Slave's Love (Pirate!Spamano)

Capítulo 25 (veinticinco)

Elizabeta

The air outside stung my cheeks, freezing breeze rolling around, making my whole body shiver. With the Sun shining, the snow sparkled in one's vision like a beautiful diamond.

The horses thumped around impatiently, swishing their fluffy tails around and batting their ears to one side and then to the other side. They even bowed their heads to the ground, sniffing and gaping the white blanket in search of finding something to eat. They shudder when the wind hit them, huddling closer to each other while their breaths came out in hot puffs.

I pulled the silky blanket tighter around me, creating a little and meaningless shield against the cold and looked at my young companion who seemed rather tense. "What's wrong, my dear?" He looked up at me, fear in his eyes. "I just...never been on a carriage or rather sleigh in my life," he explained quickly, his voice dying out in embarrassment at the end. I chuckled at that, throwing the blanket round his shoulders as he jerked. "I don't—"

"Hush now," I said, "Toni won't let me live in peace if something happens to you. He did tell you to stay warm at the end, didn't he?"

Did Roma flush or were his cheeks red because of the cold? Maybe both. The coachman, an old man all dressed in warm clothes, came at last, taking his seat in the front before grabbing the thick leather reins. He turned to me, a kind smile on his face. "Wohin, meine Dame?" I rolled my eyes but chuckled softly at my friend's silliness. "Wien, bitte. Das Geschäft, in dem ich gerne einkaufe," he nodded his head at that and turned away, settling in his seat a bit better. The man grabbed a tall whip but didn't use it just yet; he only tapped the horses' backs with the reins, a few sounds escaping his lips that got the animals moving.

As soon as the vehicle moved, I could see Roma grabbing the blanket around him, his breath hitching. I laughed, pulling him closer and patting his head gently. "Don't worry, my dear! It's nothing to be afraid of," I said, my voice light and cheerful but that didn't seem to convince the young Italian.

Clearing my throat, I let my lips quirk into a little smile. "Are you excited to see the city? It's the first time you'll get to see one, isn't it?" I looked at him and now way more relaxed, Roma shrugged his shoulders. "It won't be the first time; I've already been to Barcelona," he paused, lips becoming a line, "but under different circumstances." My mouth opened to say something but my mind didn't manage to come up with a remark, thus our ride was silent for a while.

"Well then, are you excited for some shopping?" He leaned into his seat, crossing his legs and pulling the blanket closer to him, nose buried in the soft fabric. The Italian once again only shrugged, making me sigh mentally; This is going to be a long day. Neither of us spoke again, just looking around, letting the surroundings fill our heads.

Hooves clicked gently, the thumping muffled by snow. Suddenly, the carriage jerked and the boy's reaction made me giggle; he jolted as well, hand flying to hold onto something. He looked a bit sick but tried to not let it affect his features and so, he sat as comfortably as possible to give off a casual look.

"May I ask you something?" He said, catching me off guard. I gave him a side-glance and nodded, "What might it be, my dear?" He let go of whatever he was holding, sulking a bit. "Why did Antonio tell you that and why did he cut you off earlier?" A silent "ah" left me but then I stayed quiet, thinking and playing with the question in my mind.

I didn't want to say anything too detailed to the boy; not that I didn't trust him, I did, mainly after keeping such secret. But I didn't want to say anything Toni wouldn't want me to say. Good thing my friend in the front didn't understand English at all; no matter how long we've known each other and no matter how well I knew him, some things must be hidden even from our dearest friends. And this was still so new to me, too; I didn't really know what to think myself, let alone tell Romano.