With one look from the prince, the doctor bowed respectfully before heading out of the room. My chest tightened as my nervousness took over completely now that I was left alone in the small room with Prince Darius. I honestly had never expected the prince to be so kind as to take me to see a royal doctor for my minor injuries. “Thank you so much, Your Highness…” I thanked him politely. I gasped when the prince suddenly bent down until his face was at my level. He’s so close and his eyes stared deeply into mine. His grey eyes were bright and beautiful. I had no idea how to explain it, but it seemed like his eyes could see through me and my thoughts. As he stared at me, I felt like I was completely vulnerable and exposed to him. The depth of his eyes told me that he’d seen so much… “My name is Darius. What is yours?” the prince introduced himself needlessly before asking for my name. “It’s Mila…” I replied in a small voice. “Mila. That’s an adorable name…” the prince said before he stood up straight again. I blinked in surprise when he extended his hand towards me. My hand shook as I hesitated to take his hand. I could stand up by myself but how should I refuse his kind offer? Am I even allowed to refuse his hand? “Thank you, Your Highness,” I whispered shyly as I slowly slipped my hand into his. His hand held mine gently as if he was scared of hurting me before he carefully pulled me up to my feet. Standing close to him made me even more aware of our height difference. If I remembered correctly, Prince Leonard was also very tall when I met him that one time. This man, Prince Darius, is Prince Leonard’s brother. “Call me Darius,” the prince said curtly. “Yes, Prince Darius,” I said while not forgetting to add his title. The prince didn’t seem quite satisfied when he narrowed his grey eyes at me slightly, but he decided to let it slide. “How did you come to be a maid here in this palace?” he asked as he led me out of the building. I wondered if he would escort me back to the garden where the afternoon tea gathering was still taking place and then I realized that that was probably what he had intended to do. His casual question caught me completely off-guard. Were there punishments in place for lying to a prince? “Umm…I was purchased at an auction…” I replied hesitantly while trying to tell the truth. “Who bought you?” the prince asked without much surprise. “…Prince Leonard,” I replied softly. Prince Darius stopped in his tracks, and I stopped walking as well when he turned to look at me. He stared at me before but this time his eyes seemed to focus more on me than before. I felt this grey eyes slowly traveling down my body as he seemed to appraise me, and I started feeling extremely vulnerable. “I see. So, you’re really the one that he bought…” the prince muttered as if talking to himself. Did he suspect that this would be the case before? His words and his lack of surprise ended up making me wonder how much he knew. For the first time, Prince Darius’s lips curved into a small smile. I could tell that he was amused, and his cold grey eyes showed some interest for the first time since I had met him. I didn’t know how to respond to his words, so I just nodded my head once. The prince flashed me a smile and my heart clenched tightly in my chest. The rumors about him missed out one very important detail: Prince Darius was dangerously charming when he smiled. He continued walking without asking me any more questions until we arrived back at the garden where the party was being held. The tea party was in full swing when we made it back. I curtsied and thanked the prince to excuse myself. I’ve had enough of the prince’s presence to last me a lifetime. “Mila…” Prince Darius called my name. “Yes?” I replied. We were in the garden already and I could feel the eyes of the many women on us. It was probably not common for a prince to converse with a mere maid. “Beware of the wolves…” the prince warned me. My eyes widened in shock. Prince Darius chuckled at my reaction before he reached out a hand and placed it firmly on my shoulder. “Mila, you’re back. Where have you been?” Salena asked in a small voice when she saw me. All color left her face when she saw who was standing next to me. She curtsied politely immediately, and I had to say that I thought her movements were beautiful and graceful. “Prince Darius…” Salena whispered as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Is she your friend?” the prince asked me. “Yes. This is Salena…” I replied before introducing her. “Salena, your dear friend had some injuries, so I took her to the infirmary for the doctor to fix her up a little. It’s nice of you to be concern about your friend,” Darius said emotionlessly. “T-Thank you…so much for your kindness, Your Highness,” Salena said in a shaky voice. “Take care of your friend well,” Darius said passively. With that, he walked right past us and further into the garden where the party was being held. I stood frozen to the spot without knowing how to react. No matter what, I just couldn’t move my legs as his words replayed over and over in my mind. What does he mean by that? ‘Beware of the wolves…’ What…wolves? “Mila, are you ok?” Salena asked softly. “Oh…yes…of course…” I replied after snapping out of my own thoughts. … Darius walked further into the garden where a very crowded and loud table caught his attention. He knew that his brother would be attending the party as well and it didn’t prove a challenge for him to identify where he was immediately. Darius stood close to the table as his eyes took in the scene of his younger brother seated with his arms around two women sitting on either side of him. --To be continued…