A Fairy Tale for Big Girls – 16. chapter

At breakfast, Mark looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly said,

“Finish eating. We’re going for a walk. You haven’t been outside in months.”

Lili smiled uncertainly.

“Where?”

“You’ll see.”

She watched him for a moment longer. Then she smiled excitedly and folded her hands in her lap.

“I’m already done!”

Mark glanced at her, then at his barely touched plate.

“Well,” he wiped his mouth with a napkin, “I suppose I am too.”

Lili jumped up from the table joyfully and bounced impatiently while he rose. He smiled, took her hand, and turned to Martin.

“We’ll be late.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going without the guards.”

“I can handle it.”

“Mark, no…”

He didn’t even get to finish before they were already gone. Martin leaned back helplessly in his chair.

“As if one madman weren’t enough. Now I have two.”

Mark held Lili’s hand and walked out with her into the courtyard.

She drew a deep breath and turned her face toward the sun. She tried to step forward, but Mark stood firm, holding her fast, so she could not manage it. He pulled her back to him, released her hand, and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist.

“Promise me you won’t run today,” he said. “That you’ll come back to the room with me, and I’ll chain you to the bed again. Promise me.”

She hesitated for a moment.

“But only for today.”

“Yes. Only for today.”

She nodded.

“I promise.”

He smiled, kissed her, and let her go.

She ran straight into the grass, kicked off her shoes, and walked barefoot. He stood and watched her.

Who in hell are you?

A carriage stopped behind him, so he called out to her. She turned, frowning, but obeyed at once and came back. She picked up her shoes on the way and slipped them on. He opened the carriage door and bowed.

“Madam.”

“…We’re leaving the castle?”

“Get in,” he ordered.

While she obeyed, he smiled down at the ground. He got in as well, gave the coachman the signal, and they set off.

She managed to sit quietly for a while. She watched the countryside with obvious delight and clearly enjoyed the view.

“Where are we going?” she asked again.

“You’ll see,” he repeated firmly.

She turned back to the window, but it didn’t last long.

“Where are we going?” she asked, almost pleading.

“There’s a fair in a nearby village,” he finally gave in.

Her eyes widened with excitement. She shifted excitedly.

“What do you sell at fairs here? Do you have those little roasted apples?” She kept chattering, hungry for answers.

He narrowed his eyes.

“Lili… you’re not from my country, are you?”

She was far too excited to care about anything but the fair.

“No,” she shook her head quickly. “So, do you have them?”

“…Mm, yes.”

“And trout? Roasted?”

“Yes, those too… Though you can have trout prepared at the castle.”

“It’s not nearly as good.”

“Then we’ll have trout. I didn’t really eat breakfast.”

“You should have eaten faster.”

“I know that now too.”

“Are we there yet?”

He smiled, and her excitement began to rub off on him. He picked up the sack lying beside him and pulled out clothes.

“Change.”

He handed her a bundle and removed his own coat.

She took what he handed her and examined it. Simple linen dress, brown apron, a cap.

She looked at him, already dressed in a loose white shirt and vest.

She laughed.

“I’ll be a village girl!” she cried excitedly.

Mark already knew she wasn’t. Still, he grew alert when she confirmed it so clearly. He could read in her eyes that she realized what she had just done, but also that she would not let it ruin her mood. She slipped out of her dress. For a few seconds, while she changed back into clothes, she sat naked, and Mark had to restrain himself from lunging at her.

The carriage stopped while she was still tying the cap.

“We’re here!” she cried.

She didn’t wait for the door to be opened for her and ran outside. He followed her out and quickly caught her hand. She bounced impatiently. Mark looked around, found a suitable place for the coachman to wait, and sent him there. He had to hold Lili by the waist to make her stop moving.

“Stand still and listen to me.”

“Mm-hm?”

“We’ll go wherever you want. But God help you if you get lost on me…” His voice turned threatening, and Lili grew alert.

“You promised me you’d be with me tonight,” he continued. “Remember that if you decide to do anything that would force me to punish you.”

She frowned.

“Just obey me,” he said, stroking her. “Even when I’m in a good mood. Always do what I tell you, and everything will be fine.”

After a brief pause, she agreed.

“Today.”

“Always,” he corrected in a serious voice. “Disobedience will always be punished, no matter how fond I am of you.”

She glared at him, then stuck out her tongue in resignation.

He smiled, took out a purse, and poured coins into different pockets of her skirt.

“You don’t have much money. If you did, you’d attract thieves. If you run out, tell me, and I’ll give you more. And never take it all out at once.”

She nodded.

He hugged her and stroked her cheek.

“Don’t make me regret bringing you here,” he pleaded.

“I promise.”

She rose onto her toes and planted a kiss on him. He smiled, a little nervously, and let her go.

She immediately turned, ran down a short lane, and blended into the crowd. He tried to keep up with her, but lost her almost at once. He froze and looked around. He could not see her anywhere in the noisy crowd. The thought immediately flashed through his mind.

Stupid idea.

Fear seized him. He scanned the people, his eyes darting up and down. He had barely managed to register how violently his heart was pounding when she suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Where are you?” she chattered, smiling. “We’re looking for apples, remember?”

He grabbed her shoulders and squeezed painfully hard. She gasped, startled, then slowly exhaled.

“Mark.”

She tried to smile reassuringly.

“I promised I wouldn’t run.”

He closed his eyes with a deep exhale and loosened his grip.

“…I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to fear today.”

He nodded slowly, only very gradually calming down. She took his hand and pulled him along. At the first opportunity, she bought two small roasted apples on sticks, handed one to him, and bit into hers. A moment later, she froze, covered her mouth, and shot him a surprised look. He didn’t understand what was going on, so he waited until she swallowed with difficulty.

“At home, they’re sweet!” she wrinkled her nose.

He laughed in amusement.

“You should’ve spat it out if you didn’t like it.”

“A lady doesn’t spit.”

“Of course. I forgot.”

“Do you want it?” she asked, offering him the stick.

“Um, I don’t like them,” he confessed softly, eyes dropping to the apple in his own hand. “I just didn’t want to tell you.”

This time she laughed. She took the disgusting treat from his hand and handed both to a boy running past. He thanked her and disappeared. She took Mark’s hand again and set off into the crowd.

He enjoyed her immensely. She touched him whenever she could, looked at everything happening around them, darted from one place to another so quickly that he could hardly keep track of her. She often disappeared from him, but always reappeared a moment later from somewhere, only to scold him for being slow…

They returned to the castle only after nightfall, and Mark was not at all surprised that, after such an exhausting day, Lili fell asleep in the carriage.