They arrived at the port, and the sea breeze blowing inland carried a salty scent as it swept through the carriage window. Ariel and Kaiden didn’t say much as the carriage rolled over the cobblestone road toward the ship.
She only watched the shore from her window, deliberately ignoring his heated gaze. Kaiden, on the other hand, observed her every move. The more he stared, the more intrigued he beca. It wasn’t just her beauty, he was a prince, and he’d seen many beautiful won. But Ariel... she was in a class of her own.
There was sothing about her that made it hard to look away once he laid eyes on her.
Ariel sighed and puffed out her cheeks, clearly irritated. His gaze was unnerving.
"Isn’t there sothing else you could do besides staring? It’s very rude, and I’m sure you were taught better," she snapped.
Kaiden’s lips curled into a smirk.
"I don’t see anything wrong with admiring the prettiest thing in here," he replied smoothly, clearly trying to provoke a reaction.
Ariel’s brows twitched. The annoying part was that she couldn’t argue with him, he was just like every other man, eager to wag their tails at anything beautiful.
"Can you stop already? Please, Your Highness. It doesn’t suit your image," she begged.
Kaiden didn’t look away. Instead, the smirk deepened.
"There’s nothing wrong with a noble prince admiring his wife. My mother taught to treasure the one I decide to marry," he said shalessly.
As expected, Ariel’s head snapped toward him.
Her dark eyes were bottomless like an abyss of emotion glaring at him, her face flushed red with anger. Oddly, he found it cute. Her reactions made it fun to tease her.
"I am not your wife! And even if I did agree, we’re not married yet!," she barked.
"So, you have agreed," Kaiden replied, leaving her speechless.
She sighed, knowing he had made it clear she needed his protection.
"It was under duress not because I like you or anything of the sort," she retorted.
Kaiden’s smile faltered. His gaze turned sharp. Ariel imdiately backed away. The coldness in his eyes made her skin crawl.
"Am I that unlikable? Or am I below your standards?" he hissed, his eyes watching her intently.
A lump ford in her throat. She stayed silent, and his expression darkened further.
Kaiden suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him. She slamd into his chest, and in a blink, he had her pinned on his lap, his arms holding her firmly. No room to move. No distance left between them.
"What’s so unlikable about ?" he asked, his smile stiff, not reaching his eyes. Their gazes locked.
Ariel knew she couldn’t afford to offend him, not with the difference in their status, but she wasn’t going to back down either. She tried to word it as gently as possible, though the situation was extrely uncomfortable.
"You’re a prince of the largest kingdom on the continent. I’m just a weaver’s daughter. We could never work. I’m sure your parents are already planning to marry you off to so princess. How could I compare to that?" she asked honestly.
Their proximity was affecting her. She desperately wanted space between her and the blonde prince.
"Those are just excuses, Ariel," he said flatly.
Her fists clenched at her sides.
"They’re not excuses, Your Highness," she retorted, her tone rising slightly.
The carriage suddenly bumped over sothing and ca to an abrupt stop. The jolt sent Ariel toppling onto Kaiden, her chest pressed against his firm torso. His hand sohow landed on her backside.
That wasn’t the most mortifying part their lips had smashed together.
Ariel froze, her brain screaming for her to pull away.
Unfortunately, Kaiden moved faster. He held her face and drew her in, his grip still firm on her rear. His lips claid hers with wicked ease. He was a good kisser. Too good. She didn’t even have ti to resist before she was consud by it.
When he finally pulled away, a thin strand of saliva clung between them.
Ariel was stunned, staring at him wide-eyed.
Then it happened soone else’s face flashed through her mind. Mismatched eyes. A feeling of guilt hit her hard, like they were doing sothing terribly wrong.
It gave her the eerie sense that she’d done this before though she couldn’t rember when.
Ariel drifted into her thoughts, but Kaiden snapped her out of it.
"We should do this more often, fight, then kiss and make up like a normal couple," he said with a grin.
"Huh?" she blurted, blinking at him in confusion.
He found her reaction adorable and reached forward to pull her cheeks.
"The na is Kaiden. You should call that when we’re alone," he added casually.
She was still speechless, her eyes blank as she stared at him.
Kaiden sighed, then carried her out of the carriage in his arms. It felt like they were newlyweds, which only deepened her embarrassnt. Ariel buried her face in his shoulder to hide.
"This is so embarrassing," she whispered, though it didn’t escape his notice.
The knights around them politely averted their eyes, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing. None of them dared stare for too long not with Kaiden’s infamous temper.
He carried her aboard the ship and didn’t put her down until they reached their room. He placed her gently on the bed. Her face was still flushed red, a mix of anger and humiliation. She didn’t know how to deal with any of it.
Kaiden turned toward the door and shut it, then walked back to the edge of the bed. He sat down and began removing his boots. Ariel’s brows drew together in confusion as she watched him.
He unfastened the buttons on his shirt with ease.
"What are you doing?" she blurted out, scandalized that he was undressing in front of her.
Kaiden glanced her way and calmly removed his shirt, then reached for his trousers.
"What does it look like? I’m getting ready for bed. I can’t sleep in these clothes. You should change too," he said like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You can’t undress beside ! And why here? Don’t you have another room? Unmarried couples shouldn’t share rooms. Even so married
couples don’t!" she stamred.
Kaiden just smiled as he pulled off the rest of his clothes.
"Stop acting like you haven’t seen naked before. We’re technically married, Ariel. There’s nothing to be shy about..."
He turned to her, his tone lowering.
"Besides, I’m not giving you another chance to escape. We’ll be sharing a room until we arrive in Vitalis."
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