The Abandoned Princess

4: House of Gold

It reminded me of the way people scheduled for execution and were treated with special care before they were killed. It very much felt like that.

Despite the disturbing thought I had just now I still want to eat all the watermelon. Consciously, I tucked a strand of my silver hair behind my ear, to avoid eating them.

"Do you want me to tie your hair?" Lucas unexpectedly offered. He chuckled at my bewildered reaction. I would never expect to hear him say those words especially what he's about  to  say next, "It might be hard to believe, but I am quite skilled at braiding."

Curiosity piqued, I allowed Lucas to lead me to the vanity table adorned with three-pane mirrors. I watched him brush my hair in the reflection as I continued to eat the watery fruit.

"You're really good at brushing," I complimented.

"I always brush Angel's." Lucas seemed less like a knight and more like a lady-in-waiting attending to his mistress.

Angel. A new lover?

He continues as he gingerly brushes my hair, "Angel's magnificent mane is as white as freshly fallen snow. I make sure to brush her on a daily basis to maintain her glorious figure."

Not a woman but a mare... A horse.

Hold on a minute.! He braids his horse's tail?

"Gu–.. Good for her then."

"Angel deserves the best, don't you think princess?" His eyes sparkled with a genuine fondness for his horse.

"...Yes." I decided to focus my attention back on the fruits before me and finish them before Lucas could speak another nonsense that would make me choke.

"While Angel's pristine white mane, his majesty's stallion was beautiful black. Next time I'll introduce you to my horse, princess."

"Mhmm. It's like you're a prince on a white horse."

"I guess I am, princess," Lucas said sounding delighted.

I wasn't exactly complementing him though.

He then proceeded to his so-called skill and braided my hair. I watched his reflection with a distrust stare. Who knows what he'll do to my hair?

"You have nothing to worry about princess. I went into harsh training under Daisy and braided her for a year. I'm pretty confident that it will turn out beautiful even though I'm a bit rusty. They say that there's room for trial and error. Let's do our best, princess!"

Look how cheerful my new lady-in-waiting was. I wish I had his optimism. And no, I'm not even doing anything for me to do my best.

The thing was...He learned how to braid from a horse. Does this horse have a long lovely tail that urges him to braid them?

"Daisy? Sounds like a fragile horse." I was now looking at him bleakly. As if there's nothing to be saved for this horse fanatic man.

Lucas burst into fitful laughter that even my head shook a bit as he continued to hold my hair. "Daisy is my childhood lover and a human girl. But she did look fragile back then, you got that one right." He continued to laugh with his heart content.

Why did I think that a horse was teaching him how to braid? Was it because of this fruit that I had concluded that Daisy was a horse? This must not be an ordinary watermelon.

Yup, let's just put the blame on the delicious cube-shaped watermelon.

"If you don't know, princess. I am the third child of an Earl. I lived my childhood life freely without a single worry about the world."

Wow, is he rubbing that to my face?

"And when I turned fourteen, I fell in love for the first time. Daisy was a daughter of a Baron who resides next to my family's territory. Daisy and I would secretly meet at the forest by the small lake, located between our family's territory. I promised her and the both of us things, whispered sweet nothings, and stole small kisses. For a year we did those things secretly and we were happy. Until my eldest brother found out. He thought that Daisy wasn't the one for me. He tried to change my mind countless of times but I continued to dismiss his concern. I didn't think he would resort to something that would destroy our relationship.

"I was clueless that my brother would meet her behind my back. And it took a month before I caught them kissing at the same spot where Daisy and I always meet. I asked for an explanation hoping that what I saw was wrong but she just said sorry. That one year we had was nothing to her.

"I was hurt and took it by heart causing me to hate my closest brother. He tried to explain that he didn't truly love Daisy, he was just helping me realize what kind of girl I fell in love with and was planning to marry...and that she was just aiming for the money that's why she easily jumped to my brother knowing he'll be the next Count. I didn't listen and decided to move to the capital and become a knight.

"My eldest brother realized what he did was wrong. With regrets and shame, he went on a journey to a different country. His letters to my family gradually lessen until he stops sending anymore. The last letter was for me saying, I'm getting married to someone I love. I hope you'll find your better half, Lucas. Since then he never came back and my second older brother took over the title."

How did our conversations turn out to be like this?

I stared at Lucas's handsome profile. He didn't look nor sound bitter nor broken. He actually sounds relieved and like he was telling a funny story.

"It's done," Lucas said, and when his emerald eyes met mine in the mirror he smiled. It was different from his usual smile, something more genuine.

My heart reacted weirdly. Did I just got charmed?

"I wonder why you've got tough luck when it comes to love?" I thoughtfully said.

"Perhaps I'm meant to be single," he chuckled.

"Ahh. . You dying as a maiden. I can see that."

"Eurk! Princess, I was joking! You don't have to agree with it," he said looking dejected.

I ignored him and uttered, "Sometimes the most beautiful part is when you found something you want without looking for it. Maybe it's applicable in love also, right?"

Love, huh.