31 THE WALK
It was midday, and the sun was shining bright on the surface of the earth. Everyone was busy with his daily work.
Prince Gen sat on the couch in their chamber as he flipped through a book. Their chamber?
Yes, their chamber. He and his beautiful spouse.
Princess Fen lay on the bed under the blanket as she stared at him. She covered her body, but her head was still outside, which enabled her to stare at him.
She had numerous questions to ask him, but she was scared that he might get angry at him.
Princess Fen let out a cough which seemed like a whisper to call for prince Gen's attention. But he was too occupied to know what was happening.
"Your Highness, may I ask you a question?" She summoned the courage to speak.
"Yes, My Lady. You can ask anything." Prince Gen responded politely, even though she wasn't expecting him to be polite because of her behavior towards her.
"Huh, huh!" Princess Fen cleared her throat as she sat on the bed.
She wondered which of the questions she was going to ask first.
"W-why is your dining table here? Isn't it supposed to be in a wider place that is close to the kitchen?" She stammered. Princess Fen asked as she lowered her gaze with shyness. Even when there was still a wide space in the room where she could do anything she wanted.
"Yeah, we have the family dining room downstairs. I was the one that recommended this one for myself. If I should, in case I don't want to go downstairs for my meal." Prince Gen responded and continued reading.
"Why…"
"Anything you see in this chamber was my opinion. Should you not want to see any of this, feel free to let me know. The dressing room has everything you will need. This particular mirror serves as a helper when you feel tired of going into the dressing room. Anything you see inside this chamber has a reason." He cut in her words before she could complete it.
She sat still as she listened to what he was telling her.
Princess Fen looked up to the hanger where her wedding gown was hung. It wasn't there any longer.
"Well, the maidens must have taken it to wash while asleep." She mumbled.
She studied the room once more, to see what was right and wrong. Princess Fen couldn't find fault in anything in the room.
"He said, everything here has a reason. Well, I won't judge him. I might be the beneficiary tomorrow." She said in her mind.
Despite the satisfaction of him being nice to her, she was still in disbelief that he was a nice prince. From what she has seen and read about marriages, their husbands are always thoughtful and straightforward. Her father was a good example of it.
"Could it be that he was calm because they just wedded?"
"I really enjoyed the breakfast. I almost finished a jug of the herbal tea that was brought by the maidens. It relieves my pain and tiredness." Princess Fen explained with a smiling face.
"Hmm mm," prince Gen nodded and responded, "sure." He was too dedicated to the book in his hand. There were a few books she dropped on the table in front of him. He brought them up from the library this morning.
He was a lover of books, actually. Princess Fen could see the commitment in him. The book has taken his attention, and she wanted not to distract him. But she wanted to have a discussion with him.
She knew how a book can take one's attention from thinking of any other thing except what you are reading. Especially when the book is interesting.
She was confused about how to capture his attention. Even though she's a lover of books, this wasn't time for reading.
"Aren't you taking me around the castle?" Her voice echoed in his ears.
He heard that statement clearly.
Prince Gen brought down the book he was reading and looked at her in shock.
"Are you serious?" Prince Gen asked as he shook his head.
"I'm not a joker. Why won't I?"
She smirked.
Prince Gen found himself laughing at her. Why was he actually laughing?
This was because he never expected that from her.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Prince Gen said as he tried to hold his laughter.
Princess Fen wondered what was making him laugh.
"What's funny?" She finally asked as she couldn't endure it any longer.
"A-am, sorry. I… huh huh!" Prince Gen stammered and cleared his throat.
"I was just wondering if that came out of your mind." He finally spoke out.
"How?" She was more confused.
"Just forget it. Let's go then." Prince responded as he dropped the book on the table.
"No! I'm not forgetting anything! You must…" princess Fen stopped in her tracks as she wanted to raise her voice at him.
"Hamm. I'm sorry." She gasped and apologized. Prince Gen stood speechless as he stared at her. He was already on his feet waiting for her to climb down the bed.
Princess Fen took her gaze away from him. Her look shows that she was genuinely sorry, but then, prince Gen wasn't even angry at her. He could understand her feelings.
"She might still be angry at her parents for forcing her into a marriage." Prince Gen thought to himself.
"It's okay. I understand." He responded as he squats and took her hands and cared for them. She was stunned.
Princess Fen was thinking of the opposite of it. Whereby he will get angry immediately, like the way her father does.
"I'm not angry at me?" She asked in a soft voice.
"No. Why will I be? Common, you don't have to bother yourself. I'm always with you. I promise to protect and take good care of you. So, I must keep to my promise. The only thing I need from you is support for everything I do, and I promise to love you, till death do us apart." He assured her.
She felt a glimpse of excitement hit her heart.
"He was a good and different man, if only he kept to his promises."
Princess Fen stared into his eyes and stared back at her. She couldn't believe that she could stare directly into his eyes.
The room went silent for a decay of time. Prince Gen continued caring for her hand. After a few minutes, she blinked her eyes quickly as he was bringing his face closer to hers.
As his lips got closer to hers, she quickly took one of her hands from his. She placed her palms on his lips to stop him from kissing her.
Prince Gen abruptly stopped from leaning closer. They were still in that position and princess Fen asked, "can we go now, please?"
"Sure, we can." Prince Gen responded and stood up.
He supported her to climb down the bed, which she did.
He released her hand when she finally came down off the bed.
Princess Fen was wearing a red long sleeve gown with an edge that was designed with pink flowers in the form of clothes, beneath the gown.
Her hair was loose and dropped on her shoulder. The length of her hair reached her waist. She took her crown and wore it on.
On the other hand, prince Gen wore his crown with his royal mantle with a surcoat that extended to his feet.
He opened the door and waited for his bride to step out. As she stepped out, prince Gen slammed the door and asked, "can I take your hand?"
"Sure," she answered as they smiled at each other.
On getting to the hall, king Wang Lei was seen sitting on his throne.
They both bowed to him and greeted. King Wang Lei responded as he widened his mouth with a smile.
Prince Gen showed the princess every angle of the kingdom, including the courtyard where the garden was located. They walked around as they discussed and laughed together.
Most of the palace servants, the elders, and those that don't belong to the royal family were happy seeing them together.
The guards on duty were in their positions as usual. Prince Gen was still in his bride's hand as they majestically walked around the kingdom. Princess Fen has always been a lonely person, but now, she has a partner whom she can call upon anytime she needs someone to discuss with.
After a long walk, they finally went back to their chamber.
"The maidens or your handmaid should either bathe you, rather than bathing yourself." Prince Gen suggested.
"Don't worry, I can do that myself. But Shu will dress me up anytime I am done bathing. If I ever need someone to bathe me, Shu will be in the best position to do that. Don't just bother yourself." Princess Fen responded as she gave him a reassuring smile.
"Would this happiness actually continue?"