Similar to when they went to the day market, Sam had an inconspicuous carriage take them into the capital. Except for this time, the carriage took them into a much nicer area. Kiera was taken aback as she peeked at the affluent buildings as they passed.
"We're here." Sam's voice made her drop the window curtain from her hand. She looked back at him just as he covered his brown hair up with the hood of his cloak. He was wearing the same wig that he had taken when they went to Kurt.
Kiera stepped out of the carriage after the prince, pulling her hood up as her feet touched the cobblestoned streets.
"Where are we?" Her blue eyes went around the various storefronts as she took in the active streets. Summer was in full force here, as a water fountain sprayed crystal clear water from the center of the square. Flowers of deep reds and bright yellows were planted in bunches on grass patches that ran all along the streets.
"We are in an area of the capital called Farrington. It's directly managed by Kepler."
The mention of his aide's name made her shift her eyes to him. "Kepler?" She repeated the name as a question.
He leaned in closer, mischievously smiling at her. "Not really. Can you guess who actually manages this place?"
She stared into his green eyes that had a shadow cast over them from the hood of his cloak. A knowing smile was breaking onto her face. "Did you bring me here to show off?"
He did a half shrug, closing one eye adorably as if he had been caught.
"Officially, all of this," he motioned to the peaceful yet busy streets, "is recorded as Kepler's doing. Although Kepler is a brilliant man and manages a few of his family's businesses perfectly well, I can proudly say that this area is the product of only my work."
She was impressed, but as she looked from the grasses to the flowers and all the greenery around, she could see them as traces of the prince. If people knew the real Sam, they would have known right away he had his hand in Farrington's growth. The whole area reminded her of his garden, a masterpiece filled with colorful flowers and other exotic vegetation.
"This is a beautiful place." Kiera looked back at him. "You are right to be proud of it."
He took her hand, delighted that she complimented him.
"Wait until you taste some of the food at the restaurants here. There is a store that sells exquisite artisanal goods. There's absolutely no rush, we can go anywhere you'd like, you only need to give me the word." He enthusiastically looked at her.
"Where would you like to go first?"
She pondered where they should go first for a moment before an idea popped into her mind.
"Take me to your favorite place here." Kiera wanted to go to the places he enjoyed. She was curious to know what kind of place he would choose to go to first.
"My favorite place?" He laughed and Kiera nodded her head.
"Hmm. Then it would have to be this." He pulled her along, his hand firmly holding onto the Beast General's hand. Her excitement only soared when the prince took her to a building full of beautiful mosaic windows with a dome structure of all glass walls. A glass hallway connected the two buildings.
She followed after Sam as he opened the ornate door and entered. Their hands still linked, the clerk of the peculiar building only took a look at the robed figures who entered and at once recognized the brown-haired prince. He motioned for another one of the clerks to take over for him at the front desk.
"Welcome, sir. It's great to see you pass by here again." The clerk bowed at the waist in front of them. "Would you like the key to the records room?"
Sam declined with a shake of his head.
"No, we are only visiting the library and the garden today."
"Very well sir. You are visiting at a good time, as there are only a couple dozen guests visiting today. Let me know if you require anything else to make your visit more enjoyable for you and the lady."
The clerk then allowed them entry further into the building. After she and the prince took off their hoods, she was stunned at the building's interior, a marvel of dark oak lounge furniture paired well with the enormous sky-high bookcases of volumes upon volumes of books. People milled about the library, some reading books at the tables while others talked in respectfully quiet tones on the couches.
"This is the library." Sam leaned into her and spoke in a hushed manner into her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear as his voice came out of his lips.
"The library currently has two stories full of bookshelves. There are mostly books on botany, but there are other books that aren't about plants. Topics range from insects to geological studies."
She slowly spun around, taking the large expanse of a library in. She placed a hand on top of the oak banister on the first step of the grand staircase leading up to the second floor.
"How long do you usually spend in here?"
"Not long, unfortunately. I don't have much time, so when I do come and visit, I can only spend a few minutes at the library before I have to carry on with my schedule."
"And so these books, were some of them a part of your mother's collection?" He nodded, smiling at her while squeezing her hand.
"Yes. I expanded her collection and had this building built for the public. For only a small daily entrance fee, people can browse the books at the library and visit the garden."
"The garden is in the glass building we saw from the outside?"
"Are you interested in visiting?" He grinned, his lips parting slightly to show a hint of the whites of his teeth.
"Of course I am. You said this place was your favorite place to visit."
He gave her hand a quick kiss before leading her away into the hallway that was made entirely of glass, passing by a few of the guards posted at the entrance of the hallway.
The room opened up at the end of the hallway and her eyes adjusted to the bright sun that leaked into the glass building. Even though the room was a tad hotter than the library, she was cooled by the breeze that came in through the strategically opened windows.
They came down a small staircase and walked on the stone pathway. Fruit trees greeted them as they walked the path underneath.
Kiera saw couples walking the stone pathways, the women happily linking their arms with their partners as they looked at all the different plants the garden had to offer. She watched as an elderly couple walked past them. The elderly man tenderly patted the elderly woman on the arm, speaking pleasantries about their shared life.
Sam caught her staring at the elderly couple and his eyes went to the couple, following their movements.
"It's nice isn't it?" He said wistfully as he adjusted her hand so it went through the crook of his arm.
She wordlessly nodded and then they continued on the path to look at the other plants in the garden. Whenever she asked a question about a plant that caught her attention, he would answer with an abundance of knowledge. They shared various kisses every time they took a small break. Kiera didn't mind being in public since none of the other couples paid any heed to them. They were too preoccupied with their own lovers to care about who they were and what they were doing.
She extremely enjoyed their experience in the garden. Kiera wanted their time there to extend longer but she also wanted to visit the different stores he had mentioned before.
So she found herself being whisked from store to store, her hand resting on his arm as they perused the items of each store until at last they made their way into a restaurant.
"A table for two."
"Right away sir." Like before, the host seemed to recognize Sam. He led them to a table in a separate section of the restaurant. A paper screen blocked the view of the other patrons and as she sat down, she was grateful for the privacy as it allowed them to let down their hoods.
"I've already selected the food as I was preparing for today. It should come any minute now."
His words were true. Their food was brought to them only a few minutes after. Her mouth watered at all the food that was placed in front of them.
"I made sure they prepared a lot of meat dishes."
"Contrary to what you may believe, I do eat vegetables." She smiled when his light laughter filled her ears.
"I wonder, should we see?" He lifted a forkful of greens from a plate and offered it to her. It reminded her of the time he did the Offering and had her take a bite from his fork. She was angry that he orchestrated the whole ordeal then, as the only reason why she accepted the Offering was because she thought he didn't know any better.
Now that she has chosen to accept his feelings, she has a much different reaction to the Offering he presented to her.
"You're as sly as a fox." She said as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, leaning forward and opening up her mouth to take the greens from his fork.
"Does it taste good?" As she munched she answered him with a nod.
"Here, have some of this as well." He continuously offered food for her to try. She might have told him she could eat by herself but she didn't want to ruin his fun. She ate everything he offered her.
He paused, ceasing to offer her any more food, instead watching her with a barely concealed smile.
"What is it?" She asked, confused as to why he was staring at her.
"You have a bit of food on your face."
Her face flushed upon hearing his words. She reached up to attempt to wipe at her face but stopped when she heard him speak.
"Let me help." He moved his seat closer to hers. She supposed he was going to take out his handkerchief to wipe her face but her whole body stiffened when his face came to a mere breath's length away from her.
Her heart jolted inside her chest when she felt his tongue slide out to lick off the food from her face. The likes of which were very similar to a Beast tradition between mated couples. She assumed the Offering wasn't the only Beast custom King William had revealed to Sam.
"You said I'm as sly as a fox, but can't wolves be just as cunning?" He said seductively.
Her breath hitched in her throat. Without warning, she turned her face and took him by surprise as her lips landed near his mouth.
Her hand went up to pinch his cheeks together.
"Careful now. You're dealing with a true wolf Beast." She released his cheeks to lick the side of his face. They were even now.
"Kiera," her name sounded breathy coming from his lips. She kissed him in response to him calling out her name. Her inner wolf was restless, she wanted Kiera to claim him as hers right then and there.
But she couldn't. The rational part of her held her back from biting him.
"At this rate, I don't think I will be able to hold myself back," she said and then joined their mouths together in another kiss.
Their sweet kiss ended all too soon.
Kiera felt a cold chill run up her spine as a piercing sound made its way into the restaurant and to the table where they were seated.
They abruptly pulled away from each other as the noise from outside crashed into the peaceful atmosphere.