Just as planned, the next day, Madame Rosalie and Freya left the palace in a carriage, making their way to the place where the festival would be held. Freya chewed her nails nervously as the carriage moved. She wasn’t sure if this was exactly what she wanted, but if it was going to help her clear her mind, then she was willing.
"What did you tell my father?" Freya asked, remembering that she hadn’t told her father anything before she left.
Madame Rosalie shrugged. "That you needed some time alone. He doesn’t need to worry when you’re with me, okay?"
Freya nodded. The woman was right. Once she was in the palace, her father didn’t worry because they were all like a big family, and Madame Rosalie was like a mother to everyone.
"I just hope this works," Freya said, unconsciously bringing her fingers to her mouth again and starting to chew.
Madame Rosalie frowned at the girl’s action, nudging her shoulder gently. "Look at me, Freya. You need to stop acting scared or getting intimidated easily, or else other women out there will trample on you," the woman said, trying to get the girl ready.
"See, you’re going there to have fun. Choose a man you think is capable of taking care of you. Live with him for a few days, and if it works out, you’ll forget about Rowan and get married, knowing that whatever happened between you two was just lust. If it doesn’t work, I’ll come back and take you home."
Freya raised her brows, not really sure she was following. "Come back and take me home? Where are you going?"
"To the palace, to help out... Freya, don’t be scared. I brought some trusted palace guards with me. If you get scared, they’ll bring you back home. Very easy," Madame Rosalie explained with a calm voice.
Freya held her hand over her chest. She didn’t know if she was okay with this, but the thought of living with a man and letting him treat her properly like a woman sounded right. She needed to experience care and love firsthand to know what she truly felt for Rowan. She closed her eyes, relaxing in the carriage until they arrived at the place.
The ground was already filled with a crowd of people struggling to get in line. Madame Rosalie used her influence to get Freya inside. She then walked toward the head organizer of the festival and spoke in hushed tones with the man. When she returned to Freya, she was smiling.
"Aren’t you such a lucky girl? I heard that some younger, abled men joined the festival this season," Madame Rosalie nudged her playfully. "Maybe I should join in too, what do you think?"
Freya inhaled deeply, letting out a soft chuckle. With the air filled with festivities, she was beginning to feel excited. "I don’t know, maybe you should too. I wonder what General Malcolm would think."
"He would think nothing," Madame Rosalie let out a tired sigh. "He doesn’t even see me as a woman," she muttered, her eyes scanning the place.
Freya noticed the sadness tinged in the woman’s voice. "What about you?"
Madame Rosalie’s attention shifted from the crowd and settled on Freya. "Tonight is not about me, so let’s get you ready!" She dragged Freya to the corner, fixing her dress and hair properly. Madame Rosalie used a small jade hairpin to hold up Freya’s hair, then dabbed powder on her cheeks.
"You’re ready," the woman whispered. "Now, you’re going to go in there with other women and choose which man you want. And if you don’t want any, I’ll be right here waiting to return to the palace with you."
Freya nodded. She was reassured that nobody was forcing her to stay. If she wanted to leave, she wouldn’t be stopped. Squeezing her hands gently, she entered the small room where she saw others like her. Some of them turned to look at her when she walked in, while others kept their attention on the door the men would come through.
When the door opened, a small-looking man appeared, dressed in a robe that covered his entire body, but he was holding a parchment. From it, he called out names, Freya’s name among them.
"Those I have mentioned, follow me," he spoke with a strong voice, then disappeared into one of the rooms.
Freya inhaled deeply, assuring herself that she could run if she wanted to. She slowly joined the other women inside the room.
"Those of you here will be the first to see our best men. We have a warrior in that room, a baker, and two merchants. Go in now," the man waved his hand toward the room.
Before Freya could move, she was shoved aside, causing her to fall to the ground as the other women rushed into the room, leaving her all alone.
"Poor child," the man in charge clicked his tongue. "You were slow. Maybe you’ll wait for the next- wait, I didn’t mention the ruffian."
Freya’s eyes widened with fear. She would rather wait for the next group or go back to the palace.
"That man is thrice your size, and he wouldn’t even smile, but he has the looks. I’ll give him that," the man continued explaining. "I just don’t think he wants to be here at all. Makes me wonder why he even joined."
Freya gulped. Whoever this was, he sounded like he was in the same position as her, but she didn’t want to be in the same room with a ruffian either.
"Do you want to check him out?" the man asked, looking at Freya. "Or wait for the next time."
Freya shook her head. "I’ll just wait," she muttered, walking back toward the door. Then a thought clicked. What if she waited and the women pushed her down again? Maybe she should just check this ruffian out and run back to Madame Rosalie to tell her she wasn’t interested. With this in mind, Freya turned and nodded.
"Yes! I want to check him out."
The man in charge narrowed his eyes. "Hmm... that man would destroy someone your size, but if you say so... well, his eyes are covered, so there’s nothing to be scared of." He pushed the door open.
Freya swallowed hard. The man in front of her wasn’t helping matters. What did he mean by destroy someone her size? Could this ruffian be any bigger than Rowan? She shook her head, trying to get rid of Rowan from her mind as she walked into the room.
Now alone inside the dimly lit room, Freya saw a figure sitting on a chair with his back facing her. When she heard the door creak closed, she gulped.
As if the person inside the room knew someone had entered, he stood up, his full towering height revealed.
Freya’s breath hitched. Just as the man had described, this ruffian was very big almost as big as Rowan. Freya inched closer until she was just a few steps away from him.
Now walking slowly to stand in front of him, Freya wasn’t able to see his face clearly because the small candle by the door only illuminated half of the room, but she could see his body clearly.
Freya exhaled softly. So far, this big-looking man or ruffian, as he had been called hadn’t done anything to harm her or made any aggressive moves. So she felt safe.
Raising her shaking hands, she traced her fingers along his hard, sturdy chest. Freya couldn’t deny that it felt familiar and good. She wanted to press his hard muscles so badly. As she traced the line down to just below his stomach, she heard a low growl from the man.
Freya quickly withdrew her hand and cleared her throat. She couldn’t believe she’d almost lost herself while touching this stranger. She wished she could see his face clearly.
Freya chewed her lip, not knowing what else to do. She decided to leave. The ruffian wasn’t as bad as she had imagined. With the darkness shrouding her path, Freya missed her step as she turned to leave, falling onto the stranger’s body, and both of them crashed on the chair.
"Ow, sorry," Freya hissed. "It’s dark in here," she muttered, trying to stand. But the man held her firmly by the waist. Freya tried to wriggle free, but his large hand encircled her waist, holding her tightly.
Blood drained from Freya’s face, her heart thudding in her chest. She was too scared to speak. When she opened her mouth to scream for help, thinking the man was about to harm her, she felt him lean closer. She jerked her head away, but his hand on her waist made sure she couldn’t move.
The man brought his lips close to the sensitive spot on Freya’s neck, and she felt his breath, warm and heavy. He inhaled deeply and exhaled with a husky groan.
Freya shivered as the hot air hit the sensitive spot on her neck. This wasn’t good. She felt something stir inside her, something only Rowan had made her feel. She tried to pull away, but the stranger held her firmly. Then, in the next moment, she heard his voice.
"Freya?" With ease, Rowan removed the blindfold that had covered his eyes.
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