196 vi. A Visit to the Boutique

Today the noble ladies are set to visit the capital. They are to see the most prosperous city in the empire and to observe the trade and the cultural exchange in the area.

But though it is what was written in the decree, most noble ladies are more excited to visit the luxury shops lined up in the area.

Mary sighed as she tried not to fidget in her ill-fitting clothes or to feel even more insecure over the dresses that adorned those in competition.

She kept reminding herself that she never stood a chance anyway. If it wasn’t for the fact that there are no other young ladies of the Kane’s house who can fill up the spot, then the duke’s house would never even have considered sending her.

When the carriage stopped and Cinderella boarded out of the carriage, she remained seated for a little while longer.

She feels like she had always felt like. Like a fish out of water. That someone who doesn’t fit in no matter what.

She waited for the crowd to dissipate but a few minutes had passed and nothing seemed to have changed, if any, it has become even more crowded.

She sighed and decided to board out of the carriage to see for herself what the commotion was all about. But she stopped in her tracks at seeing the cause of all of the crowd gathering so closely to her carriage.

Standing a few feet from her carriage is the crown prince whose eyes were now fixed on her so shamelessly.

.....

Dominus. She felt her knees tremble as she walked up to him. Damned hormones. Why won’t they leave her with her sanity intact?

She felt like she would absolutely melt not from the heat of the sun but from the heat of his glance.

Dominus. He is looking at her now with such serious intensity that she felt like even breathing normally is hard to do.

And when he stepped towards her and stopped right in front of her, she swore that she cannot even think straight.

His presence is such that it occupied all her thoughts, so much so that curtsying before the royal highness seemed to have skipped her mind somehow.

When she realized she was unable to give the proper greeting, she attempted a clumsy curtsy which he stopped by holding her hand.

She froze at his conduct and she swore she have heard a few gasps from the uninvited audience who seemed to have focused on them as a spectacle.

“You don’t have to do that,” she heard him say. The crown prince’s voice made her even more confused than she already was.

“But it will mean disrespect before the royal highness,” she felt her cheeks flame hot in embarrassment.

“I allow it,” were his words that shook her more.

He spoke it so softly she was almost unsure she actually heard him say it. But looking into his eyes, she felt some of her insecurities disappear.

For those murky gold eyes of his seemed to stare at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Or was that also her wishful thinking?

He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, “Do you mind having me for your escort today, my lady?”

If the crown prince asked that, was there even a way for her not to agree? It sounded like a generous offer but it was more out of a compulsion.

The funny thing is, even without his title as a crown prince, she felt like she would still not have been able to say no. Looking into his eyes like this, she felt hypnotized just by the presence of the crown prince.

As he took her hand in his, he would kiss their clasped hands together and then pull her close to him such that they are walking side by side.

She blushed in embarrassment as she glanced at the crowd following them and the royal guards securing the close perimeters.

For once in her life, she felt like she is again thrust into the limelight because of the crown prince. It’s a very uncomfortable and awkward position, staying by his side.

She isn’t someone meant to be envied, not even someone born to stand out. So being the center of attention so suddenly made her feel happy and terrified at the same time.

For an invisible person to suddenly be seen, it felt so foreign and unreal, that she was unsure whether to call it a dream or a nightmare that has become true.

When he squeezed her hand again, all her thoughts disappeared as he lead her inside one of the most luxurious boutique shop in the entire kingdom.

He cleared his throat as the sales ladies started asking her what she would like to see or try, her whole body stiffening as she stared mindlessly at them.

After regaining a bit of her sanity back she would refuse to try and look at any item in the shop. Mostly it is because she knew the items there are not something she could afford.

“Don’t you want any of their designs? I thought this was the best boutique in the entire kingdom. If I knew everything was substandard to your taste I wouldn’t have brought you here,” the crown prince had a terrible frown on his face making her nerves jump.

“Ahhhh, it is not that! I do love their designs and have always admired the craftsmanship behind their pieces,” she of course defended the well-known shop whose owner started to look too apologetic towards her.

“Then why don’t you look at them closely? Why do you refuse to try their dresses and to even touch any item being offered to you?” his voice was cold and the look he gave her was filled with suspicion.

“I- I do not have any money to purchase anything from this shop, your highness,” she looked down at the marble floor in shame as she heard the soft whispers around them.

“Nonsense,” his voice was stern, as if he was scolding a child he has caught in a lie. “The last time I checked, the Duke of Kane is nowhere near bankruptcy!”

“I- I am not lying, your grace,” she said in defense, her whole body trembling in fear from his anger.

“Why are you shaking like a leaf?” his scowl became even more menacing as he held her by her shoulders.

“Stop trembling,” the baritone of his voice made her feel her intestines twist in tight knots.

“I- I couldn’t help it, your highness. I feel like any moment now I am going to faint,” she whispered in response.

The crown prince’s action was both a surprise to her and to all others who were with them at that time as he swooped her into his arms, carrying her like a groom would his bride.

“Your highness,” her soft voice was hardly audible as her lips trembled from the way his body pressed against hers.

“I will not hear any more of your protest,” she heard him say before he turned to the shopkeeper.

“Close this shop and send all the items to the east wing of the palace where the young lady is residing by tomorrow. One of you should come to get her measurements within this day,” the crown prince didn’t even look at the crowd as he passed them by.

With her in his arms, pressed tightly against his chest, she was left with no choice but to cling to his neck, making the rest of the young ladies gasp in shock.historical