The Prince's Bride ✔️

|Chapter 9|

Once I have Harlem put away, I walk to the castle's front, where Stefan is waiting for me. 

"I hope you don't mind walking, and," he nods over his shoulder to two men decked out in their royal guard uniforms.  "I hope it doesn't bother you to have two tag alongs."

I give him a small grin, "I think I'll allow it, given the circumstance.  I'd hate to put the prince at risk."

A small smile graces his lips as he takes my arm and loops it through his. 

He leads me down the pavement.  After a little stint, to our left, I notice what looks like a gated village.  "Stefan?" The inquiring tone of my voice makes him stop.  "What is that over there?"  I nod to the village.  It's small but yet almost magical, looking like a tiny town nestled in a field.

"That is the castle's staff quarters provided by the palace. "

"Oh."  My brows rise in surprise.  "I suppose I assumed they bought their own houses on the island.  

"Some do."  Stefan's gaze shifts to the street where a horse and carriage pass by.  The drive tips hat to us as he passes.  Stefan turns his attention back to me with a warm smile on his face.   "The closer you get to the palace, the high the real estate becomes."

"Nautrally."  I agreed with a nod, but I still don't understand the necessity of the tiny village.

"So the housing the staff would be able to  afford is on the other side of the island.   It's very nice real estate,  but quite a distance away for an island that doesn't permit the usage of motor vehicles."  Stefan stops when we get a crosswalk.  He reaches up and plucks a pear off of a nearby tree and hands it to me.  While I bite into the sweet grainy flesh of the pear, Stefan guides me across the street.  

The fruit's juices burst to life in my mouth, pulling a home of delight from me.  

"I'm glad you're enjoying the pear."  Stefan smiles down at me.

"Hmm."  I hum.  "The fruit here is always so good, though I've never had anything from the Crown's trees.  I usually save them for those more in need."

A sly grin crosses his face,  "Well typically that is protocol, but there aren't many in need on the Crown's Island.  We have volunteer pickers come out and deliver it to the poorer islands.  We have free markets set up there where people can come and take what they need.  The extras end up getting made into wine, in which we sell or trade for other goods, like grains,   meat, and nessities like that, that we can provide at the free market."

I look up at Stefan, astonished.  This is the first time I've heard of the free market.  "How long has there been a free market?"

"Since I implicated it last year."  Stefan gives me a glance before nodding across the street. "May I buy you a coffee?"

I glance over at the Turkish-style cafe with little metal tables sitting out under a bright, vibrant red awning.  "Of course."  

Stefan and I wait for a large wagon carrying goods to pass before hurrying across the street.  He pulls a chair out for me at one of the cafe's tables and goes inside to order.

While he's gone, I take advantage of the moment to take in the downtown area.  The island is so quiet, not just from lack of vehicles either.  You can tell the people that live here are genuinely happy.  Everything moves at a slower, more relaxed pace.  The only people that seem to be in a rush are the ones I can tell are on vacation here.  They're the ones bustling in and out of shops and historical sites, trying to see all that they can, while the shopkeepers amusingly help them in a much calmer state.

After several minutes I see Stefan, along with his guards,  step out of the shop.  Behind him, an elder, grey-haired woman, with weathered skin, and a delightful smile follows him out holding a tray with two small cups and a tower of sweets on it.

Once Stefan takes his seat across from me, the older woman sets a coffee down in front of us and the small copper tower down between us.

"Thank you."  Stefan nods to her, dismissing her with a kind smile.  

"This is quite the spread."  My eyes dance over the pink powdered candies, chocolates, and biscuits. 

"The treats will help cut some of the bitterness of the coffee."  Stefan picks up his cup and takes a sip.

I'm not sure where to begin.  It all looks so delicious.  A small tea cake with a decorative pansy on top catches my eye.  I pluck it from the tray and take a small bite.  A sweet, flowery taste fills my scenes, making me hum in delight.

Stefan chuckles, making my cheeks heat. 

"Please, forgive me," I bashfully ask of him.

Stefan sits up in his chair and grabs a piece of chocolate.   "Don't worry yourself.   I'm glad you're enjoying it."  He plops the piece of chocolate into his mouth.  I watch his strong jaw chew and try to keep from embarrassing myself further by drooling over him.

I need to distract myself from his extraordinarily good looks.  If we have to be married, I'd like to know that can enjoy more than just his body.  "This free market," I start before tasking a skip of the strong, bitter, robust coffee. "Is it available to anyone?"

Stefan shakes his head, "We don't want those that aren't in need deplenishing the supplies of those that do need it, so it's based on their income.  They have vouchers that they can use when the check out."   His gaze shifts to mine, and I can feel my stomach churn with excitement. "I'll have to take you to one sometime."

"I'd love that." I smile and take another sip of my coffee.  The warm liquid hearts my chest.  Silence falls around us as I struggle to think of things to say.  It isn't awkward, though.  There's a sense of comfort sitting with him, listening to the birds sing their sweet melodies and the steady trots of horses' hooves against the pavement. 

"I was told you studied abroad and not here,"  Stefan picks up the delicate cup and takes a drink before indulging in another biscuit.  

I nod and smooth out the wrinkles in my shirt. "I did.  It was my parents' choice. I think they were trying to keep me out of sight of other noblemen my age, at least until they picked the one they wanted me to marry."

"Your parents wanted you to study abroad, and you did.  Your parents wanted you to marry me, and you agreed." A glint sparkles in the corner of Stefan's eye that almost takes my breath away. "Pray, tell me, Lady Greylynn, do you do anything your parents wouldn't approve of?"

I can feel the heat on my cheeks rise, and my neck grows red.  "I'm not sure what you mean, your highness." Though several thoughts come barging into my head, none of which I want to say allowed.

Stefan shakes his head, and whatever spark twinkled in the corner of his eye fades. "Nothing of importance."

I swallow hard as my gaze drops to my cup. He probably finds me dull.  If he is the playboy type, as the news likes to portray, then I am the complete opposite of what he's typically interested in.  I'm not the wild, out, all-night partying type.  

"I stole a horse," I confess, mustering up one wrong thing that I can find.

When I glance up to meet Stefan's gaze, I find it locked on me with shocked curiosity. 

"I was in secondary school.  There was a farm next to the all-girls academy that I went to.  There was a horse that seemed malnourished and worn down, so snuck out one night, went to the farm, and brought it to the school's stables.  I stayed up feeding it and brushing it down. It took a couple of days for the stable master and the farmer to piece it all together, and the horse was returned, but it had a few good days before it went back.  I was almost kicked out of school over it."

"That hardly seems rebellious," Stefan chuckles.  "I don't think anyone can knock you for an act of kindness."