Rejection

As they walked down, the busy morning street which was worse than yesterday since there were more people and they were completely stuck in place.

"What's going on here?!"Liam shouted to Leo as the streets were filled with chatting noises."It doesn't seem like any stalls are open today! Why are they all surrounding the streets like this?!"

"I don't know!"Leo shouted to Liam who was standing next to him, suffocating in the crowds."But they didn't completely cover the path, they left a straight line in the middle leading out the castle walls! And for some reason, guards are controlling the crowds, not letting them cover the path!"

"That's so weird-"

A random person cut Liam's words.

"The Princess!"He shouted while pointing to the castle.

"What's that all about?!"Liam asked Leo, confused.

"Come on! Let's go and see!"

Leo grabbed Liam's hand and walked deeper into the crowds. He kept asking politely for the people to give way and managed to make their way into the front line behind the guards, they didn't expect they could come this far.

They saw a girl dressed in a dazzling pink dress with a sparkling diamond tiara on her blonde hair. She was walking, elegantly with her head held high while two guards walked behind her.

Liam was staring at her with amazed until someone pushed him from behind and he fell in between the guards. He fell onto the floor while everyone gasped with shock. He rubbed his head and saw two spears facing him in the corner of his eye. He turned to his side and saw the princess behind the two guards, he fell in front of the princess.

"Shit!"He whispered as all the guards surrounded him with their weapons.

Until someone's hand appeared on one of the guard's shoulders and gently pushed the guard away and said.

"I'm with him! He didn't mean to fall in front of you, Your Highness."

Leo appeared from the guards and he quickly bowed before her.

"It was an accident."His voice was calm and steady while he spoke to the princess. "Please spare him, Your Highness. It wasn't on purpose. I will remember to keep watch on him."

He looked up at the princess and the princess stared at him with no emotion.

But suddenly...

"Very well!"She spoke which shocked the whole town since she usually arrested the kind of people who disrespected her.

"But, Your Highness!" One of the guards said.

"Are you disobeying me?"She said in a rude and threatening tone.

"No, Your Highness."

"Spare the both of them! And especially you!"She stared at Leo with a sharp gaze."I would like to talk with you."

"Anything that pleases you, Your Highness."He said with a bow again.

He walked to the frightened and stunned Liam. He pulled him up by the arm and whispered.

"Thank her for sparing you and remember to bow."

"Right!"Liam shouted quite loudly and everyone stared at him with awareness.

He then bowed down and shouted with gratitude.

"Thank you for sparing me, Your Highness."

The princess walked past him with a cold face and said.

"Be careful next time."

Then, she continued her path out the castle walls, gracefully as Leo hastily dragged Liam to a dark alley.

Leo sighed while Liam looked at him and forced a traumatized low laugh.

"Haha...I didn't know I could make it out without punishment or a death sentence...Thanks for saving my life again..."

"No prob...That's what we are supposed to do as partners but...please be careful next time! I thought both of us were going to be executed! But good thing we are still alive now..."Leo said in relief.

"...Are you going to be in trouble because of me?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well...she said she wants to meet you outside the gate, right?"

"Yup!"

"That's not a good sign! We should escape when we have the chance! Is there a back door out of these walls?"

Leo thought for a while but soon shook his head.

"No...there is only a front gate...And I don't think the talk will be dangerous...I have a feeling it will turn out well."

"But-"

Liam was stopped by a hand on his shoulder and Leo said with a bright smile.

"Trust me! Everything is going to be alright!"

Liam looked at his face and to the floor, sorrowfully.

"Sorry for dragging you into this mess."

"Don't be! I have dealt with this kind of situation before!"He said trying to keep Liam calm but then mumbled."But not with a princess though..."

Leo waved his hand and walked away.

"Can't keep the princess waiting. Wait for me at the gates."

"Please be safe."

Leo didn't say anything and smiled at him as he disappeared among the crowds.

After some time when the streets calm down, Liam swiftly dashed his way to the gate and sat on the ground outside the wall. He looked around the place, hoping no one saw him. Then, he noticed a carriage in front of him with two guards standing outside, defending it. He guessed the princess might be inside.

After some time, he saw a red hair guy come out of the carriage and smile gently at the person inside the carriage. He squinted his eyes and saw he was Leo. Liam dashed to the carriage and the guards blocked him with their spears but soon they put their weapons down when a voice came from the carriage.

"Do not hurt him! He is my guest's friend."The feminine and overconfident speech, let Liam know it was the princess.

"Yes, Your Highness."The guards said as they lowered their weapons.

"Do think about our agreement, dear."The princess said in a sly tone.

"I will," Leo replied as he bowed down and placed his arm around Liam's shoulder and whispered in his ears."We need to talk."

Both of them walked to the walls, still outside the town and Leo leaned on it.

"What are we going to talk about?"Liam asked, curiously while leaning his head against the wall.

"The princess said she would help us get to a nearby town since it is in the same direction as the place we want to go. But definitely is not for free, we have to protect her to that place."

"That doesn't seem like a bad deal! But why ask us to protect her when she has so many guards?"

"Well..."Liam scratched the back of his neck while saying awkwardly."I think she taken a liking to me..."

"What?! What made you think like that?! Did she say anything or what did she ask?!"Liam said while standing straight and staring at Leo with shock, his head was no longer leaning on the wall.

Leo sighed, his cheeks blushing slightly.

"Are you married?"

"What?!"

"That's what she asked me...And definitely, I say no and then she asks if I have any girlfriend and if I have any interest in having a relationship...And then she asked if I had any thoughts of becoming a king and-"

"The hell?! Stop! Stop right there! I can't process, why would she like the likes of you?!"

"Hey! That's kind of rude! But true...I don't get it either...She just unexpectedly asked those, it really caught me off guard. It's not my first time getting a love confession though, I got that quite a lot but this is from a princess! I don't understand..."

"Then, how did you reply to her?"

"Refuse all...I never want to be a king."

"Why?! That's a really good offer!"

"No thank you! I want to be free! I want freedom! That's why I chose to be an adventurer in the first place!"

"Oh...okay..."

"So what do you say?"

"I think we can take the offer."

"It's decided then."

"I will go talk to the princess and will set off at noon."

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A few hours earlier...

The knights surrounded a fallen boy with their spears pointing at him.

The princess stood there, looking down at him as she thought, angrily.

Disgrace! How dare you disturb my glorious royal path to the walls! You should be hung.

She pointed out her finger ready to give a command until a red-haired boy shouted, coming out of the crowd.

"I'm with him! He didn't mean to fall in front of you, Your Highness."

He bowed before her and the princess was even pissed.

So you're this disrespectful boy's caretaker.

"It was an accident. Please spare him, Your Highness. It wasn't on purpose. I will remember to keep watch on him."

You should have! The princess thought with rage. Now the two of you shall face your punishment.

Suddenly the red-haired boy unexpectedly looked up at her, revealing a pair of dazzling red crimson eyes, filled with determination and a handsome calm face.

The princess unexpectedly felt her heart, thumping wildly in her chest as her anger unknowingly melted away.

What is this feeling? How can a lowlife like him have this kind of face of a prince?

Suddenly, a weird image flowed through her head. The red-haired boy with his charming face looked up at her and gave her an attractive wink. She felt her cheeks burning up and snapped out of her thoughts.

No, no. Calm down, he did something disrespectful to you how can you think like?!

"Very well!"She spoke as she felt her heart was about to explode out of her chest.

"But, Your Highness!"One of her guards said.

"Are you disobeying me? She asked, angrily and thought.

How dare you talk back to me!

"No, Your Highness."

As I expected!

"Spare the both of them! And especially you! I would like to have a talk with you."

She couldn't take her eyes off him, but his perfect sculpture face was too dangerous for her heart.

"Anything that pleases you, Your Highness."She heard him say and she felt her heart was about to burst.

She walked past him while ignoring the sound around her and said "Be careful next time." as she hastily wanted to leave his side and melt away, she didn't want the whole town or him to see her indecent act.

After walking for what felt like hours to her, she sat in her carriage, her head held high as she stared at her guards.

"Are you sure, Your Highness? That you want to speak to this man alone."One of the guards said with uncertainty.

"Are you questioning my request?"She said while thinking how dare he think of this man in a bad way.

"No, Your Highness..."

He shut the door and the princess immediately melted in her seat as his exquisite face wafted through her head. Her face was blushing like a tomato as the event kept repeating in her head.

Was I too hard on him? Will he accept?... Definitely, he will, who doesn't want to be a princess husband?

Suddenly a knock came from the door and a slightly muffled yet clear voice came.

"Your guest is here, Your Highness."

The princess flinched and quickly sat up straight and tidied her hair, tiara and dress. In a quick second, she was ready and said.

"Come in!"She spoke in a calm manner but her heart was thumping loudly in her ears.

The guard opened the door and the red-haired boy, who she was desperately ready to meet again stood in front of the opened door. He was standing there with a gentle friendly smile, which made the princess about to die from his looks.

"Come in and take a seat."She said as she gestured to the seat across from her.

"Thank you, Your Highness."He said.

His sound was able to melt her mind too.

He came into the carriage and sat across from her.

"Are you married?"She asked, unknowingly.

"What?"The red-haired boy replied, confused and stunned.

The princess realized what she had asked, she felt her cheeks burning up in embarrassment. She quickly hid her face by staring out the window.

"Um...No, I don't have a wife, Your Highness."

She looked back at him, her eyes widened. She didn't expect he was going to reply and saw how he didn't mind her asking. She threw a bunch of questions about his love life.

After confirming he was not in a relationship, she asked.

"Would you like to be a king of a place?"She asked confidently with her hand held out. She was imagining he would hold her hand and said yes.

But instead...

"No, I wouldn't want that, Your Highness."

Hearing his reply, she felt her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"What?!"She yelled in this belief but soon coughed and changed her tone into a calm one."Why?"

"Because...I would like to be free. I don't want to stay in one place for a long time. I want to explore."

She weakly looked at him and said.

"You may leave now..."

He looked shocked but he didn't refuse.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for letting my friend and I go. And I hope you reached your destination safely."

As he was about to leave, she thought of a plan.

"Wait!"She grabbed his wrist. He looked back shocked and she hastily released her hand and coughed. Then, said."I think an adventurer like you has a lot of experience in traveling. So, I would like you to guide me to my place."

"What?"The red-haired boy replied, quite taken aback but soon calmly replied."It would be an honor to guide you, Your Highness, but I can't make this decision myself as I have a partner. I would like to discuss it with him."

"Very well..."She said, a little mad at how a person would disturb their lovely two-person journey."We will leave by noon..."

"I understood, Your Highness."

Those were his last words before he left the carriage.

The princess melted into her seat as tears began to form in her eyes.

He refused my confession. She thought as she rubbed her tears away. I couldn't believe it! He refused when all the princes were fighting for my love! How dumb is he?!

She laid on her seat as tears began to flow down her face.