The Girl Who Cried Wolf

Eleven

o n e   y e a r   l a t e r

A smile stretched her lips as she read the letter in the manila envelope. Lycus loved to surprise her with letters every now and then with silly things he had to do as King. We were always writing to each other when he was too busy kinging to meet up.

Red still couldn't believe she was dating a King.

"That butter isn't going to cream itself, Red," her grandmother shouted from the kitchen. "We have customers waiting."

"Be right there!" Red yelled back, stuffing the letter in the pocket of her apron. On days when she wasn't hanging out with Lycus, Red helped out her Nana in the bakery. They had started a bakery a few months ago with the money they had saved and a little help from the royal family.

At first, she didn't want to accept any help from Lycus but he had joked about the punishment for rejecting a gift from the King. He was always using his position to get his way every now and then.

"There you are. I need help with the buttercream. I need to serve some customers outside." Her Nana hated serving tables.

"I can do that for you." She took the tray from her grandmother's hands and walked outside.

"Thank you, dear."

She smiled at her grandmother and walked out of the kitchen to serve the hungry customers. The bakery was always bustling with customers every day. At this rate, they might need to hire two more people to help out.

As she served the tables, people shot her dirty looks. Even after her year-long relationship with Lycus, some people still didn't think she was the right fit for him. But she no longer cared. She loved Lycus, and he loved her, too. Anybody who couldn't accept that could go jump in a lake.

Her legs ached by closing time. Working in a bakery was harder than she thought but it was worth it. A knock on the glass door, caught her attention while she was cleaning up.

Her heart did a cartwheel when she saw who was at the door. Lycus was at the door looking breathtaking in a sky-blue button-down shirt and black slacks. His dark hair was messy from running his fingers through them. He did that a lot when he was working.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for my girlfriend. She's about this tall with the most beautiful eyes," he said, walking towards me, one hand hidden behind his back.

Red pretended to think. "Haven't seen her. She has to be one beautiful lady to be with a man as ravishing as you are."

"I'm not even half as ravishing as she is." He stretched out his hidden hand to reveal a beautiful rose flower. "For you."

"I'm not sure your girlfriend will be pleased with you handing out flowers to a random girl at a bakery." Red sniffed the flower and threw her head back.

"I don't think she'll mind."  Lycus placed a hand on her waist and drew her to him in a heart-shattering kiss. Red smiled against his lips.

"I missed you," she said when they pulled apart. His hands were still around her.

"Missed you more. I want to take you somewhere." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek and Red almost melted on the floor.

"Where?" she asked.

"You'll have to wait and see."

*.*.*

The woods weren't forbidden anymore. Not since the hunters had been chased away. It has become one of Red's favourite places to hang out with Lycus. He held her hand in his and guided her through the woods, occasionally lifting her in his arms when she grew tired of walking.

She wasn't sure how long they walked until she saw the blanket sprawled on the floor. Fairy lights hung from the trees, illuminating the dark space. A basket sat on the blanket and there were flower petals littered on the ground.

"Lycus." She pressed a hand to her mouth. "What is all this?"

"We've barely hung out this past week and you've been working tirelessly at the bakery. I wanted us to spend some time together and help you relax," he told her, looking at her in that tender way that made her heart trip.

"When did you have the time? You're always busy—"

"I'm never too busy for you, Red." He planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Just when I think I can't love you more you go and do this." She buried her face in his neck.

"Come on, let's eat."

They sat on the blanket, eating and rambling about their day. She wasn't sure how long they sat there. Time always seemed to last forever when she was with Lycus.

"This was the first place we met. Do you remember?" Lycus asked, playing with her hair on his lap.

"Yeah, I do. Back then, I didn't know it was you but I could tell you didn't want to kill me. I've always felt safe with you, Lycus," she confessed.

"Do you know my first thought when I saw you?"

She shook her head.

"I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes upon."

"Even though I was all ragged and muddy."

"Even then, I couldn't stop staring at you."

Her insides turned to mush. Even after a whole year, she still couldn't stop blushing whenever he complimented her.

"Lycus, do you get bothered by the judgmental looks we get when we're together?" she asked. She didn't mind the stares herself. When she agreed to date the King, she knew not everybody would accept their relationship, and she accepted it. But she wanted to know how he felt.

"Of course not," came his quick reply. "I wouldn't ask you to ma—"

She felt Lycus stiffen beneath her and she sat up to look into his midnight blue eyes.

"Lycus, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. His face had lost colour and he was staring into her eyes with a lost expression.

"Marry me," he whispered.

"What?" she asked softly.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up to his feet, drawing out a breath from his lips. "This isn't going as planned." He took her hand and knelt in front of her.

Red couldn't breathe.

"Ruby," it was the first time he used her birth name. "You're the most beautiful, kind and hardworking person I know. I don't care what the world thinks. I know what I want and all I want is you. I want you by my side today, tomorrow and forever because without you I wouldn't even be here. You're my true love, Red and I don't want to be with anyone else."

He reached into his pocket and drew out a small velvet box. He opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring with a ruby encrusted in the middle.

"Marry me, Red."

"Yes!" She choked out, tears brimming in her eyes. Lycus stood up with a smile and slid the ring onto her finger. She brought her lips to his in a warm kiss but they were interrupted by the sound of loud applause.

Figures walked out of the shadows. Her Nana, Queen Adria and Mr Linton. They all had tears in their eyes.

"That was the most beautiful proposal," the Queen said.

"Congratulations, you two!" Grandma Baker beamed.

They ran to us and engulfed us in a group hug. Red knew then that it didn't matter what the rest of the world thought; she had found love, and she was going to hold on to it for as long as she could.