"Did we do anything special last year?"
"Well, we didn't do anything special last year. We just celebrated the fact that we hadn't done anything special the year before!"
"Is that so? Then, dear Anton, why don't you try and find out what speciality we can add to the festival this year?" asked Flavian, in a commanding tone with a smiley face.
It was a massive blow to Anton. He regretted speaking his mind. He took a deep breath and thought hard. He knew he could change Flavian's mind, but it was too late. He had to make it happen.
"Yes, Your Highness. I shall do my best to find something suitable we can include in this year's festival," cried Anton, wiping his imaginary tears off.
Leesa was on her way to the office when she met Anton. "Good morning, Anton," she greeted Anton with a smile.
There is nothing good in this morning, Anton thought to himself. "Good morning, Lady Marlene. I hope you have a good day today."
"What's wrong why so long face in the early morning?"
"I was talking with His Highness about the great festival to come and if there was something we could plan as a speciality this year."
"Oh, that's great. So why the despair?
"His Highness gave me the task of finding something special to include in the festival, all because of my one mistake," answered Anton, with a sigh.
"Ah, I am sorry to hear that. Please let me know if I can help."
"Yes, thank you for your kind offer, Lady Marlene. You are as generous as ever."
Leesa had developed sympathy for Anton in the past month after working together. Anton was always covered with a mountain of workload every day. You could say the only one who could make the busy crown prince's schedule look easy was Anton. He worked hard and supported Flavian to the best of his abilities though since last month the scenario has changed as Leesa took half of his workload away.
"May I come in, Sire?" asked Leesa, knocking on the door.
"Yes, you may enter."
"These are yesterday's plied-up documents, Sire. Please look into them by this evening."
"Yes, put them on my table," said Flavian.
"Sire, I hope you will be a little kind to Anton. He looked so down when I saw him on my way to the office."
"My lady, who do you think is your employer?"
"Well, I guess it's you, Sire, but Anton always seems so down, so I thought maybe you could give him a boost!"
"Don't worry, my lady, I am planning to give him some time off during the festival."
"He will be very thankful, Sire."
Until now, Flavian had refrained from making any significant changes to the situation between him and Leesa. He feared that any changes might upset the delicate balance he had worked so hard to maintain. He intended to progress gradually, so as not to arouse Leesa's suspicions prematurely. He reminisced about their past lives and realized that he had been quite stubborn in his pursuit of Ella until she finally surrendered and accepted his feelings. Therefore, he resolved to recreate the activities that had once brought them closer during their time together.
All the work had piled over because of the cultivation season and it would get even more busy once they officially started preparing for the festival. The preparations for the upcoming festival are set to commence soon, with only about three months left until the event. Flavian felt a sense of urgency, realizing that time was running out if he hoped to make Leesa fall in love with him before the festival began. It was like trying to sprint a marathon in slow motion, trying to cover as much ground as possible in a short amount of time.
Flavian was determined to make every second count. He resolved to create a lasting impression on Leesa and make her fall in love with him. As he made his plans, the night had already advanced to nearly 10 o'clock. Flavian wasn't entirely sure how Leesa would react, but he knew he had no other option but to give it a try.
"My lady, would you like to have a drink with me?" Flavian asked in an unconfident tone.
"Like right now, Sire?" Why wine all of a sudden? Thought Leesa to herself.
"Yes, is the time, um... no good, perhaps?"
"No, it's fine Sire. Should I ask the footmen to bring a nice bottle of wine to the office?"
"No, my lady, I have a place in mind. I'll ask him myself. Before then, why don't you change into something comfortable and refresh yourself?"
Leesa typically wore formal attire when serving Flavian. However, he suggested that she wear more comfortable clothing on this occasion to ensure a more relaxed atmosphere and help her feel less like they were engaged in official duties.
"If you say so, Sire, I will meet you in 15 minutes."
'Well, now thinking about it, he might want to get a breather from all the piled-up work since yesterday. As for the work, it has gotten more and more hectic for the past two days, but now that I think about it, the rainy season is just getting started, and it is bound to intensify even more. Yup, better take a break now that we still have time.'
"Sure, take your time, my lady."
The place Flavian was thinking of was the terrace of the Berly Palace. Since the rainy season was about to start the night breeze was pretty refreshing and cool so it would set a pleasant atmosphere for drinking and having a little chat.
As the footmen and other servants helped to lay down a thick comfortable cloth for Flavian and Leesa to sit on, they also arranged the bottle of wine in the middle of the mattress and some food that went well with the wine. After the arrangements were done the footmen came to Flavian's office to inform him about the fulfilment of his task. And soon after Leesa entered the office.