The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 289: Bait and Deal

Chapter 289: Bait and Deal

The look of pain that flashed across her face made my chest clench uncomfortably. No matter what, I didn’t like seeing anyone suffering like that. The other thing that I didn’t know was why she was telling me this.

“You should say something. You’re so silent now that it scares me,” the duchess said before she smiled at me.

The painful and stressful look on her face was now gone and it was like she had reverted to the cheerful and beautiful young-looking duchess that I was used to seeing and spending time with.

“I’m very sorry. I just don’t really know what to say...” I confessed truthfully.

“I guess I can’t blame you. If you find what I just told you burdensome, you can just pretend that I never said anything and that you never heard anything,” the duchess suggested brightly.

How I wished that things would be just that simple. I didn’t find her words burdensome; however, I had to admit that it did complicate things. Not wanting to add more problems for myself, I decided that the competition between the three princes had nothing to do with me.

“Thank you for telling me. It’s not really a burden so you shouldn’t worry too much about it,” I replied politely.

“Are you lonely?” she asked after a brief moment of silence.

“Excuse me?” I mumbled in a small voice.

“I asked whether or not you’re feeling lonely. I may not look it, but I am quite insightful about what goes on in the palace, especially the Sacred Chambers...” the duchess said with a confident nod of her head.

If there was someone who looked like she would have insight into what goes on in the palace, then it would be Duchess Flavia. She definitely looked and sounded like someone who was well informed although I haven’t seen her wandering around the Sacred Chamber. In fact, prior to having my first dance lesson with her, I had never laid eyes on her before.

“You look so curious all of a sudden. I have eyes and ears everywhere. More like, I have people who act like my eyes and ears everywhere...” she said quite proudly.

“Right...” I murmured while not quite sure if I should feel impressed about that or not.

“So yes, I do happen to know that it’s been a while since Prince Leonard has visited you...” the duchess said before having a loud sigh.

“I see...” I murmured as a weight seemed to press down on my chest.

“What if I told you that I know exactly what he’s been up to these past few days?” the duchess asked with a sweet yet calculating smile.

I knew that she was baiting me; however, I had no idea why she was doing that. After all, I doubt that I had anything that the duchess wanted. The only thing that was clear to me was my desire to know what the prince had been up to because it may serve to help me understand why he had not dropped by to see me.

“Do you really know that?” I asked without hiding my interest.

“Of course, I do. Should I go ahead and share this precious piece of information with you?” she asked before she giggled.

“Please tell me what Prince Leonard has been up to...” I pleaded.

There was no point in playing games with her because she had probably figured out that I was dying to know about the prince. If only I could figure out why she was presenting me this piece of information and what she wanted in return, then I could figure out how to deal with her and how to position myself. Although she was beautiful and extremely sweet, I could tell that deep down the duchess was a very calculating and cunning person.

“Let’s make a secret little deal, shall we?” she proposed with clear excitement.

“What deal...?” I asked in a small voice.

By that time, I wasn’t at all surprised that she would ask me for something in return. That didn’t mean that I felt like I was at a disadvantage at all. For the life of me, I had no idea why someone of such a high rank like her would bother to make a deal with me. At first, it did occur to me that this might be just an entertaining joke to her but that was until I heard her request.

“I’ll tell you where the prince has been over the past few days and in exchange, you’ll let me teach you a little bit of acting,” she stated before beaming a smile my way.

“A little bit of acting...?” I repeated her words questioningly.

I had no idea what she was talking about anymore at that point. On top of offering me dance lessons, did she want to teach me how to act as well? Was that skill even necessary?

“Don’t over think things. All you have to do is follow my instructions and act out a couple of scenes for me. Of course, I’m not asking you to do anything that wouldn’t benefit you. In fact, if things play out the way that I think that they will, you will be more than thankful that you’ve followed my instructions,” she said confidently.

“I’m sorry but I’m not sure that I follow...” I admitted my confusion softly.

“The easiest way to find out is to agree to my deal, right? I’m sure that you won’t regret it. After all, you do want to know about Prince Leonard, don’t you?” she asked to get me thinking.

“I...” I murmured before trailing off.

“Do we have a deal, Mila?” she asked again.

“You wouldn’t get me to do things that I don’t want to do, right?” I asked just to make sure that I understood what I was getting myself into.

“Of course not. I’m not trying to trick you. Actually, I’m trying to help you...” she said before winking at me.

She’s trying to help me? How?

--To be continued...