School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 236 --The Largest Marketplace in the Imperial Capital
Armando thought to himself that he hadn’t taken this "little lady" out for quite some time, perhaps making his future wife feel cooped up.
Armando replied with a feigned reluctance, "I can’t, I have to see my father soon. He has important matters to discuss with me!"
Disappointed, Alison said, "Alright then, go attend to your duties!"
Armando burst into laughter, "I was just teasing. Come on, let’s head to the royal stables."
He grabbed Alison’s hand and briskly walked toward the direction of the royal stables.
Armando and his companion arrived at the royal stables, where the stable master, upon recognizing the Crown Prince, hurried over to greet him, "George, the stable master, greets Your Highness."
Armando, eager, urged, "Quickly, lead the way. I want to see how my little White Dragon is doing."
Led by the stable master, they stopped in front of a lavishly decorated stable.
"Your Highness, please see, little White Dragon has been under special care. Rest assured," the stable master informed.
Pleased with the sight of his mount, Armando expressed his satisfaction, "Good, you’ve done well. I will reward you handsomely. You may leave us now."
"Yes, Your Highness," the stable master replied.
Armando, caressing the white, tall, and handsome horse within the stable, lamented, "It’s been too long since we’ve galloped out together. Let’s go."
Grabbing the reins, little White Dragon neighed joyously.
Armando, embracing Alison by his side, steadied himself, and with a powerful push from his right leg, both leaped onto the horse’s back.
"Giddy up!" he shouted.
Little White Dragon sprinted out of the royal stables, its pace swift.
Watching the duo recede into the distance, stable master George commented, "Truly a match of talent and beauty."
Riding little White Dragon, Armando and Alison headed straight for the gates of the imperial capital.
The horse joyfully galloped along the palace roads, with the wind fluttering Armando’s clothes.
Alison, nestled behind Armando, gently wrapped her arms around his muscular abdomen, occasionally tickling him playfully.
Thus, the pair made their way to the gates.
Beneath Armando, little White Dragon let out a long neigh, its front hooves kicking up dust as they rose high into the air.
The imperial guards stationed at the gates demanded in a stern tone, "Who goes there?"
"I am Crown Prince Armando," he declared.
The guard, unphased by the young man’s demeanor or his proclaimed identity, retorted coldly, "Without a palace exit pass, no one is permitted to leave the palace regardless of who they are. Present your pass immediately, or we shall execute you on the spot."
Armando, resignedly, responded, "General Rodney, I’ve left the palace countless times throughout the year, must we go through this charade every time?"
The general remained silent.
"Fine, fine! You want to see it? I’ll show you, just to satisfy your curiosity."
Armando retrieved the exit pass from his waist and handed it to General Rodney.
Taking the pass, General Rodney stated indifferently, "Proceed."
The guards stepped aside, opening a path.
Armando pressed his legs firmly against little White Dragon’s sides, and with another long neigh, the sound of the horse’s hooves clattering against the ground echoed as they sped past the guards, heading out of the palace.
One of the guards voiced his concern, "Rodney, the Crown Prince is likely to be the chosen heir.
If we continue like this, might he seek retribution come autumn?"
Rodney replied, "I care not whether he is the heir or not. My orders are clear: only those with a palace exit pass may leave; anyone without is to be executed on the spot."
The guard could only offer a wry smile, thinking to himself, "Ah, our General Rodney has many virtues but lacks flexibility. With his capabilities, it’s a pity he’s merely guarding the gates."
Armando and Alison, riding little White Dragon, arrived dozens of miles outside the royal palace, at the largest marketplace of the imperial capital.
Armando knew Alison adored lively places, and they always made a point to visit here on their outings.
This place was the empire’s largest market, the "Brown Market," managed by the Brown family.
"We’re here, Alison," Armando announced with a smile.
Eager and excited, Alison exclaimed, "Quick, I want to get down."
"Be careful not to fall off the horse. Hold on to me. We’ll first stop at the Brown Tavern to settle little White Dragon, then head out. I’ll make sure you have a great time. How does that sound, Alison?" Armando said, considerately.
"Yay! That sounds wonderful! Let’s go have some fun and enjoy delicious food," Alison responded joyfully.
Armando and Alison made their way to the largest tavern in the Brown Market, also a property of the Brown family — the Brown Tavern.
The young waiter at the tavern’s entrance, spotting a young man riding a tall white horse from afar, recognized the figure all too well.
It was their tavern’s regular customer, none other than the empire’s Crown Prince.
Rushing back inside, the young waiter shouted, "Madam, Madam, come quickly!"
Annoyed, the tavern’s proprietress replied, "What’s all this fuss about, boy?"
"The Crown Prince has arrived!"
The proprietress, who had just taken a sip of water, nearly choked on it in surprise.
Flustered, she asked, "Where? Where?"
"He’s almost at the entrance!"
"And you’re still here, dawdling? Lead the way to greet His Highness, you good-for-nothing!" the proprietress scolded.
"Right, right, right," the young waiter hurriedly replied, leading the way.
The proprietress and the young waiter came to the entrance just as Armando and Alison arrived at the tavern’s door.
"Hello, Sister Samantha, it’s been a while," Armando greeted.
The proprietress, Samantha, was the second daughter of the Brown family patriarch.
With a playful scold hidden behind a rosy smile, Samantha said, "I was beginning to think His Highness had forgotten about his insignificant sister!"
Armando assured, "How could I? It’s just that things have been exceptionally busy."
"I understand. You’re on the verge of being named the heir apparent, right? Congratulations," Samantha mentioned.
Armando, half-jokingly, cautioned, "Sister, such talk is dangerous. That’s an offense punishable by death, you know."
"Does ceasing to speak of it make it any less true? Are you here for the usual today?" she shifted the topic.
"Yes, if you wouldn’t mind, Sister," Armando responded.
Pretending to be upset, Samantha retorted, "I’m not afraid of being troubled, but I am terrified of the executioner’s block."
"Please, Sister, don’t be angry with me," Armando tried to appease her with a laugh.
Samantha giggled behind her dainty hands, "Hehe, perhaps you should worry less about whether I’m angry."
Confused by Samantha’s reaction and about to ask why, Samantha glanced subtly towards Alison standing behind him, implying his young love might be feeling jealous.
Looking back at Alison, Armando noticed her slightly pouting lips and her eyes, big and brimming with water, fixed on him.
From her look, it was as if she was saying, "I’m right here! And you’re already flirting with another woman. What’s going to happen when we’re married?"
Through eye contact, he communicated his defense: "It’s not like that, I’m being wronged here!"
Alison turned her head away, clearly indicating, "I won’t listen, I won’t listen. It’s your problem now!"
Seeing Alison turn her head away, Armando could only smile helplessly before looking back at Samantha.
His expression pleaded: Could you help me out here?
Samantha, teasingly observing the scene, raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, it’s none of my business, sort it out yourself.
I’ve got things to do and no time to deal with your drama.
Goodbye.
She instructed the young waiter to lead the Crown Prince’s horse to the back and swiftly departed, leaving Armando all alone in his disarray.
Armando attempted to smooth things over with a chuckle, "Alison, Alison, I really wasn’t flirting with her. Besides, she’s not nearly as naturally beautiful and as brilliantly intelligent as you."
This was Armando’s attempt at flattery for Alison.
However, Alison continued to turn away, indifferent to any of Armando’s efforts to butter her up.
Then, an idea struck Armando.
Suddenly, he clutched his abdomen and cried out in pain, "Ah, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
Noticing that Armando stopped his attempts at flattery and instead started to cry out, Alison quickly turned back, her concern evident as she approached him, "What’s wrong? Did you get hurt during this morning’s duel in the arena?"
Seeing Armando not answering but continuing his act of distress, Alison cried out in panic, "Someone, help! Quick, someone!"
Realizing the situation was turning dire and that continuing to call out would indeed draw people, potentially bringing Samantha back to witness his embarrassment, Armando swiftly pulled Alison into his embrace.
He shamelessly quipped with a grin, "Who could possibly harm me, the invincible being of this world?"
Alison rolled her eyes in exasperation, "In all my life, I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you."
Undeterred, Armando cheekily continued, "And yet, you, having been conquered by someone as shameless as me, have become my fiancée, haven’t you?"
