The Raven-Haired Mistress

Tavern

A mythical kingdom is ruled by a king, queen, and their son, the prince. The prince is engaged to a rich noble woman, the daughter of a lord. They are married soon after. The two didn't get to know each other well before they were wed. They hoped they would fall in love, but they were too different. They live separate lives. She keeps up her appearance and title in society, and he continues to train to be the next king.
One day, he travels to a tavern outside of the main city in a smaller town, and meets her. She is gorgeous woman with raven hair and gray-blue eyes who was a waitress in the tavern. Her family owned the establishment with her father and brother working behind the bar and she serving the tables. He was instantly attracted to her and she was too. No one knew what the prince looked like outside of the people who lived in the main city. He acted like a commoner.
She served him. "What can I get you?" She asked while batting her eyelashes and standing over the prince with her hands on her hips.
"Uhh..." He couldn't quite form thoughts while looking at her beauty. "I'll take a tankard of mead." He answered.
"Alright." She said then walked towards the bar with her hips swaying.
He watched her serve other tables. She seemed like she had natural charisma and charm. She was kind to the others and handled the men who slapped her ass with grace, by ignoring them with her head held high.
She was walking towards him, so he looked away. "Here's your mead." She said as she put his drink on the table.
They met eyes and smiled at each other. She returned to the bar. He stayed in the tavern for the rest of the evening. After he finished his first drink, she came over and offered him another.
"Can I get you another drink?" She asked.
"Yes, thank you." He smiled.
"Of course." She said as she picked up the tankard and smiled back at him.
He sat there and continued to watch her and stewed in his thoughts.
"Who is that?" Her brother asked while they were behind the bar.
"Who?" She said as she poured a drink.
"The man over there sitting at the table, who he keeps nonchalantly staring at you." He said.
"Nik, I have no idea who he his. He is just another customer." She said.
"Yeah, but Monroe, he keeps looking at you. He his obviously attracted to you." Niklaus argued. "Maybe if he has some money, then it could be good for us."
Monroe looked at the man. "He's not too bad looking, I guess."
"Then go do something about it." He responded.
"You seem perfectly comfortable with whoring me out for money to keep this tavern a float." Monroe joked.
"You mean the tavern that we sleep in." He laughed. "Maybe you will actually like him. And if not, then you can find someone else. You are still young." He said.
"I'm 22. I could be younger." She giggled.
"Yeah, well I'm only 18. I'm sure that father will start to look for young little rich girls for me." Nik smiled.
"It's scary how that is actually true." She replied and they both laughed.
Monroe grabbed another tankard of mead and brought it over to the mysterious man.
"Here you go." She smiled as she put it down in the table and picked up the empty one.
"Oh...I didn't ask for this." He responded.
"It's on the house. You were just staring into the empty mug and thought you could use some more to drink. Were you thinking about something specific?" She asked.
He looked up at her and saw that she was interested. "It's hard to explain my problem and I know that you can't help me...no one can." He answered while thinking about his estranged wife.
"Alright. Well, we are closing soon." She said.
"Ok. Thank you." He smiled.
She went back behind the bar and gave her brother the empty tankard.
"No luck?" Niklaus asked.
"He is a mystery that I am, now, looking forward to cracking." Monroe smiled.
"What is he doesn't come back?" Klaus asked.
"I am going to make sure he will." She smiled, then put her hair up messily; Monroe bent down under the bar and sprayed some perfume. "Men can't resist the neck of a beautiful woman." She smirked.
Monroe walked over to the table and sat down across from the man.
She reached out her hand. "Hello." She smiled. "My name is Monroe Lunar." She reached out her hand.
The incognito prince shook her surprising soft and delicate hand. "Nice to meet you. You have a wonderful tavern here."
"Thank you. We appreciate some decent clientele. Some of the men we get around here aren't the nicest to me. Although I enjoy to dress like this, I not actually a woman for hire." Monroe exclaimed.
He smirked. "Yeah...some men are rude to beautiful women."
"Yes. Well you won't be rude, right?" Monroe smiled. "Come back here tomorrow." She was pretty much begging.
"We'll see." He replied, then got up, and left the tavern.
Monroe went back to her brother.
"Did he take the bait?" He asked.
"Hook, line, and sinker." She smirked.
The prince went back home to the castle.