HIS DECEITFUL WOMAN

19. Let's Talk

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Praying that I won't run out of ideas. Hope you will still enjoy this one.

Love lots! ❤️

* * * * * * *

"Mo… mother." A weak voice called out by the entrance of the big study room.

"Young miss! What are you doing here? Please sit down." Tara, the lady attendant, guided the young woman to the nearest seat.

Lady Melinda is known to have a fragile body caused by the accident two decades ago. She walks slower than an average person and her immune system becomes weaker over time. Unknown to many, as the years went by, the young maiden’s skin also became more feeble. The royal doctors couldn't find out the cause of it and most of them linked her condition to the accident several years ago. Her underlying condition has no cure but it won’t cause her demise. Simply put she will carry it until her last breath.

Duchess Dinah looked at the meek young lady who just entered the room and who hid half of her lower face with a white silk cloth. A set of green eyes stared back at her but those didn't hold a vibrant tone like that of Amelia's. Nonetheless, she's also waiting for an answer to her attendant's question and didn’t bother to repeat the same inquiry.

"I… I want to see them." The young lady softly responded. 

"Tara, you may leave." Duchess Dinah dismissed her attendant without batting her eyelashes and continued to look at Melinda. The mother and daughter were left inside the room. "It's not yet the time."

"When is the right time?" The young maiden asked in a desperate tone as she undid the mask covering her face. She's a pretty woman who can easily make any man fall for her looks.

"You promised." Duchess Dinah reminded her of the oath which both of them made and continued staring at the young lady who has a resemblance with Amelia Eakins.

The young lady sighed and marched towards the big window. Her eyes became more distant because of the situation. She's been at the big mansion since she was a child. They didn't lock her but she grew up with an abnormal childhood. She had no real playmates of the same age and the only people she had met, aside from their household members and employees, were her academic tutors. She's grateful but a part of her longs for something more.

Lady Melinda wanted to experience what it's like to be outside the estate's vicinity. She wanted to explore beyond the gardens and the vast field of the Salem mansion. She loves the whole place but she hopes to see the world. When she saw the online news of her engagement, she had mixed feelings. If her future husband will be the future king, she will possibly travel a lot, right?

But even with the engagement, they wouldn't let her even meet Prince Neero. Well, for now she can't. According to her mother, she needs to prepare for the matrimony and be at her best physical condition. She needs to focus on being better.

"Melinda..." Dinah called out but couldn't bring herself to say any other words.

The young lady just bowed her head in dismissal as she covered her face again and left the room with a gloomy expression. No one knows her actual visage except for her mother and the Salem family. It's one of the conditions attached to the oath she had made with the Salem matriarch.

—----

"So… what now?" Leah broke the silence first as they traveled back to the grand hotel. 

"What do you mean?"

"You and prince charming."

"There's no such thing." Mia shortly replied, dismissing the topic. She's telling herself not to be affected by this temporary thing. It's better this way, right? She needed to disappear in his life because Neero's wedding is fast approaching.