窃情谋欲

"You heard good things, right?" He whispered to her, though it was heard by all there.

"Yes, pretty things, in fact," the princess whispered back. "I even know about the black spot on your shoulder blades, my lord. That\'s how detailed your sister talked about you." She winked at him.

Damien\'s cheek flushed, visibly, not because he was embarrassed by that detail, but because he wanted to show the princess, he was blushing from her words. He has become too stoic to feel anything other than lust now. Love? Sometimes maybe.

"Dani..." He called out, the syllables rolling out like a melody.

Dani\'s face was all red. She didn\'t think her friend was going to announce the things she said about her brother in public, let alone to himself. A deep embarrassment haunted her, and she was too embarrassed to meet his eyes. "It\'s...uh...I was..." Her words floated in the air, she fidgeted her fingers in panic.

Damien heard giggling from behind. He identified the speaker. Though this is the first time they are meeting, he had already made her his in his mind.

He turned around and confusedly looked at the sound coming from a veil. His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head sideways.

"Ah, where are my manners?" said the veil. "I\'m Lumiere, the first princess of the Winter Kingdom." She extended her arms, which were also covered in silky gloves with flowery patterns on them.

"Winter Kingdom, you say?" Damien raised his brow. "And you are a princess?"

"Why is that such a surprise to you, my lord," she said, slightly waving her hand in the air for him to notice it.

"Forgive me, my princess," he extended his arm and accepted her, slightly bending his right knee and planting a kiss on her gloved hand. " Your beauty and talents are heard throughout the entire realm. And I\'ve heard that the woman of the royal family doesn\'t leave the palace. Seeing you here is like seeing a fairy tale. I didn\'t think it was possible."

"My lord," she said, her voice low. "You are flattering me too much." Inside the veil, Lumiere\'s snow-white cheeks reddened, like a single drop of red paint dripping into a lake of white paint. She was glad she had veils on her, or else she would\'ve been embarrassed in front of the young man.

Calen\'s eyes narrowed with envy as he watched Damien, the epitome of nobility and charm, captivate Lumiere\'s attention. He couldn\'t help but feel a pang of jealousy, aware that he could never measure up to Damien\'s elegance and poise. Deep down, he yearned for Lumiere\'s gaze to fall upon him with the same admiration and longing.

Meanwhile, Danielle\'s possessiveness for her beloved brother intensified with each passing moment. She clung tighter to Damien\'s arm, her fingers grasping at the fabric of his sleeve as if fearing he might slip away from her once more. The prospect of Lumiere, a princess from a far-off kingdom, stealing Damien\'s attention ignited a flame of protectiveness within her.

Aurelia, ever the curious and observant friend, couldn\'t help but be intrigued by the intricate dynamics at play. Her gaze shifted from face to face, noting the emotions etched upon each one. She understood the unspoken tension in the air, sensing the clash of desires and the brewing storm of conflicting emotions.

·ƈθm Derick, Lumiere\'s arranged fiancé, stood apart from the commotion, his stoic demeanor betraying nothing. He had been accustomed to the formalities and expectations of royal alliances, and his expression remained unchanged as he observed the unfolding scene. Whether he harbored any hidden emotions beneath his composed exterior was a mystery to all.

"Earlier you said there was another reason for these creatures to be called \'Devils,\' what is that, my lord?" Her eye twinkled to welcome the knowledge.

"Ah, that," he said and walked towards the cage keeper and extended him a gold coin. "Give me a carrot." 

The keeper was just overwhelmed by just looking at the nobility. Though he had his fair share of nobility and royalty visiting him, the air these young people exuded was suffocating.

Then the new guy came near him and offered him a gold coin for a...carrot. A carrot! A FUCKING CARROT!!

The keeper, Loyd was in a trance state. Even though he has met nobles, he never had the chance to see a gold coin in real life. The nobles were too lazy to pay something for themselves. They\'ll have a servant for buying stuff and all.

But presented with a gold coin in front of him, he was just too overwhelmed to even speak. Let alone accept the damn thing.

Damien looked at the middle-aged man like he understood what was going on in his mind. How can he not?

He chuckled and gently grabbed the stupefied man\'s hand before pressing the coin on it.

The poor man\'s body trembled, not from fear but from ecstasy.

The weight of the coin made the man revel. He finally swallowed and looked down, not actually believing the foolish young master was going to buy a carrot with an actual gold coin.

But there it was, shining and heavy, sitting perfectly at his palm.

He looked at the young master, the benevolent and kind young master. His face crumbled quickly and he bite back the cry.

He then suddenly kowtowed, touching Damien\'s feet and finally letting his tears be free.

"Thank you, young master!! I won\'t ever forget this help!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, garnering all the attention of the vicinity.

Damien was genuinely surprised to see the man on all four. His cheeks reddened, not the fake or acting ones, but because of genuine embarrassment.

"Hey, stand up," the benevolent young master said, scratching the back of his head.

Then Loyd, the keeper, rises up so suddenly that it made the nobles flinch a little. He grabbed Damien\'s hand and kissed it. "You\'re my savior, young master. Thank you." Then he started to run.

"I AM QUITTING THIS JOB! I, LYOD, THE KEEPER OF BEASTS AM A FREE MAN! I AM RESIGNING." Loyd, not so keeper anymore, ran a little and then abruptly ran back before grabbing a pile of carrots from the carts and shoving it into Damien\'s hand.

And he ran again, like a madman or like any man when his ass is on fire, never to come back again.