𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 (𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝)

5. A step closer

Later that afternoon, Aiore found himself standing outside the Rosemountain estate, staring at the grand entrance with his jaw clenched. His mind reeled from the absurdity of the situation—being forced to visit the clumsy woman, the very fiancée he'd been reluctantly engaged to. He had no interest in her, especially after her blunder the previous night. In fact, Aiore felt like it was a waste of his time when he had far more important matters waiting at the palace. But he couldn't refuse his father's orders. King Donfron had insisted on this visit, and Aiore knew better than to outright defy him.

With a heavy sigh, he entered the estate, greeted by one of the servants who promptly led him to Arielle's sitting room.

When he walked in, Arielle looked up, surprised to see him. She had just been resting, still recovering from her pond incident. Her golden hair spilled over her shoulders, her face warm with shock. She hadn’t expected Aiore to visit her, of all people, so soon after the previous night's embarrassment.

Her thoughts raced. Why is he here? She stood awkwardly, unsure how to behave in front of him. Aiore's cold demeanor didn't help either, as he kept his eyes fixed on her without betraying any emotion.

Arielle fumbled for words. "Prince Aiore… Thank you for saving me."

The prince merely hummed in response, his face unreadable. It wasn't a warm gesture, but it was acknowledgement enough, and for a moment, silence hung between them like an invisible curtain.

Arielle swallowed nervously. She had expected some awkwardness, but the tension in the room was suffocating. I have to do something, or this is going to end in disaster, she thought frantically. Her system's words echoed in her mind: You must make the male protagonist fall for you.

But how? Right now, Aiore was more like a stone statue than a human being. How was she supposed to connect with someone so distant, so cold?

"So… how's everything been going?" she asked, trying to make conversation, her voice a little too cheerful for the situation.

Aiore raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. "Good," he replied curtly, his arms folded over his chest.

Great, that went nowhere, she thought. The room felt increasingly stifling, and Arielle could tell that this conversation was a sinking ship. She needed to try something else. Then, out of nowhere, the idea hit her.

"Do you want to go horseback riding?" she blurted without thinking, feeling a rush of panic immediately after saying it. Damn! Idiot! You had nothing else to say? Do you even know how to ride a horse?

Aiore blinked at her in disbelief, his cool demeanor cracking for the first time. "What?"

Arielle forced a smile. "I mean… it's a nice day, and I thought it would be a good way to—"

"You want to ride a horse?" Aiore interrupted, his tone laced with skepticism. His mind flashed back to the disaster from the night before—her falling into the pond and nearly drowning. The very idea of her on horseback seemed like an invitation for catastrophe.

Arielle nodded, trying to stay confident. "Yes, why not? It’ll be fun." Fun? My ass!

Aiore felt his patience wearing thin. He could already envision the disaster unfolding. This woman—who had stumbled into a pond and nearly drowned—wanted to ride a horse? He sighed inwardly. Does she have no sense of self-preservation? Does she not know she is the clumsiest person ever?

But his father’s words came back to him: Be kind to your fiancée.

Reluctantly, he gave a sharp nod. "Fine. But we’ll ride together." There was no way he was letting her ride on her own and risk yet another mishap. He didn't want unnecessary trouble.

Arielle’s face lit up, and though Aiore tried to remain composed, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He wasn’t excited about this, but it seemed there was no way around it now.

---

Soon after, the two of them were mounted on a single horse, Aiore sitting behind Arielle, his strong arms placed firmly around her waist to steady her as they rode. Arielle felt her heart race, not from excitement, but from sheer anxiety. His proximity made her hyper-aware of every small movement she made, and the silence between them was suffocating.

The forest they rode through was quiet, the sound of the horse's hooves hitting the dirt path the only noise around them. The scent of nature surrounded them, calming Arielle slightly. Still, she couldn’t shake the nervous tension. First of all, I need to get him to relax.

After what felt like an eternity, she spotted a tamarind tree, its branches heavy with ripe fruit, and suddenly she had an idea. "Let's stop here," she said, tugging lightly on the reins.

Aiore frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Why?" He looked around only to see random trees and bushes, nothing special.

"Look, tamarinds!" Arielle pointed excitedly. "Let me grab some."

Aiore stared at her, dumbfounded. "You want to… climb a tree? In that gown?"

Arielle laughed lightly, hopping off the horse before Aiore could stop her. "Why not? It's just a tree."

He watched in disbelief as she gathered her skirts and began climbing the tree, her delicate hands gripping the low branches. What is she doing? Aiore wondered, his mind struggling to comprehend how any noblewoman could act this way. He had seen countless women in fine gowns before, but none of them had ever clambered up a tree to pick fruit. This was a first.

And then there was the awkward matter of her gown. Aiore quickly looked away, his face tightening as he tried not to think about the absurdity of it all. "Get down before you hurt yourself," he said, his voice sharper than he intended.

Arielle ignored him, too focused on her task. She grabbed a few tamarinds and made her way down, grinning triumphantly when she landed safely on the ground. "See? Easy."

She held out one of the tamarinds to Aiore, who reluctantly took it, staring at the fruit in his hand as though it were a foreign object. She actually climbed a tree… in a gown… to get this?

But when he bit into it, the tangy-sweet taste caught him off guard. It wasn’t bad, and before he realized it, he found himself reaching for another one.

Arielle smiled, sensing the small victory. He’s relaxing. That’s good.

Feeling a bit bolder, she decided to tell him a story from her past life. "This reminds me of a story I heard once," she said, settling herself down on the grass.

Aiore raised an eyebrow, curious despite himself. "What story?"

Arielle began, her voice light and playful. "There was once a tamarind merchant who traveled from village to village. But the funny thing was, no one knew where he got his tamarinds. Some said he had a magical tree that only grew tamarinds after a full moon, others said he had a secret pact with forest spirits."

Aiore listened, intrigued despite himself. The story was whimsical, a far cry from the usual courtly tales he heard, but there was something in Arielle’s tone that made it enjoyable. He found himself almost—though he wouldn’t admit it—relaxed.

When she finished, there was a moment of silence, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind.

For the first time since meeting her, Aiore didn’t find her presence entirely unpleasant. She was still reckless, clumsy, and far from what he imagined in a future queen. But there was something about her today—her boldness, perhaps—that made her seem less of a burden and more… interesting.

He didn’t say anything as they mounted the horse again to return to the estate, but in the back of his mind, Aiore acknowledged that, for the first time, Arielle had surprised him.

Perhaps, just perhaps, she wasn’t as intolerable as he thought.