Freya left the room after talking with her father. She decided it was better to tell the princess the truth, apologize for betraying her trust, and also let Rowan know she wouldn’t let him touch her again and that the previous night was all a mistake.
It was a tough decision, but Freya wanted to ease the guilt that was now eating her up. She didn’t want to be scared or find herself running around trying to hide in Rowan’s room because that would be so embarrassing. And because of her father, who trusted her so much and wanted the best for her, she needed to go back to being the innocent daughter he cherished before everything changed.
The hem of her dress made ruffling sounds on the marble floor as she made her way toward the princess’s room. A maid stopped in front of her.
"Lady Freya, Princess Lirien has asked that you join the others at the royal stable," the maid informed her, bowing her head.
Freya was taken aback by the title; she wasn’t even in the noble class. She quietly followed the maid, and upon reaching the stable, she saw Rowan and the Crown Prince laughing about something. Her heart skipped a beat just by seeing the back of Rowan’s head. And as if the memories of the previous night returned to her, she heard her own sighs and moans at the back of her mind, desperately calling for Rowan to thrust himself deeper inside her. Freya felt the heat between her legs again. That was when she realized it wasn’t going to be easy, and all she had to do was stay as far away from Rowan as possible. Since nobody had yet noticed her presence, she turned to leave.
"Freya!" the princess called, "You’re here..."
Freya closed her eyes, holding her gown tightly. She slowly turned her head, and when she did, all eyes were on her. The one that bore into her soul was the dark, brooding gaze of the King’s personal guard, who was shamelessly smiling at her.
"Freya, we were all waiting for you," the Crown Prince chimed in. "My sister said you weren’t feeling well earlier."
Freya nodded and walked toward them, raising her dress to avoid stepping on it as she kept her eyes down.
"Your Highness," she bowed, and the Crown Prince acknowledged her greeting with a nod.
"Do you feel better now?" Rowan asked, raising his hand to touch Freya, but she moved away from him. This action made him narrow his eyes, a small frown creasing his forehead.
Freya placed her hand on her chest. She wanted to avoid Rowan now that she knew what his touch was capable of doing to her body. She wasn’t going to give in to temptation again.
"I-I’m fine," she stuttered, noticing his eyes boring into her soul. The silence became unsettling as Rowan stared intently at her.
"We’re going for a horse ride," Princess Lirien clapped her hands excitedly, trying to ease the tension. "My father and mother will be returning tonight. Let’s enjoy the horse ride before they come back."
Without saying anything, Rowan turned away, heading to the stable. Freya noticed the anger in his eyes as he walked away, but she didn’t mind. She wanted to protect herself, and the only way to do that was by avoiding him.
"Um... Freya, you do know how to ride a horse, right?" Princess Lirien asked, pointing at the two white horses. "One is yours, and the other is mine."
Freya wiped her sweaty palm on her dress. Now that Rowan wasn’t close to her, she was able to relax. Turning to the princess, Freya shook her head.
"I don’t know how to ride a horse," she replied. There were so many leisure activities enjoyed by people from noble families, and riding a horse was one of those meant for the upper class. Freya didn’t need to learn how to ride a horse; her father couldn’t afford one since they had lived off the money he made from cooking. A horse wasn’t a necessity when they could pay less for a local carriage.
The princess pouted. "That’s sad, and I just learned how to ride one myself. I can’t take you with me. And I wanted to show you the secret spring. I’ve heard a lot about that place. Lovers go there to..." Princess Lirien giggled, letting her voice trail off.
"Oh..." Freya smiled, unsure of what the princess was going to say next since her mind was still occupied with how to avoid Rowan. She was happy she couldn’t ride a horse. Maybe that way, she could go back inside and avoid Rowan for good.
Princess Lirien sighed. "Maybe you could ride with-"
"I’ll ride with her," the younger prince spoke up, and everyone turned to look at him.
The Crown Prince, who had been listening to the girls while tending to his own horse, raised his head. Staring at his brother,
"Gerald? You want to ride with Freya?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
The prince nodded. "Yes... that’s if she doesn’t mind."
Freya was surprised to hear the prince speak, even more shocked that he wanted to help her. She had thought the prince didn’t like her presence because he always avoided her.
"Wow! Gerald wants to help?" Princess Lirien added, "Freya, do you want to go with him? He’s never offered to help anyone before."
Freya was going to decline and make an excuse that she was tired, but when she saw Rowan walking in their direction with his own horse beside him, Freya nodded.
"Y-yes! I’ll go with you, Prince Gerald. Thank you for your help." She nudged him forward, as if asking him to walk faster toward his horse before Rowan reached them.
"Gerald, maybe..." the princess started with a mischievous smile that Freya didn’t notice because she wanted to leave before Rowan got any closer. "After the horse ride, you can show her the secret spring," Princess Lirien smiled, trying to play Cupid. She ran toward her horse and mounted it.
Freya followed the prince, waiting for him to get on first, then help her up. When she turned, she saw Rowan mounting his own horse, his expression still serious.
Prince Gerald sat comfortably on his horse and stretched out his hand to help Freya up.
"Ah!" Freya gasped when she felt someone’s hand grip her waist tightly. Before she could say anything, she found herself sitting on a horse with Rowan behind her.
Prince Gerald frowned. "What are you doing?" he asked, the same question Freya was about to ask.
"You should go alone," Rowan’s tone was cold, leaving no room for argument. He placed one hand around Freya’s waist, pulling her closely to his chest, and the other hand on the reins.
"She’ll be riding with me."
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