It didn't even take long before Elaine had half of the content of the new wine bottle finished while Esmeray stood nearby, observing her closely while he tried to stay as calm as possible.
"Your Grace..." Elaine started to speak but then stopped. She shook her head before correcting herself - "Esmeray..."
Esmeray almost stopped breathing for a moment as he heard her calling his name. Until that moment, he never knew how much he had been wanting to hear his name from her lips.
"Esmeray..." She repeated as if she was testing how smoothly his name rolled through her tongue. She looked at him again and for once, a small but genuine smile spread on her lips. "I love the way your name sounds. It's... beautiful."
She climbed down from the table she was sitting on and started walking toward him. She was merely a few steps away from him when her heels finally became a hurdle and tripped her.
