Those dark eyes of the Crown Prince held no hostility towards the young lady—which was something that made her sigh in relief. However, although it was a massive improvement from his initial impression of her, there was still not a hint of goodwill in them as well.
Prince Theron averted his suspicious gaze from Esther and looked at his mother. “Greetings, Mother. Should you be walking like this outside already?”
“Oh, dear. You are just like your father. Although I am glad to have you here, there is no need to nag me, young man. I am not so frail to be put on bedrest for something so trivial. It wasn’t as if this is the first time I have experienced an assassination,” said the Queen with a tender motherly look. Despite her scolding tone, it could be seen on her beautiful face that she was happy to receive her son’s concern. She then took her son to walk towards a nearby gazebo in the garden. “Are you visiting for long? Why don’t we have tea together?”
“I can stay for an hour.”
Esther remembered her role as instructed by Lady Tyra for situations like this. Without saying a word, she let herself be separated from the royals and immediately sought out the other servants waiting on standby, telling them to bring in freshly-brewed tea and snacks preferred by the Crown Prince.
By the time Prince Theron and the Queen sat on the chairs inside the garden gazebo, Esther had returned dutifully to await for the tea and snacks to arrive from the kitchen. She stood outside the gazebo, pretending like she’s non-existent just like the other newly-arrived servants lined up in a neat row.
“How are you now, Mother?” Prince Theron enquired.
“As you can see, I am fine. There is even no need for me to wear bandages, and I’m only keeping them for appearance’s sake. Though, I am sure you didn’t come here just to see your mother, hmm?” Queen Theodora countered as she smiled teasingly.
Prince Theron didn’t deny it as his gaze singled out Esther from the row of servants standing outside the gazebo and then looked back at his mother. “I also wanted to check on you, Mother, as you were hurt.”
As usual, nothing went unnoticed by the Queen as she knew her son well. Not minding it, she answered, “Thanks to the herb Esther applied on my wounds, they were not infected and recovered faster than if I were to rely purely on our royal physicians.”
A servant from the kitchen arrived, bringing with her? the requested tea for the mother and son pair. Just as the servant was about to enter the gazebo, Queen Theodora said, “Esther, I would like it if you serve us tea.”
Esther, who was standing with her head lowered, was initially surprised but took it in a stride. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”? She got the wooden tray from the other servant, the tray containing freshly brewed black tea in a teapot, containers for honey and milk, and a pair of delicate teacups and saucers.
She walked towards the table at the center of the gazebo with her head still kept low like other servants. However, it could be seen even by an outsider that each and every step taken was smooth and practiced, as if she was not carrying anything in the first place, and the movements of her hands held a certain elegance. It was something that no newcomer should have been capable of pulling off. There was not even a hint of nervousness or clumsiness in the way she set the table.
Prince Theron’s eyes took note of her actions closely. If ever, her movements somehow reminded him of Lady Tyra, who was a senior member of the royal family and one of the people with the best royal etiquette in the palace—she was in fact the Crown Prince’s etiquette teacher when he was a child. Such grace had to be something cultivated since young, if not inborn due to her bloodline.
There was something about her that made his thoughts wander, which was something he never foresaw happening. It made him wonder if it was because her face had a vague resemblance to someone, but then again, he could not remember anyone among the nobility of Megaris with eyes like hers, eyes with the color of melted caramel—
Prince Theron felt the tips of his fingers brush against the back of her hand, and his hand flinched at the gesture. It caused his whole body to stiffen, and it caused Esther to react the same. However, she was quick to pretend nonchalance and continued filling his cup with hot tea.
Only then did Prince Theron realize that he, the Crown Prince of Megaris, had been ogling a servant to the point he didn’t realize she had already finished setting the table and was now pouring tea on his teacup. His mother already had hers filled, and was now quietly sipping tea with a vague smile.
After serving him tea, Esther placed the teapot back on the table and stepped back to stand behind the Queen. She was sensitive enough to realize there was a reason why Queen Theodora called her out specifically. Afterwards, another servant entered and placed biscuits and cookies on the table as snacks and left the gazebo to stand outside.
After having another sip of tea, Queen Theodora placed her cup down “Aside from checking up on me, what are you here for, Theron?”
As the person who raised him, Queen Theodora was aware that her son had refrained from interrogating her about the attack to give her more time to rest. However, her son was never a patient person; he must want to know the details of the incident from her perspective, not as his mother but as the victim and a surviving eye witness. She was sure he had already gotten the accounts from Sir Alexis and his fellow knights, but he still made time to come to the Queen’s residence as he wanted to verify something unbelievable that he had heard.
“I want to know what exactly happened that day when rebels attacked the royal entourage,” he said.
Esther, who had been standing calmly the entire time, suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. ‘What if the Queen tells him about what I did? What will happen then?’
