Summary: Liam and Jade enjoy their day off horseback riding in the forest of Valtoria. But even the most peaceful days have their complications.
Rays of sunlight shined through the trees as Liam rode in the woods with Jade, showing her the trails of the biggest forest of Valtoria. He told her about the previous Duchess and they talked about her duties as a noblewoman and a ruler. “So I basically have to come here once in a while to join some events and greet the people?”
“You could say that. Valtoria is one of our most prosperous duchies, the tourism here the second highest in the country.”
“Oh, so there’s not much work for me to do here,” she frowned.
“The citizens of your duchy may be a self-sufficient people, but they still need their Duchess to guide them. And you’re about to make one important decision as a ruler right now.” He led Jade towards an open field next to the river, from where it could be seen the mountains and a waterfall.
“Whoa… It’s like I just stepped inside a painting,” Jade marveled at the landscape before her.
“It is a beautiful place indeed. But Lady Carmine never cared much about it. She focused all her efforts on building safe places for animals but didn’t consider taking care of the place where they come from. You can decide what to do with it.”
“Really?”
“It is your duchy, after all.”
“Right… I know that,” she stared a view in deep thought.
“Hey,” Liam took her hands in his. “I trust you. Do what you think it’s best for your duchy.”
“Okay…” She guided Marabelle into the field, scanning her surroundings and Liam followed her. She stopped next to the river and dismounted her horse, tying her reins to a tree nearby. She turned around to look at Liam. “Do you think this place could be a camping site?”
“Yes, it can,” he replied approaching her. “It’d increase the tourism and more measurements concerning the preservation of the forest. It’s a brilliant idea, actually.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I never doubted my fiancee’s bright mind for a single moment,” Liam encircled an arm around Jade’s waist and kissed her temple. “Valtorian citizens will be pleased to know your decision.”
“Thanks,” she beamed and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Anything else planned on my private tour through my duchy?”
“As a matter of a fact, there is,” he guided her along the riverbank where a blanket with a basket filled with healthy snacks was carefully assembled.
“You like spoiling me, don’t you?”
“Of course. I’ll do anything to honor my queen,” he whispered in her ear and kissed the spot below, sending a shiver down her spine. They sat on the blanket and ate, occasionally chatting as they fed each other fruits.
“I think I’ll enjoy being here. We could come here and go hiking, camping… Last time was fun,” she winked.
“Indeed it was.” His blue eyes went dark, gazing at her curves with desire, then cleared his throat. “And I surely would enjoy reliving that moment right now, but we have to put a pin on it and talk about something else first.”
“Sounds serious,” she said watching his expression slowly change.
“I’ll have to travel to Madrid after the Festival of Lights.”
“I didn’t know Madrid was included in the Unity Tour.”
“It isn’t if you don’t wish to come with me.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to go with you?”
“Because I’m visiting The Spanish Royal Family,” he replied studying her reaction. “You had a lot to process in the past few weeks with the tour, the attacks and knowing the truth about your family. They expect you to come with me, but I don’t want you to feel pressured to meet them.”
“Why are you visiting them anyway?”
“I’m reinforcing Cordonia’s alliance to Spain, so we can work on measurements to protect both kingdoms and, most of all, protect you. Your uncle, King Felipe, wasn’t pleased to know about the deal I made with Queen Sofia to look out for you in secret and now that we’re going to get married, he wants to talk about the improvements of your safety.”
“Oh…” Jade looked down. “So they’d like me to go with you?”
“No… I would like if you come me. They demanded your presence.”
Her eyes went wide. “Can they do that?!”
“Because you’re Spanish royalty and it’s their obligation to keep you safe to ensure the stability of the country, yes. But I told them to back off.”
“You did? You fought with the King of Spain because of me?”
“Felipe is a very reasonable man, he understood once I explained the situation. I told your grandmother to back off.”
“Oh my god…” her jaw fell open as the mental image of Liam fighting with her grandmother. “It’s been a while since the last time I saw her, but from what I can remember, she mustn’t have it take it as easily as the King.”
“Believe me, I know. I’d probably have to watch my back if she still was the ruler. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if she prepares a room for me that looks more like a dungeon than an actual room,” he joked, making her giggled lightly.
“Do you think she will cut you some slack if I go?”
“I guess so. Most likely I’ll still get sneezers in my coffee, but I’ll be fine.” She laughed. “You don’t have to worry about it, my love. I’ll be elated if you come, participate in the decisions about the safety measures and bond with your family, perhaps. But that is your decision. I will not allow anyone to make you feel obligated to do anything you don’t want to.”
She crawled on the blanket, sat beside him. “Aww… my knight in shining armor!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Thank you, Li. I’ll think about it.“
“You’re welcome, my queen.”
“Just one thing.”
“I’m listening”
“Can you tell Madeleine that?”
He chuckled. “Of course.”
“Oh. One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“I know you said no one can obligate me to do anything, but I won’t mind if you boss me around and tell me what to do,” she nipped her bottom lip.
“Is that so?” A devilish grin crossed his lips. “I think it’s time for us to remove that pin we put on that former subject we were discussing,” he said as his hands traveled up her thighs.
“Good. Because I couldn’t wait to talk about that.”
“Just talk?”
“Yeah,” she stood up. “We’ll talk about it after Your Royal Majesty take me from behind against that tree,” she pointed to a large pine tree in a more secluded area.
He looked under the skirt of her dress and kissed her legs. “As you wish, Your Grace.”
