“This hat would make a good choice if you want to protect yourself from the heat of the sun, my dear.”
Lady Faye stated matter-of-a-factly as she raised the wide-brimmed yellow hat up with her right hand.
It was early eight in the morning and both Erza and Lady Faye were helping Lianne prepare for her much anticipated first-time excursion.
Lianne was sitting at a stool cushion in front of her vanity mirror while Erza was finishing a clean sideways hairdo. She was wearing a flesh-colored cocktail dress, the cloth of chiffon type. The length was just below the knee and it had an elegant beaded artwork around the waistline. She paired it with a beige sandal, a simple gemstone bracelet, and stud earrings. Overall, this was an ensemble just right for the occasion.
“Ah, thank you, Lady Faye,” Lianne answered and accepted the hat from the governess.
“Oh! How exciting!” Erza exclaimed, her eyes beaming. She was giggling intermittently since she stepped inside the princess’ chamber – a feat that both Lianne and Lady Faye noticed immediately.
“To think that you can actually go to the Regaleria Port, Princess! And even stay for a day inside His Majesty’s new ship! Oh, how romantic!”
“It is only just for a day, Erza,” Lianne replied, giggling a little. She tipped her head and cast a glance at the hat sitting comfortably on her lap. Her face began to show a brief deep red hue. Since His Majesty went out of her bed chamber early dawn to take care of preparations for their tour, her heart had been beating frantically since then. “Hmm, but I am happy.”
Lady Faye was looking at the princess all throughout and noticed how much her expression changed for the better. She was pleased with how everything turned out to be; of how the two royals opened up.
“Now, make the most of it, my dear,” Lady Faye remarked. “You deserve this kind of freedom. I’m happy that you and His Majesty have understood each other well, at last.”
Lianne smiled towards the governess and gave no further comment. She was just silent, but her silence showed a much deeper meaning to both of them.
A long knock of the bedroom door was heard, and then a male voice emerged from behind it.
“Are you done, ladies?” Lord Jared inquired.
“We are,” Lady Faye and Erza simultaneously answered.
***
“Ready Lianne?” Ruen asked as he sat next to the princess inside the black carriage.
Nodding, Lianne answered, “Yes, I am.” She glanced at his way only to find the king staring deeply at her with those brown-green eyes.
“It would be a two-hour journey from here on to the Regaleria Port. I hope you wouldn’t be bored with traveling with me once again.”
She produced a faint smile while looking at him and gently announced without any reservations, “Something tells me that I will not, Your Majesty. I have first-hand experiences to be sure of it.”
The tone of her voice as she mentioned his designation was without any hint of mockery now. This time, it was pure sincerity.
A burning flame instantly filled Ruen’s eyes as he regarded her meek show of recollection. He cupped her chin and then proceeded to place a tender kiss on her pink-painted lips.
“Hmmm, surely,” he groaned.
Turning his attention to the carriage, he made three continuous knocks on its roof to signal the coachman to go, and without any delay, the carriage began to move.
“Can I open the window? I would like to watch all the view from here,” Lianne asked, now feeling giddy.
Ruen smiled and nodded in approval. “Of course, you can.”
The carriage passed by the Norfew village first, the village where Lenora and her father lived.
Lianne found it immensely entertaining to see the liveliness of the village as opposed to what it was weeks ago. Some of the villagers who noticed the royal carriage momentarily stopped their work and bowed their head low in acknowledgment.
Then, they passed by another village two kilometers away from Norfew. The Ardenta village was the nearest village to where the Astoria mansion was located, and the place boasted finely-made iron and steel weapons hanging on almost all windows of the house. Ruen didn’t miss Lianne’s sullen expression upon seeing the weapons, but he didn’t say any comment regarding it. Her expression changed into delight, however, when they passed by the open gaillardia and violets flower fields and the towering snow mountains of Regaleria, just a few miles after passing the Ardenta village.
The journey was indeed a long and arduous one, but Ruen found it entertaining to see the princess glow with delight after seeing some newfound sights.
Seven kilometers more and one hour and forty-five minutes later, they arrived at the entrance stone signage of the Rassington Town, Regaleria’s busy town port.
“Ah, this place is…very vivacious,” Lianne exclaimed in amazement seeing a lot of people in the streets.
Vendors were selling their goods on the road. Locals and visitors alike were all walking along the paved sidewalks. There were colorful flaglets hanging on the tips of the rooftops in every house and banners of the Regaleria crest on every porch.
“Hmmm…” Ruen gave out a low grumble. “The port in this town of Regaleria truly is blessed with so much bounty. Not to mention, that it is far away from the Regaleria Mansion and far from the late King’s gloomy disposition, the people in this town aren’t as much afraid of him as the people in the village near it.”
“Oh?” She responded with widened eyes. She turned to look outside the glass window again and observed the area further. “I guess it shows just by looking at the place,” she added.
“Lianne?” Ruen said catching her attention back to him. She turned to look at his way with questioning eyes.
“Yes?”
“Where do you want to have lunch?” He gently opened up the idea.
The princess looked puzzled for a moment, then she smiled a warm smile and stated with ease, “Well, uhm, anywhere will do, Ruen.”
“Ahh, I see,” the king expressed. “Any particular food that you like?”
Lianne continued to smile and shook her head. “Anything actually, but some hot chocolate chip muffins would be a great addition.”
***
The carriage continued to head straight to the port as what the king had ordered the coachman earlier while they were still in the mansion. The main harbor was a busy place. There were many boats and ships docked, with sailors lifting heavy boxes in and out of the storage racks.
“Where is your ship, Your Majesty?” Lianne questioned.
Ruen produced a faint smirk at the corner of his lips, then skid himself closer to her. He peaked outside the window and scanned the whole area. Afterward, he slowly pointed to a place not far away from the main harbor, a place a lot more spacious and secluded, with vessels anchored that looked like royal ships. Gold and bright red as the uniform color of the hull and the sails were a dark blue.
“There is my ship, Lianne. The only ship that has the highest mast as compared to the others.”
She squinted her eyes to clearly see, but the only thing she could make out was a tall mast – the tallest mast in all the ships docked for that matter – and a banner tied up of what looked like a lion’s head, the family insignia of the Waitsince family. Not to mention, the ship had a different color; a combination of black and gold for the hull and the sails, pure white.
“That is the Esclava, Princess,” Ruen informed, giving her a meaningful gaze.
“Esclava?” She looked at his way with inquiring eyes.
“Yes. In other words, slave,” he answered rather simply.
Lianne gave him a confused look. “Why would you call the ship that?”
He settled in his seat with ease and gently cupped her right hand with his own and placed it on his lap. “I’ll tell you the story when we board it.”
***
The entire ocean view was seen at the starboard side of the ship. It was anchored at the most isolated spot of the dock for that matter, effectively providing guests a magnificent view to behold. On the port side, one can view the green mountainous peaks of Regaleria. With a clear blue noon sky, it was indeed a perfect day for a tour.
When Lianne first stepped inside the ship, she instantly noticed a wide array of food laid on a rectangular table at the center of the deck. Greeting their arrival were two young maidservants and the 52-year-old captain of the ship, Sir Henrie de Marxe.
“Princess Lianne, we are pleased to see you at last. Welcome to the Esclava,” he stated as he bowed his head low. He then turned to the king and said, “Your Majesty, I am happy to see that you have come back.”
“Captain Marxe, good noon, I see that all the preparations are ready,” Ruen replied.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Lianne, this is Captain Marxe, the captain of the Esclava,” Ruen introduced, lifting up his hand towards the captain.
“Good noon also Captain Marxe and thank you for this warm welcome,” Lianne responded with a curtsy.
“You’re welcome, Your Highness. His Majesty is the one who thought of it all. Please do feel comfortable while aboard the ship.”
“I will,” was Lianne’s earnest reply.
A well-decorated square table was placed at the front part of the ship and that was where the two royals dinned. With the two maidservants taking care of their needs and with all the variety of food laid on the table, it wasn’t long when both of them felt full to the belly.
They had simple conversations all throughout the meal – from the town’s history to the vibrancy of the port – however, Lianne didn’t miss to ask again about the ship’s odd name.
“Why did you name the ship Esclava, Your Highness? Isn’t it a rather unusual name for a royal ship like this?”
Ruen fell silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and then took a deep breath – the wild scent of the ocean filling his nose instantly.
Lianne didn’t miss his reaction and wondered why he did so.
Ruen opened his eyes and then smiled towards the princess. “Come, I want to show you something,” he said, standing up suddenly while extending a hand to her.
Again, Lianne was puzzled but went on to accept his offer.
Ruen guided her into the interior of the ship, in the first floor, where a long rounding metal staircase directed them to a private cabin across a short hall.
“This is my room Lianne,” Ruen pointed out as he pushed the door open.
“Your room? Why are we here?” Lianne asked instantly as she felt her palms sweating.
The king produced a smirk as he left her at the front of the door, walking towards a wooden desk. He then opened a small cabinet and pulled out a white envelope from it. He handed it to the princess with nothing but meaningful silence surrounding them.
“What is this Ruen?” Lianne asked in confusion as she took the envelope from him.
“It’s a letter,” he whispered softly. “You can read it if you like, Lianne.”
There was a warm touch in his eyes as Lianne looked at him. Although she was perplexed by his sudden show of mystery, she proceeded to open the envelope which contained the folded letter.
The paper was crisp, but a bit crumpled and with watermarks on the edges. Surprisingly, there was a lot of ink stains on it, but amidst this fact, she could still clearly read the words written.
‘The princess had started horse riding a few months after you left Your Highness, and it is with Lord Cain’s assistance.’
The first few sentences immediately surprised Lianne. She glanced up at Ruen’s way who was looking at the ocean view through an elegantly-carved French window of the room. He looked serene, almost like he was contented with something. She continued to read silently and every bit of word seemed to prick her heart.
‘To this date, she has used her newfound skills to escape the walls of the mansion. Only time will tell when your father, His Majesty, would make a move on this matter as it seems, Lord Cain had not asked permission regarding her horse training. Nevertheless, her running space was only limited to the courtyard alone, but it was enough for Lord Cain to spend time with the princess. Excluding this fact, I am happy though for her progress as she seemed to be more comfortable living in the mansion now than in the years that had passed.’
“It is a letter that I got from Lady Faye.” Ruen’s voice resounded in the room.
Lianne looked up and realized he was already standing a couple of feet away from her.
“Actually, the only letter I received when I was in Versailles.” He shifted his eyes on the letter she held and immediately, Lianne noticed a warm glow on his features.
A thought crossed Ruen’s mind as he gazed at the slightly crumpled letter, remembering how he was surprised himself when he saw the letter resting on the same desk in the room after Vancent, out of whim, salvaged the letter from the water.
A caressing smile broke from his lips as he looked back at Lianne. “That is the only thing that kept me from breaking Garlow’s command of not going back in the mansion,” he confessed. Now he realized that Vancent did the right thing. “And it was never easy, Lianne. Those three damn years,” he added with spite.
Lianne held a breath as surge of emotions hit her. She knew then what he meant and remembered well what had happened during those times. Many memories it was, but it didn’t bury a single memory she had – that deep inside, though she didn’t admit it at that time – that she truly missed him.
“Thinking of you constantly while I was supervising the building of this ship made me decide its name. You, a slave in the mansion, a prisoner without freedom, and me, a slave to your heart.” Ruen raised a hand to caress her cheek and instantly, Lianne felt her skin burn in the best kind of way under his touch.
“Ruen, the ship’s name is perfect then.”
She stepped closer to him and rested both of her hands on his chest, understanding the feeling he had been through.
She closed her eyes feeling the warmth of his hand on her cheek, but she was startled as she felt his lips suddenly press into hers.
His kiss was soft at first but became needy and hard as she responded back.
Like an explosion, their lips collided in rhythm. Then, he bent slightly to caress her neck, trailing kisses from her cheeks to her collarbone.
Lianne welcomed every bit of passion he offered. She felt her knees weaken and her hands turning limp. And then she gasped in surprise when he abruptly lifted her into his arms.
Ruen kicked the door to a close and then he proceeded to carry the princess towards the king-sized bed.
“It has been tormenting me, Lianne, lying in this empty bed as I began my voyage back to Regaleria. Thinking about you, hoping for you to be here in my arms,” he stated with longing. There was sadness in his eyes, but Lianne immediately took it out of him when she pressed her lips to his again.
“But I’m here now,” she whispered, keeping an earnest stare at him.
“Yes, you don’t even know how much I am happy right now.”
***
“What do you mean the princess is with the king, Paul?” Cain voiced out in disbelief after he heard the news from the stableman.
The general had just arrived from the Regaleria mansion’s front porch hoping to see the princess after a day had passed when she left Soulisse. Yesterday morning was unsuccessful after he was deliberately led away from the princess’ chamber by the majordomo stating he had a very important matter to discuss with him, and after another visit by the hooded man that afternoon in his own mansion, he was unable to see her the whole day.
This time he intended to talk to her about everything, and maybe, just maybe apologize to her for being untruthful.
Another thought kept lingering in his mind though and it was his plans to encourage her to go to Olga with him and of course, lying to her again was an element included – something he was willing to do just in order to make her his.
Paul was holding the reins of the general’s horse when he felt he was the target of Cain’s inquiry. He was an honest man, no thoughts of malice or anything. And he only gave the information to Cain without any distrust, having known the general and the princess to be of good friends.
“It was this early morning when they rode towards the Regaleria Port, my Lord,” Paul replied without any hesitation.
Cain’s brows flexed in confusion, thinking that of all the places to go, why the Regaleria Port?
“Are they going somewhere, Paul? Tell me,” he said, his anger simmering on the surface.
This time Paul noticed something unusual from the way the general reacted.
“Well, I uh…I heard from the maidservants that the king was giving the princess her first tour on the Regaleria Kingdom, Milord. I don’t think they are leaving anytime soon though, they didn’t bring with them any heavy baggage.”
Cain stared at the stableman for a minute. What Paul had just said could mean that they were possibly in good terms now and that she didn’t hate the man anymore. If he was right, then this could complicate things more, not only for his plans but also for his own gain.
“I see,” he coldly stated.
He hastily took the reins from Paul without even a word of thanks, jumped up and mounted himself, then took off hurriedly out of the mansion’s courtyard.
Startled and bemused, Paul could only watch the general as he rode his horse with great speed.
Cain clenched his teeth and uttered a curse. There was something that didn’t fit right since yesterday, but he didn’t notice it right away. He was now damned sure to find out, but in the meantime, he needed to focus on overworking his horse to a greater pace.
His hands tightly held the reins in the process, but not because of the stallion’s speed but because of his pure and utter displeasure. With everything into consideration, he had to work on his plans and fast.