“I was referring to Laura.
And please, there’s no need to call me ‘sir’. I don’t rule over this town,” he replied, shaking his head as he stifled down a chuckle.
I returned a smile as his own was contagious. “Sir– I mean, Grandpa Ben, how come you said Laura’s your granddaughter? She said she was an orphan,” I continued, leaning closer as I kept my voice low.
“Well, she didn’t lie about that. She was truly an orphan,” he replied, his voice changing to a much more serious tone. He continued, “I was the one who adopted her. At first, I wanted to be her grandfather only. But, since I adopted her, I have treated her as my own, which makes me a father to her as well.”
Laura was absolutely fortunate to have both a father and a grandfather in one man. Perhaps, that was the reason she had such a gentle nature. It could be because of how Grandpa Ben treated her.
“So, Robert, who are you parents? And where do you live?” he asked, crossing his arms and putting them on the counter.
His question made me stop, questioning everything that could possibly happen. Up to this point, I had only introduced myself as a random stranger. A stranger that happened to pass by, and assisted Laura. I couldn’t tell him that I was not of this world. My identity as an immortal must be protected at all costs. Or else, I would end up with a humongous crowd once again.
To be fair, I didn’t see Grandpa Ben as someone who would tell everyone a person’s deepest, darkest secrets. But still, I didn’t want to attract any more attention in this place.
“Did I say something wrong, Robert?” he asked, noticing my silence. “Was there something offensive about my question?” he asked another.
“Oh, not at all, Grandpa Ben,” I replied right away as I shook my head. “It’s just, um…”
‘Come now, Robert,’ I thought to myself, scolding me for my sloth. ‘Think of something!’
I continued, with an immense amount of caution, “You see, Grandpa Ben, I am not a resident of this town. Since that’s the case, I don’t think that mentioning my family is important.”
“Is there some sort of conflict within the family? You seem to be… uncomfortable, just by the mere thought of your parents,” said Grandpa Ben.
“Let’s just say that there are matters that happened within the family that have made our relationship, our unity as a sour one,” I replied, my lips formed into a firm smile after.
“Can you share a bit about that?” he asked another.
Perhaps, I could share a few things, just to remove some of the ridiculous weight that I carried on my chest. I didn’t tell him that I came from a family of Immortals so it could be safe to share a few of my frustrations with him. He seemed to be genuinely interested and concerned as well.
“In my opinion, it was the marriage arrangement that ultimately destroyed my relationship with them. Not only did I not have a say in the matter, but the whole ordeal was completely for their benefit,” I answered, looking down to my hands that were now intertwined with each other,
“If you’re in an arranged marriage, I assume that you come from a rich family, correct?” he smirked.
“I guess we can call it that way,” I replied, hesitant. I wasn’t the sort of person that was proud of his title. I also didn’t parade my wealth, inside and outside the castle grounds. To be completely honest, I preferred to look like a normal being whether I was in the castle or not. To boast what I had was never an attitude of mine.
“One order of tea and apple pie, ready to be served!” a worker shouted behind Grandpa Ben. He immediately put the entire meal on the counter behind him.
Laura appeared from inside the kitchen, grabbed the tray and headed towards me. “Here you are, good sir. Tea, and your freshly-baked pie,” she said, putting my orders right in front of me. “Enjoy!” she smiled and headed back to the kitchen.
Grandpa Ben let out a chuckle. “I’m sure he will,” he teased Laura.
She briefly turned her head around and stuck her tongue out to Grandpa Ben. After their little moment of playful banter, Laura returned to work.
“Go ahead, son. Give it a try,” he said as he reverted his attention back to me
I smiled as I gently lifted the cup closer to my mouth. As the hot liquid touched my tongue, I could say that this was one of the best kinds of beverages I had ever tasted. “Sir,” I put the tea down, “I mean, Grandpa Ben, I have to say that this is one of the best teas that has ever touched my lips.”
“I’m glad you like it. Rodrigo was the one who makes all the beverages here,” Grandpa Ben said with a sense of pride. “He said that the recipe he’s using was handed down through his family for generations. It was also a well-guarded secret. Whoever created that recipe was a genius, and all thanks must be given to its creator,” he explained.
“A genius, indeed,” I smiled. My eyes turned its attention to the apple pie.
“Since you had, as you said, the best tea that you have ever tasted, are you now ready for the best apple pie here in this town?” he asked, extremely enthusiastic.
“Well, by the looks, as well as the aroma of the pie, it’s incredibly mouth-watering,” I complimented, pulling the slice of pie closer to me.
“Though, I must warn you, boy: those who have tasted Laura’s apple pies went about them. They always return here, and eat as much pie as they can,” he replied as he handed a fork to me.
I stuck my fork into the pie when someone from the kitchen rang a handheld bell. “It’s almost time for lunch, everyone! Lunch is almost here!” he shouted as he walked around the kitchen with his bell. “Enough with all the breakfast pastries and beverages. It’s time for dessert!” he continued. After ringing the bell, as well as shouting like a mad man inside the bakery, he returned to his workstation.
“You have a timekeeper in here, Grandpa Ben?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, we do. We have to have one,” he answered, folding his arms and laying them on the counter once again. He leaned towards me and continued, “We want to be different from other bakeries here as much as possible. We don’t want to be a bakery that bakes bread, and only bread. Our treatment in this workplace is like family. So, every time a customer enters that very door,” he pointed at the door briefly, “We serve breakfast, snacks, and desserts for everyone’s delight,” he added.
“What time do you normally close the bakery?” I asked.
“When the street clocker rings the bell during the evening, we take it as a sign to close the shop. If there are people who want midnight snacks, we deliver them after we close the bakery,” he explained. “Now, that’s enough talking. Go ahead, and try the apple pie,” he pointed at the pie.
Oh, right! The pie!
I returned to the apple pie and carefully sliced a small bite. As I lifted it, it looked just too delicious that you just wanted to eat it with your eyes alone. I was about to take a bite when Lady whinnied in front of the entrance.
“Your horse has a bit of an attitude, son,” Grandpa Ben snickered.
Lady didn’t usually act that way unless there was a crowd. What was happening with her? Was she trying to tell me something?
I turned to Grandpa Ben, “Grandpa Ben, do you know what time it is currently?”
“Hm, well for a start, it isn’t officially lunchtime yet. The street clocker hasn’t announced it yet,” he explained.
Right after what he said, someone shouted from the streets. “It’s time for lunch! Time for lunch! Those who are currently working, it’s time for lunch!” a young man rang a bell, followed by five other men, beating their drums. He continued to do this as he passed by the shop.
“Well, now, it’s really time for lunch,” Grandpa Ben laughed.
So, that was what Lady was trying to say!
It was time for lunch. It was time for her lunch, which meant I needed to go back home. I didn’t want my family to find out that I was outside, especially James.
“Grandpa Ben, I have to go,” I replied, standing up as quickly as I could.
“What?” he stood up, brows knitted together in confusion. “But, you still haven’t tried the pie yet.”
“Perhaps, next time, Grandpa Ben. I can’t be late for family lunch,” I answered. Without wasting any more time, I ran towards the entrance.
~*~*~*~
As soon as I reached Lady, I wasted no time and quickly jumped on her back.
“Wait!”
I turned my head and saw Laura, racing towards me with a basket in her arm. “Here you are,” she said as she handed it over, covered with a plaid basket. “What’s inside of it?” I asked as I received it. “You didn’t get the chance to finish the pie so Grandpa Ben told me to put it in a basket and give it to you,” she smiled. “It’s still fresh and as I can see, only a small bite was made. It will be a waste if we throw it in the trash,” she continued, putting her hands on her waist. “Oh, thank you, Laura, but there’s no need for this,” I replied as I tried to hand the basket back. “I told Grandpa Ben I will try it on my next visit.” “Don’t fight us back, son,” another voice came from the bakery. Grandpa Ben walked towards us and stood behind Laura. He continued, “Take the pie with you. Share it with your family. Who knows? They may like it, too.” “But, Grandpa Ben–” he then put his hand out, blocking my protest. “It’s all right, son. I don’t want to hear any excuses. You will bring
I could hear a calm conversation as I approached the dining hall. As I got closer, one of the guards quickly asked, “Shall we announce you, Your Highness?” “There’s no need for that,” I replied as I opened the door without warning. My family was quick to look in my direction. My sudden entrance immediately put them all to silence. Their eyes widened out of surprise, their movements paused. If this was the kind of response that I got every time I entered a room, bursting through doors would be a delight. Like any other feast, Mother was the first to approach me. “Hello, Mother,” I greeted as I gave her a kiss on the forehead. She giggled in response. “Hello, my heart,” she cupped my face with one hand, looking up to meet my gaze. “Dearest Elizabeth,” I smiled as I turned to my sister, laying a gentle peck on her cheek. “Hello, little brother,” she smiled. I wasn’t quick to notice it at first, but there were no spare chairs in between Mother and Elizabeth, which was the place whe
Princess Lorain was the princess of the Kingdom of Middle Earth. She was my fiancée. As we were not allowed to personally meet each other, we were permitted to send letters to one another to build some sort of connection. And in her letters, she seemed to be a gentle woman. And she would tell me all of her thoughts. She never held back anything from me. We had become each other’s support through the chaotic world of monarchy. Given that I had a difficult relationship with James, she had the same but with her mother. Princess Lorain and I became good friends over the past years that we communicated. She was always respectful of my space, as well with some matters that I decided to keep private. With care, I opened her letter and it read, “A good day to you, Your Highness! “I trust that you are having a better month than I am. There was no sign of anything good or new with my life, much less with my relationship with my mother. “She had put additional pressure on me to be the pe
I was occupied in preparing Lady for another stroll to the Mortal Realm. Suddenly, a hand attached itself onto my arm. I looked and saw Mallory. Her eyes were puffed and almost red. She could have cried for a long time. I sighed as I shook my head. “Mallory, I don’t have time to do this with you. I have to be somewhere else right now,” I complained. “I beg of you, Robert, give me a chance to be with you,” she pleaded. She continued, “Grant me a chance to prove to you that I can love you more than any woman can. Let me prove myself to you.” “You already have, Mallory. You have proven yourself to be a good friend and sister to me. Let that be the end of this matter,” I replied, slowly removing her hand from my arm. As soon as I got her hand off, she clung onto my arm with both hands. “Mallory, don’t you feel sorry for yourself?” I continued, completely irritated. “Do you want for me to paint a picture of how desperate you look right now?” “I don’t care what I look like, Robert,” she
Lady and I finally arrived in Bullingar, and the streets were busier than before. Perhaps, because it was already afternoon, people might be buying what they needed at the very last minute. I was looking around when a specific voice caused my head to turn. Right then and there, a familiar face stood out from the crowd. I got off Lady and walked towards her whilst I pulled Lady along. “How much for the apples?” Laura asked the vendor as I stood behind her, keeping my silence. “Twenty gold coins for a barrel,” the vendor replied. “Twenty gold pieces?! That’s outrageous!” Laura exclaimed. “I understand that it isn’t a reasonable price. But for the past few days, trade has been made a lot harder for everyone,” the vendor snapped back. “Are you even a rich person to complain?” “I am,” I intervened. Laura immediately turned around. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened in shock. “Robert, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Just trust me,” I smiled as I stepped forward. I handed
Grandpa Ben didn’t seem to be furious with Laura. But she was still in trouble because she took so long. And it wasn’t even her fault, it was mine. “Pardon, Grandpa Ben?” I spoke from behind Laura. Both of them turned in my direction. “Oh, hello there, dear boy,” Grandpa Ben smiled. “Were you here all this time? Come closer,” he continued as he gestured for me to come closer to him. In haste, I stepped forward. “Grandpa Ben, please don’t give Laura such a hard time. It was all my fault that she took so long in the marketplace. I was the reason behind it,” I explained without giving Grandpa Ben any moment to speak. “Is that so?” he asked with his arms still crossed. “And why is that?” “I was taking a stroll in the marketplace of Bullingar when I heard her arguing with the vendor,” I answered. “I paid for the barrel and on our way back, we had a bit of a misunderstanding about who’s going to ride on Lady, my horse. That’s what kept us in the marketplace.” “And why were you arguin
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 si
Laura scoffed in disbelief. “Trust me, there is no one,” she said. “That’s impossible, Laura. A simple admiration is a normal emotion to have,” I replied. “Well,” she then played with her fingers, “There is someone that I like. And there is someone, who I believe, is trying to gain my affections.” My heart stopped as soon as she said that. Her admission destroyed my hopes that maybe she was the one for me. But, it would seem that her heart was already occupied. “Really?” I asked as I tried to hide the pain that was about to come out of my voice. I asked again, “Can you tell me who they are? For sure, I’ve never met them before.” “For now, I’d like to keep things to myself. It’s something that I don’t want others to worry about because it’s not for them to think about,” she answered. “I understand. But, perhaps, you can describe them?” I asked, still hoping that she would tell me more. “The one who, I think, likes me is very sophisticated, to say the least. He acts as if he was