The King's Lover-Chapter 390: Welcome To Velmount
Rylen stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the castle. The castle doors were left open and welcoming for the incoming guest. The stairs were lined with uniformly dressed guards, and the trail of guards extended along the pathway.
Petals filled the space they formed, and Rylen stood with a young maid who looked on nervously as she held a tray of flowers, both preparing to receive the new guest.
A heavily decorated carriage slowly approached the foot of the stairway. Its windows were covered, giving not a single clue about who lay within, but Rylen knew. His hands grew sweaty, not in anticipation but in consequence of this action.
He had deliberately kept this information from the Crown Prince on the King’s request. Rylen also agreed with the King’s reasoning, as if Caius knew, he would do everything in his power to stop it. But there was no doubt that it was time for this.
The carriage came to a halt and Rylen’s back straightened. He had never met any of the princesses of Lystern, nor been to the kingdom, even though his mother was from Lystern and for this tiny fact and perhaps how furious Caius would be, he felt a little nervous.
His father hadn’t spoken much about his mother’s culture, and the only thing Rylen knew about Lystern was how cold it was, and that the people of Lystern were known for their light hair and pale skin—just like him.
The door cracked open and Rylen took a step forward as a guard held the door open. He stretched out his hand to help just as a small, round face with blue eyes, white hair, and a white fur coat stepped out.
She accepted Rylen’s hand, her gloved hand grasping his hand in a way no one had held him before. She slowly stepped down from the carriage. Rylen, on the other hand, didn’t process any of this as he struggled to figure out the feelings coursing through him.
The young lady wobbled on her feet as she stood upright, faltering slightly while her other hand held a small box close to her body.
Rylen slowly let go of her hand and took a step back. He bowed low. "Welcome to Velmount, Princess Caira."
Caira curtsied, grabbing the hem of her dress with one hand as the other held the box. "Prince Rylen, thank you."
She had known he would be the one to receive her, as a letter had told her that the Crown Prince was not in the castle at the moment. It didn’t give explicit details, only that she would be received by his cousin in his stead.
Her attendant stepped out of the carriage and stood beside her with her head bowed low. Mara had been one of the few closest people to accompany her. Her sisters had wanted her to take more attendants, but this was her home now, and Caira wanted to get closer to the people here.
The young maid stepped forward, lowering her head as she offered a small arrangement of winter blooms upon a silver tray. The princess accepted it with a gracious nod, passing it at once to her attendant. The attendant accepted it and quickly passed it to someone else, then clung close to her princess.
Caira shuffled on her feet, unsure of how to present what she held. She had wanted to prepare something for the Crown Prince, but no one had been able to provide her with information on what he might like.
She was almost grateful he wasn’t here now. She wasn’t sure how she would face him or address him; she didn’t want to do anything wrong that would anger him.
Caira had trained almost all her life to be his wife; after all, she had been named after him. She didn’t want to ruin it by putting the wrong foot forward.
"Prince Rylen," she called, her voice soft.
She knew this was the Crown Prince’s cousin and, as she had heard, his close confidant. If she wanted to find favor with the Crown Prince, she needed to win his cousin over. However, Caira wasn’t this calculating when she made the present; she had simply wanted to make a good impression.
"Yes?" he responded, looking at the petite princess, who wouldn’t even look him directly in the eye.
She adjusted the coat on her shoulder with one hand while the other held the box. Rylen visibly saw her hand shake before she handed the box to him.
It wasn’t done very discreetly, and for a moment, Rylen wondered if this was his to accept. However, he didn’t want to prolong the interaction outside any longer, so he accepted it with a puzzled expression.
He politely smiled at her, not opening the box to check the contents. "I shall treasure it," he responded.
"I’d prefer you didn’t," she said as they started walking. "I don’t think they have long left."
Rylen frowned. Now he was really curious about the contents. "Please, do tell, Princess—what is in the box?"
Caira turned her face to look at him, then she smiled. "Fresh blueberry biscuits," she announced with pride.
"Fresh?!" His face filled with amazement. "There won’t be fresh blueberries for a couple of months."
Caira nodded, her face filled with pride. At first, she had been hesitant about the gift and thought it was silly, but had been told that Prince Rylen really liked blueberries, and she was glad she had listened.
"I really will treasure this, Princess Caira."
Caira nodded, walking up the stairs with her attendant in tow, happy that she had made a good impression on Prince Rylen. This was her new home now; she wanted to make the most of it.
The guards all bowed as she walked into the castle, the huge doors already opened to receive her. Caira felt a surge of hope as she walked in. It was two days before the Crown Prince would arrive; she wanted to learn everything before then.
