"Come again!" you politely told them, handing them their small bag of fruits. The group of children in front of you smiled gleefully, some with of them with missing teeth, making them look all the more adorable. Immediately diving into the bag to grab the plums and apples, they began to munch on them already. You chuckled to yourself as they scrambled away, disappearing into the crowds to who knew where.
Your Indian friend had an amused look on his face when he walked over to your stall from his. Leaning in the back of the small space, he crossed his arms and let out a yawn. "How are you faring? I'm glad to see a smile finally appear on your face after encountering those children. Did you have a rough morning today?"
Your stepmother and stepsisters weren't any worse than they typically were any other day, but it were the mistakes you made. No one else except you to blame your problems on, to you it felt like it'd be shameful to tell Aziel what truly happened. Averting your [e/c] eyes away from him, you softly muttered out, "You can say that, I guess."
"What do you mean by that, [Y/N]...?"
Brushing his question off, you brought the smile back on your lips, although this time it was a little more forced. "How are Ren and Talia? I feel like I haven't seen them in ages. I would love to come visit again sometime," you told him. He only let out a sigh of disappointment before he chose to go along with you. Thankful for his understanding, relief surged in at the thought of not having to explain. He really was a wonderful fatherly figure... Ren and Talia were lucky to have him.
"They're doing well. They especially miss you and your delicious muffins you would sometimes bring over," he said, his eyes growing fond.
"I will make sure to bake some more muffins the next time I come to visit. Blueberry muffins at that too - I know how much Ren enjoys them," you responded, shoving down the haunting feeling of envy for the millionth time. You hated how that emotion controlled so much of your interactions... you despised how it would come up in the most lighthearted conversations... and you feared that it could lead to the ruin of your relationship with others.
"You're welcome to our home anytime. You're family at this point." The man grinned at you and you nodded in response, feeling slightly better due to his assurance.
"Are you in business at this time?" a voice called out behind you. In surprise, you whirled around and nearly flinched when you saw dim green eyes. It took you a minute to process the young man that stood in front of you, for he lacked a certain item you've grown used to seeing: the top hat. Without it, his wavy brown locks matted with striking blond highlights fell over his forehead. It was so strange to see him without it - in a way, he looked like an entire new person.
You also didn't expect to ever see him again... but here you were, meeting him once more after a few days. "B-Blaise?!" you couldn't help but exclaim a little.
Shock prominent in his own expression, the corner of his lips soon curved upwards. "[Y/N]! I didn't realize that was you from behind. I was just here for the fruits, but how lucky it is for me to run into you again," he greeted, giving you a playful salute using his two fingers.
"You're not wearing your top hat."
He winked at you and reached up to run through his hair with his fingers. "No ma'am, I'm not. How do you like it?"
"It's good I guess," you murmured awkwardly.
Blaise was now looking at something - or rather, someone - behind you. "And who could this be?"
You peered over your shoulder to see Aziel curiously watching the two of you from the background. Feeling your cheeks heat up as if you were a girl getting caught doing something embarrassing in front of her parents, you quickly decided to introduce the two of them to each other. "I apologize for not doing this sooner. Blaise, this is Aziel. Aziel, this is Blaise."
Your stall neighbor finally walked up to the front of the stall and stood next to you. Aziel gave a nod to the other man in greeting. "I work at the stall over and I'm a friend of [Y/N]'s. It seems you know her true identity as well. How so?"
Blaise let out a chuckle. "What is this? An interrogation? I know [Y/N] because I know [Y/N]. There's not much else to say on the matter." You noticed the older male stiffen beside you and it seemed that your new customer had taken noticed as well. "I'm just joking! The name is Blaise and I met this pretty girl in front of my shop. We've had a few more encounters and I learned a bit about her. Here we are once more, meeting."
Fortunately, Aziel relaxed a little at that. "You sure are a handsome fella," he pointed out, cracking out a smile. Well this just took a weird turn for you. Staying silent as these two men got on friendly terms, you weren't sure what to do.
"Why, thank you. What a huge compliment coming from someone handsome as yourself."
The dark man let out a bellowed laugh. "My boy, you sure know how to flatter someone. Found a girl who's won your affections yet?"
For some reason, a pair of eyes were on you as he answered the question. "Not quite yet."
Focusing your attention in front of you to mindlessly sort the leftover fruits in the bin, you tuned out the rest of their conversation as they continued to speak. You could barely believe what had happened. One minute there had been hostility in the air - in the next, they were acting as if they'd been longtime friends. Honestly, you weren't sure what you'd preferred... whether to have them be at each other's throats or to be all buddy-buddy up like this.
The mention of your name caught you by surprise. "Do you mind if I steal [Y/N] for a bit?" Blaise had asked Aziel. You were wordless as you watched Aziel's dark eyes dart back and forth between you and Blaise. A giddy look appeared on his face and you had a feeling you knew what he was thinking of.
"Of course. Go ahead!" He began to push you toward the exit of the stall.
"But-" you tried to protest.
"Don't worry dear. I'll look over your fruits in the meantime. You kids go and enjoy yourselves," he interrupted, shooing you away with his hands. Purposefully nudging his head towards the brunette male, he was insinuating something between you and Blaise. You did not like it at all.
Not having the energy to start an argument at this time, you reluctantly did as asked. Leaving the shade of the stall, you entered into the warm sunlight and walked over to the young man. Blaise bid a quick farewell to the one behind the stall and then off the two of you went. Strolling around the parameters of the market, it was quiet for a few minutes. You didn't know what he wanted from you, but there were also other things on your mind you had to get down to first.
"You know Aziel isn't my father... right?"
"I knew that, yes. It's obvious," he replied, knitting his brows together.
"Then why did you ask his permission to take me out for a break?"
"Because... if I asked you instead, you wouldn't have complied," he pointed out. You would admit, that was true, but that didn't lessen the anger that was bubbling inside. During the entirety of your life, you lived under stepmother, who made you feel like a puppet. Pulled by strings that tug at your limbs, it was like you couldn't have a mind of your own... living for the sake of just living - nothing else. The only time you could feel such freedom was working at the market... and what Blaise and Aziel just did to you recently was a hit to your ego.
"Please don't do that next time Blaise. I'm my own person and I was right there. I'm not some doll to be handed from one person to another, especially if both of my parents are gone."
Reaching the other side of the market where you could see the royal palace in the horizon, you stared at it in a daze. The gray, huge structure with multiple towers topping over them, it glimmered in the light. Glass windows that were curved in exquisite shapes, they were reflecting even from here. You wondered if any of them had someone behind it, staring out into the world from the comforts of luxury. What would the view up there be like? Beautiful, you would imagine.
It reminded you of your initial goal: you had to attend the ball no matter what. If you had the chance, you would explore the towers and look down at the city of France at an angle like no other. It was a small chance, but it won't stop you from trying.
His soothing tone grounded you from your thoughts. "I'm so sorry miss. I realize how insensitive it was, for your late mother and father. Forgive me."
You nodded and smiled gently. You liked Blaise and he wasn't a bad person at all. It was a simple mistake that you may have overreacted to anyway. Staying mad wouldn't do any good for either of you.
"Hey! What's that on your hand?" he asked. In confusion, you looked down to see his hand wrapped around yours. Jolting at the heat of his skin, your heart started to race at the contact. It raced even more when he lifted your hand up and bent his head down to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. A soft touch of his smooth lips left you freezing in your spot.
You hurriedly pulled your arm away and faced the other way, embarrassment taking over your features. He was such a damn tease.