"Princess, the first prince's carriage is already here." A servant, who came with her to visit the empire, announced and watched the princess add light dabs of powder on her face before turning to her and nodding in acknowledgement.

"I bet I'll get to see that beauty today." She muttered with a slight smile and followed her out.

Casimir greeted Thea with a bow, same wintery coolness from yesterday, and helped her up the carriage.

"Where are we heading to today, Prince Casimir?" She asked to dispel the cold silence hanging awkwardly between them.

"To continue your tour, princess. We'll start from where we stopped yesterday." And he was still brief, concise and a killjoy.

"Mm. I noticed you didn't bring your little fiancee, my prince. Why is that?" She asked with a slight raise of her brow and smiled slightly. She looked teasing and somewhat challenging Casimir to answer her honestly.

"She's a bit busy today. She had a prior engagement so she extends her apology to you."

The princess just nodded her head in understanding and fell silent after. Casimir wasn't exactly someone that talks much so it was a bit hard trying to communicate with him.

There was not a time where she did not feel that he was here accompanying her purely just for his responsibility as the crown prince.

It makes her want to conquer him.

A hidden smirk spread through her face as she turned to look at him also lost on his thoughts as he watched the shops and buildings they passed by.

...

It was just after lunch when Casimir and Thea came into a shop that sold sweets and snacks. The princess said she wanted to check it out and maybe carry some for later.

The bells rang when Casimir pushed it open for Thea and a bubbly cute boy came to greet them.

"Welcome-eh?"

"Mm?" Thea hummed and raised a brow when the boy stopped prematurely on his greetings and stared at them. More so on the man beside her.

"Yo-Your highness and umm..."

"This is Princess Thea Rosalva Beria Alynthi, a guest of the empire."

Was it necessary to introduce me so formally to this shop helper?

"Hello. I am Thea and you are?"

"I don't think knowing my name is worth the princess' time! Anyway, do you have a preference for sweets?"

The boy fluidly and smoothly smirked as flowers seemed to bloom behind him in the princess' eyes before he guided the both of them around the shop, spryly introducing the goods and gave his recommendations here and there.

He was really pouring his everything to give justice to the sweets that he loved so much.

Thea giggled endearingly at this charming boy. Had he been a prince or even a noble, she wouldn't have mind choosing him as her husband.

She watched him with fluttering eyes as his love for sweets oozed out from every pore his very being.

"You must really love sweets, huh?"

"Oh! umm.. I guess."

"Say, you have a really good skin. What do you use?" Thea, who noticed the boy's porcelain-like white skin, asked as she lightly pinched his soft and supple skin. Almost like a girl's.

"I-I don't particularly use anything, princess. I have a sensitive skin so I don't do well with powders."

The boy replied while Thea kept on checking him out and touching his skin everywhere. Even poking his cheeks.

"Then you are too beautiful for a boy. Unfortunate. You would have been lovely had you been a girl." And perfect had you been even at least a Baron.

She complimented as she felt very envious of this boy's skin before going back to their business and chose one of his recommendations.

Casimir, who remained as silent and as still as the dead, opened the door for the princess chivalrously before saying that he wanted to take some for his fiancee as well and went back.

"Welco-Why are you back?"

"Why are you here? And in those clothes?"

He crossed his arms across his chest and stared down at the boy, who was currently pouting his cheeks, as strictly as he could.

It seems no amount of disguise can slip past this man's eyes, huh?

"I... I promised the owner of this shop I'd help him if he would let me be the first to try his new recipe." He muttered softly, his voice turning feminine.

"All these for a cake?"

"It's not just any cake! It's chocolate cake with melted chocolate in between and chocolate sprinkles on top of them and chocolate frosting! It's a chocolate paradise!" Adira cried excitedly as if she was a sales person trying to sell her new product for a sponsor.

Casimir, once again surrendering to his wife's antics, sighed and patted her on her head.

"Be careful, okay?" And then he turned around to catch up to the princess waiting outside.

"Casey." He heard Adira call him and he was pulled down before he could turn and then felt soft warm lips kiss him on his cheeks.

"Don't cheat on me." She warned intimidatingly which failed miserably when she looks as adorable as that-blushing and overheating so much you could practically see smoke rising up from her.

And Casimir was just speechless. Speechless and frozen on his spot. Adira had to push him out so he could get a move on and also to hide her blushing face.

As soon as he heard the door slam behind him and snapped out of it, he straight away turned around and twisted the knob to get back inside. But apparently, his wife was hiding from him again and locked it from her side.

Damn it, Adira! This is cheating!

"Your highness? What's wrong?" Casimir heard a voice ask him from his back.

"A mischievous cat, princess. I wanted to catch it but the shop helper said he'll deal with it himself." He replied, already back to his princely persona, before glancing briefly at the closed door and led the princess away.

My love, you're distracting me too much.

He thought as he felt his heart loudly drum inside his rib cages unceasingly. The butterflies were being festive inside while he was out here, dying from the slight taste of such tempting sweet delicacy only to be thrown out the next second.

Walking back to the carriage, where the princess who walked ahead of him waited, Casimir was too occupied and distracted with Adira's sudden actions that he failed to notice an inconspicuous arrow aimed at him.

Adira, who walked out to hand Casimir some snacks to eat, barely noticed when the arrow flew and wasn't able to think before her body moved automatically and shielded Casimir from the attack.

It didn't hit her anywhere near her vital spots but Casimir, who turned after hearing hurried steps catching up to him, only saw his wife falling into his arms with an arrow stuck on her shoulder blade.

Fury immediately exploded inside him as he willingly allowed anger to consume him and searched for the culprit that fired the arrow. It didn't take him long to find the person and quickly immobilized him with his ice-a huge, gigantic, overkill, large sprouts of ice!

Adira moaned painfully and bravely pulled out the arrow from her back before giving it to Casimir to be identified.

"Adira! Why the hell did you do that?!"

"Casey would do it for me. So why the hell am I not allowed to?" She tried to smile although bearing down the pain and clenched Casimir's arm as she did so.

"You idiot! A husband is the one who protects the wife! Not the other way around!"

"It works both ways, idiot." She breathed softly and heavily as she gradually felt her strength leave her.

Casimir felt gravely alarmed at this as he begged her not to close her eyes and bellowed out orders to capture the culprit and send him to the dungeon.

He was going to deal with him later.

"Calm down... Casey... I'm fine.. It's not a vital spot so... It'll be fine. You'll.. scare the people... I'm just really tired.. so I want to sleep for a while."

But who would've thought that as soon as she did, Casimir would then miss those gleaming happy ash-like orbs that used to glance up to him and brighten his whole world.

I'm glad I was nearby for your assassination, Casey.