Chapter 340
Xander suddenly leaned so close that Athena could almost count the pores on his face. The long, trang sleeves of his robe nearly brushed against her ruffled skirt. The shadow cast by his lashes enveloped her, and the emotions churning in his eyes were like quenched iron, making her throat go dry. Athena felt her mind go completely blank and instinctively hold her breath.
Athena’s cheeks flushed as she instinctively stepped back, only for a large hand to suddenly pull her close by her slender waist. Xander’s deep voice murmured in her ear, “Watch your step.”
Startled, Athena finally glanced down and spotted a pebble at her feet. Athena looked at Xander, flustered and helpless, and pleaded in a whisper, “Let go, please. Someone might see us.”
Xander’s voice was as deep as liquor-soaked velvet, laced with a heady mix of intoxication and burning desire. He murmured, “Shouldn’t we start planning our wedding? If I don’t marry soon, I’ll end up a confirmed bachelor.”
Xander was twenty-five. Most men his age already had children in school. Yet Xander stubbornly refused to wed, driving Alexandra Cavendish to fury every time she saw him.
The bugs’ chirping suddenly seemed deafening, and Athena could clearly hear the frantic pounding of her own heart. The scent of his sandalwood perfume grew even stronger, enveloping her in a gentle, inescapable embrace.
Flustered, she looked up, only to meet his smiling gaze. His amber eyes now blazed with wildfire, the intensity making even the tips of her ears red. Yet he feigned ignorance, shamelessly pressing his suit for marriage as if utterly oblivious to the effect he had on her.
Athena, both annoyed and flustered, gave him a shove and protested, “Stop this nonsense!”
Seeing her shyness, Xander laughed–a deep, honeyed sound that welled up from his chest, rich and intoxicating. Athena’s cheeks burned crimson with embarrassment. Flustered and vexed, she spun around and marched toward the manor, snapping at Lance. “Shut the door. Don’t let anyone in!”
With that, she practically stormed inside. Lance’s jaw dropped in shock. He thought, “Anyone? Does that include Prince Xander? As if I’d ever dare to stop Prince Xander!”
Fortunately, Xander didn’t trouble Lance. He simply instructed, “Inform her that I’ll be returning home for a few days to attend to some personal matters. I shall call on her again once these matters are settled.”
Lance nearly dropped to his knees in deference, bobbing his head like a buoy in rough waters, “Understood, Your Highness!”
However, before leaving, Xander added, “I’ll have my messenger deliver a letter here every day. Make sure your lady reads it and writes me back.”
As he spoke, he looked every bit the spirited young man, with none of his usual princely solemnity. Lance thought, “If Prince Xander weren’t standing right in front of me, I’d swear he was bewitched.”
It wasn’t until Xander had left that Lance finally broke into a silly grin. He thought, “Prince Xander isn’t bewitched. He’s just smitten with Lady Allenia. That explains everything.”
Xander stood outside the gates of the Xander Manor, gazing up at the imposing estate as the warmth in his eyes turned icy. The Xander Manor can have only one mistress. If I’m getting married, then no other woman will remain here, he thought coldly. With a glacial expression, he ascended the steps and strode into the manor.
Nelson hurried over, beaming with joy as he greeted him, “Your Highness, you’re finally back!”
Xander replied softly, “Where’s Mather?”
“Lady Alexandra is in the garden, speaking with Lady Kendra,” Nelson replied.
He had assumed that with Xander away, Kendra Porter would have had the decency to leave. Yet, to his surprise, she had been staying here for nearly two months now, showing no intention of departing.
“Doesn’t she have a home of her own? Why is she shamelessly clinging on like this?” Nelson thought bitterly.
Xander’s expression darkened as he strode purposefully toward the garden. Word of his return had reached Alexandra’s ears the moment Xander stepped through the manor gates. Kendra fixed her longing gaze on the courtyard entrance. When Xander’s imposing figure finally appeared, tears welled up in her eyes. She clutched her handkerchief in silence, her face a picture of deep grievance. “How could he abandon me here in the manor for two whole months without even showing his face? Has Athena truly stolen his heart?”
Xander approached Alexandra, bowed respectfully, and said, “Greetings, Mother.” Though Alexandra was annoyed by his behavior, he was still her son. With Kendra present, she spared him some embarrassment.
She shot him a reproachful glare, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Well, look who finally deigned to come home. If Kendra hadn’t been here to keep me company these past few days, I’d be dead by now.”
Of course, she was exaggerating. She just caught a cold, but she made it sound like she was dying.
Xander’s expression remained unchanged, but the corners of his lips slowly curved into a faint smile. That smile was like the last frost clinging to spring branches–deceptively gentle, yet radiating an icy detachment that kept others at bay. Dark currents swirled in his amber eyes, the fleeting emotion vanishing in an instant, replaced by careless indifference. “I apologize for worrying you, Mother. As soon as I finished my business outside, I came straight back, didn’t I?”
His words made Alexandra’s eyes light up with joy. She wondered, “Does this mean he’s broken things off with Athena? Then Kendra might actually have a chance! Who in their right mind would choose a pebble over a jewel? Athena isn’t worthy of Xander. Even as a Duchess now, her scandalous reputation is something she can never hide.”
Smiling, Alexandra took Kendra’s hand and gave it a gentle pat. She said to Xander, “At least you’ve still got some sense. You absolutely must make it up to Kendra.”
“Your counsel is wise, Mother,” Xander replied evenly, his expression giving nothing away.
But these words sent a tidal wave through Kendra’s heart, igniting a storm of emotions within her. She stared at Xander in shock, her eyes shining with barely concealed joy. Has Xander finally noticed me?” she wondered.
“Mother,” Xander said calmly, “Kendra has reached marriageable age. I’ve selected several eligible bachelors of compatible social standing for her. Should she be willing, arrangements can be made for the families to meet.”
Xander’s words hit Kendra like a bucket of ice water, dousing the last embers of warmth in her heart and chilling her to the core. All she ever cared about was Xander. For him, she endured all the gossip and rumors, staying in the Xander Manor to care for Alexandra. Yet all her devotion was met with nothing but his cruel, heartless rejection.
Kendra couldn’t accept this reality. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Her eyes red with emotion, she knelt at Alexandra’s feet, her voice trembling yet resolute as she protested, “Aunt, even if I were truly shameless, I would never shamelessly cling to the Xander Manor. Had you not insisted on keeping me here, why would I stay instead of returning to my own home!” Sobbing uncontrollably, Kendra choked out, “I understand, cousin Xander. I’ll leave right away. I won’t bother you anymore.”
She stood to leave, but Alexandra would not let her. Alexandra swiftly grabbed Kendra’s wrist and whirled around, her eyes blazing and her face pale with rage as she glared at Xander, “Xander, how can you be so heartless and ungrateful? You know full well that Kendra has waited for you for years. Now, she is growing out of the proper age for marriage, and yet you say such cruel things. Do you even have any decency?”