The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 297: A Lady’s Manipulation

Chapter 297: A Lady’s Manipulation

There was something that I was curious about all this time. The prince did not seem surprised, and it was like he had known that something usual was going on.

“Umm...” I made a hesitant sound.

“What is it, Mila?” he asked in his most caring tone.

“Well, I was just wondering...since when have you known?” I asked as I started to relax a little in his arms.

“Hmm...if I had to say, then probably right from the beginning?” the prince replied before grinning at me.

“Since the beginning?” I asked in disbelief.

He had always known...?

“Pretty much. I knew that something wasn’t quite right the moment that I answered the duchess’s call,” the prince replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

“But I thought...” I said before trailing off.

“That she’s a flawless actress? You’re right about that but I can also quite confidently say that I’ve gotten used to her acting,” the prince said followed by a small chuckle.

“I guess that makes sense. You’ve probably known her for a long time...” I took a guess.

The relationship between the prince and the duchess was another mystery to me. Prince Leonard seemed to be pondering something in his mind. After a short moment, he smiled at me with a very clear look in his eyes as if he had just decided on something.

“You’re right. I’ve known her since I was a child. I first met her when she came to perform at the palace, although I don’t remember much about it. That was before she became my father’s lover and before Florian was born,” he said with a calm look in his eyes.

The prince seemed unaffected, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the king having multiple lovers was considered the norm here. Although the three princes were from different mothers, they seemed to get along decently well from what I could tell. Their rivalry for the throne had not ruined their brotherly relationship and if they bore any animosity toward one another, I could not sense it when I witnessed them together.

“Overall, she’s not a bad person. However, I have to say that it makes me feel uncomfortable to know that you’re spending time with her,” the prince said as a concern look took over his face.

“I am very sorry for making you worry,” I quickly apologized.

“It’s not your fault. It’s probably more my fault for staying away for too long. As I said, she’s not a bad person but I have to say that she’s very hard to understand. I’ve known her for almost all of my life, but I can’t say that I understand her or what she wants,” the prince said before letting out a soft sigh.

I had to admit that I also thought that the duchess was a very complex figure. If the prince could not read her then there was surely no way that I could understand her and her true intentions. I didn’t want to doubt people needlessly and I didn’t want to judge whether the duchess was a good or bad person. Just as the prince had just told me, I wanted to believe that she wasn’t bad and that she didn’t mean any harm.

“She’s a very good teacher. She taught me how to dance...” I said fairly in her defense.

“I’m sure that she’s a very talented teacher but that’s not what I’m truly worried about,” the prince muttered a little darkly.

“Then...what is it that you’re worried about?” I asked before I could stop myself and my curiosity.

Even though we haven’t spoken for around a week, I was surprised to find it easy to talk to the prince now that our conversation had started. Everything seemed to flow and slowly I was getting used to interacting with the prince. Sometimes during our conversation, it was still hard for me to believe that the prince was now finally sitting right by my side in the flesh.

He’s really here...

“Let’s just say that she can be a very influential figure,” the prince said before grinning at me.

“Influential figure?” I mumbled questioningly as I started to frown at his words.

“Today is a very good example. Do you think you would have pulled a trick like that on me if it wasn’t because of her? Let me know if I’m wrong, but she was the one who talked you into it, wasn’t she?” the prince asked knowingly before he smiled at me.

It was his smile and the patience in his tone that told me that he wasn’t quite angry at me. However, that didn’t mean that I wasn’t in the wrong. I knew that I should be thankful that the prince was as kind as he was to me.

“I am very sorry. You’re right that she did talk me into this, but it is also my fault for doing this...” I admitted solemnly.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t take this the wrong way, Mila. I’m not saying this to point out your faults but I’m saying this to make sure that you understand who you’re dealing with. Duchess Flavia is very manipulative, I would say that she is even more manipulative than Darius’s mother,” the prince warned me sternly.

Honestly, I had never thought of it that way before and neither did I think of comparing the two duchesses together. I didn’t know what to say so I just nodded my head obediently as I felt his eyes on my face.

“Be careful when you’re with her. Try to think straight and then make your own decisions. I’m not saying that everything that she says is wrong or inappropriate, but she is extremely talented in getting people to do things her way,” the prince explained calmly.

“I understand. I’m very sorry about what happened today...” I apologized again because I still felt so guilty.

“You only went along with it because you wanted to see me, right? As I told you before, it is partly your fault but it’s partly my fault too for not coming to see you. In a way, I did force you into doing something like this,” Prince Leonard said as his eyes glanced downward.

--To be continued...

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