“It’s been a while, Miss Sofia.” “Glad to see you again, Prince Abott,” Sofia greeted Abott politely before turning to the side and greeting Freya.
The three spoke in a casual tone, indicating they already knew each other before today’s banquet. On the contrary, Tessa was quite nervous as royalty was now standing right in front of her.
But soon, she found Hobbs, the man she met in the garden a while ago, standing nearby. Meeting her gaze, he inclined his head slightly. At the same time, Freya and Sofia were exchanging words.
“I was worried sick when you didn’t give al concrete answer to my invitation to perform during the celebration. I almost thought that you wouldn’t agree with it. It’s been a while since I listened to your live performance, and it’s been on my mind this whole time. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“I’m glad you like my music, Princess Freya. However, at that time, I had to make sure my apprentice could come with me.’ Sofia looked happy when she explained things. Everyone could tell she was in a good mood simply from her expression.
After all, turning the princess into a fan was a huge achievement. Her words took Freya aback. “Did your apprentice not want to perform?”
“It’s not about that. Something happened to her quite a while ago, and she only recovered recently. When I knew the invitation involved her, I was worried that she couldn’t perform due to her health.”
After that, Sofia gestured to Tessa, who stood beside her. She then introduced Tessa to the couple. “Here she is. Meet Tessa Reinhart, who is also my last student. She is more talented than the students before her, so I’m expecting her to take over my place when I retire.”
Tessa wasn’t expecting Sophia to think so highly of her, so she didn’t immediately respond. to the words. When she came back to her senses, she greeted Freya politely, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Freya.”
“The pleasure is mine. Sofia thinks highly of you, and I’m already looking forward to your performance. Some time ago, I happened to come around to the piece you published online. I must say it’s very nice.”
At that moment, Freya recognized Tessa as the talented musician who made her name widely known around the world a while ago. However, the group only managed to exchange.
a few words because the other musicians kept approaching them to greet the royals. In the end, Sofia took their leave with Tessa in tow.
Later that night, Abott dismissed all the guests who tried to approach him. He found a secluded corner to share drinks with his best friend, Hobbs.
Nudging Hobbs with his elbow, he teased, “Did you have your eye on anyone among the guests tonight?”Upon hearing his words, Hobbs recalled his encounter in the garden earlier. There’s indeed one gentle girl…
Abott’s eyes shone in excitement when he noticed Hobbs’ hesitation. It was obvious that his best friend had someone in mind. “If you are interested in any of them, you can tell me. I’ll help you to reach her.”
“Nope.” Hobbs snapped back to reality and denied it.
Abott didn’t care to trust his denial. Instead, the prince waggled his brows. “You don’t need to be shy. If there’s someone, tell me. You don’t have to worry about your family. I’ll deal with it.”
The Hobbs Family was a family of noblemen. As Hobbs claimed his father’s title and grew up with Abott, the two were close, which explained Abott’s antics.
Afraid that Abott would make a fuss over it, Hobbs raised his hands and surrendered. “Spare me from your matchmaking game. I’m not interested in anyone.”
After he finished the words, he took Abott’s chance to reply by adding, “Here comes your princess. You can be lovey-dovey all you want, just don’t you dare think about meddling with my love life.”
Freya arrived at the table to see Hobbs fleeing the scene. She shot a confused look at Abott. “Am I some kind of monster? Why did he run away?”
“Nonsense, darling. He’s just sensitive to love.” Abott gently pulled Freya into his embrace. The banquet went on until midnight. Sofia sent Tessa back to the hotel herself.
Meanwhile, Nicholas had been waiting for Tessa in the room. When Tessa walked into the room, he immediately greeted her out of concern, “Welcome back. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Not too tired, Tessa assured him before jumping into his arms and giving him a kiss.
