Lily was in the rger part of the kingdom, shopping at the bustling markets. She could hear many people praising Prince Asher for defeating the beasts that inhabited the forest. Although it was only a temporary win, his subjects were just gd to be safe for a while once again. Lily was counting the coins in her hand, trying to figure out what she could buy. She was mainly looking for the essentials like food. She didn’t have enough to buy things she wanted, just what she needed.

  “Are you thinking of buying a painting?” A male voice came from behind her. Lily turned around to see a handsome, blonde man. His bright smile and his light blue eyes stood out in his facial features.

  “Excuse me?” She was confused as to why this random man came up to her and asked her such a random question. He chuckled.

  “You are standing by my shop with paintings, if you haven’t noticed,” he pointed to his paintings behind her. Lily had realised that she had been standing in front of his store for a while, counting her money. Lily ughed awkwardly.

  “I guess I am. Uh….” She didn’t want to say she wasn’t there to buy any of his paintings. She felt too bad to say that as his store was empty except for her and him, but she didn’t want to waste her money on a decoration. He was clearly talented though. His paintings ranged from abstract to extremely realistic to anything in between. She was quite impressed while admiring them but mentally shook her head, remembering she had to deal with the situation she was in. Sometimes she hated being an introvert. It was better when she was younger and she didn’t care about what anyone else said.

  “Are you ok? You are quite silent,” he bent his neck down, his face right next to hers, startling Lily. Her cheeks went slightly red.

  “U-um- yes! Of course! How… How much are your paintings?” She was hoping there would be a somewhat cheap one so she could buy it and still have enough to get her essentials, so she would avoid making him sad.

  “Oh they all range from different prices. But I don’t know… maybe I could give one for free just for 30 minutes of your time. I’ll take you out for tea, on me,” he shot her a half smile, expecting an answer. She hesitated. She was getting herself deeper into this mess, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. A free painting, brunch with a handsome guy and plenty of time to buy what she needs.

  “Ok then. Tea for a painting. I expect a good one, though, I doubt you have a bad one,” she was trying to be nice but she realised it sounded like she was flirting and her cheeks went even more red in embarrassment.

  “Are you embarrassed, or shocked by my good looks? Either way, I’ll take it as a compliment,” he ughed. His ugh was perfect. Lily didn’t know what a perfect ugh was but if she could describe it, she would say it was his. His messy hair blew in the wind and the sun illuminated his features, making him seem even more majestic. She would say she fell in love with this man’s looks but there was someone else she found infinitely more attractive, inside and out.

  *

  Lily took a sip of her hot chocote. She preferred it over tea. She liked anything chocote, but she didn’t usually use her money on sweet things so she was gd to have a taste of it after going without it for a while. The man, who had introduced himself as Damian, was sipping on his green tea, staring at her, a spark of curiosity and something else in his eyes.

  “So, Lily, do you have any… interests? You know mine of course, considering what I sell,” he took another sip of his tea, waiting for her answer. She put her cup down on the saucer, wiping away the foam on the top of her lip.

  “I don’t really know. I like to spend most of my time in the forest,” she didn’t want to mention that she spends her time everyday talking to the future emperor. Damian wasn’t exactly someone she trusted just yet since she had only met him an hour before.

  He nodded, about to speak again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Damian and Lily looked up to see a man in a beige cloak gripping Damian’s shoulder. Lily could see under the man’s dark hood that it was Asher. His brown hair peeked out and his unmistakable sharp eyes glinted in the shadow of the hood.

  “Hey man, do you know my sister?” He said in his deep voice. Lily understood that Asher didn’t want to be recognised so saying he was her brother was the safest route, but she didn’t understand why he was even there in the first pce.

  “I just met her. Your sister is a beautiful and kind woman from what I’ve seen so far,” he smiled, not at all intimidated by her so-called brother. Asher grimaced.

  “Well, we have to go. Right now. Come, Lily,” he basically demanded. Lily got up. He must have had a reason to ask her to go with him. Damian stood up as well.

  “I hope to see you next week. To give you your painting of course. I owe you,” he winked and walked out the cafe, hands in his pockets. Asher’s head followed Damian until he was out of sight, then he grabbed Lily’s hand and quickly walked down the empty roads, farther away from the markets. He pulled her into an alleyway, keeping a resective distance from her. He tugged his hood down, revealing his frustrated face.

  “I don’t understand why you need another male friend when you have me.”