The Cursed Prince

Rowena froze for a moment at the figure who suddenly blocked the light. There had been friendly people with her during her journey to Almere but never this close. She was prepared to bolt up and run until the person spoke up.

"Whoaa, are you going to eat that bread?"

Rowena's gaze lifted up and she suddenly found herself face to face with Julian. The young man was dressed in a more hooded attire, but his voice was unmistakably his and so was the twinkle in his eyes. She could feel the grin in his tone as he spoke to her.

"Julian—" Rowena gushed.

"What? Who's that devilishly handsome named person? I'm just a stranger who happened to see very nice bread." Julian chuckled and lifted a small bottle. It appeared to be wine. "Want to pair it with this drink?"

Rowena had a lot of questions, but she first wrinkled her nose. "Wine and bread?"

"Don't you know that's the perfect combination?" Julian grinned as he scooted beside her by the tree. The two were now seated at a comfortable distance as he continued. "When you have stale bread and don't have soup to soften it up, wine is the best alternative."

  "I never…"

"Of course, rich people don't do that. You guys probably always have your fancy steaks to pair them with wine." Julian opened the bottle up, a pleasant aroma whiffed through the air as he smiled. "Want to give it a try?"

"Do you really think I'd just accept something from a stranger?" Rowena asked. 

"Ooh, you're extra cautious. That's a good thing." Julian rubbed his chin, looking impressed.

"Of course, nobility happens to have a lot of events where some get poisoned through wine or some other drink." Rowena straightened up and narrowed her eyes at Julian. "One can never be too careful when someone offers you food or liquids."

"But you know it's me." Julian protested childishly. 

Rowena smirked a little. "I don't. Aren't you just a stranger who's eyeing my bread?"

"Why you…" Julian laughed and adjusted his hood and covering to show his face. "It's me… Julian. Your devilishly handsome friend."

"I'm not so sure about that last part."

"Hey!" Julian chuckled. "You're going to hurt my feelings."

Rowena smiled. "I'm glad you found me, though…" 

"Of course. But if someone else came instead of me, I expect you to have run off. You won't believe how some people fight because of food." Julian's expression became serious.

"Really?"

"If I was serious about getting that loaf of bread, I would have knocked you out with a bottle… not this wine bottle, but an empty one and it'll be…." Julian coughed and cleared his throat. "But that's not really a good image. Apologies."

Rowena remembered that Julian's family died in another place because of a famine. It made her a bit unsure of what to say. She couldn't imagine what he'd been through and it filled her with sadness.

Another thing that happened because of her father's inability to take care of the kingdom. It hurt to know that she was so unaware before.

Rowena smiled weakly. "It's fine… people can be so obsessed with one thing and fail to see the bigger picture."

"Like wealth, prestige, and power for your people?"

"Among other things."

"What?" Julian frowned a little. "What else do slimy and disgusting nobles want other than money and power?"

"I believe most people do want the same things," Rowena said.

"Oh really?" Julian snorted. "Most people here in Almere could be content here with a roof over their head, but your people and especially the ones in the capital build palaces and mansions just to satisfy themselves."

"When you think about it, it's still the same. Doesn't everyone want happiness and love? We all have our own motivations for certain things, but at the end of the day, the reason tends to be purely motivated by our own desire for happiness."

Julian scrunched up his nose. "It's just that some people can only be happy with much more than necessary?"

"Yes. And there are some people who could have the entire kingdom in their hands but still be unhappy." Rowena smiled sadly. 

Rowena didn't know what her father truly wanted, because as far as she knew, she seemed nothing more than a trophy. But there had to be something else that he wanted, didn't he?

Something else beyond the current amount of power that King Draco obtained.

"That's one way of looking at things." Julian acknowledged thoughtfully. "I… suppose, I've always seen your people in a bad light that I didn't realize that everyone just wants the same things. Happiness."

"The problem with it though is that some people continue to pursue happiness… even if it means at the expense of someone else." Rowena smiled bitterly. "Even if others have to suffer as a consequence."

Julian was silent and watched her expression, before he finally said, "We can't keep everyone happy, Rowena. I hope you understand that and don't feel too guilty about what you choose for yourself. You just have to keep pushing forward."

Rowena was sure that he noticed the tears in her eyes but chose not to say anything so she wouldn't feel embarrassed. She broke the break into two and handed him the other and slightly bigger half.

"You're right. But let's stop talking about this and start eating, okay?"

"Thanks and got that, I'm starving. All this thinking doesn't suit me that much." Julian laughed. He poured a little wine on his bread before he offered some for Rowena.

Even though it was a strange combination, Rowena accepted it and then took a bite. The sweet flavor of wine really made the plain bread she got from the tavern to be extra delicious. Rowena smiled and savored the taste.

Julian also seemed to be taking his time with his food.

Rowena cleared her throat and asked. "How did you figure out that it was me though?"

"I have my ways." Julian grinned.

"What?" Rowena raised a brow. She pursed her lips together and folded her hands. "You can just tell me if my disguise is bad and that's how you figured it out."

Julian chuckled. "Ah, you're really too serious. I'm just glad to see that you've finally left that hell."

Rowena smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah…"