?

　　I glanced down at the book on his lap, the cover and title were familiar and yet I found it hard to recall what the story was actually about. I then glanced back at him where our eyes met once more.

　　“I’ve been meaning to expand my book collection and I heard that you are a fan of reading as well. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the bookstore and recommend some books to me?” I sweetly said, ending my sentence with a charming smile.?

　　Augustus watched my expression for a long moment and it was starting to get rather awkward standing there in front of him like this. He then stood up, causing me to look up at him.

　　“Very well.” Was all he said as he walked past me.

　　I twirled around, watching him walk away without even waiting for me. I let out a sigh as I rushed ahead to catch up with him. I was starting to wonder if I’ll be able to survive today because the thought of spending the entire day with Augustus was definitely going to be a challenge.

　　I had asked Anne to prepare the carriage for us and to my surprise, Rodrick was there with Anne. Both of them seemed to be so immersed in their conversation that they did not notice Augustus and I approaching them.

　　“Mornin’ Princess Cordelia,” the young coachman greeted with a toothy grin. This caused Rodrick and Anne to snap their attention to me.

　　“Princess! And…Prince Augustus. Good morning! Y-Your carriage awaits you!” Anne clumsily spoke, clearly nervous about something as she would get extremely loud for some reason. Rodrick, who was by her side, gave us a bow.

　　Augustus nodded in acknowledgement before hopping into the carriage, once again, leaving me behind. But I did not let that bother me as I turned to Anne and Rodrick.

　　“What’s happening? Why are you here Rodrick?” I asked.

　　“I’m coming with you, Princess.”

　　“What?” I blinked blankly at him for a moment.

　　“Let the princess go on a date by herself, Rodrick!” Anne hissed, soft enough so that Augustus could not hear her since the day to the carriage was still opened.

　　“You are heading into town, it’s dangerous by yourself.” He firmly said to me, ignoring Anne completely as though he was used to doing it.

　　“But I am not by myself. Prince Augustus is with me.” I corrected him.

　　“With all due respect, Your Highness, I would not trust those three alphas to deliver your morning paper to you.” He said bluntly. “In addition to that, you might encounter trouble with members of the public who do not support you. Ever since your announcement about both your second gender and marriage, some people have been more vocal about not supporting you.”

　　“Sir Rodrick!” Anne huffed. “You are scaring the princess with these claims!”

　　I held my hand out to stop Anne from getting agitated. “They are not just empty claims, right?” I muttered, slowly allowing reality to dawn over me. “Alright Rodrick, come with us but stay hidden.”

　　“As you wish, Your Highness.” He said as he rushed away, presumably to get his horse.?

　　Anne was pouting as she held out my cloak to me. “Are you worried that Rodrick will get in the way of my conquest of the prince’s heart?” I joked.

　　“No, his reasoning to follow you is valid. I’m just sad that I cannot do anything to protect you too, princess.” She suddenly admitted as she helped me secure the cloak around me.

　　“You are in your own way, my dear Anne.” I said as I affectionately patted her cheek. She beamed as she walked with me to the carriage. She helped me up and I sat on the opposite side of Augustus.

　　“Have a great day ahead, Your Highnesses.” Anne curtsied before closing the door. A moment later the sound of the coachman’s whip caused the carriage to jerk forward.

　　I looked out of the small window, catching Anne as she waved goodbye. I unconsciously smiled and realised that it has been a while since I last rode on a carriage and last went to town. I wonder how different things are. I then turned to Augustus who was incredibly focused on his book. My memory finally came back to me as I recalled what the book was about. It was a retelling of an ancient legend with romance tied into the main plotline.

　　“Are you fond of the romance genre, Prince Augustus?” I blurted out. I was expecting him to ignore me since he seemed so immersed but as he flipped the page, he replied.

　　“I don’t particularly have a favourite or a least favourite genre. I would read any book once.” He said.

　　“I agree with your sentiment. When I was younger, I was only exposed to textbooks and history books but I was eventually allowed to read other genres and they truly do stimulate the mind.” I enthusiastically said, forgetting myself for a moment. “Sorry…” I muttered.

　　“Why?”

　　“I did not mean to bore you with my past experiences.”

　　“Hm.” I watched as he delicately flipped the page. “Are you familiar with this story?” he asked, not bothering to even look up at me, as though his eyes were glued to the walls of words.

　　“Yes, I read it when I was younger.”

　　“And what about the text that this story was based on?”

　　“The legend? I’ve heard different accounts of that tale, since it is such an old story that it kept changing from generation to generation.”

　　“And yet one thing remains throughout these changes.” He said. I stayed quiet, patiently waiting for him to continue. He then finally pried his eyes off the book to look at me. As always, his nearly translucent orbs caused me to hold my breath for no apparent reason. “Do you know what it is?”

　　“I do not.” I was quick to reply, wishing that he would just tell me already instead of building this anticipation inside me.

　　“The portrayal of omegas, of course.”

　　I furrowed my brows, trying hard to recall what he meant. “Are you talking about how they are portrayed in a negative light?”

　　“In the original text, no matter which version you hear or read, the downfall of the legendary hero is the existence of the omega bewitching him.” Augustus explained. He then gestured to the book in his hands. “In this retelling, although it is painted as a romance tale compared to the original which was an epic, it is evident that the one and only omega in this story tried to seduce the protagonist.”

　　“Is this the part where you demonise all omegas? Just because mere fiction does it?”

　　Augustus’ lips were pulled into a thin line, clearly not amused by my reply. “Do you not believe that fiction is often mirrored by reality?”

　　“Naturally it does, but surely you are not about to tell me you despise omegas because of how these books and ancient texts depict them?” I pressed.

　　Augustus held my gaze for a prolonged second, as though he was considering what were the right words to say to me. “If I have said or done anything to make you believe that I loathe omegas then I must apologise for the misunderstanding,” he finally spoke.

　　I looked at him, trying to figure out what game he was playing by apologising to me like this. I waited for him to continue but he remained silent as he went back to his book. After a while, I turned my attention back to the scenery out the window. We were approaching the town soon and I moved to lift my hood over my head to cover myself.

　　A few minutes later, the carriage came to a halt. Augustus closed his book and placed it on the seat just as the door was pulled open for us. The young coachman beamed at me as always but quickly moved out of the way when Augustus got off. It did not come to a shock to me to see that Augustus did not offer to help me down nor did he even wait for me. I let out a small sigh as I adjusted my hood before moving to get off the carriage.

　　The young coachman quickly offered his hand out to me. “Thank you.” I said as I allowed him to help me out of the carriage. I glanced over to the store in time to watch Augustus’ back disappear as the door was closed shut.

　　“Did the two of you have a quarrel, Your Highness?” the coachman asked.

　　“No, he is just shy.” I lied. “I’ll see you later.” I smiled at him as I went towards the door to the large bookstore.

　　“Enjoy your time book shopping, prin—ah, Miss!” he corrected himself right on time as he remembered that I was trying to keep my identity hidden when I’m in public. I chuckled and waved at him.