NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Moonstone harbour
Abrielle was not expecting they would be visiting Moonstone Harbour on their way to their honeymoon destination, but it was still a good location.
Moonstone Harbour was a commercial town where merchants from different kingdoms and lands in Darconia traded and was the perfect place for Abrielle's next plan.
It was 2 hours past noon when their ship got to Moonstone Harbour; Abrielle hadn't had her lunch yet because Cedric decided that they would have lunch out.
The wind was blowing lightly through Abrielle's ginger hair immediately after she stepped on deck. Since it was in the afternoon and the temperature was higher, she reduced the amount of layers she was wearing earlier.
"It is so hot," Abrielle complained bitterly after she left the accommodations area and was on the open deck. The sun was burning her skin, and the sunscreen she applied didn't seem like it was working.
"Sorry, my Highness," the maid whom Cedric assigned to Abrielle apologized gingerly. She immediately pulled out a parasol to cover the princess. Up till now, Abrielle didn't bother to know her name.
Abrielle's eyes darted around to the deck until she found the devil that was giving her sleepless nights standing at the gangway. Cedric had changed his outfit to a proper one that matched her attire.
This got on Abrielle's nerves, but she understood he wanted to keep up the public image that they got along. His thick black hair that had grown past his shoulders was packed into a messy bun making his appearance neat
Even with his signature gold mask on, it didn't hide his charms. If Abrielle's calculations were right; Cedric should be 23 years old by now. Cedric sensed Abrielle's gaze and then turned towards her with a charming smile on his face that gave her the chills.
Regardless of her hesitation to be anywhere close to the devil, she still made her way next to him with a bright smile. "Your Highness, I am glad you waited for me." Lies again.
Cedric didn't comment and gave her his hand. With his assistance, they got off the ship, and their adventures started.
Moonstone Harbour had a lot of exciting shops to visit, and Abrielle had no idea why they dropped by there, but she had an important mission, which was to shake off Cedric and his entourage for at least 45 minutes.
"Do you have anything in mind you want to get?" Cedric asked her as they moved through the busy streets of town, trying to find a shop that piqued their interest.
Abrielle wondered for a while, and then an idea popped into her mind. "The maid said there were no white fur coats available for me, and coincidentally, my favourite colour is white. Maybe we can check if there is anyone of high quality." She suggested.
Cedric's Expression didn't change, but Abrielle was sure he was scrutinizing her words. "I thought your favourite colour was red. the entire kingdom knows about her holiness that she only wears red dresses for the events." He smoothly explained, which aroused Abrielle's suspicion that he might have investigated her.
"Red is a pretty colour that stands out, just like my hair, but white is pure. So are we going to the clothing shop or not?" Her reply was convincing and getting a new coat didn't seem like a big deal.
Cedric agreed and they made their way to a particular shop Cedric claimed to have visited before. It was not far from the port so it was a quick ride on the hired carriage.
The shop was in a busy location, in a two-story building. At first glance, you would know it was an exclusive shop for the elite. Cedric was patient enough to wait with Abrielle as she checked several white fur coats.
To be honest, their clothes were fantastic, but Abrielle wanted to delay for as long as she could until it got to the point Cedric could not take it anymore.
"Just pick one you like already." Cedric vaguely mentioned as his eyes darted around the store. He insisted on taking a break from the sea, which was a bad idea, but he needed a breather from the ship after last night.
"It is hard to select because they are all lovely," Abrielle replied, running her hand through the fabric while her mind was still thinking about how to shake off Cedric. The ship left the dock by 4 pm, and there wasn't much time left because they still had to have lunch.
"Why don't you buy them all and later you can choose one? We don't have all the time in the world." Cedric casually mentioned that buying over 30 coats was nothing. She knew he was a prince but he should be a bit mindful.
Even Abrielle, who was known as a spendthrift, would not make such careless decisions, but then again, it wasn't her money. "I would love to buy them all." She informed the sales girl, who had a bright smile on her face because of the big sales she was about to make.
"I will wrap them up immediately." The sales girl left immediately. Abrielle then turned to the manager, who was also attending to her.
"Please, can you take me to the changing room? I would love to try on all 36 coats," Abrielle mentioned, which made Cedric arch his brows. She was trying to waste time, but why?
"Of course please follow me this way." The manager said, Abrielle gave Cedric a weak smile and walked off.
Once they stepped out of the showcase room, Abrielle's smile disappeared, "Are there any changing rooms on the ground floor?" She whispered which left the manager puzzled. She didn't want the young maid following from behind to hear them.
" The changing rooms on the grand floor are normally used by commoners or low nobles and not befitting for a princess." The manager quickly explained thinking like every other high noble would not want to be associated with commoners.
"Perfect, can you take me to one?" Abrielle excitedly replied instead. He was confused by her choice, but she was the first prince's wife, and the couple generally didn't have a good reputation when it came to anger management.
The manager took her to the ground floor, which was a bit crowded due to it being accessed by commoners. A dressing room was immediately prepared for Abrielle, and her coats were taken there.
The maid followed her inside the dressing room as expected. "Which coat would you like to try first, your highness?" The maid asked sorting through her coats.
Abrielle glanced at the maid. Their sizes were not too different, except she was a bit short, but she could work with that. "What is your name?" She asked the maid, taking her unaware.
"It's Sarah," she replied, a typical name for a commoner. "Sarah, that's a nice name." Abrielle praised with a charming smile that made Sarah wary.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Sarah, I need your help," Abrielle said as her charming smile turned into a scheming one. Sarah, who wanted to be in the princess's favour, eagerly agreed. "I am ready to do anything, your highness." Those were big words but exactly what Abrielle wanted to hear.
"That's perfect," the vicious Villainess chimed.