Cassian felt as if needles were pricking his heart every time he saw them hugging. He said, “I’m a bit tired, I’ll go rest for a while. I’ll see you later.”
Cassian walked towards a beautiful house behind them. When Cassian walked away, Abril asked, “Are we staying here?”
“Only until I supervise, that everything is functioning well in this city. Then we’ll leave”
Abril looked towards the port, and Alessandro asked, “Do you want to go see the beach?”
“Can we go?”
“If you’re not tired, yes.”
“I’m not.”
Alessandro called one of the servants to prepare his horse since the beach was a bit far. While they waited, Abril dedicated herself to looking around. When the horse was brought, Alessandro called Abril, who was admiring some beautiful camellias blooming in the garden.
“Come, it’s time to go.”
Alessandro helped her onto the horse, then mounted himself. As they set off, Abril was afraid of falling. She closed her eyes and hugged Alessandro tightly, burying her face in his chest. As they moved forward, Alessandro said, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let you fall.”
Alessandro held her waist with one arm. Hearing his voice, Abril separated a bit and looked ahead. The gentle sea breeze caressed her face and made her hair flutter. At that moment, she felt as free as the birds soaring in the sky, as the ocean flowing with total freedom, as the wind that no one could catch. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air, and said in barely a whisper, “This is what freedom feels like.”
When they arrived at the beach, Alessandro stopped the horse. Abril was mesmerized by the calm sea, the waves moving like arms and forming a mother-of-pearl-colored foam. A little further away, she saw some boats approaching the port, and several seagulls were fishing in the sea. The landscape was beautiful. Abril could never have imagined that one day she would be able to enjoy such a view. She had resigned herself to living her entire life confined, with her only moments of freedom being in that small house in a corner of the royal palace. She had never desired to leave or even be free because she had never known what freedom was. Without realizing it, tears rolled down her cheeks.
Alessandro dismounted from the horse, and seeing that she was crying, he asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing.”
Alessandro extended his hands to help her dismount. Abril threw herself into his arms, remembering that Lady Elizabeth had told her that a kiss could express gratitude. She kissed him and said, “Thank you so much for bringing me here, for showing me what lies beyond the palace walls.”
Alessandro felt conflicted: she was thanking the very person responsible for her confinement, for showing her what was beyond the palace walls. He returned the embrace and replied, “I want to show you everything in my kingdom and even beyond it. This place is just the first of many more.”
Alessandro looked at Abril’s face, wiped her tears, and said, “I prefer to see you smile, so don’t cry.”
Abril nodded, and he gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips and asked, “Do you want to walk a bit?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go, let’s enjoy this beautiful landscape while we’re here.”
Alessandro knelt down in the white sand and said, “Give me your foot.”
“For what?”
“You’ll see.”
Abril lifted her right foot, and Alessandro removed her shoe. He then asked for her left foot and did the same. Abril’s feet sank into the white sand, an unfamiliar sensation for her. She said, “It feels strange.”
“I know, but it’s pleasant, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Alessandro took off his shoes and placed them next to Abril’s. He took her hand and said,
“Come on, this isn’t what I wanted to show you.”
Abril followed him, enjoying the sensation of her feet sinking into the sand. When they reached the shore, the waves splashed Abril’s dress. Seeing Alessandro entering the water, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“We’re going into the sea.”
Abril stopped abruptly and said, “I don’t know how to swim.”
“I know, but you have nothing to fear. I won’t let go of you, and we’ll only go in far enough to get our feet wet.”
Abril held up the skirt of her dress to keep it from getting wet and continued walking. When the water touched her feet, she smiled. Alessandro said, “See, it’s not scary.”
Abril stepped on something that pricked her foot, and she winced. Alessandro picked her up and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I think something pricked me.”
Abril stared intently at the water. At the bottom, she saw something shining. She pointed at it and said, “Look, I think it was that.”
“Did it hurt you?”
Abril moved her foot and replied, “No, it didn’t hurt. I’m fine.”
Alessandro set her back down and retrieved what Abril had pointed out from the water. It was a beautiful pink seashell. He handed it to Abril and said, “Was it this?”
Abril took it, examined it closely, and replied, “Yes, it was this.”
She looked at him and said, “It’s very pretty. What is it?”
“It’s a seashell. These are especially used to make pendants among the commoners.”
“Can I make a pendant with this?”
“Yes, but I don’t think it’s something a princess should wear.”
“Why not? I like it, and I don’t have any jewelry.”
Alessandro felt he had failed as a husband upon hearing the princess say she didn’t have a single piece of jewelry. He said, “If you want jewelry, all you have to do is ask.”
Abril extended her hand, showing him the seashell they had just picked up, and said, “Then could you make a pendant with this? I would really like this to be my first piece of jewelry, so I can remember this day every time I see it.”
Alessandro couldn’t refuse after hearing that. He took the seashell from Abril’s hand and said, “When we return, I’ll have a beautiful pendant made for you.”
Abril smiled happily and said, “Thank you so much.”
Alessandro put the seashell in his pants pocket and wrapped his arms around her waist. “If you’re grateful, you should thank me in another way.”
“Like how?”
“Like you did a moment ago, with a kiss.”
Abril placed her hands on his chest, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. Her kiss was sweet and gentle, just like she was. Alessandro deepened the kiss, kissing her passionately while his hands roamed aimlessly over her back and hips, wishing he could remove her clothes at that very moment and feel her bare skin, the warmth of her body. He sighed heavily and said, “I wish we were in our room right now so I could make you mine.”
Abril felt scared, remembering how painful her first time had been.
“I don’t want to.”
Alessandro gently caressed Abril’s hair, tucking a strand behind her ear, and said, “This time will be different, you’ll see. There will be no pain; I’ll make sure of it. I’ll make you feel good.”
Abril and Alessandro stayed on the beach until sunset. They were sitting on the sand when the sun began to set. Abril was mesmerized by the beautiful colors of the sunset, painting the sea in shades of orange, yellow, and violet. The sun slowly disappeared on the horizon as if sinking into the water. The view was so stunning that she couldn’t take her eyes off it until the sun was completely gone. The colorful landscape vanished as if it had been a dream. Seeing the disappointment on Abril’s face, Alessandro asked her:
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like the sunset?”
She shook her head.
“On the contrary, I liked it so much that it’s a shame it’s over.”
Alessandro stood up, extended his hand to Abril, and said,
“The fact that it’s over doesn’t mean you’ll never see it again. We can come back another time and watch the sunset sitting on the sand just like we did now.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“Except letting you go,” Alessandro thought as he helped her up from the ground.
“It’s getting late; we should head back before my guards come looking for us.”
Alessandro helped Abril onto the horse. After mounting himself, he wrapped his arm around her waist. She asked him,
“Will we really come back someday?”
“Yes, I promise.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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