The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 78: Good night (2)

"Are you sure you are not cold, Hazel? I can take this off for you," Tobias said, touching the top button of his jacket.

"You made a joke about not having a shirt underneath so I will bear the cold so you do not make the maids blush," Hazel replied for what felt like the third time.

The night had turned cold, but it wasn’t so cold that she could not put up with it. They were now walking back for her to return to her room so she would survive until then.

"The maids or you? I know you wish to see-"

"Not everyone wants to stare at your naked chest. I have some decency to know it is not proper. Do not undo another button," Hazel said, grabbing his hand to stop him. "You want to strip and you are using me being cold as the excuse."

"I am only trying to be a gentleman here. I see a lady cold so my first instinct is to take the clothes off of my back and give it to her to be warm. Do you not want me to be a gentleman?" Tobias asked, turning this on Hazel.

Hazel let go of his hand. "Don’t you dare try to make it seem like that is what I am doing. Your games don’t work on me."

"And that is why I like you. You’re a tough nut to crack, but a cute nut," Tobias added at the end when she looked at him for calling her a nut. "You are also very cute when you are angry. If you could hurt me, you would."

"I am glad we are both aware of that. You are the precious prince and future king so I will keep my hands and feet to myself. Just know it takes a lot in me to not pinch you a few times," Hazel confessed.

"I am happy to hear you’ve been ignoring your desire to pinch me. I have been the same way as sometimes I want to pinch your cheeks but I know your claws would come out. Who would ever think that Hazel was this feisty?" Tobias asked, still enjoying this fact.

"No one would ever know because they do not annoy or should I say tease me like you do. One thing is for certain my grandmother was right all along. Boys do tease the girls they like. I thought it was silly, but I was wrong," Hazel said, stealing a glance at Tobias. "It doesn’t stop when they become men. Interesting."

"I don’t believe that. I teased you in our childhood and didn’t like you then," said Tobias.

"Right," Hazel replied in a sarcastic tone. "Maybe one day you’d be ready to admit it. I don’t believe after reuniting at the ball is when you started to like and this much to be taking me to see a special garden. Why didn’t I think of my grandmother’s words when I was younger? I would have had the answer then."

"I am telling you the truth. Unless thinking that I liked you then would have you like me now. Is that the sort of romantic thing you are into?" Tobias asked.

"It is not," Hazel answered.

Hazel had long grown out of such sappy romances and now cared more for the ones in her books. If Tobias were to know, he would be doing the strangest things.

"Then, how about this? You cannot take the flowers so I have this for you. Something to cherish until it withers away," Tobias said, holding her hand to place a flower petal in the palm of her hand. "If your maid spots it, tell her it was stuck to your shoe. They can’t punish you for that."

Hazel stared at the rose petal in her hand. It hadn’t crossed her mind to try taking one. It was small but it was a good memory of what happened tonight. It wouldn’t be lovely as it was now for long, but she could keep it between the pages of one of her books to hold onto it a little longer.

"Thank you," Hazel said, trapping the petal in her hand before it could blow away. That would ruin the moment she was so greatly enjoying.

"If you ask nicely, I might return to get another when this one is no longer pretty and slip it in your hand when we meet for another event. I just moved your heart, didn’t I?" Tobias asked, hoping that he did because he was trying his best here.

"You did," Hazel admitted. "That was nice of you to do. One day I will try to give you something that you are not able to get even as a prince. Hopefully, it will be something meaningful to you. Not something that requires a high price. My monthly allowance wouldn’t be able to afford your taste."

"Don’t worry. What I want doesn’t have a price to it. Wonderful," Tobias muttered as the head maid was waiting ahead. "That woman must go."

Hazel looked ahead at where she was meant to go to get back to her room. Valerie stood waiting for her. "This is the first time I see her waiting for anyone to return. It is normally another maid. We should part here so neither of us has to be told to go back to our rooms. I enjoyed dinner with you tonight, Prince Tobias."

"We are back to adding prince again. Good night Hazel," Tobias said, raising her now balled-up fist with the petal inside to kiss the back of it. "Think of me when you dream. I will wait here to watch you go inside."

Tobias also wanted to watch if the head maid would stop Hazel to ask her any questions or ask that she show what he had given her. That was no one’s concern.

"Good night," Hazel bid goodbye with a curtsy.

She walked off first to head toward Valerie. This was the second time someone had been waiting for her and brought her walk back with Tobias to an end sooner than it was meant to be over. It was always somewhat of a rushed goodbye that left Hazel feeling like something was missing.

"Lady Hazel," Valerie greeted Hazel. Hazel was a little earlier than Valerie thought she would return. She half expected that Tobias would try to keep Hazel out late. "You were without a guard."

"They are walking at a distance behind us. There were guards around us all night," Hazel replied.

There was always a guard looking into the garden where they had dinner unless Valerie was speaking of when they went into the maze.

"You may retire to your bed now so you will not be late for breakfast. You must remember that you must not leave your room after you return. The other ladies are inside their rooms so no one will see you return. Good night," Valerie said, remaining in place as she had to watch Hazel go inside.

Under the queen’s order, she was tasked with paying more attention to the women in the selection and not leaving her maids to do it.