The Cursed Prince

Edgar returned one hour later with a stack of clothes in his hands, followed by two servants carrying boxes filled with his personal stuff. He intentionally didn't knock, for fear Clara was asleep.

So, he slowly opened the door and motioned the servants to follow him inside.

His guess was right. When he entered the chamber, he saw Clara was leaning on the couch's backrest and closed her eyes.  There was a book in her hands which was half-open.

He walked without a sound toward Clara and tilted his head to read what the book was about. It was a book about gardening.

The man chuckled. His future wife was truly a woman's woman. Clara was very feminine and liked things related to home and gardening. Perhaps, later, she would also immerse herself in knowledge about child-rearing after they had children. 

Ahh... Edgar smiled to himself when his mind wandered to the future as he imagined a life with Clara and how they would raise a family together.

If he compared her to Emmelyn who was adventurous and bold, or Kira who was feisty and tough, Clara was very different from both of them.

Clara Langley was probably the very definition of a damsel in distress who needed to be saved if she was to encounter trouble, compared to Kira and Emmelyn who could protect themselves well and escape from distressful situations.

However, Edgar didn't mind saving Clara every single time. In his opinion, it was a man's job to protect his woman. There was a reason why men were born physically stronger than women.

So, even if he had to sacrifice himself and save his wife over and over again, he would do it in a heartbeat.

Tough and independent women were great too, but he personally liked a feminine and meek woman as his mate. So, Edgar felt so lucky to have met Clara. She was everything he could ever hope for.

"My lord..." The servant wanted to ask their young master where they should put the boxes, but Edgar immediately raised one hand and motioned them not to make a sound.

So, the two kept their mouths shut and softly walked toward the closet as Edgar signed them to put his stuff there.

"You can go," Edgar mouthed his order after they were done.

The two servants bowed down and left the chamber. Once they were out, the two exchanged glances. They never saw their young master looking so gentle like this toward anyone.

He was not a brute but he was also not a soft person and they never saw him keeping his voice down and his gesture so gentle like this around a woman.

This made them realize that the woman they had just seen was really special for their young master.

"Is that Lady Clara?" One of them asked his friend.

"Lady Clara? What, you know her name?" The other servant furrowed his brows. "Who is she? Do you know?"

"That's Lord Edgar's future wife. I heard the coachman talk earlier in the stable. He said our young lord returned from his mission with a young woman and it seems, they will get married."

"Oh, you know so many gossips," the second servant said, looking envious.

"Well, I am well connected. What can I say?" The first servant smiled smugly. They both chuckled and continued their walk toward the servants' quarters.

***

Meanwhile, Edgar sat beside Clara after he put his clothes in the wardrobe in the corner of the chamber. Dinner would be ready in one hour. So, they still had time. He didn't want to wake her up so she could enjoy her nap.

Edgar took the teapot and poured some tea for himself to enjoy while watching the sun setting on the horizon. He was happy they were given this chamber because the view was truly beautiful.

"Hmmm…." Clara fluttered her long lashes not long after and she opened her eyes. It took her a while to remember where she was. When she saw Edgar sitting quietly by her side, a sweet smile automatically curved up on her face. She asked him softly, "How long have I slept?"

"I am not sure. I came in half an hour ago and you were already napping," Edgar replied. "How do you feel? Are you feeling fresh?"

Clara adjusted her position and stretched her arms. "Ahh… yeah, I do feel so much better. Thank you for letting me rest. Do we still have time before dinner?"

"Yes, around half an hour," Edgar replied. "Do you want to get ready for dinner? I can call the maids to help you get dressed."

  "Uhm… I don't know anyone yet," Clara looked reluctant. "I feel bad about ordering servants in other people's house."

"It's okay. This is not other people's house, this is your house too. Besides, they are here to work. They will gladly serve you."

"Ah, okay. If that is not too much trouble." Clara wanted to refuse, but then she realized she wanted to look beautiful and gave a good first impression when she met Edgar's family for dinner. So, she understood that she had to let the maids help her with her dress.

"No trouble at all." Edgar patted her back softly and got up from the sofa. "I will go and call them. They will help you wash up and get dressed."

"Uhm, what about you?" Clara looked up at Edgar to check his appearance. Only then did she realize the man had actually changed into a fresh clean shirt and pants. He also smelled really nice. It seemed he had already washed up before he came here.

Now, Clara felt bad about herself. She was still wearing the dress she wore yesterday from the last city they stopped at, and she also didn't smell like blooming roses.

Suddenly she was longing for a nice warm bath. It would feel so good at this cold temperature.

"I already changed," Edgar replied. "I did it in my chamber before I came here with my clothes. Do you want to get a nice hot bath? We have a nice one over there."

He tilted his chin toward the beautiful bathtub in the corner of the chamber, close to the fireplace. 

Clara's eyes glint happily. Could Edgar read minds? The girl was wondering.

She was actually thinking of a nice warm bath, and he suddenly offered it.