The prince walked around the village with ease. He passed each person with a worry free smile and many bowed in return. He was with his guard, as it seemed he always was. But it wasn't a normal trip to the village. In fact, it was far from that. The prince had worked on a speech for the villagers to listen to when he got to the center. The citizens would listen, and the prince would be heard. His guard followed, sneaking through the crowd from behind him. Vincent had gotten frustrated with being escorted everywhere, so having his guard at a little distance made him feel like he could breath.
And then he had his speech he had to say. Everyone was gathered around him, waiting to hear what he had to say. There were a lot of girls his age, most of them wearing little to no makeup. He made an attempt of a smile as he saw an older woman sneak into the crowd around him. She was wearing a slick white blouse with black pants. It was one of the most common outfits he ever saw on a woman around the castle. Many women among him were wearing similar things, which made him feel awkward. He cleared his throat gently before he looked around the crowd, finding a few safe places to look toward, but there was none. He took a breath and began to speak. "My citizens, I have an invitation for you. There is a ball coming up for the king at the castle and I need a partner for the dances. I was curious on if any of you would like to be my partner?" some of the girls nearly fainted, others had their mouths wide open, and others stayed silent with blank faces. The prince clenched his jaw, hearing several girls say his name from around him. He tried not to shout, but he was close to before the older woman he saw before spoke up.
"How old must your partner be, Your Highness?" The woman asked. The prince tried not to make a face at the label he was given as long as he could remember.
"My age, so around seventeen, perhaps." Vincent smiled warmly at the woman, seeing the caramel lines in between the dark brown eyes she had. "I wouldn't mind if I could get some help, though. Do you mind?"
The woman simply nodded her head understandingly as she took another step toward him, standing beside him. "When we're done, do you think it would be possible to get a tour of the castle? I'm new to the village and I think I'd like to meet the king I'd that's okay."
Vincent slanted an eyebrow as a sly smile curled on his lips. "That can be arranged. We can plan something tonight, perhaps?" The woman smiled with ease, not caring about the wrinkles on her face moving with her eyes. "Good," he said with calmness before he brought his attention back to the crowd. "Which one do you think?"
The woman hummed gently before pointing her finger delicately on a girl with long brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. "Her," the woman whispered, lowering her hand once the prince looked. The woman turned her head toward the prince as he studied the girl that was chosen. "She looks like someone who knows her way around a waltz."
"Problem is," the prince spoke under his voice, letting the woman but nobody else around him hear, "I don't." The elder woman gave a light chuckle as she looked back toward the girl. Vincent looked toward the woman before focusing back on the girl. Her outfit was similar to the woman's, but it fit a little looser and had a pocket on her chest. He gave the girl a smile, trying to seem friendly. "What's your name?"
"Rosa," the girl said, sounding confident and pleased that she was asked such a question. She stayed where she was as she looked toward the prince with a bright smile. Vincent nodded softly before taking a step toward her.
"I assume you dance well?" Vincent asked with a little grin, hopeful for the answer.
"No, Your Highness. We don't have a whole lot of time to learn how to dance here. We're always busy." The girl said softly, turning away from the prince with a new shyness. Vincent lowered his eyebrows just a bit before bringing them back up. Her new expression seemed almost forced.
"What do you do most of the time, Rosa?" Vincent asked politely, trying to look like he would listen as he studied the girl. Her mother must be somewhere in the crowd, watching as they both talked but knew better than to interupt. The older woman behind him kept where she was, but Vincent could feel her eyes on his back.
"We wash the servant's clothes and our own at least twice daily. We sweep the castle floors late at night every night. We cut the grass at the front of the castle daily. We polish the ballroom floor every few days." The girl took a breath, looking like she was about to continue before she let out all of the air quickly. "There's much more but making a list wastes a lot of the time we could actually be doing work." The prince nodded once quickly before walking back toward the older woman. "Plus the ball is coming up and we'll have more work because of that. None of us get invitations to it. I've never even tried to dance before." The girl looked toward a woman in the crowd, who looked like a mother to Vincent. The prince clenched his jaw before looking back to his guard.
"Thank you so much for your time. Please get back to work." Vincent turned toward the older woman and gave her a soft smile. "Would you like to come with us? We can get the king and we will give you a tour." The woman nodded in response before following the prince who walked beside his guard.
"Does every villager get a tour?" The woman asked, holding both of her hands in front of her with strong, but gentle hands.
"Most do, yes. Others we choose not to because of the crimes they have been known to do. Most citizens are trusted in the closer villages though. Plus, as long as enough guards come, we should be good." The prince looked toward the woman and offered a joking smile. "Almost half of that is just made up."
"How many guards usually come on the tours?" The woman asked sweetly, trying not to sound too curious.
The prince raised an eyebrow before a grin curled on the side of his lips. "Usually five. The king makes a big deal about protection. It's always best never to cross him." But little did he know that was exactly what the old woman would do once the time was right.
"How long are the tours?" The woman asked, tilting her head in a soft way before added another comment. "Sorry for all of the questions. I just have grand children I have to get to before it gets too late."
"Not an issue, My Lady." The prince grinned. "Every tour depends, I guess. It all depends on what you want to see. The entire tour lasts about an hour or so depending. Half of the castle is about half an hour." The prince grinned. "How old are your grandchildren?"
"One is four, the other is six." The woman replied as she folded her hands on top of each other. A innocent smile curled on her old lips. "It shocks me every day how fast they grow up." She tried to sound more convincing. "The youngest is Kelvin, who is a little bit crazy if I have anything to say about him. The older one is Yuma, who is obsessed with you." The woman gave a light chuckle.
"They sound like wonderful kids," the prince said softly. "Do they live in the same village as you do?"
"Unfortunately, no. They live with their parents a few miles away from my village. They rarely visit now, but I think they're planning to for the ball celebration."
"That's wonderful. I'd love to meet them." He turned toward the woman and smiled with warmth in his eyes. His heart felt like it had heated because of the topic. He had always been a sucker for the little ones around the castle. Sometimes he would play catch with them if he had time or pick flowers to make a crown for them. He never seemed to be able to say goodbye when his free time came to an end. He let out a sigh before he opened a door for the older woman. "Right this way, My Lady."
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