The Prince's Choice ✔

Chapter Thirty Five • Spending time together

I am truly having the shittiest day in a very long time so I am uploading this before I was meaning to. It usually cheers me up lol. I really hope you like it ♡

-Jade-

They returned to the castle and a group of five soldiers met them at the gates leading into the courtyard. The castle was not accessible to the people from the city from this gate. You could only enter and exit from the castle if you came from the woods or the fields. Still the soldiers met them head on as if they were a threat - that was until they recognized the horse and its owner.

Jade figured that the men were soldiers since their apparel differed from the guards'. These men wore more metalwork that looked worn, like they had been to battle more than once. The guards also wore armor but not like these men's. Guards had more leather and also cloaks. These men did not wear cloaks and there were little leather on their bodies, instead they wore metal... Iron from the look of it.

As soon as they rode through the gates, the wind couldn't reach them anymore due to the protection given by the thick castle walls. Jade shuddered and felt how her whole body was tense from trying to fight the cold wind off. It almost felt like it was warmer inside the castle walls, even if that probably wasn't.

"Your grace!" The soldier in the lead called out to William and bowed before him. The others followed their commander's lead.

"Thomas." William answered stiffly and urged Dimma to calmly keep walking, even though the soldier obviously hadn't said what he wanted to say. He huffed in surprise as they rode past him.

"The king is looking for you my lord." The soldier stated and tried to keep up with Dimma's pace.

Jade noticed how William discretely urged Dimma to walk faster to get rid of the soldier. She pulled her hood up to hide the smirk playing on her lips. The horse's pace quickened slightly and so did the sound of the soldier's footsteps and the clinking sound of his armor.

"My lord?" The soldier asked with a sharp tone. The words were polite but underneath it Jade heard that he was offended by William's way of treating him. She discretely looked at the soldier and he was clenching his jaws. He was very annoyed at William's arrogant behavior.

"What, Thomas?" William snapped. Jade flinched at his sharp tone. It amazed her how quickly he could change solely depending on whom he spoke to, or what the person said.

"I just want to make sure you heard me, my prince." The soldier said.

"You know that I heard you, Thomas." William muttered and the tension used at the soldier's name concluded that their conversation was over. William urged Dimma to a trot and left the soldiers at the gate.

. . .

"Did you have to be so rude?" Jade asked William as he helped her off of Dimma outside the stables. He had his hands around her waist but quickly withdrew them to grab hold of the reins again.

"I didn't have to." He answered and a stable worker came up to him and took care of Dimma for him.

The stallion trudged along with the stable worker in a content manner. William had allowed him to gallop freely on their way back to let the steed get rid of some of his energy before he was going back to his stall.

"Then why-"

"The soldier is my mother's personal guard and I despise him." William interrupted her, a bit too harshly for her taste.

She sighed heavily. William realized his mistake from the annoyed look in Jade's eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said and exhaled in order to calm himself down. Jade gave him a cautioning look and started walking towards the castle. William walked up alongside her and she could feel his nervous gaze scrutinizing her.