The Princess of Hearts

Princess Neylia couldn keep her gaze off a certain young man who was standing amid the crowd in Viscuzzi hall. Those golden highlights in his hair were like the rays of the sun. He looked the part of a nobleman with his well-tailored clothing and polished footwear. He was tall and handsome, with a fair complexion and eyes that caught the Princesss attention.

Princess Neylia was captivated by his handsome features, especially his piercing ruby eyes. Her irregular heartbeat began the day she met him in the dead of winter.

Neylia was born into the Cadmorry Empires royal family. Her hair and eyes were a milky brown, and she had long, wavy tresses. Despite the fact that she probably wouldn ever be as beautiful as Prince Luvien or Princess Gialette, she still had her own distinct appearance.

She always acted like a spoiled brat when she was feeling bad because her mothers remarks kept echoing in her head. No matter how hard she tried, she could never measure up to her cousins. Everyones eyes would be on them right away. In contrast, she would have to invent a situation from scratch, populating it with every possible bad outcome.

The Princess was a pampered brat with a reputation for being a royal. If she could save her face by drawing attention to herself, she would. In spite of being informed of her wrongdoing by the emperor, he was unable to bring himself to punish his own daughter.

Although the nobility held the Emperor and his family in the highest regard, they occasionally felt sympathy for him because of the tragedy that had befallen the Empress that previous evening and because the Princess had never been taught proper manners.

In the hall, couples could be seen dancing. While some nobles choose to dance with their loved ones, others prefer to remain seated at their table, drink in hand, and debate various topics.

The princess took her customary place at the head of the table. Her father was there, but the Empress seat was empty. Her eyes were fixed on her current companion, a young male. He was imbibing in the champagne that was normally reserved for the aristocracy.

His gaze wandered aimlessly as if he were hunting for anything or someone. Neylias eyes became increasingly slender whenever the young man focused intently on anything or someone.

While her hands were clenched over the seats handle, one of her eyebrows raised.

Not even the lesser nobility dared to invite her to dance because she was a princess of the empire. Although there were some higher-ranking nobles present, not one of them dared to shake the Princesss hand. The reason why she was acting this way was widely known to be because she had her gaze firmly set on a specific individual.

”Id like to dance with you, Lady Melfania, if thats all right, ” a young man with strikingly better features than anyone around the corner may have asked a noble lady

His manners were impeccable. When he bowed, he naturally extended his hand. The young mans question elicited a startled reaction from the Lady. As her companion prodded her for an affirmative response, she was about to put both hands to her mouth.

Melfania, a noblewoman from the House of Terius, was born into a prestigious family. It was expected that the Princesss lady-in-waiting, the second daughter of Duke Melfore, would be her. The pinkish hue of her hair and eyes, along with her pale skin and attractive frame, made her a sight to behold. It was to be expected that Clistaine would be interested in her, considering she was one of the most beautiful women in the empire.

Clistaine Vermille, the lone son of Duke Belvin, was engaged to the Princess at the time. The Princesss escort, not any other woman, should have asked her to dance at her familys birthday party.

Despite the fact that everyone present was aware of Clistaines predicament, they continued to act as if they were oblivious to what was happening right before their eyes. After accepting the young mans invitation, Lady Melfania and he began dancing in the middle of the ballroom.

Neylia got up from her seat and headed over to where the couple was dancing as soon as she had seen enough. Even before the Princess could reach Melfanias hair, Clistaine had her arms grasped to prevent her from coming into contact with the Ladys body.

Clistaine smiled broadly but remarked, ”Your highness, it was such a delight to be greeted by you like this. ”

”Clistaine, Im not fooling around. Relax, and Ill show this woman whos the boss, ” as her eyes became less bright, Neylia replied.

”To be honest, your majesty, there is nothing she could learn from you. What I can do in return is take you somewhere. ”

”Let me go, Clistaine. Ill teach this woman a lesson! ”

”I beg you, Princess Neylia, to stay silent. ”

The focus of everyones attention was on the two people at the halls exit. The emperor got up from his seat and proceeded to visit with his courtiers nevertheless. Everybody resumed normal conversation after his phony cough and pretended nothing had happened.

In contrast, Melfania was standing on the sidelines until a young man in knight attire came to her aid.

”Im sorry to hear that, Princess Neylia, ” Clistaine enquired.

Clistaine sighed heavily once they had gotten some distance from the house. Like a disciplinary guardian, he took the Princess straight to the garden of her familys home.

Neylias eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth hung open. She tried speaking, but no words came out. Neylia waited for a whole second with her mouth agape before she spoke.

”Well, that settles it. Princess Neylia, I can take it any longer. Theres a chance you were once the imperial princess. Perhaps you were the woman I was going to marry. Yet if you consistently prioritize your own needs above those of others, you will never gain their respect. If you keep getting in the way of my relationship with Lady Melfania, you have no idea w