The Princess's Dangerous Vampire Mate-Chapter 35: The Market -IV

"I think that would look good on me." I pointed to the red dress Gemma had discarded. "I like the colour." Gemma looked at me with an expression that said colour me shocked because she was not expecting me to buy anything from this market. She nodded hurriedly and the bargaining had started. He liked the colour on me, I bowed my head to hide the small smile.

I looked back to him sharing a drink with Allan.

It did not escape past me that he was still glancing at us to make sure that all of us were together. He was a true family man, unlike my father who was never bothered to come out of the harem or even noticed that one of his children were missing from the dining table.

He was least bothered about us and I wondered what was my mother thinking at the time she thought my father would be a perfect fit.

I looked to Gemma who handed me the deep red dress. I almost was the colour of blood. The white shawl of fur would be a perfect fit on top of it and I could not wait to try it on and show it to him.

"Layla," Merylin came to my side, "Would you like to go with me and look?"

"No." I tsked.

"Please!" My answer did not affect her because it was not the first time that I had blatantly refused her. "Please!"

I looked at her with a suspicious expression. "Why are you bothering me? Go away." I frowned upon her and shooed her away.

"I don’t want to go with Lara." She pouted and almost got smacked from me for it. "Please whenever we step out from the castle you would love to go shopping with me!"

I nodded. "Yes because you were the lesser idiot of the group I have with me."

She grinned at that. "Look at me receiving compliments from you."

"Continue and you would receive the order of beheading from me as well."

She smiled sweetly and it haunted me. "Do not worry I have given my life to you. If you want me to be beheaded then I will do so happily for you."

Loyalty. I didn’t know how to act.

"Let’s go," I said instead. "You wanted to go and shop. Let us go." She nodded happily and walked with me.

We walked along as we saw the goods as the vendor sold and called out to us but something else got my eye.

I stopped and walked to it, completely in its trance.

A dagger it was and it had a red ruby on the hilt. It was beautiful.

"Pri—Layla, what would you do with that?" She questioned me in shock but I ignored her and continued to make the purchase.

"Three silver coins." The seller told me with fingers. I nodded and handed him the coins.

"Come," I beckoned to Merilyn who immediately started walking along with me. "Have I told you about that night?"

She caught the event because she was the only person that I could confide in without any hesitance and this was the most recent event that I had not told her about.

So I did and the horror on her face made me thank god for letting me leave alive and safe.

"Oh my. . . ." She sniffed. "There was a chance we would have never seen you again!" She whispered harshly and I could feel her anger coming towards me. "How could you have been so careless to walk to a brothel out of all places?!"

I sighed and nodded. "I apologize Marilyn. I was wrong and I promise you that I shall never repeat this mistake ever again." The experience was enough to warn me of a lifetime. The fear I felt that night was something different and I never wanted to be involved in it again.

Merilyn looked back, "I think they are calling us for dinner." So we went back.

Tristan was on my right when we sat down for dinner and the proximity made me blush.

I looked at him and he immediately noticed my gaze at him. "Are we going to stop in every time like this?" We would never reach in time then.

He shook his head. "Only this market is famous for being a traveller’s market. For the rest, we would be having an early dinner and be retiring for the night. We would leave early in the morning to cover the journey which left is of two full days."

"Two days. . ." I sighed. Half of my time was going to go away by just travelling and doing nothing else!

"What is it that worries you?" He said as his forehead creased in worry. "If you want, we can buy a few bound manuscripts for you. The books as they call them are new invention and I think you would like to read them."

"Books?" I looked at him. Where were such inventions being made?

He nodded. "Yes. They bind the manuscripts together and use hardcover for it making them look quite sturdy which is why they were given the name of books. I think the royalty is going to adopt them too, would you like to get your hands on it?"

I nodded immediately. "Yes. I would love that." I smiled at his efforts. I was the royalty he talked off.

"Alright, then I would buy them for you. Also," he pulled Something out of his pocket, "I have something for you."

In a pouch made of velvet material, he gave me something heavy. "What is it?" I asked as I looked at it. "It looks quite heavy you did not have to buy me anything more." I was not used to gifts for no political reason.

He shook his head and smiled at me. "I believe that you deserve much more than I can give you."

True.

"Thank you," I said instead. I opened it and gasped.

Did he buy me a jewel? A ruby?

"You. . ." I looked at him who was once again watching me intently. "Why?"

"It reminded me of you."

I softly laughed at that. "A ruby gem, reminded you of me?"

He nodded. "Yes, ambitiousness and love are the two things I see when I look at you."

"Love is a luxury I cannot afford," I said immediately and then shut my mouth as I realised my mistake.

He laughed at that. "Luxurious are to be afforded. One just accepts the fact that he could never afford them instead of working hard for it."

He stared in to my eyes as he said the next words, "Or one just has to look into the right direction."