AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All four of the girls stood up straighter as Enzo’s power swept through the shop. Kaida heard them all whimper when it collided into them. She thought Gianna would cower with Enzo’s presence, but instead, she continued to stand tall like Kaida.
Did Enzo not push his power all the way back here… or is Gianna more dominant than I gave her credit for…
All four of the girls were now shifting on their feet and not meeting Enzo’s gaze while their bodies were pointed toward his direction. “I… well… you see…” Malinda stammered as she cowardly drooped her shoulders and bowed her head.
“Leave. Now. If I find out you are pestering your future queen in public like this again, I’ll be sure to send your family to the Outcast Lands.”
All four girls tripped over themselves to leave the shop. Enzo managed to get to the counter in four large steps, making Kaida’s heartbeat race with his proximity to her.
“I apologize, Gianna. Let me know if those four ever cause a disruption in your business again." Enzo then handed her a bag with the sounds of gold and silver clinking inside of it. “Let me know if this covers what Kaida has spent here.”
“It is more than enough, Your Grace. Please let me give you your change.”
Enzo held up his hand, “Please, keep it. My thanks to you for showing Kaida such kindness and support with those four. Also, how about we pick up this chocolate that is on the floor. Since it is wrapped, put it in a bag. I’ll take it back to the castle for my mother. This one is her favorite.”
Kaida and Enzo assisted Gianna with picking up the candies and putting them into a bag. When they were finished, Kaida gave Gianna a small hug. “I will be back soon for more of these!”
Gianna gave Kaida a squeeze. “You better. I’ll let you know when I make a new flavor. I have some ideas in the works,” she said with a wink.
Enzo then led Kaida out of the door. Kaida looked up at him with love and adoration shining in her eyes as they walked along the road.How is he so perfect? To be so kind to someone who just owns a shop within his kingdom. Enzo is going to make an amazing king.
Nine
Kaida walked through the market district on Enzo’s arm with a giant smile on her face. Enzo wanted to come here just to spend time with his people and thought that Kaida should join him. This was her chance to mingle with the people of their kingdom and build relationships with the shop owners. Enzo felt that it was necessary for the royals to do this and made sure everything that was bought or served inside of the castle came from a local shop. When Kaida asked why he felt this was important, the answer made her heart break.
“My parents didn’t do this enough, in my opinion. Most of everything came from the territories of the five families. Let’s say our building materials for instance, over eighty percent of what we use has come from your territory, meaning the rocks that are ground down to make the caulking in between all the stones. There is someone from your territory that has his own shop here, and he sells different versions of it. Instead of my family looking into what that shop owner has to offer, they just went straight to your family and settled on how much they mine every year from the mountains in the territory.” The fire in his tone told Kaida he was passionate about this.
“I didn’t know that,” Kaida whispered in response.
“No one does! That man has a large chunk of land with various different rocks that he grinds down himself, yet no one really uses it. Granted, it's more for the home projects than overall buildings, but still. We should be making sure all of our people are living comfortably, which also means if they are a business owner, they are receiving business from us!”
“I didn’t even realize that someone from the different territories could have more to offer than those who control the area and make money off it. I didn’t realize there were different types of rock either, but I’m not someone who ventures into the woods very often.”
Enzo cocked his head as he glanced at her, “Even when your dragon needs to stretch out her wings?”
Kaida quickly recovered by telling a lie, “Well, when she is out, I’m kind of taking a step back and letting her do her thing.”
Enzo made a face as if he understood what she meant and kept on walking. Many people stopped to talk to Enzo about something that they needed help with. Enzo took his time to hear each person out and then suggested something they could do. When it was something that was out of their control, Enzo would mention how he would send someone to help fix their problem.
There were a few shop owners that greeted Enzo with a big smile and a hug. Kaida was blown away at the relationships that Enzo had managed to build. It was not something she thought she would ever see from someone in the royal family. The only thing her parents have ever told her about the royals was how they seemed just like dragons in nature. Selfish, temperamental, and everything of value was theirs.
On the contrary, Enzo did not seem to be like his parents at all.
This made Kaida very happy, especially after her encounter with the king.
Enzo ended up buying a few sandwiches, some fruit, bottles of water from one of the shops, and some cookies from a bakery. Then they walked out of the market district area. Kaida had no idea that a short walk through a small, wooded area would lead to a beach. The water went on for miles ahead of her, and with the scent of the saltwater mixed with the cool air coming off the water, Kaida thought she had just found paradise.
She found herself walking to the water, taking off her shoes, and sticking her feet in it. The cold water brushing against her skin made her yelp since she didn’t expect it. Kaida had never seen the Gippsland Sea before and wished she had demanded to see it sooner. The blues of the water were dark and mysterious the further out she could see. When she noticed a tip of land on the horizon, Kaida wondered what it could be. After scouring her brain to think back on her geography lessons, she came up blank.
“What’s out there?”
“The Outcast Lands,” Enzo said in a flat tone.
Kaida looked back at him, “why do you sound annoyed by it?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “Something I don’t fully agree with. You know the history, right?"
"Well, yeah. Anyone the kingdom thinks has betrayed the throne or committed a crime to its people is sent there like a prison.”
