Chapter 8

Eight

The next morning, Kaida felt as if she was walking amongst the clouds. She had yet to come down from her date with Enzo and even replayed a few parts of it inside of her head as she got ready. Kaida found a really cute lilac-colored sundress in her closet. She didn’t remember purchasing it, but it was her exact size. After pulling it off the rack, there was a note pinned to the tag.

I hope to see you in the market district later today.

-Enzo

Kaida smiled from ear to ear after reading it. There was no way that Enzo could have come in here without someone finding out. The castle was heavily guarded with Guardsmen posted outside every door. Even though Enzo was the prince, she was told by her parents that the king and queen would not accept Enzo and her having any sort of sexual contact before their mating ceremony, so him coming into her bedroom would have been unheard of as well.

He must have had my mother put this in here.

She did not waste any time and got herself ready as quickly as she could. The only shoes she had that went with the dress were a pair of black flats. It was not the shoes Kaida thought would be best for walking around all day, but everything else was too much for a simple dress. She shrugged her shoulders and put them on.

The castle was a maze to navigate. Kaida must have gone down the wrong hallway at least five times as she attempted to find the main one that led to where the carriages were stationed. Thankfully, a Guardsman noticed how lost she had become and pointed her in the right direction. Just as she walked through the main doors, she found her parents waiting by a horse-drawn carriage talking to the King. It made her a little nervous to see the King talking to her parents. For all she knew, he was asking about her dragon. The ceremony was approaching, and it was only a matter of time before they would ask about it. Kaida did her best to push the thoughts to the back of her mind as she walked over to them and greeted them with a smile.

Kaida made sure to give the king a slight curtsy and a bow of her head as the distance closed to only a few feet. “Good morning, King Gemar.”

The king glanced in her direction but did not return her smile. “You are Kaida, my son’s betrothed.”

It was a statement said with a flat tone. King Gemar did not seem impressed by her at all. Kaida kept her composure, knowing that if she did anything to seem uncomfortable, the king would use it against her.

“Thank you for graciously allowing my family and myself to stay here for the time being.”

The king’s face was void of any emotion. Only his power seemed to emit from him, reminding Kaida that he was, in fact, standing in front of her. There was something off about this man, and she had no idea where to even begin to put her finger on it. His gray eyes stared her down in such a menacing way that it made her feel uncomfortable. Kaida tried to look away but found herself unable to do so.

The only thing that made her feel like she didn’t have to run in the other direction was the fact that he looked so similar to Enzo–same hair and eyes, same height and build. The only difference seemed to be his menacing nature, and his face had much harsher lines around his cheeks and jawline. He was the true embodiment of what everyone thought a dragon should be.

“I must return to my quarters. I have a meeting to attend shortly, and I need to tidy up a bit. It was a pleasure to see all of you,” Gemar said, the flat tone still present.

Once he walked away and was completely out of earshot, Kaida looked over at her parents. “Is it just me, or did the king seem… off?”

Her parents looked at each other briefly and made dismissive faces before answering. “I don’t think so. That is how he usually is,” her father told her.

“He barely acknowledged me. He even ignored my thanking him.”

Now her parents’ faces were twisted in confusion. “No, he didn’t. He remained completely pleasant with you! Why would you say such a thing?”

Her mother’s words left Kaida completely confused in return. She did not think the king’s behavior was at all pleasant. Did they see the same interaction that I did?

“Uh, okay,” Kaida quickly changed the subject, “where are you two off to?”

“Oh, we are just coming back, actually. We went out to have breakfast at our favorite little restaurant. It’s tucked away in the market district.” Kaida’s mother’s voice returned to her normal tone.

How odd for her to sound so off like the king. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep or something.

“Are you going somewhere?” Dracul asked Kaida as he looked down at her dress and then back into her eyes.

“Yes. Coincidentally, the market district,” she said with a laugh. “Enzo left a note with this dress to meet him there.”

“How cute! Have a wonderful time! Be sure to tell any salesperson to send the bill to us so you don’t have to carry a bag of gold with you,” her mother told her as she pulled Dracul toward the doors of the castle. “And I want to hear all about yesterday when you get back!”

“Why are you pulling me away! I wanted to know what happened on that date last night now!” her father yelled at her mother as they ascended the staircase.

“Like she wants to tell her father about her date. Honestly, dear, you need–” was the last thing she heard before the doors closed.

Kaida chuckled at her parents. She couldn’t remember a time when they were not like this, and it was what kept her dream of finding her mate alive. She dreamed of having a relationship with her mate like her parents had. Their relationship was the epitome of everything Kaida wanted in her future. Thinking about her future, Kaida smiled and turned toward the carriage; there was already an older gentleman holding out his hand to assist her into it. Once she was seated, she told the man to take her to the Market District. Within seconds, the wooden wheels were wobbling along the cobblestone road. It didn’t take too long before rows of shops came into view.

I wonder why mom and dad never came here. This place looks bigger and better than the one we have at home!

Smells of various spices hit her nose first, some sweet and some savory. The combination of them both had her mouth salivating. As she looked out the window, she saw beautiful and vibrant fabrics, perfect looking fruit, and even a few shops with various trinkets and jewelry. The driver called out to her and asked where Kaida would like to be dropped off. Kaida had no idea, so she asked him what his favorite shop was. Next thing Kaida knew, the carriage had stopped in front of one of the smallest stone shops on the block. It looked to be painted a chocolate brown and had a reddish-brown terracotta roof. Kaida thanked the man for the ride but then had to ask what kind of shop it was that he had brought her to.

“You’ll see. I promise it is worth it.”

Kaida pulled out a few gold coins from the small pocket within her dress and gave themthem to the driver. He asked if she would like to set up a time for him to return for her, and she told him that she might already have a way to return home. The man bowed his head and then had the horse moving along down the road again.

Once she stepped closer to the door, the scent of chocolate wafted into her nostrils. Kaida looked down the road at the carriage and smiled, realizing why he chose this store. When she opened the door, so many smells of various chocolates had her hurrying through the door to check them all out. There were shelves upon shelves all along the walls with bags full of chocolates and even baskets of individually wrapped candies all over the shop. There was a small counter in the back with a short, plump, older woman behind it. Kaida smiled at the woman and then looked into every chocolate to see what was all available. The woman made her way over to Kaida and noticed that she had the palest blue eyes Kaida had ever seen, and her hair was naturally silver with spots of brown still noticeable in some places.

“You are a very new face to me. I am Gianna, the chocolatier of this establishment.”

Gianna held her hand out to Kaida, and Kaida placed hers over Gianna’s wrist. When Gianna returned the greeting, they bowed their heads at one another.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kaida Hilmir from the Fibrin Territory. It’s my first time here.”

Gianna’s eyes lit up as she began herdingherding Kaida toward the baskets of individually wrapped pieces. She grabbed the blue--wrapped one and held it out to Kaida. “This here is a vanilla and caramel truffle. It is one of the best sellers. Try it.”

Kaida was confused at first but did what Gianna told her to do. She twisted the foil, and the deep brown chocolate was in the form of a small sphere. She popped it into her mouth and bit into it. The flavors of the rich chocolate mixed with the sweetness of the vanilla coated her tongue first, but then the velvety texture of the caramel pushed through and sent her taste buds on an adventure. Kaida practically groaned through the experience and eventually made a face of pure need at Gianna. The woman chuckled and then handed her another one. This time it was a green one.

“This is my pistachio crème. This one here sometimes competes for the number one spot.”

Kaida did the same as she did last time. Just like before, the moment that the chocolate was in her mouth she bit into it, and it was another adventure. This time the chocolate was paired wonderfully with the saltiness of the pistachio.

“How are you this good at making chocolate! I’ve had some like this before, but yours are monumentally better!”

Gianna laughed with her belly at Kaida’s comments. “Oh child, I have spent a couple hundred years perfecting these recipes. I’m the best because I have put all of my love and devotion into my craft.”

Kaida could certainly attest to that. The two chocolates alone were proof of that. Even though she had similar ones from a shop in her territory, it was nowhere near as good as this. Kaida grabbed a few of each individual chocolate she could. Gianna had created a couple dozen of these, and she wanted to be sure to try them all. When Kaida mentioned sending the bill to her parents, Gianna hesitated for a moment.

“Hilmir…  are you Dracul’s daughter?”

Kaida wasn’t surprised that Gianna knew her father. The whole kingdom should since he was the second chair within the council. “Yes.”

“Ah. Then I know I will be paid. You’d be surprised at how many people of your age say that, and the family doesn’t pay.”

Kaida rolled her eyes, “I apologize on their behalf. That is beyond rude. I will mention that to my father and see what I can have done about it.”

Gianna gave Kaida a once over. “Kaida…you are Prince Enzo’s betrothed! How silly of me to think that you would not pay.” Gianna began bowing in apology as her cheeks became red with embarrassment.

Kaida quickly grabbed Gianna’s hands and got Gianna to look at her. “No, please don’t do that. Please, stop. You did nothing wrong.”

“I should not have accused our future queen of such things!”

“Like she will actually be the next queen.”

Kaida froze as her body became completely rigid at the sound of Malinda’s voice. She heard the sniggering of the other three goons as well, and she had to roll her eyes once again. These four had to be the people her age that don’t actually pay for their things that Gianna talked about. Kaida turned slowly toward the girls who were all standing at the door.

“Considering I am Enzo’s Fated Mate, I am quite sure that I will be queen. Or is there a new loophole your family created that I don’t know about?”

Malinda scoffed at her while taking a few steps into the shop. “Like my family has to create loopholes. I know for a fact that Enzo isn’t going to bond himself with someone who doesn’t have a dragon.”

Kaida did her best preppy girl voice she could muster and retorted, “Malinda, I didn’t know you were a writer! The shit you come up with, I’m sure you will be a bestseller within the kingdom someday! Because that is a fantasy story if I ever heard one.”

“Please. That’s why you took a carriage here. That’s why you haven’t flown around like the rest of us since you got here!” Malinda knocked over one of the baskets and sent the brown foiled candy flying all over the floor.

Gianna growled and screamed for them to pick it all up, but none of them moved to do so.

“Pick up your mess, Malinda!”

“No! Answer why you haven’t shifted into your dragon since you got here!”

“I don’t answer to you, but this time I will give an explanation so you can shut your ass up about it. How about the fact that my dragon doesn’t play well with others? Like Enzo would want a war with your families when my dragon would devour yours for lunch.”

By this time, the other girls were completely in the shop behind Malinda. None of them made any kind of movement to pick up the candy on the floor. It was not that big of a place, so there was very little room to move around. Gianna was at Kaida’s back to show the girls that she had some support, but Kaida doubted she would want her shop being destroyed right now.

Before Malinda could open her mouth to continue her argument, Enzo’s voice boomed through the shop. “What the hell is going on here?”

All four of the girls stood up straighter as Enzo’s power swept through the shop. Kaida heard them all whimper when it collided into them. She thought Gianna would cower with Enzo’s presence, but instead, she continued to stand tall like Kaida.

Did Enzo not push his power all the way back here… or is Gianna more dominant than I gave her credit for…

All four of the girls were now shifting on their feet and not meeting Enzo’s gaze while their bodies were pointed toward his direction. “I… well… you see…” Malinda stammered as she cowardly drooped her shoulders and bowed her head.

“Leave. Now. If I find out you are pestering your future queen in public like this again, I’ll be sure to send your family to the Outcast Lands.”

All four girls tripped over themselves to leave the shop. Enzo managed to get to the counter in four large steps, making Kaida’s heartbeat race with his proximity to her.

“I apologize, Gianna. Let me know if those four ever cause a disruption in your business again." Enzo then handed her a bag with the sounds of gold and silver clinking inside of it. “Let me know if this covers what Kaida has spent here.”

“It is more than enough, Your Grace. Please let me give you your change.”

Enzo held up his hand, “Please, keep it. My thanks to you for showing Kaida such kindness and support with those four. Also, how about we pick up this chocolate that is on the floor. Since it is wrapped, put it in a bag. I’ll take it back to the castle for my mother. This one is her favorite.”

Kaida and Enzo assisted Gianna with picking up the candies and putting them into a bag. When they were finished, Kaida gave Gianna a small hug. “I will be back soon for more of these!”

Gianna gave Kaida a squeeze. “You better. I’ll let you know when I make a new flavor. I have some ideas in the works,” she said with a wink.

Enzo then led Kaida out of the door. Kaida looked up at him with love and adoration shining in her eyes as they walked along the road. How is he so perfect? To be so kind to someone who just owns a shop within his kingdom. Enzo is going to make an amazing king.