A fox in the snow

Chapter 14

Zayden looked at Lilith, pretending to be hurt. "Am I not Prince material?" he asked innocently.

She smiled at him, this time in a knowing way. The prolonged silence became awkward and he sighed. "You're right. I'm no prince. In fact, this is the first time I'm as close as this to royalty."

He gestured to his clothes and said, "All this is fake. I'm just a commoner who wanted to experience a day in the life of a Prince."

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I'm in trouble, am I not?" He looked at her and hoped she wouldn't call the guards to kick him out, or worse, put him in the dungeons for what he'd done. He most definitely didn't seem to want that experience.

Lilith didn't reply but just looked straight at him. He smiled sheepishly and turned to walk away, although he seemed reluctant. As he trudged down the stairs, Lilith ran towards him and wrapped him in a bear hug. He blushed and with a twinkle in his eyes and that lopsided grin, he returned her embrace.

Lilith exclaimed, "I'm glad I met you." She added softly, "Did the palace meet your expectations?"

Zayden turned his head to face Lilith, his face still red from embarrassment. They walked back to the balcony and Zayden breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitance, he asked, "How did you find out I'm not a prince?"

"Just a little observation," she answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. His face turned as red as a beet in an instant and she burst out laughing.

~The spell is making her overly romantic, but she doesn't know about it~

"What did you observe?" he asked.

"Well... the moment you walked in, I sensed a different vibe from you. You seemed to be different from the others, maybe even a bit out-of-place as you looked at the ballroom decor, enraptured. Of course, for a while, I too assumed you to be a Prince because of your attire"— she lightly brushed her fingers over the smooth fabric of his linen shirt— "but then your simple hairdo gave it away," she chuckled, looking at his ruffled hair, quite unlike the sophisticated style of the other Princes.

"Of course, one obvious hint, that helped me confirm my suspicions was your inability to dance. Every Prince trains for a minimum ballroom etiquette, including dance and curtsy," she slyly grinned.

He scoffed at her. "I wasn't that clumsy, was I?" he asked.

"I never called you clumsy. You're cute," she answered, grinning from ear to ear to cover up her blush.

Why am I blushing so much?

He listened to her attentively, awestruck at her attention to detail and surprising observations.

She continued, "The way you gulped the appetizers was also a clear giveaway." He smiled, embarrassed.

"When we were dancing, I noticed your palms were calloused..." she said.

Zayden subconsciously brushed his fingers over his rough palms. "Your point?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful and replied, "You must be a hands-on worker of some sort. Maybe a farmer or a stonemason?"

"I'm a carpenter for the most part. But when life gives me lemons, I make qatarzimat. In short, I do whatever it takes to survive. And that includes a variety of odd jobs like the ones you mentioned," he smiled, turning to face her.

He held her soft palms in his, caressing them gently and spoke again, "We are from completely different backgrounds, made especially clear by your keen eye. You are the future Queen of Valoria...