Love quest

The other end of the scale was peculiar. From spending every second of my life behind closed doors, safely confined in my own little bubble, this was a refreshing alteration. Every single person here held a promising smile as if betrayal wasn't in their vocabulary. Right off the bet, this made my purpose here far easier. Still, I couldn't lay back and let life take matters into its own hands. I had to be the one to find her. To find the one. 

As royalty, it was absurdly impossible for me to place my trust in just anyone. Being heartbroken once from a maiden who merely wanted the title of a queen, I arrived at this conclusion the hard way. How'd I found out that Josie had interior motives? Through a diary she forgot at the palace by chance. What if I'd married her before then? I'd be drowning in my own sorrows by now.

Which is why I decided upon a change. I dressed up as a common villager in the underside of the country. Because hardly anyone had actually chanced upon me beforehand, this plan was effective. Everyone treated me like a local boy who'd decide to move to this specific village after his previous one had been overtaken by enemies. No one batted an eye at that convincing story. 

The only problem - Josie lived here. Yes, she. She lived amongst these people who seemed to have an invisible gaze towards anyone's flaws. These people who didn't reek of disloyalty. What scared me more than her potentially realizing that I was here was the idea of me realizing that I might still love her. It was painful as it was remembering her in every corner of the palace, even the ones she hadn't been in, her absence stinging me more than her heartbreak. Now accidentally seeing her? I was afraid I'd let her penetrate right back into my heart, brushing aside every detail of the past. Would I do that? I didn't know. 

I set foot into the local bar which was filled with people chattering animatedly amongst themselves. The voices being raised higher and higher in attempts to drown out the clatter of glasses and clanks of cutlery. Certain people exchanged smiles with me and even though I didn't belong here one bit, I felt at home. I sat on a stool at the counter and scanned the room cautiously. 

"Can I help you?" The bartender asked immediately, a curt smile fixated on his face. 

"Not in the mood for drinks, really," I replied with equal enthusiasm. "I just wanted to explore around a bit."

"Oh, right! You're the new boy, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Well, fret not, Brother. You're already family and-" his pep talk was cut short.

"Hello," a girl. "Sorry to interrupt but I'm in a bit of a rush. Can I please order first if you don't mind?" She gazed at me with hopeful and pleading eyes.

"Of course." 

The smile that followed subsequently devoured her whole face. "The usual please, Mike."

The bartender scurried off, mixing all sorts of substances, resembling a magician at work.

"You're new, aren't you?" The girl started, lighting up a conversation. "I don't mean you look new, I just haven't seen you around. And I've lived here all my life so I've seen everyone. I even know everyone's birthdays! When's your birthday? I bake cakes. Do you want a cake? Which flavor shall it be? My best is caramel bliss. Everyone loves it. You don't talk much. Or do I just talk too much? Am I rambling? Sorry."

I chuckled softly. This girl was certainly something. 

"No no, I don't mind," I replied promptly, watching her self esteem shoot up instantly as if I pushed the right button at the right time. 

"Really? Most people think it's rather annoying."

"I don't see why."

"I'm Genevieve!"

"Hi, Genevieve, pleased to meet you. I'm Daniel."

"Oh, my. Isn't that the Royal Prince's name too? You could literally be him!" 

Was I that transparent? This girl who I barely knew almost saw right through me.

"That'd be a good life, haha," I subtly pushed the idea away and she didn't prod any further. 

"Definitely. Mother told me she wants me to marry him, or least someone rich like him," the irony of the whole situation took me by surprise. Here this girl was telling me she wanted to marry me but at the same time, not exactly me. 

"Don't you prefer the idea of love?" 

"Yes, of course. But that's not up to me."

She looked solemn, every drop of emotion wiped away from her eyes. Her drink was placed at the counter, secured with a cover. I couldn't tell what it was. I waited for her to frantically get up and rush off with the same energy she walked in with. She didn't.

"Do you want me to show you around," she asked timidly, eyes locked on her hands. "I know I said I was in a rush but my home is a bit far and on the way, I can introduce you to...well, everything." 

"Sure!" I didn't waste a second.

———————

"The best part of the village is this clothing store by far," she moved about with such zest, eager for me to marvel at every inch of her world. She pinpointed this and that and by now, I knew at least 50 more people than I did 20 minutes ago. I didn't necessarily like the thought of that because eventually, I'd have to venture back to my palace and when I'm crowned king right in front of these people, they'll wonder why the poor foreign boy from the village is becoming their king. 

"Are you sure you're not the prince?" That caught me off guard. "I remember seeing a picture of him and I could've sworn he looked exactly like you."

Picture of me? Where?

"How do you have a picture of the prince?"

"Through my sister. She was obsessed with him and somehow secured a picture," Genevieve didn't seem to be suspecting me much. To her, her own question was probably rhetorical. 

"Oh my, you HAVE to try the blueberry muffin!" And just like that, the conversation slipped from her mind and all it took were some muffins. 

———————

We finally reached her house. It was a small cottage, away from the bustles of the village. Whoever chose this house had a good eye for peace and quiet. The plants lining up around it brought about a sense of life so it didn't feel as lonely as it was. It was perfect. Come to think of it, Genevieve was the embodiment of her house. Different in the best way possible. 

"It's not much but it's home," she said, observing her house like she was imagining what it'd look like to me. 

"It's beautiful." 

She grinned. Her smile lit up not only her face but mine as well. Maybe she was the one I was here for. Maybe she could fall in love with me and convince her mother that she didn't want to marry a rich man, she wanted to marry me. Then I'd drop the bombshell by revealing my identity.

"Genevieve, are you home?" It was the voice of another girl advancing from inside. 

"That's my Sister," Genevieve whispered. "She's really annoying." 

"Genevieve!" The voice was louder and clearer. Almost too clear. The owner of the voice stepped outside, now visibly clear too.

"Gen-" the voice cut off once the girl caught a glimpse of me. 

Josie.