. Although he's technically her fiancé, but still...will he think of her differently now? However, he didn't show any signs of disgust, in fact he's getting more attentive towards her. After she ate the pastries, he had insisted to send her home. Along the way, he had refused to let her go and had held her in his arms the whole way, despite her protests.

This morning, a messenger from the Kensington's estates came to deliver a bouquet of fresh white roses for her. Both her father and brother were present when she received the roses, drawing approving looks from the two men. Not wanting to linger around, she had rushed out to the palace. Only after she's on the way did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her father and brother seemed to want to say something to her but Melissa felt awkward for some reason. Is this how a daughter felt after she had done something naughty behind her father's back??

Duke Kensington's actions baffled her. She knew he must be attracted to her too, hence his intimate actions towards her. He's nothing like Lord Benjamin, so he must only have her in his mind. But his other actions outside their intimate moments still puzzled her. He held some sense of tenderness and protectiveness towards her, unlike how the novel described him. Does this mean he's in love with her? 

"Melissa! Melissa, are you alright?" Prince Xavier called her name while patting her shoulder. 

Melissa came to her senses and saw Prince Xavier standing in front of her. She smiled and nodded her head. She turned her head around, as if looking for something. 

"Is Zachary here already?" She asked, erasing the smile on Prince Xavier's face when he heard that. 

"No, he's not here. Come on, Xander is waiting for you." He led her away to where his brother was. 

For the next hour, the lesson was going on smoothly. Prince Xavier joined in and observed the class. He was amused with Melissa's way of teaching. She was right when she mentioned her method was unorthodox. Xander was first tasked to find different materials all around the palace grounds. After they were collected, he was asked to carefully study the texture, shapes and colours. Next, he needed to replicate those observations in a life-like painting.

Prince Xander also amused his brother, never once did he voice any protests or complaints. Whatever Melissa asked of him, he obeyed without question. Prince Xavier wondered why Xander valued Melissa so much. He was too young to fall in love, and his actions were far from someone who had fallen in love. He truly respected Melissa as his mentor. Prince Xavier shook his head and smiled at his younger brother. Thinking of this, his mind drifted to Princess Katherine. What is she up to? After she came back looking listless that day, he had not seen her. Maybe he should go and check on her. 

When Prince Xavier reached his sister's chambers, no maids were in sight. He was puzzled. Unlike Xander and him who disliked servants to wait on them, Katherine was the opposite. She liked to have servants at the beck of her call at any time. Today, the scene was different. He knocked on her door and her voice sounded behind the door, granting entrance. 

When he entered, Princess Katherine was sitting at her study, her chin propped on her hands, staring out of her window. She didn't even turn to see who was at the door.

"Katherine. What are you doing?" Prince Xavier asked.

"Nothing." She said.

"Seriously, what's going on with you?" Prince Xavier asked again.

"Nothing." She repeated.

"Do you want me to ask Mother to come here instead?" He threatened.

Princess Katherine finally turned to her brother in panic and said, "No, don't call her."

Prince Xavier went over and sat next to her. He studied her face to get a clue as to what's happening to her. 

"Then, why don't you tell me what's wrong? You've been behaving differently ever since you came back on your own that day." He asked, curiosity peaked in him. 

Princess Katherine sighed and turned to look out of the window. After a long silence, she finally said, "I think I've fallen in love with a scumbag."