A predator who waited for the time to lure his prey out. Yes, that’s me. I glued my eyes to the 3 people.

In this jungle, there were multiple predators which made the hunt challenging.

For example, Lady Atkinson. Right now, could not wait to rip out the gentlemen’s flesh. Poor Reyner, look at how droopy his eyes were. He wiped his face with his white handkerchief every minute. Her boldness to link her arms to the crown prince was on another level.

Another thing to mention was these low-grade frog princes who assume they would get my best friend’s hands by inviting her to dance made this an impossible task.

P.S. some frog princes dared to make a move on me too!

I asked Ella to put her hand on her forehead and mumbled gibberish words to me as rejection signal to these frogs. Our Oscar worthy acting came in handy once more.

What was the best solution, so the preys would move to my advantage?

A lightbulb lit above me. Red herring was not bad at all.
~
“Hi, Duke Frederick! What a dashing man you are!”
~
His sight searched for me, and when he our eyes met, our roles inverted.
~
“Oh, My Lovely Dame was brave enough to praise a lowly man like me when the finest men surrounded her.”
~
When the server walked with a tray of grape juice, I finished the drink in one gulp, which made the surrounding guys widened their eyes.
If I had a sphygmomanometer with me, the reading would be 140 over 90.
Ella asked me if I’m alright, to which I answered with a simple yes.
~
“Nothing would surpass you, You’re Grace. The man who stole the hearts of a million women, including the one in front of you.”
~
The super typhoon did not kill me. I would not back out! And why didn’t he respond to my praise?!
~
“Your Grace, Please... Be my first dance.”
I bit my lowered lip. For sure, that was enough.
“I’ll be your first kiss too!”
Is this my turn to be a human kettle? This guy is a Trojan Horse! I sobbed my head on the table and banged my head on it twice. Everything was useless.
What should I do?
“That was a joke. How may I help you?”
His chuckled made me want to slit his throat.
~
This unbelievable pest tested my patience!
“Beth, are you sick? You should not drink the grape juice in one gulp.”
I straightened my back and gave her my sweetest smile and answered that my urge to sleep increased.
~
“I had to discuss an important matter with the Crown Prince...it would be rude if I would cut the conversation between the three of you... unless Lady Atkinson never failed to amuse Your Grace.”
“Unexpectedly, you are a territorial lioness pretending to be a cute bunny.”
~
All I did was to facepalm.

Why give an out of context answer?

I badly need a cheese fondue therapy right now. Even though my way was in a different direction, my peripheral vision functioned.

He whispered to Reyner. Lady Atkinson’s knelt on the ground, persuading them to stay. I crossed my legs and pierced the roasted baby potatoes on the skewer and dipped it in a bowl of creamy cheese sauce.

They were already standing near our table right after I finished my baby potato.

I asked His Highness permission if we could talk in a quieter place, and he agreed.

Seconds after my peaches touched the sofa in the drawing room, I pleaded.

“It’s my pleasure! I had a condition though, be Frederick’s first dance too!”

I accepted the deal because his condition was the endgame, anyway. We shook hands as a sign of a successful deal.

When we came back, we found Ella uttered the word ‘promise’. They had a trade of their own, huh? Whatever it was, none of my business.  

The entire empire dropped their jaw when the prince offered his hand for a dance. Like I’ve expected, they deserved the spotlight.

A gentle nudge on my shoulder — a reminder of a nightmare.

Those Dynastic Points I spent to make my dancing ability improved at 30 percent saved me from shame.

Meanwhile, the lovebird’s synchronized body movements made their Cupid proud!

I want to savor this moment when my dancing partner stretched my cheeks! What did he think of me, a pasta dough?

“That was your punishment for ignoring the Duke of Athenesy!”

If this pain would bring me to the path of wealth, then it was nothing.

I heaved a heavy sigh and said, “I’m sorry, Your Grace,”

Soon, the song ended. We went back to our table as we both witnessed how the lovebirds glided their way to the balcony.
~
“Someone’s going to admit his feelings, huh?”
~
Was there something wrong with the code?

Miss Heart told me I had to read the book because it would follow the novel’s timeline.

Prince Reyner’s confession took place on the day he will go on expedition and war!

No, the Duke wanted to bluff. I won’t overreact until I hear from Miuerella itself.

Notification: Balcony Romance!

Would you like to purchase the ‘No Disturbance Balcony Spell’ for 3000 XP Points?

So this was the reason for XP Point’s existence.

Hold on, why there was no detailed explanation about the spell? Did they assume all people could understand the context?
No wonder this game needed testing!

I bought the spell with my precious XP Points so they could have the fun of their lives.

James went to our table, which meant I had to give my flashing toothpaste smile.

“Your Grace, the Duchess wanted to have a word with you and...”

Then he tilted his body, facing mine. Uh, oh.

“She also wanted to meet you, Dame Bethany.”

We were about to stand up when two figures of women holding fans joined the chat.

“Oh, my! I’m so excited I didn’t notice we were already sitting on this table!”

Her laugh sounded like a female version of constipated Santa.

“Son, why don’t you accompany the Countess while I chat with the Dame?”

The mother and son duo exchanged sharp gazes.
~
“Your Grace, please obey the Duchess.”

Without backing out from the staring duel, he said, “On one condition, tell me if she’s acting ridiculous and I’ll save you,”
~

Thankfully, he agreed and left the two of us. The Countess congratulated me as well. My heart became crazy though.

Although her face diffused warmth and amiable expression, questions ran out of circles inside my head.

“Hija, this old woman wanted to clarify if my bastard son of mine put his cloak on you.”

She fluttered the fan on herself and concealed her mouth using it.

* Hijo, Hija pronounced as (ee-ho, ee-ha) is the way old people in the Philippines address young men or women.

Wow, there’s no doubt—the duke came from this tree.

I explained our circumstances in a clear and detailed manner.

“Do you know what happens to the first woman who wore the Duke of Athenesy’s cloak? They all became the Duchess of Athenesy.”

Like a student who just heard about the surprise quiz, I turned into a marble statue.

Surprises didn’t stop there, I saw Ella left the castle in a hurry.