Romance With The King

Chapter 9

I knew morning came as I felt the gentle sun rays kissing a part of my face, and dancing on my arm skin as well. The rays have peeked at the side of the windows that weren't covered by the curtains.

As much as I want to stay in bed, especially after how tired I felt out of crying my heart out yesterday, I had to get up.

I'm going to sneak out.

Without wasting another minute, I took a half bath, not wanting to wet my hair since it would be hard to cover it if it's wet. If I washed my hair, the wetness would get to the cloth I'm going to use, and it would be weird to go out in wet headscarf. Not unless I have the intention of appearing crazy.

I ignored the cold water of the early morning, and immediately got myself a baby blue dress that was not too fancy. Just enough for me to wear around the town.. It was similar to the kind of dress that I usually wear around my kingdom. 

I put on the simplest shoes I can find, taking an inked pen and scratched a part of a paper, writing my small note.

"I'm somewhere at the town. Please just tell them that I want to get some time alone at my room. Don't let anyone in. I'll be back before noon time."

I left the note at my bedside table, right beside the gas lamp.

And with that, I started sneaking out, looking left and right, hiding in corners. On the palace gates, a carriage arrives, and on it were boxes, that I believe were food supplies and other fresh goods. As the man took the goods out, the servants who were already awake were occupied by moving the boxes to the palace building.

Thanks to my small figure, I was able to get through the huge space between the castle and the castle gates unnoticed, but then, there were still guards on watch by the gates. 

"You- who are you-"

"Apologize immediately. She is the princess who just arrived yesterday," another guard immediately scolded the guard who was about to interrogate me. "Pardon her, Your Highness. He just came back to service as he just recovered from his cold."

"I-I'm so sorry, Your Highness!"

I just looked at them, then passing them a smile. "It's okay."

"Are you going somewhere, Your Highness? Where is your servant and protector? You can't just get out by yourself."

"Can the both of you do me a favor?"

The two guards looked at each other before one spoke. "What could that be?"

"I want both of you to not tell anyone that I went out. Not even a single soul."

"W...why is that, Your Highness?"

"Why? Hmmm..." Think! Think! Think! "I just found out last night that my gifts for the royal family were all left at my room back at my kingdom. It might be rude of me to not have any presents for them, especially since I'm at their care," I lied.

"But you could have just invited a merchant, or ask servants to buy another gift. How come you have to go out all by yourself?"

These guards surely has a lot of questions.

"The thing is, it's a surprise gift. If I'm gonna invite or involve other people, it might reach the royal family and it won't be a surprise gift anymore. I would not want that."

"Your Highness-"

"And I also want to pick gifts myself to keep it more special!" I added so that the guards would actually stop with their interrogations.

"We can call for another guard to follow you around."

"Please don't. You don't have to. People would start wondering why a royal guard is following me around, and in no time, they will know that I'm at the town. Don't worry, I have a cover to disguise myself."

"But Your Highn-"

"Have a good day, everyone!" I said, panicking as I dragged my feet hastily, looking at my back while my body was busy running the other direction. 

With how anxious I was that I couldn't take my eyes off the people on my back, I didn't even realize that I was gonna hit the wall.

"Oww..." I winced in pain as I gently rub my forehead.

"Give me that."

Huh? The wall spoke?

I was wrong. It wasn't a wall. In fact, it was a tall man with blonde hair, and he seems like a potential thief!

"Are you having a hard time in life? Please, stealing is not the right way to overcome the hard times. Do you need money? I have some in my pouch. I can treat you for breakfast."

"What?" The tall, blonde man laughed. "No, my lady. I just want to have your headscarf."

"This headscarf doesn't cost that much. Plus, who knows how you will use the money. It's better if it would get you fed up."

"Pardon me but, do I look like I'm starved?" He asked, and this was actually the first time I could analyze him from head to toe. Blonde hair, thick brows, long nose, moderate lips, very lean and tall, and he was also dressed well. White long sleeves and black trousers.

"N-no," I answered, embarrassed. 

"Sell me that headscarf. I need to cover my face."

"I'm so sorry but I can not. This is the only cover I have and-"

"Please. I just need to get to the biggest library in town. It's just meters away from where we are. All my things are there. If you don't want to sell it, then just let me borro-"

"Here, take it," I didn't let him finish the moment I heard him say library. "You don't have to pay me or anything. Just take me to the library too," I said, wrapping the headscarf around his head. 

"I guess today's my lucky day. I could check out as many books as I want until noon," I muttered to myself while tying the ends of the headscarf into a ribbon. "There you go, tall sir," this time, I was talking to him.

"Your hair..."

"What about my hair?"

"They're the color of the sunset..." he said, sounding so astonished as he stared at my hair. "It's beautiful," he breathed out.

I cleared my throat. "Eherm. Library?"

"Oh- yeah. But it seems like you're in disguise. What are you going to cover your hair with?"

"Don't worry about it," I smiled at him.

I took of the white rectangular cloth I tied in my waist that was suppose to protect my front skirt from getting dirty, but I guess I have to give it up for the glory of the library.

The tall man looked at me as I tied it around my head, hiding my color.

"See? Fixed," I clicked my tongue, and he let out a genuine chuckle. 

"Right this way, ma'am," he said in a joking manner, pointing the way, but still I let him walk first since I don't know whether I should take a turn or not or anything.

The chatters of the town felt nice and comfortable. I can see women buying some vegetables, fruits, eggs, meats, some daily goods to eat. This is probably the town's market.

We took only one turn, and to my surprise, we already arrived.

"It was this near? Wow."

The man just laughed at my statement as he opened the door. "I believe you're entering?"

"Yes, sir," I responded, getting in, and the moment I got inside, I knew it was my own version of a silent sanctuary.

The smell of the books, the familiar scent of the pages, and just the silence and serenity inside the place.

The man who took me here walked through a door that I believe was only for library authority or something. 

"Excuse me, kind sir, but are you perhaps a librarian?"

"Oh! Forgive me and my manners. I must have forgotten to introduce myself.," he apologized as he took off my headscarf. "You can call me Rain. I'm not a librarian, but the people who are working here are somehow close to me, more like family, so I drop by here sometimes."

"Rain... Rain like the drops of water falling from the sky?"

The man whose name was Rain looked at me with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yes. Rain like the drops of water falling from the sky."

"Your name is nice. You know, rainy days are usually the best weather to read books as you get lost in the words that you read, as if a portal to another world is opened for you," I said, sharing my thoughts about rainy days, as my eyes were focused wandering around the place. "It's really nice. Your name is."

This library sure is huge. It's almost ten times bigger than the library back at my kingdom.

"May I know your name?"

"Oh, my name? It's uhh, Louisiana. I'm err- uhh..." He seems to not know who I am, and I guess it's best to keep it that way. "I'm j-just someone's daughter," I said, smiling unsurely, hoping that he would no longer shoot any more questions.

"Lady Louisiana-"

"No. Like, just Louisiana," I cut him off. "Just call me Louisiana. I don't really do well with titles and things similar to that," I gave him a sheepish grin, and there was mirth in his eyes as his lips curved to a small smile.

"Louisiana. It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Rain took out his hand for a hand shake.

"Likewise, Mr. Rain," I took my hand out, and with that, we shook hands.

"Just call me Rain, too. I don't really do well with titles and things similar to that either," Rain used the very same words I used, and with that, the empty and silent library in the early morning was filled with laughter as our laughs echoed throughout the gigantic building that had no other people aside from us and probably the librarians sleeping behind the closed doors. 

Rain. In this morning, I met a new friend that I didn't know was gonna help me in many ways in the unpromising future.