Wife of The Demon Prince
Chapter 49: Gift

Chapter 49: Gift

After they rode on the horse for a while, Hamon finally pulled the horse reins, and the horse slowed it’s pace.

As it’s slowed suddenly, Ara’s back pressed up against Hamon’s chest, she glanced down to see the tendons on his forearm, that’s when she realized how close their bodies were. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest.

Ara’s face was quick to flush red when she heard Hamon’s warm breath on her ear,

"Enough for now, let’s move back to the carriage. We’re almost at your mansion." He whispered in his deep husky voice.

Ara nodded like an obedient child, "Hmm."

Strangely enough, Ara didn’t see the prince’s carriage anywhere close. The forest road looked empty. Soon she realized they weren’t alone in the area, as she began hearing sounds of horse hooves in the forest moving towards them.

The sudden noise alarmed Ara, then came Hamon’s reassuring voice,

"Relax, it’s just my men following us."

"Huh?"

"They’re just looking out for any passer by, so nobody would spot us on a horse." He uttered calmly.

The scale of everything he had done was still overwhelming for Ara. Never had she been treated so reverently, but...She knew he did it all for her,

"Thank you." She mumbled.

Hamon’s reasons were still unclear to her, but she couldn’t be ungrateful to him when he had done everything for her, she then heard him say,

"Don’t worry we have a lot of days ahead of us, after our marriage you’ll ride freely on a horse like you want to." He assured nonchalantly.

Ara couldn’t reply. However, she didn’t know when exactly they both would get Wed. Hamon would be her husband, the thoughts that they would have many days like this in the future together, stirred something she couldn’t understand inside of her.

Suddenly, the empty brown carriage caught up to them from behind, then Hamon dismounted the horse, before helping Ara with ease as he held her tiny waist to put her down.

Ara gasped at Hamon’s sudden action, then glared at him as she walked past him to the carriage. Who told him she doesn’t know how to climb down from a horse?

The carriage soon took off as they boarded it.

**********

The carriage finally arrived at the Boxton mansion. Ara glanced at him before she announced, "Well, we’re here..."

Hamon cleared his throat, " Yes, we’re here...The grand ball will be in three days, so this maybe our last meeting before the day...I think I’ll miss you." Hamon uttered calmly,

He didn’t want to part ways with her yet. How he wished she was already his wife. Heck! He wanted to take her to the castle with him, he’d make sure they get married as soon as the grand ball ended!

Ara pretended as if she didn’t hear his last statement and said, "Thank you for tonight." She murmured.

Her experience tonight was beyond what she had expected with him, and Hamon sometimes confused her with his intimate words.

Ara bowed her head to show respect before she’d leave, but Hamon stopped her by holding her wrist,

"Never bow your head to me again." He enunciated.

"Even the queen bowed to her king. Even if I don’t bow now, as a king you will eventually have to receive my respect." She stated.

Ara had intended to do all she could to make Hamon the next king and to help him gain power and supporters in the kingdom, she would treat her husband highly with respect so everyone would know to do so as well.

"And if I become king, you’ll also become my queen. We’ll have the same power..." He trailed off as if waiting for her to complete his words. But Ara gave him a questioning look as if to say ’What point are you trying to make?’

"Aiya. I mean, you’re my future wife and if I become king and I make you my queen, you’d have equal powers in the kingdom just as I do. So if you bow your head to me again, I’ll also do the same to you as well...there’s No need for you to be so deferential to me from now on. Understood?" He asked with a raised brow.

After a moment of hesitation, Ara nodded, "Yes, I won’t bow to you again."

She couldn’t understand Hamon’s intentions, he had a satisfied expression on his face after she agreed not to bow again.

Ara touched the door handle of the carriage, then turned to say, "Take care. Goodnight."

Hamon’s lips pulled up, "Goodnight!" He exclaimed.

Ara wondered what’s up with the happy expression he had on his face, but didn’t think much about it and stepped out of the carriage.

She walked towards the mansion gate, but then suddenly halted her steps as she remembered the coat on her shoulders, Ara realized she had left the carriage still wearing Hamon’s coat.

She turned around and noticed the prince’s carriage was still there, she was about to walk back to the carriage to return his coat, but a maid who happened to come out to throw the trash away noticed her,

"Welcome back, My lady."

"Oh... Thanks."

At the sudden appearance of the maid, Ara missed the chance to return Hamon’s coat. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to let it be then walked back inside the mansion, she could still feel the prince’s gaze on her from the carriage.

--

The moment Ara stepped into her room, the first thing she did was peep out through her window to see if the carriage was still outside, but to her disappointment the carriage was already gone,

’So that was why he was beaming because he knew I still had his coat on?’

Ara sat on her bed, then the memories of all the events that took place tonight flooded through her mind, she recalled when he wiped out the chocolate sticking to her mouth.

’Ahhh, why am I thinking about that!’

She pulled off the coat, his scent still lingering on it. She kinda liked how he smelled, dark and manly, a bit similar to the coffee beans used to make chocolate. Ara glanced out through the window again, she didn’t know why it felt like something was... missing?

**********

The next day, Ara had told her sister about the gowns.

"Seriously? Someone will get the gowns for us?" Came Anne’s excited voice.

"Yes, but I don’t know if you’d like the gown since they’re not custom made, but pre-made ones." Ara explained to not get Anne hoping for high custom made dresses.

"Oh who cares as long as it’s suitable. I’d thought we wouldn’t make it to the grand ball at first, so am okay with a pre-made gown."

Anne’s excitement made Ara feel at ease, Ara had worried before that she would be indebted to Hamon, but when she saw how her sister was beaming, Ara knew she had done the right thing by asking for Hamon’s help.

"The gowns will be delivered later." Ara informed. Not knowing what was coming were more than just gowns.

**********

Few hours later, as Ara sat on her desk to do her daily calculation of the Boxton household expenses, she couldn’t concentrate on it because her thoughts kept wandering back to Hamon, as they rode on the horse, and as he licked his fingers after wiping her mouth, then his coat.

She quickly shook her head to clear the thoughts, she couldn’t be thinking about him like this. Her relationship with Hamon was nothing more than a business.

Although, they were bound together by a contract marriage, but it was formed by mutual needs, she wouldn’t turn sentimental when she had a family to protect.

’You have to keep your head straight Ara! Focus!’

She had vowed to not lose her family again this time. She had no time to waste on some pointless emotions! It was a contract marriage and that would be it and nothing else!

Ara’s thoughts were broken as the door to her room suddenly swung opened, then came Anne’s voice,

"Sister! Sister!"

"What’s wrong Anne, why are you screaming when am right here in front of you?" Ara asked as Anne was so loud.

"Am sorry about that, but I think you should come and see something outside." Anne uttered as she held Ara’s hand to lead her to whatever it was that had made her scream.

Ara followed her with a slightly confused expression.

When they reached towards the entrance, Ara gasped in surprise.

The mansion’s entrance was blocked with a big cart carrying different types of boxes in it, with some workers carefully moving the boxes into the mansion.

"What the heck is going on?" Ara stood bewildered by the scene before her.

Anne quickly took out one of the small boxes that had beautiful carvings on it then opened it to see what was inside, but her jaw dropped at the contents within the little Brown box.

"What’s inside?" Ara asked.

Without a word, Anne handed it to her sister.

Ara took it with a questioning look on her face, but the moment she saw what was inside, "Oh my!" She exclaimed.