Chapter 296 - I Have Saved You
Standing on the balcony of the Sycamore Palace were two boys who were glancing down to take a look at the tea party going on in the Palace next door.
Prince Draco and Prince Fritzen stood with their backs straight as they watched the groups of little girls who were greeting the Princess to wish her on the occasion of her birthday.
An hour earlier, the session of presenting gifts had come to an end and everyone returned to their own residences on the Palace grounds.
This was because the celebration that the King had organized for his daughter was a tea party for the noble girls around the Princess's age.
No adults or boys were invited to this party, only girls with whom Princess Felicia could mingle and socialize to form her cliques for the future.
King Ophire had come up with this idea when he noticed how his child was eager to make new friends but never had stepped out of the Palace gates.
This way, he could let her experience the joys of making new friends where he could ensure that she would be safe and secure.
According to the King's original plans, every girl around the Princess's age would be invited to this tea party but later a few changes were made in his plans.
Instead of inviting all the girls, he was advised to only invite the girls from the Marquess and Ducal houses.
This decreased the guest list from a high number of sixty girls to less than fifteen.
This decision was taken to not overwhelm the Princess as meeting so many girls at once might get troublesome for her.
When King Ophire gave this some thought, he realized that the advice made sense and hence had given his orders of only inviting the girls from Marquess and Ducal households.
Right now, the boys standing on the balcony of the Sycamore Palace were sneaking peeks at the garden of the Rose Palace as they were not invited to the party meant only for those selected young girls.
"Do we have to spy on them?" Draco groaned while rubbing his forehead.
After breakfast, this curious nephew of his had dragged him over to Sycamore Palace to watch the small groups of girls who were entering the Palace grounds for the first time.
"Of course, we do, uncle!" Fritzen gave him a righteous nod as his eyes continued to gaze at the garden next to the balcony.
They were at the farthest corner of his Palace which was adjoining his sister's garden, giving him the perfect spot to observe the party without garnering suspicion.
"Why?" Draco was not convinced with his nephew's previous justification that he wanted to ensure Felicia's safety.
'We are in the Palace and my guards are around me at all times.' He thought which meant that Felicia who was close by was also under their watchful eyes.
Fritzen scratched his neck sheepishly as he coughed in an attempt to avoid this question.
However, his uncle had caught this deflective attitude of his.
'I knew it! He's hiding something from me!' Draco rolled his eyes at the younger boy who was trying his best to act calm but failed to do so.
His stern gaze made the Young Prince fold as he grumbled in a low voice.
"Uncle stop staring, I'll tell you!" Fritzen groaned and turned his eyes back at the garden.
His blue eyes scanned the noble girls sitting with his sister as though he was trying to find someone among them.
Draco noticed his strange behavior but waited to hear him speak further.
"I'm here to check if there was someone here among the guests invited." Fritzen muttered while continuing to scour the girls who were seated together.
Draco froze for a second after hearing this but his nephew had not noticed this strange reaction.
"Who?" He questioned though he had an inkling of whom the Young Prince was looking for.
"The girl who saved me!" Fritzen exclaimed through gritted teeth.
He had excluded Yvonne St. Claire from his list of suspects but this did not mean that he had given up on his search for the real culprit.
'If she is a noble, then I will find her sooner or later!' He surmised and this was why he had come here to look for that wicked girl.
Fritzen then glanced at his uncle and found him lost in thoughts and decided to let him be as he continued to search for the girl.
'Uncle hasn't seen her anyway so he can't help me in this matter.' He shook his head at his ignorant elder.
However, what Fritzen did not know was that the uncle whom he had pinned as ignorant was, in fact, very much knowledgeable about the true identity of the girl who had saved him.
Draco's eyes fell on the girls and he did not have to look for long as he was already aware that the girl his nephew was looking for wouldn't be among them.
This confidence he had was due to certain advice he had given to his elder brother
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When King Ophire had been preparing the guestlist for the birthday celebration, he was right by his side.
Draco's eyes fell on the name of the St. Claire's family from which a certain little girl was also invited.
His eyes flashed with a strange light after which he looked up to his brother with a confused expression on his face.
King Ophire wondered what had caused this confusion to appear and soon he received his answers.
"Won't Felly be overwhelmed with the number of guests you are planning to invite?" Draco questioned with an innocent smile.
His scheming mind did not make an appearance for a single second as he explained to his brother how Felicia might be nervous with so many new faces.
This resulted in the King acknowledging that his brother was right about this matter.
Upon taking his counsel, King Ophire concluded inviting only the Marquess and Ducal family's children.
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Coming out of his reverie about what he had done, Draco heard the silent grumbles of his nephew.
"She isn't here!" Fritzen gritted his teeth due to the failure of today's mission.
"Maybe she isn't a noble…" Draco's doubtful whisper caused his eyes to widen.
'Why did I not think of this!?' The young Prince felt like smacking his head as his uncle's words could be true.
At that time, he had come to the conclusion that she was of noble birth when he noticed that the clothes she was wearing were fine and exquisite.
But now, he was doubting his memories as there were inconsistencies in them.
'Her foul mouth and her demeanor were certainly not noble!' He scoffed when he recalled the way she had behaved.
"So you brought me over to look for a stranger?" Draco rolled his eyes at the boy who had been lost in his thoughts.
This accusation made Fritzen chuckle sheepishly as he had indeed dragged his uncle along to keep him company.
He had no idea what he would do if he met her here today but all he wanted to do was to find that rude girl.
But now, seeing his uncle's annoyed face, he frowned at his unrealistic approach which had wasted both of their precious time.
"Let us head back and rest before our sparring match in the evening, Uncle." He proposed in an attempt to ease the inconvenience he had caused his elder.
Draco did not argue and nodded while walking ahead which resulted in the younger boy running to catch up with him.
As he strode away, his emerald green eyes flashed with mischief again as he recalled the grumpy face of that little girl.
'I have saved you once again…' He smirked and reverted to his neutral expression when he noticed that his nephew had arrived by his side.
Fritzen failed to observe the glint that flashed through Draco's eyes before it disappeared entirely.
'Looks like you keep owing me favors.' The future Grand Duke surmised and a smug expression took over his face.
He had saved her when she fell in the Summer Estate, kept her identity hidden from his nephew, and concealed the fact that the etcher meant for him was now hers.
Today, he even hindered her chances of entering the Palace which saved her identity from being discovered.
'I will make sure that you repay them all, Miss St. Claire.' He vowed as the two boys headed back to their rooms in their respective Palaces.