The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 216: Attractive Bait

Chapter 216: Attractive Bait

Salena’s mouth dropped opened as she instinctively took a few steps backwards. A pair of piercing grey eyes stared at her and she found herself staring back.

“Prince Darius...” she whispered without fully recovering from her shock.

Her legs started shaking under her at his unexpected appearance. Although she was expecting to meet him, she had no idea that he was already in the library and wondered just how long he had been there.

“Do you like books that much?” he asked as he reached out to pull a random book from one of the shelves.

Salena was still shocked to see Darius. His sudden appearance did not leave room for her to mentally prepare for their meeting. All her previous excitement of seeing books evaporated and she was just scared and anxious in front of the prince.

Her eyes took in the sight of the prince opening the thick book in his hand before his other hand flipped through a few pages. How his hand moved felt very captivating and elegant to her and she forgot all about replying to his question.

“This really is the perfect place to meet. No one comes here...” the prince commented after a moment of silence.

“I guess...” Salena agreed in a faint murmur.

“This library is pretty much deserted. No one comes here and no one properly takes care of this place either...” he said before flashing her a slightly regretful smile.

“I see...” she whispered as she looked down at her own two feet.

“I had a brief chat with Madame Sand, and she wouldn’t mind having you help out here when you’re free from your main duties,” Prince Darius announced.

“R-really?” Salena stammered as a smile lit up her face.

“Hmm...so you can smile like that too. Of course. Since no one comes here, I guess it’ll just serve as a free pass for you to read all the books in here. Not a bad deal, right?” Prince Darius replied with a smile of his own.

Salena didn’t quite know how to respond to that, so she just nodded her head timidly instead of replying with words. She thought that the prince was absolutely right about how great the opportunity was. If she could spend time here, she could read to her heart’s content. That would be like a dream come true to her. However, Salena quickly realized that nothing came for free, and everything bore a cost of its own. She also knew very well why the prince was baiting her with such as attractive offer that he knew that she couldn’t possibly refuse.

Darius turned and returned the book that he had taken out back at the exact same spot on the bookshelf. That small yet responsible action impressed Salena more than the prince could ever imagine. When he turned back to face her, his attention was fully on her. Salena took in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out while she told herself silently that she wasn’t selling out her friend.

“So, what about my report?” he inquired.

The moment that Salena had dreaded had finally arrived and although she had prepared the words to report to Darius, everything slipped from her mind, and she was at a loss about what to say. Darius watched in silence as he waited patiently for Salena to gather herself. It wasn’t like he was in a hurry, and he did consider that this was partly his fault. Choosing a girl who didn’t speak much would help ensure that she didn’t go blabbing about this to other people; however, the drawback was that the girl also found it apparently very difficult to talk to him as well.

“Let’s go on a little tour,” Darius suggested as he reached out a hand toward Salena.

“Excuse me?” she asked blankly as she stared at his outstretched palm.

“Your hand...” he said softly.

“I...” she murmured as she hesitated although she understood that the prince was asking for her hand.

“Come along,” Darius said as he reached for her hand.

Before Salena could react, his hand had already captured hers and she soon found herself following the prince as he led her deeper and deeper into the library. Salena’s heart raced in her chest as the prince’s hand felt so hot around hers. She wasn’t sure if she was more frightened or intrigued by the prince’s sudden action.

“There surely are many books here. Of course, not as many as the central library...” Darius commented as his eyes travelled along the rows of bookshelves.

Salena got even more excited at his mention of the books in the central library. It had been her dream from a long time ago to set foot in there. The prince began telling her of the time that it was decided that a library should be constructed in the Sacred Chambers, and she found herself listening intently to his every word with frank interest.

“Someone, I’m not sure who, suggested that the maidens should be knowledgeable in many fields and anything that may benefit their position. That person suggested building a library in this place and it has been here ever since,” the prince explained.

“I see...that’s amazing...” Salena whispered in awe.

“You have that person to thank for. I guess it’s a little unfortunate that this place isn’t being used much if at all. Clearly that person never thought about the ladies’ interest in this place,” Darius said.

Salena silently agreed with the prince but she did not voice her thoughts. She was extremely aware of the fact that he was still holding her hand quite tightly in his and she wondered if he was scared that she would turn on her heels and run away from him. The truth was that that thought had crossed her mind and it was a very tempting one indeed.

“I haven’t been here for a long while, but I see that this is still here just like before. Seems like nothing has changed,” Darius said observantly.

Salena’s eyes fell to the large and luxurious-looking set of burgundy sofas decorated with golden wood carvings in intricate designs that was set up in a cleared space surrounded by bookshelves.

--To be continued...