"Cyfrin? You look different!" she stared at the man that had helped her in the market.
She was going to search for him but got entangled with this ghost instead.
"Ah! I forgot that you still did not know who i am." he chuckled as he could not believe that someone could be so naive. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am the first prince and the archduke of the empire Cyfrin Caranodia." he gave a gentleman bow to her and held her hand and kissed the back of it when she blinked and then smiled.
"Wow! If I knew that you were the prince, I would have asked for some preferential treatment like a visit to the palace and giving me some gold and rare jewels." she chuckled at her own joke when he raised his head and stared hard at her face.
That was not the reaction he was expecting. He thought she was behaving so boldly and freely because she did not know who he was! Once she would, her voice would be low and her head would be bowed like others.
He was the man in power. Not only because he was the prince and the archduke but he was a prodigy. No one could beat him when it comes to war and strength and spells. Above and beyond that, he had the power of healing that could treat any kind of disease, so no one ever dared to go against him.
But this girl.. She was treating him as if he was nothing special. As if he was just… him!
"You want me to pay you?" he asked with a tilt of his head, "don't you think it should be the opposite since i am the one treating you?" he asked back when her eyes narrowed on his face. "If you have no idea about it too, let me tell you, my treatment is the most expensive thing in this empire for which others needed to take an appointment years before.
Even your father never gets the chance to meet me." His voice turned cold and harsh to challenge her but she only raised a brow and her eyes filled with arrogance.
She did not look at all pressured by him but smiled instead.
"I am not my father and I did not ask for your help. You are the one who offered it." she corrected, "and since you are the rich one, of course you should be the one paying me.
"......." what kind of a logic was that but they way her eyes twinkled and she asked, he did not feel like going against her. No one would when he laughed.
"You are not well yet." he was still holding her hand from the earlier kiss when he checked her nerves, "didn't i tell you not to use your magic yet. It might affect your progress. You have lived all your life without it, so you can make it a few more months, right?" He scolded her as he closed his eyes to give her some power but the sound of footsteps stipped him and he opened his eyes and turned towards the door when he saw a young woman walking with a bunch of other girls walking behind her towards them with a bright smile on her face.
Bjut she paused when her eyes fell on their entangled hands and he immediately let go of her hands who frowned as if she did not understand why he paused.
Sometimes he failed to understand if he was just careless or crazy and naive to not understand. She was the fiance of the marquees. Did she want to get rumored with him? He shook his head and tried to get rid of the idea but surprisingly, he felt angered too that he had to let go of her hands because of their intervention.
The thought made his face looked fierce and his voice colder,
"Your highness, I did not know that you had visited too or that I would have welcomed you at the entrance." Jane bowed her head with a shy smile on her face but she gritted her teeth as she noticed that her elder sister was still standing there with her head held high.
"Forgive my sister for her manners, your highness. She did not know what she was going through as she lacked education and etiquette due to her ill health." she held the arms of Thea and pulled him back, "she is going to rest in her room anyway."
Cyfrin starred as how They made an absurd face as she looked at Jane as if she was dealing with a fool and rolled her eyes. That brought a smile on his face too which was misunderstood by Jane whose face blushed.
"If you allow me, shall I take you to meet my father? I am sure that he would like to have tea with you and welcome you properly, my lord?" He was the most sought after bachelor in the whole empire. If she could be with him, then even her sister would die of envy and then no one would dare to laugh on her weight.
The thoughts shook her and she goaded as she waited for him to respond but looking at his smile earlier, she was sure it was going to happen when he frowned.
"I can go by myself. I do not want the girls behind you to keep waiting for your company, my lady." he gave one last look to The who nodded her head back and turned to leave when Jane kept looking at his leaving figure with a stunned face.
She was still not able to sum up the change in his behavior and in the end, she blamed the group for it.
"Do you not know how to give people some privacy when they talk?" she asked with a frown when Thea laughed earning a glare from her.
"They are learning from you only, sister. You can not blame them for it. Can you?"