When their faces parted away, Esther was gasping for air. What started as a gentle peck on the lips, this greedy man hovering over her turned into a dizzyingly intense kiss. For a moment, she even forgot her own name.

Seeing her messy and breathless appearance, the handsome man with a wicked grin asked, “Already tired, my lady? Between us, shouldn’t I be the one lacking in stamina after going through such a life-threatening injury?”

“You have rested for so long, of course, you are filled with energy, Your Highness,” she countered. “Seems like the Head Royal Physician’s treatment worked really well.”

He smirked, delighted to see her cheeky attitude. “Really? Then I should confirm how long this energy will last so that I can later heavily reward the Head Royal Physician.”

As he said those words, his fingers brushed along her slender neck, touching the neckline of her dress with the intention of pulling it down.

Esther gulped as her entire body was filled with goosebumps. Understanding the intention of this perverted man, she immediately held his hand to stop him. “We cannot! I-I, uhh, I need to go back—”

But Prince Theron was already expecting this. “So soon? We haven’t even done anything yet.”

It was as if the young man could almost see the gears working inside the lady’s brain as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse. He found her shy expression extremely adorable.

“It will take me time to reach home, and I don’t wish my servants to know I have sneaked out at this late hour of the night,” she explained, though it was not even close to the truth. With her powers, she could reach her room in just a few seconds.

Prince Theron had no choice but to agree. “Fine. If that is what you want. I don’t wish others to gossip about the future Queen of Megaris.” When Prince Theron moved away from her, he found her staring at him in shock.

“Queen of Megaris?”

He nodded casually as if it was nothing surprising. “I am the Crown Prince, and you will be my Crown Princess. After you marry me, it is only a matter of time until my father passes his crown to me. After the coronation, you will have to sit on the throne by my side.”

“I…never thought of becoming a queen. I just….”

Prince Theron threw her a questioning gaze. “You are such a baffling woman. What did you expect when I proposed to you?”

“I wasn’t expecting anything—”

“Do I strike you as a rake, a womanizer? I am telling you now, you are the first and only lover I have.”

“No, it’s just that becoming a queen is too—”

“If you don’t wish to become my Queen, that means you want me to marry another woman. Is that the future you want to see? Me having another woman in my arms?”

“No! I didn’t say that!” she exclaimed.

The way she reacted the moment he mentioned marrying another woman amused him. “Hmm? So you don’t want me to marry someone else?”

“No—I mean, of course, you can marry anyone, Your Highness. It is normal for kings to have multiple wives so…”

“You are not answering my question, my lady. Do you want or do you not want me to marry another?”

Esther’s gaze was shaking as she struggled to keep herself calm. “But… it is normal for kings…”

Prince Theron could see she was not saying this from her heart. Instead, there was jealousy flashing in her eyes, mixed with disappointment. He didn’t deny her claim and said, “I have no plans of marrying another, but if you insist that I will be that kind of king, then I must do as you say. In the future, I have to accept concubines—”

“I am leaving, Your Highness. Please excuse me.”

Esther was angry inside. She knew he was merely teasing her at this moment, but then who knows what would happen in the future? Humans were known to be fickle, and their emotions could not be trusted. Even if his heart truly remained faithful, what if his duty required him to marry? Once he sat on the throne and was offered to wed a beautiful lady with a background beneficial to the kingdom, would he refuse? Could he refuse? She didn’t wish to listen to his future of having other women around him.

Prince Theron stood up and quickly followed her, grabbing her hand to stop her from reaching his door. She tried to free her hand, but she immediately judged that if she was to apply force, she would hurt Prince Theron. It frustrated her, but she had no outlet to vent it.

The young man hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear, “Is someone getting jealous?”

As he could not see her face, she didn’t need to control her expression which showed how upset she was. However, her mouth remained stubborn. “Jealous? I don’t see anyone around here, Your Highness.” Her tone was polite yet sarcastic.

“Hmm, fine, if my lady says so.” He tightened his embrace around her. After several seconds, her stiff body slowly loosened up. Only then did he speak again. “Do you trust me, Esther?”

The way he lovingly said her name made her want to nod, to turn around and embrace him back, but she resisted the urge.

Prince Theron continued to speak, “As you say, it is normal for kings to have many lovers—but that doesn’t mean kings are not allowed to have only one. Believe me when I say that I wish to marry only this lovely woman in my arms. In the present, there is only Esther Burton, and in the future, there will be Esther Ivanov—there won’t be anyone else but her by my side.”

Such tender words melted the negative feelings flooding her heart. Esther swallowed the bitter words she was planning to say as a gorgeous smile bloomed on her face. He turned her around to look at her and he lightly kissed her forehead.

“You are the woman I want to cherish the most. Why would I do something that will make you unhappy? Do not doubt my feelings for you, my lady. Can you promise me that?”

Esther wanted to say something, but she found that she was so happy, she could not get rid of the silly smile on her face. She could only respond with a nod.

Prince Theron continued, “As soon as possible, I will talk to my father about us. I never had any intention of hiding our relationship in the first place. I want to be able to accompany you in the open, and I am sure once the royal family has officially announced their acceptance of our relationship, you won’t have to sneak into my bedchamber ever again, and neither will I have to let you go like this. All I ask from you is a little patience.”

Esther nodded and lowered her gaze, as she was still wearing that silly smile she could not get rid of. The thought of marrying him was itself enough to make her feel shy, but his sweet words were making her feel more and more embarrassed.

“I…need to go now,” she whispered under her breath.

“Hmm,” he agreed. She left through the door, and only after she disappeared from his sight did Prince Theron have the same bewildered question from before.

‘How did she reach my chamber unimpeded? Did she really put sleeping drugs in the food of my subordinates?’

Out of curiosity, he went out of his room, and just as expected, his knights were sleeping. He sighed and returned to his room.

“As long as only Esther comes for a night visit, it’s fine.”

He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling while having his own version of a silly smile on his face. He fondly recalled her expression of jealousy, as well as that gorgeous smile afterwards. He started dreaming about how his life would be with her once they are married.

“How many sons and how many daughters should we have…?”

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