Caravince (DISCONTINUED|NEW CANON STORY IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 4: Shopping with the Noble Girl

Karmen: Sorry for taking so long! I was lazy! I hope you enjoy it!

It didn't take long for Kathryn and Freya to leave the castle. Kathryn was even more surprised that Freya could get two royal knights to escort them out to the city. Not only was Freya fast enough to find guards for the two of them, but she was also able to stop Kathryn from escaping through portals.

They wandered the streets of the capital city. It mainly was middle-class citizens and a few aristocrats on the roads. Kathryn preferred the busy streets of Barostrom. It's not as clean as the Capital, but it was a place that made Kathryn feel more comfortable and allows her to forget about her royal status for a while.

"Let's go in there!" chirped Freya.

Kathryn saw Freya's finger point at a fancy-looking clothes shop. Seeing fancy aristocratic dresses on display by the windows of the shop.

"Don't we already have several dresses in our closets?" puzzled Kathryn. "Why are we buying new ones?"

"Because they're new!" beamed Freya before she chuckles nervously as she twiddled with her thumbs, looking down at the ground with flushed cheeks. "A-And this is my first time going out shopping with you, s-so..."

As Freya fell silent, Kathryn couldn't help but sigh. She knew if she said no, Freya would end up being sad and gloomy for the rest of the day. It happened before, and she doesn't want that to happen again.

"Fine, let's go," said Kathryn with a soft sigh. She looks at the two guards before telling them. "Just wait outside for us."

The two knights saluted to the princess. "Of course, my princess." The two knights said in unison.

"Let's go!" Freya says in excitement as she takes Kathryn's hand and pulls her towards the tailor.

When they went inside, Kathryn wasn't expecting much. Everything looks fancy and high class, pretty much her closet but a bit bigger.

"This is gonna be a long day..."

And it was a long day. After shopping for new dresses, the two girls later returned to the castle.

If Kathryn had to be honest, she had fun. Even though it was mostly Freya talking. It's not like she's shy or antisocial, but Freya loves to speak to her. But can she blame her? She is Freya's only friend.

"So, you looking forward to the ball tomorrow night?" asked Freya curiously as the two girls walked down the hall of the castle together with no knights escorting them.

Kathryn rolled her eyes when she heard Freya talk about the ball. "The ball is just a way my parents plan on using to meet potential husbands," she sighed. "A lot of princes from different kingdoms will be coming."

"I'm pretty jealous," Freya giggled softly. "You're gonna have handsome princes fawn all over you."

"Wanna switch places?" Kathryn asked with a groan.

Freya laughs before nudging Kathryn's shoulder. "Come on, you should be excited."

"Choosing whether to be enthusiastic for my arranged marriage or not is the only freedom I'll ever get."

They went back into her bedroom, where Kathryn walked towards her bed and fell forward onto it face first. She was exhausted. Walking around with Freya was like walking an energetic dog.

Not like I think of her that way... Kathryn sinks her face into the sheets of her large bed.

Freya approached Kathryn and sat on the bed, sitting next to the brunette princess lying on her stomach.

"Why aren't you happy about your arranged marriage coming up?" Freya asked Kathryn. "You should be thankful."

"Why should I be thankful for being forced to marry a guy I've never met?" Kathryn turned her face to Freya.

"Hey, at least you'll get to meet him at the ball," the white-haired teen shrugged.

"By him, you mean them?" Kathryn sighs as she rolled over, now lying on her back as she looks up at the ceiling. "My parents invited princes all over the world so that they can choose who can take my hand in marriage."

Kathryn was not looking forward to tomorrow. Boys and girls her age from families and noble families will be attending. Since it is a ball, she knew her mother had to make it look like one, while in actuality, it's just a way to find a suitable partner for the princess. She doesn't want to get married, not yet. If she could choose who she wants to be engaged with, she would choose someone she has known for a long time. Someone like...

"Is it because of that peasant boy Thomas?" Freya asked curiously, catching Kathryn off guard as her body shot up and looked at the noble girl.

"W-What?" Kathryn stumbled on her words a bit.

"I just wanna know if it's because you're in love with that peasant boy," Freya answered.

The princess gave the white-haired teen a weird look as Freya closed her eyes and covered her blushing cheeks as she giggles. "A royal princess and a peasant boy, it's like in those romance novels I've been reading recently~."

Kathryn narrowed her eyes and fell back onto her bed.

"It's not like that..."

~~~

Kathryn and Freya would continue to talk until nightfall. They spoke of their personal feelings and dreams. The princess even opened up about wanting to live a simple life to the noble girl, something she never told anybody except for Thomas.

When Freya had to leave, Kathryn did feel kind of lonely now that she's gone. Before, she would normally want to avoid Freya, but after spending time with her today, she started to see her as a close friend than some rich girl who follows her around.

Kathryn thought about leaving the castle tonight to see Thomas, but she remembered that the castle would be heavily guarded by the queen's orders.

She laid down on her bed in her nightgown, waiting to fall asleep. Kathryn hoped she would wake up as someone else, maybe a farmer's daughter or anyone that doesn't have royal blood in them.

"I really need to stop reading those books Freya recommends me...." Kathryn chuckled softly to herself before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Tomorrow will be the ball, but she'd rather be anywhere else in the universe but there.