Alex Drakethorne and Eva Evernight reached the garden's fountain, which was placed at the center. The fountain was imbued with magic that made water fall from its center to all sides, and it could be reused by cleansing it.
A simple statue of a black dragon stood at the fountain's center, its horn releasing water in all directions yet keeping it inside the fountain.
Around the fountain, seats faced in all directions, inviting people to sit and rest. The garden fully surrounded the fountain in a circular embrace.
Today, the garden was quiet as no servants or maids were tending to it. They tend to it once every two or three days, and from looking at the plants and flowers, it seems they trimmed them just yesterday. So, there was silence.
Alex guided Eva to a seat beside the fountain. As he did so, he became aware that he was still holding Eva's hand and instinctively tried to release it. However, when he attempted to let go, he realized Eva's grip was firmer than his, preventing him from pulling away.
Prince Eva Evernight, only daughter of Emperor James Evernight and second in line to the throne, hadn't spoken since she was dragged to the garden by her fiancé, whom she had just met.
Princess Eva kept quiet all the way towards the garden. To be honest, she had not held hands with anyone of the opposite gender her age. And, so she was so shocked at that time that someone whom she had met for the first time had dared to hold her hand without permission.
Eva Evernight had attended banquets and parties with her mother, Catherine Fariwind, or her father, James Evernight, but no one had ever held or touched her hands other than her mother, father, and her older brother, who is first in line to the throne.
At all the banquets and parties Eva Evernight had attended, everyone, including the children, were reserved; they offered their courtesies from a distance, not daring to come near her. Some tried to form bonds with her, and she did, but later found out they only wanted her friendship for their own good, so she immediately stopped being friends with them. She rarely has any friends.
So, when Alex, her fiancé, immediately took her hands and guided her to the garden, she refused at first, but Alex seemed strong, so she had to stand up without causing any disturbance or problem in the hall where her mother and her fiancé's parents were sitting.
Along the way, she noticed how Alex was respected and loved by all the servants and maids. That was shocking for her, because in her palace, except for a few maids or servants, everyone else was straight, rigid, showed respect, but was reserved from being too friendly or showing emotions.
She could see his side of the face as he made turns along the way, and she found his cheeks had turned red and found he was feeling shy holding a girl's hand. But, she didn't feel anything like that. Why should she? She wasn't the one who first grasped the hand of another. She looked at the maids and servants, who seemed to cheer and were happy for Alex as he guided her to the garden; all nodded and smiled. This made her cheeks go a bit red, knowing they were cheering for their bond to last longer.
- - - -
At the fountain, Alex was frantically trying to pull his hand out of Princess Eva's grip for a while, but she tightened her hold, refusing to release him. Alex Drakethorne strained, his fingers twisting and arm tensing, but his fiancée's grip proved firmer than his efforts. Letting out a resigned, fake cough, he said, "Princess Eva, we've reached the garden already. Can you let go of my hand now?"
Princess Eva Evernight, who was busy thinking about all she had seen today and trying to make sense of it, was disturbed by her so-called fiancé, whom she had just met. She glanced at her own hand, then followed where it led, her gaze traveling along their joined fingers to his face, which was redder than a tomato and beaded with sweat.
Caught off guard, Princess Eva let go of Alex's hand and was surprised to realize how tightly she had been holding him. She questioned herself about when she'd gripped his hand so forcefully, reasoning it must have been while she was lost in thought. Convincing herself it was not her fault, she dismissed the concern.
Alex Drakethorne felt shy as this girl observed him so fiercely and immediately turned his head toward the fountain. He studied the magic circles that reused the fountain's water to keep the stream flowing endlessly.
Eva also turned her attention to the fountain at the center and took in the surrounding garden.
Eva Evernight wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Alex Drakethorne. She had thought of him as a shy, timid boy who didn't like socialization, as she had never seen him at banquets and parties, where she had mostly seen other noble families' heirs and heiresses. So, she was shocked when he held her hand, guided her to the banquet, and now, when he is initiating the conversation, she is shocked once more. She made a mental note to never judge a book by its cover.
Alex Drakethorne, not daring to look at those black eyes of Eva Evernight that made him drown in her thoughts, said, "You seem quite strong. Do you train daily?"
Princess Eva Evernight was thrown off by this question, who asks a girl on their first meeting about training. Maybe she was right to judge a book by its cover before. Nonetheless, she replied, "Yes, I train daily in the morning. At first, I used to hate it, but now I am more like, let's just finish this training and enjoy the rest of the day."
Alex just said OH.
Princess Eva Evernight asked, "What about you? Do you train daily? You are also strong enough to make me stand from my seat while I was eating cookies."
Alex felt accused by this blatant accusation and replied quickly, "Yes, I train daily when I can. Also, my mother made me bring you here, and I couldn't refuse her."
Princess Eva Evernight said, giggling, "You are a momma's boy."
Alex Drakethorne found out that this princess was making fun of him, so he abruptly stood and said, "No, I am not. It's just that I can't refuse them. I love my family."
Eva hadn't expected such an answer. She was more used to hearing, "I didn't want to get punished, so I had to do this."
Eva tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "So, you're a family boy, not just a momma's boy." Alex Drakethorne found his heart pierced by an arrow as he saw the princess tuck her hair behind her ear, which made her so beautiful.
Alex had nothing to refute this time, just nodded his head. He noticed a small leaf on Eva's hair. Approaching her quietly, he gently placed his hand above her head and carefully removed the leaf, taking care not to disturb her hairstyle.
Eva was about to stop his hand, fearing he was about to fight back. Instead, she was surprised to see he simply wanted to remove a small leaf from her head. She had not noticed it at all; it likely went unnoticed as they ran into the garden and probably fell on her head then, because the leaf was so small it had escaped her notice.
Eva felt this time she was being worried for no reason. She thought Alex, her fiancé, wasn't that bad.
Eva also stood up, wanting to tease him and see how he reacted. She asked, "What should I call you, hubby, dear, or what?"
Alex Drakethorne, taken off guard, almost stumbled back and said, his face turning red, "We are not married yet, and we can still cancel it later on. Call me Alex, just Alex is enough." He thought this girl was too bold and didn't shy away.
He thought to himself, "I need to develop my social skills; otherwise, she would win over me every time we meet." He resolved to stop being shy around girls.
Princess Eva, wanting to tease this red ball of tomato, said, "Oh my! I thought you would prefer being called 'dear' or 'hubby' more often. It seems you don't want me." She faked being hurt as she placed her hand near her chest.
Alex Drakethorne, knowing well enough that he can't win this battle, decided to divert the discussion and asked,"What is your level, Princess Eva?"
Princess Eva, who was busy laughing out, knowing well enough Alex had resigned himself to this fate for now, stopped and steadied herself as she replied, "I am level 8, and you can call me Eva, just Eva, no need for such a formality".
Alex Drakethorne didn't process what she had said after saying she was level 8, he said, thinking she was faking her level," I am level 1, how could you be level 8, princess Eva?"
Princess Eva was shocked to see that he was still only level 1, despite being an heir to the grand ducal. All the noble families' heirs and heiresses that she had met had already crossed level 1 way back and are already around level 4 and level 5, while only some are around level 6 and level 7. She is the only one around her age who has reached level 8 already.