Sitting together under the plum blossom tree, Tria and Crei conversing and laughing with each other, produced quite a loving picture. Crei was reluctant to leave, knowing he would spend the next few days without seeing her, he was imprinting her image into his memory as much as he could. He also made sure to leave a lasting impression on her, so she could think about him.
"I know I am saying this early, and I know you might feel skeptical about me saying this to you. However, I want you to know, this longing period, you will be the only person I will ever get to enjoy it with, I will not take any other wives, I promised to be yours and only yours for as long as we're alive." Saying this, he stood up and walked out of the courtyard.
Tria was made speechless from his statement, and why is he always leaving after saying such things.
Nia, who was not far from her position, saw her expression and came forward.
"Young mistress?"
"Nia, what do you think love is?", she asked, still startled from Crei's proclamation.
"U-Um, I think it is what his highness feels for you, young mistress," she chose her words carefully because she could see how Crei was when interacting with Tria; so, she decided to help a little. He would usually look so cold and unapproachable, but today she got to see a whole different side of him. For the whole time he was there, he smiled and laughed, and even made jokes about himself; who would have thought that the devilish third prince was actually a normal human being, with the ability to fall in love?
Unknown to Nia, Crei himself did not know his feelings were growing that fast for Tria, he only knew that she was the only one who made him feel the way he felt.
Nia really respected her young mistress's abilities; before her, no women have been able to move her master's heart. Although the rumor about the third prince's talent was spread around, the fact that he was a godly beauty did not keep the bees at bay, it was because the prince would always have thrown them out that they stopped flaunting their bodies around the manor and now acting like they're the ones who don't want him.
Tria did not know what was going through Nia's mind, looking pensive and heading towards her chambers. Understanding what Nia was doing, smilingly she just answered, "You think so?", 'Such bold words, is he afraid that I'll run away, or does he really mean it?'
Since that day, Tria has not seen Crei. He knew that she would busy this week to learn about the household from the butler and servants, so he did not bother her. Besides, he had so many things to get ready for their longing period. Usually, he would not have so much free time, though he was an idle prince, the king would still find a few things for him to take care of, for appearance's sake. The palace knows he had accepted a wife, taking some time off was not a big deal as everyone knew the long-standing tradition.
Tria was not slacking either, after a week of getting accustomed to the manor, it was not as hard as she thought. The third prince manor only had one master, with the butler in charge of the servants, Tria only needed to be informed before they made certain actions and either approve or disapprove, other than that, the servants knew what their respective duties were. However, having not been used to having servants, she still did many things herself. Crei gave her the authority to make any changes she wished, and changes, she made.
The manor that used to look dull and dark now looked lively with some plants being added and less clutter. She also made use of decorations that were collecting dust in the storage room, they made a big difference to the picture. When the servants were finished cleaning and adjusting, even the air felt fresher with the light breeze flowing around.
Crei noticed the busy servants, and thought they were just cleaning, however when he saw how clean and elegant the place looked, he inwardly was proud of his wife. Many women would hire others and spends a lot of currency to decor their new homes, but his wife did not do that. He did not mind her spending money, she could spend as much as she wants, however her maturity and reliability deserved praise.
He did not dally around much, as he had just sent one of his servants out to deliver his first letter to Tria. His heart could not settle down, he has to wait again for an answer, at least this time he would be able to fall asleep.