Happily Ever After

Chapter 3

(Y/N) POV

"Mother, Father, may Jim and Luka please join us for breakfast?" I asked. "We haven't eaten yet, and we sure are starving." My stomach grumbled right on cue. It's probably mad at me right now. "I'd also like to properly thank them for helping me last night. May them come join us, please?" I gave them my best impression of the puppy-eyes. Surely they cannot resist! No human being can ever turn down such an adorable thing.

Jim and Luka looked at me wide-eyed. "Really? You want us to eat breakfast with you?" Luka asked in disbelief.

"Of course! Why not?" I crouched down and smiled at the small boy.

"Come on, kids," Mother beckoned us. "Let's go inside and eat. Breakfast is probably waiting for us. Hurry along before the food turns cold."

We happily obliged and went inside. We strolled along the hallway and made our way to the dining area. An inn personnel was about to greet us when his smile dropped, replacing it with a confused expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but Father interrupted him before he could utter a word.

"No need to worry," Father assured him. "The two lads are with us. Serve them breakfast and put it under my account."

"Yes, Sir." The staff bowed and went his way without further questions.

Soon, breakfast was served. A colourful array of fruits, bread, and oats made its way to our table. A couple of meat and fish dishes also came our way. All I can say is that the food was delicious! Two out of three stars for me. They could have gotten a three if it wasn't for the (least favourite food).

After we finished eating, Father wiped his lips with a napkin and said, "Do tell me, (Y/N). What happened last night? What did my mischievous little girl do on her little adventure?"

"Well... I suppose I should come clean." I sighed, placing down my fork and knife.  "I could not sleep last night. Even though I was tired, my mind was wide awake. So, I jumped out of bed and looked out the window, observing the village."

"What happened next?" Mother asked.

"Suddenly, two children caught my attention as they ran around the street. I wondered why those children roamed outside at such a late hour. So many questions filled my head, and let's just say that curiosity got the best of me. So... I snuck out."

"Sounds like something your mother would do," Father snorted.

"I would not!" Mother protested.

"Oh really? Remind me, dear. Who was the infamous runaway bride of 1865?" Father smirked with his hands crossed over his chest.

"I-... Shut your trap, (Y/F/N)! You were the one who was scheming to cancel the engagement in the first place!" Mother bit back. 

Mother and Father began to bicker like children... in front of the actual children in the room. "Ahem," I cleared my throat. Thankfully, that was enough to grab their attention. If not, then a world war would have probably occurred. 

"Sorry, (Y/N). Please, do continue." Father gestured with his left hand.

"As I was saying, I put on my shoes and went out the door. I headed downstairs and got out through the nearest window. It was fairly low, so I could climb up and jump down with ease."

"As Luka and I were on our way home, we heard a scream," Jim joined in the conversation. "Out of curiosity, we tried to find the source. It led us outside an abandoned house by the forest. There, we saw (Y/N) surrounded by three men."

"(Y/N) looked terrified, and she started to cry," Luka added. "We couldn't just leave her alone in such a bad situation. So, we decided to help her." 

"The men wanted to take me away and hide me somewhere. They were planning to find you and ask for a large sum of money in exchange for my life. Suddenly, Jim and Luka showed up like knights in shining armour!" I exclaimed.

"We threw stones at the men to distract them, and it made them angry," Luka said while acting out his words.

"I quickly ran towards Jim and Luka when they were not paying attention," I added.

"They tried to catch (Y/N), but she was surprisingly faster than them," Jim said.

"What do you mean by 'surprisingly'?" I asked Jim. "Of course, I was faster than them! I run around and play outside too. Just because I am noble, it does not mean that I stay at home all day to be pampered and spoiled rotten," I added. "My mother would kill me if I would do that," I whispered into his ear.

Both of us giggled, and it did not go unnoticed by Luka. "What are you two giggling about?" Luka asked. "Tell me! Tell me!" the small boy demanded.

"Oh it is nothing important," Jim replied. "Anyway, back to the story. So, the three men chased us around the village. They were hot on our trail! It was hard to lose them, but we managed to do so eventually."

"Jim and Luka then took me to their secret hideout and let me spend the night there," I said. "I'm very grateful for what they did last night. They were very kind to me even though I was a stranger to them. Most people would have probably taken advantage of me, but they did not." I turned my head to face the two young lads and gave them a warm smile. "Thank you so much."

"Jim, Luka, we do appreciate your help, Mother said. "Thank you for saving our precious girl. Apologies for all the trouble she caused you."

"Yes, thank you so much for bringing (Y/N) back," Father added.

"You're welcome, Mr. and Ms. (Y/L/N)," Luka said with a bright smile.

"Mother, Father, do you remember my birthday wish?"

"Yes, we do," they replied in unison.

"Well, I've thought about it while I was away. Now I think I know exactly what to ask for." 

"What is it, my dear?" Mother asked.

"Go on, you can ask us anything as promised." He leaned forward, waiting for my answer.

"Let's take Jim and Luka back to our manor, please," I replied.

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