“In private!?” Rafael repeated the words with a raised brow as if challenging them to repeat it that only infuriated Venisa further!

“Yes, I have something important to discuss!” her eyes wandered from him to Hazel, who was looking bored with the discussion.

She was not even looking at them but in the food section!

Yet the man turned to her to ask for her permission.

Venisa gritted her teeth in frustration but there was no change in expressions of Diana as if she was not even a least bit affected by the presence of Hazel.

“I..”

“I think you shall go and talk! Since I did not want to see the face of the girl! Her ugly face made me feel nauseating!” Hazel waved the hands in front of her as if the air around her filled with foul smell due to Venisa!

“You! What do you..” Venisa took hurried steps toward Hazel, but was held back by Diana!_.

“Please, my lord! The matter is only getting worse!” Rafael sighed and nodded when Diana looked at him with a pleading gaze, her voice had an urgency that even Rafael could not let go of!

“Be good honey, and wait for me right here! I will be back soon!” He cupped her cheeks and gazed into her eyes with an adoring look but she knew he wanted her to stay away from the councilman and not spout nonsense since they were about to leave!

“…….” did he think she was a child who needed his guarding all the time!? She wanted to tell him that she was safest when she was far away from him.

But she nodded her head like a sweet innocent child.

Rafael’s eyes flickered, but there was no way to see through his real emotion or guess what he was thinking with that kind and sweet smile on his face.

He really looked like an angel of mercy with that look!

He nodded and all three of them walked away from Hazel who finally felt like she could breathe!

Since the time she had entered, Rafael was sticking to her like a bug that would not let her go away no matter what!

She had not even eaten well in all that pressure! She took slow steps towards the food section as if she was only wandering while accidentally reaching there!

After changing the menu once again, it has all kinds of assorted dishes with all types of meat and the veggies from before were on the sidelines too!

“Do you need anything, your majesty!” they were still calling her lady Hazel before the party! Now she had suddenly become the empress, huh?

She raised a brow on their sudden change of attitude!

“I wanted to have dessert!” they all nodded and with the speed of lightning they brought a ton of sweets and desserts for hazel. They were so much that Hazel was sure she would not be able to finish all of them even if she ate the whole night without taking a break.

‘Hmm, being the empress is not as bad as I had thought!’ she mused as she picked up a blueberry cake. The soft texture melted in her mouth the moment it touched her tongue.

Everything made for the banquet was of best quality and gave utmost importance to. The sweet yet a bit tangy taste felt heavenly. Her eyes closed and a blissful smile formed on her face that had not come even when Rafael had danced with her or even when he had fired Venisa’s father for her sake!

She looked content and sweet with that smile, that she even forgot that she was standing in the alley of blood suckers for a moment!

On the other side,

“So, I sum up the whole discussion in a single line, that we all think you are taking the matter too far, my lord. Please reconsider your…”

“So it was that easy!” Just when Diana was about to end her half an hour long monologue, the face of the man shone as if he had seen a miracle.

His eyes flickered and he muttered a sentence that brought new hopes on the face of the girls.

He waved his hands into the air, and called a nearby miad, who came running!

“My lord!”

“I want a dozen blueberry cakes in my bedroom every night!”

“Yes, my lord!”

“……” blueberry cake??!! Diana and Venisa exchanged glances but both were looking equally clueless! Whole face turned ugly but she covered it with a neutral smile again.

It was as if she was not least bit affected but her hands clenched tightly under her dress! She was so frustrated when she noticed that his gaze was on Hazel all this time that he did not even listen to what she was saying!

She was muttering like a fool all this time! In the end, she had made a joke of her in front of even maids who had realized that they needed to keep Hazel happy to get his grace!

“Pardon! I did not get what you meant, my lord!” it was better to act like a fool than to accept that he did not care about her even a bit!

“Nothing! I was just looking after my wife! She seems to be too fond of these cakes.

Anyways, what were you saying?”

“……” here her wish to act like a fool went out of the window too!

Now she could only smile like a fool to cover her embarrassment!

Taking a few deep breath, while her nails dug deep into her arms,

“I am talking about your decision, my lord! I think it was too harsh a punishment. Lady Vanessa had been our friend for so long!”

Venisa nodded as she came forward to plead the same when the eyes of the man turned cold,

“Do you want me to prove a liar by taking back the words I have announced in front of everyone, Diana? I have expected better from you!”