The Crown Prince’s personal guards had executed their duties flawlessly.
Both gardeners lost their hands to severe wound infections.
Ultimately, they were dismissed from the estate since they could no longer work–a double misfortune for the lecherous perpetrators.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the mansion, eventually spilling out to the common folk of the Grand Duchy.
Consequently, people began to view the Crown Prince as a man who possessed a tender side for his fiancée, Princess Clementine.
This was largely due to the widespread rumor of the Crown Prince’s own statement–that he had only stepped in to save his fiancée’s favorite maid.
The public thought nothing more of it, save for a few of the sharper scholars.
They kept their doubts strictly to themselves, well aware of the exalted position the Crown Prince held in the hearts of the people.
No one dared voice the opinion that his actions were rather peculiar.
For despite being revered as the heir to the empire, the Crown Prince was known to have a heart only for eradicating enemies on the battlefield.
While his intellect was recognized across the empire, having consistently ranked first at the academy, it was an open secret that he possessed a frigid disposition toward ordinary people–let alone a lowly maid like Elena.
To those with keen perception, the situation was unsettling.
But to the masses who had already idolized him, the Crown Prince remained a dashing hero, profoundly romantic toward his betrothed.
Meanwhile, Clementine clung to Alexander’s side at every opportunity, while the Crown Prince secretly observed Elena, who seemed to move about like a soulless husk.
The recent trauma had severely shaken Elena’s mental state because she was always entirely alone.
She worked diligently by herself; even when she was tormented, she wept alone, dined alone, and faced everything in absolute solitude.
Thus, on a quiet night after finishing her chores, she sat quietly on a garden bench, gazing up at the stars scattered across the sky.
It was then that Alexander approached.
This was the first time Elena had encountered Alexander since he had decided to extend his stay for a week.
It was now his second day at the estate.
Elena bolted to her feet the moment she noticed his arrival.
“Blessings upon Your Highness, the Little Sun of the Empire,” she greeted him with a deep, respectful bow.
Alexander offered a faint, fleeting smile as he looked down at her.
His gaze was arrogant, staring down his nose with his chin slightly tilted.
He then took a seat on the very bench Elena had just occupied.
Elena promptly stepped back, standing beside him with utmost deference.
There was a strict rule regarding distance, dictating that low-born servants must stand far apart from the nobility.
Elena retreated a full meter away.
“Why are you just standing there?” he questioned.
“Forgive me, Your Highness.
I am merely a lowly servant,” Elena explained softly.
Alexander smirked.
He pulled out a cigar and took a slow draw.
However, when a plume of smoke drifted toward Elena, it sent her into a fit of coughing.
Realizing she couldn’t tolerate the cigar smoke, Alexander snuffed it out, which only made Elena feel more awkward and uncomfortable.
“Forgive me, Your Highness.
I shall take my leave.”
But Alexander stopped her.
“Stay right where you are.
Do not leave until I command you to,” he asserted with absolute authority.
Once again, Elena had no right to refuse.
Elena’s gaze inadvertently drifted to the Crown Prince’s face–a visage relentlessly praised by every young lady in the empire.
He was breathtakingly handsome.
His shimmering, slightly tousled hair tonight only added to a charm that was usually concealed beneath a clinical, imperial perfection.
He possessed dark, piercing blue eyes, a prominent bridge to his nose, a sharp, chiseled jawline, and slightly full lips.
He was the epitome of perfection, unlike any man Elena had ever encountered.
Suddenly, Alexander turned his head toward her, causing Elena to snap her gaze downward as a crimson blush flooded her cheeks.
Thirty minutes later, the night air grew progressively colder.
Elena found herself sniffing repeatedly as the chill began to get to her.
Seeing this, Alexander unbuttoned his imperial dress jacket to offer it to her, but Elena instinctively recoiled.
“Please do not do this, Your Highness.
My body is filthy.”
Alexander countered coldly, “I was unaware that my fiancée’s personal maid was so inclined to talk back.”
Terrified, Elena instantly snatched the jacket from his hands.
Alexander watched as she merely held it tightly against herself, then added, “I handed that to you to wear, not just to hold.”
Elena quickly complied.
As she slipped it on, she felt the residual warmth of Alexander’s body transferring to her.
Moreover, a very familiar fragrance wafted from the fabric.
She froze.
It was the exact scent she had noticed just moments before the disastrous incident in the hedge maze.
She remembered it vividly; that was the scent she had inhaled.
She couldn’t help but think.
‘If that truly was Alexander’s fragrance, why didn’t he step forward when she was screaming for help, before she was nearly stripped bare?’ But Elena kept the harrowing thought locked deep within her heart.
It was a serene night.
Nothing disturbed the silence.
The moonlight bathed the garden, making the pale flowers look as though they were welcoming the light, reflecting it against the enveloping darkness.
Elena remained standing still, keeping company with the Crown Prince, who for some reason seemed content to sit there indefinitely.
“You are the one who was almost violated yesterday, correct?” the Crown Prince asked casually.
He crossed his legs and sat upright, maintaining a posture that perfectly adhered to noble etiquette.
Elena nodded meekly.
“Yes, Your Highness.
Thank you for your intervention.”
The Crown Prince offered no acknowledgement, choosing instead to probe further.
“Did you truly not seduce those two gardeners?”
Elena shook her head frantically.
“No, Your Highness.
I had absolutely no intention of enticing anyone.”
“You have no evidence to support your defense.”
Overwhelmed, Elena immediately dropped to her knees before the Crown Prince.
“I indeed possess no proof, Your Highness.
But I have no interest in such intimate relations with anyone other than my future husband.”
“Anyone other than your husband?
Are you married, then?”
“I am not married, Your Highness.
Which is why I am fighting so hard to preserve myself for my husband.”
Alexander burst into a dark chuckle at her words.
“How utterly naive.”