Chapter 298: Our Understanding
I could feel regret in his tone, and something about it just didn’t sit well with me. I was the one who was in the wrong and there was no reason why the prince should feel like he had done anything wrong.
“It’s not your fault. Please don’t say anything like this...” I desperately tried to convince him.
“Thank you, Mila...” the prince thanked me before offering me another warm smile.
I felt a wonderful feeling bubbling up in my chest at the sight of his encouraging smile. Without thinking, my lips curved upward into a smile. As our eyes met, I could feel like we had arrived at another level of understanding, and I felt eternally grateful for it. I was wholly convinced that I had made the right decision to be honest and admit to what I had done to the prince. Everything turned out much better than I could have ever dreamt of.
“Duchess Flavia is well liked and respected by almost everyone in the palace and out of it. Most people have the same thing to say about her. She’s beautiful, kind, lovely, talented, and full of positive energy. On top of that, it is obvious to everyone that she is a very special person to the king despite not spending so much time by his side,” the prince told me before he came to a pause.
“I see...” I murmured softly while I waited for him to go on.
Prince Leonard had a faraway look in his eyes as if he was recalling his own memories of the duchess. Because she is Prince Florian’s mother, I could see how Prince Leonard would have been exposed to her as well when he was younger.
“Did you know that Duchess Flavia is the only member of the close royal family who is allowed to live outside of the palace?” the prince asked as he suddenly turned his attention to me.
“Oh, no. She never mentioned that to me,” I replied honestly.
“Unlike the rest of us who have to live here, Duchess Flavia has her own palace in the heart of the city where she can be closer to the theatres and museums of art. Of course, she still has a place of her own in the palace walls, but she doesn’t spend a lot of time there,” the prince explained further.
I wasn’t sure why the prince was telling me this, but I did find it interesting. It was quite unexpected for the king’s lover to be living away from the palace.
“The king allowed this?” I asked softly.