As we made our way through the vast plains and a few hills, I was left in awe as I took in the whole scenery in front of me.
It was… breath-taking.
It was beautiful to be able to see nothing but grass, majestic trees, and colourful flowers, as well as how the slopes looked. This view was definitely better than the view that I had from my balcony.
"This place…" I said, my mind drifting off slowly as I tried to form a coherent sentence. The beauty of this place rendered me speechless. It was as if all the words were taken from my mouth.
"Don't worry, I understand how you feel right now," she giggled as she found me dumb-founded. "That's the same thing that I said when I first discovered this place," she continued. She hopped down from her horse, and I followed suit. We walked towards a hill. A tree stood on top of it, tall and proud.
"When did you find this place?" I asked.
"When I was first brought into the town, I looked for a place that only I knew about. A hideout, to put it simply," she explained. She continued, "One day, I was running from a boy who was trying to hurt me. He taunted me with a stick that had thick thorns on it. I kept running until I ended here."
As we reached the peak, we sat down and allowed our horses to roam free. They stayed within our sights, as well as within our reach so we were able to have a calm atmosphere.
"Does that mean you come here often?" I asked as I sat beside her, making myself comfortable.
"Most of the time, I come here when I have nothing to do. Whenever I need some time to think, or when I need some peace of mind," she replied as she looked ahead. Her eyes never left the view before us.
"Is Grandpa Ben aware of this place?" I asked, still looking at the scenery. The cool breeze was so gentle to the skin. Birds flew freely across the sky. Some of them even headed to the tree behind us. Lady and Leo seemed to enjoy their feast together.
"I'm not quite sure about that," she replied, making me turn to her. Her lips were now in a firm line as she tried to think if Grandpa Ben knew about this place. She continued, "I never told him about this. But, there is a possibility that he already knows. He's been living here before he adopted me so it's impossible for him not to know every passageway and any place within the town."
"If that's the case, then I won't tell anyone about this place," I assured her, hugging my knees closer to me. "It is my respect to you, so that you can continue to have this place as your refuge from the outside world."
She then looked at me with her beautiful smile. "Well, then, Prince Robert," she crossed her legs as she leaned back, her arms right behind her to support her weight, "How do you find life as a prince? How is life in a grand castle?" she asked.
"Well, it's not that bad, but it isn't that grand at the same time," I stammered as I laid out my legs for a stretch. I also leaned back, with my hands behind me to support myself. "It's not always plagued by boredom, but the thrill of fun is scarce. I don't want to describe my life in any extremity, so I will settle with just… fine," I explained.
"You don't seem to be that enthusiastic in talking about your life," she said, confused.
I huffed and replied, "Well, there are certain aspects that I'm not proud of."
"Really? Why is that?" she asked as she fully turned herself to my direction.
I did the same and explained, "Life inside a grand castle doesn't mean it's all about the glamour, pretentious balls, and over-the-top branding of luxury. Even if I'm given everything in this world, it doesn't make me happy. On the contrary, worldly delight can make someone its prisoner."
"There are people in this world that would love to be in your place, Robert," said Laura. "And by the sound of your voice, and by how you describe your life, you don't seem to have any sort of appreciation for what was easily handed to you."
"My life isn't easy, Laura. It's quite easy to assume that, but it's further from the truth. I do have all the riches that the universe can offer, but it has shackled me until the end of my life. I have no freedom in anything, even with marriage," I complained. I continued, "My father - I mean, James - doesn't even act as a father for my sister and me."
"At least, you have some sort of family to call your own," she replied.
My brows furrowed slightly as I said, "You have Grandpa Ben."
"I do have him, and I'm thankful that I do. However, I do wish that I have a real family of my own," she said as she looked down to her hands.
I looked at her for a bit before asking, "You really have no clue on who your true family is, don't you?"
She sighed as she shook her head, "How I wish I did."
"Your family is somewhere out there, Laura. I'm quite certain of that," I replied as I moved closer to her. "I also believe that they didn't mean to leave you behind, especially your mother."
After a deep breath, she raised her head. "Anyways," her voice changed to a lighter tone as she looked at me, "I do have another question."
"Ask away," I smiled.
"I have a friend of mine, who is incredibly smitten with a man she's known for almost all of her life," she said. "They are now a couple, but she said it was only for a little while."
"I don't understand why you're telling me this," I replied as my brows knitted together.
She continued, "They are in a pretentious, short-lived relationship, even when the man doesn't love her. Do you think that's fair?" She asked more questions, "Will you allow yourself to be with someone who doesn't have the same affection for you? Will you bear that pain, just to be with that person?"
Guilt slowly ate my conscience as I reflected on Laura's questions. What she told me was very similar to my situation with Mallory, and I couldn't help but be nervous about this conversation. "If I was in your friend's shoes, I would say it's unfair."
"However, your friend is… for a lack of a better term, ignorant. My apologies for the word, but with your description, she's hoping on the wrong person," I explained. I added, "I don't want to come out as a judgmental person. Perhaps, without your knowledge, they already had their own conversation about it."
She nodded. "You have a point. But, still, it's an injustice towards my friend."
"In my personal opinion, nobody will win in this situation that they created themselves. At the very end of it all, everything will get worse than it was before," I replied.
"You're right about that," she nodded, disappointed.
"With all honesty, both of them aren't using their brains," I blurted, which made Laura snicker. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, and I also don't want to speak of your friend because I don't know her. However, in reality, that is how they're currently acting."
"Don't you worry, Robert, I understand completely. And I agree with you," she said as she looked directly at me. "My friend's a bit of an idiot, I do admit. She's willing to do anything for this man, even if it's absolute stupidity," she groaned as she rolled her eyes.
She followed with a question, "How about you? Are there ladies in your life that you care about?"
I was caught off-guard at the moment, my eyes widened as I stiffened.
Should I tell her?
Should I share the details about my marriage arrangement?
I was fully-aware that the right thing to do was to tell her. But, a part of me wanted to know her more. And I was afraid that my arranged union with Princess Lorain would ruin that chance.
"Robert, is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, um," my brows furrowed as I still tried to think of a better way around it. But, the more I tried, the more I realised that there was no other way to tell her.
I supposed there was no other way to tell her. Carefully, I said, "Unfortunately, I'm in a marriage arrangement."
"Really? With whom?" she asked, her eyes widened as she moved closer to me. She seemed eager to know more, which was the complete opposite of the expected reaction that I was waiting for.
I explained, "I don't know her personally because it was our parents who created the entire ordeal. We, however, do send letters to one another to build some sort of friendship."
"Isn't it tradition to meet your future bride as soon as possible?" she asked.
"Our parents had agreed that we should meet each other, only on the official announcement of our union," I replied. I continued, "According to them, it was to ensure the loyalty and patience between us two. They want this marriage to happen because it was some sort of seal."
"A seal for what?"
"My future bride is a princess, the heir to their kingdom. Our marriage will be the symbol of an alliance between their kingdom and ours," I started the story.
I continued, "Their kingdom was never militarily strong, but they have a lot of resources. And that was something that our kingdom lacks. Their kingdom was blessed by gods to have an abundance of materials that can be used for many purposes. Most notably, weapons. And my parents saw it as a way to ensure our kingdom's safety in case of a war."
"I see," she nodded. She then asked, "Do you think you will like her, even though you've only communicated with her through letters?"
"I already like her as a person, a friend, a confidant," I replied, careful with my words as I didn't want for them to be contorted differently. I added, "She seems to be a kind person, and with great manners. However, I would love to know her personally because that's vital in a marriage."
"So, does that mean that there's a possibility for you to like her?" she repeated.
"Maybe. We don't know. As of now, we are good friends so that's a start," I answered, with full honesty.
"Well, that is better than nothing. It's better to start with friendship to have some sort of foundation," she nodded.
"How about you?" I asked, quickly changing the topic.