The carriage reached at Clifton stores late in the evening. Mariana jumped down and asked Mr. Lawrence to wait for few minutes.
As she entered the shop, the bell above the door chimed and Mr. Roberts looked at her.
"Good evening, Miss Mariana. What did the princess say?" His curious eyes had the excitmenet of a child.
Mariana feinged sadness and cast her eyes down. "We..."
She deliberately created a suspense.
"We have the order!" She screamed.
"Oh!" Mr. Roberts placed his fists over his eyes.
Both of them laughed so hard clapping their hands
"I knew you would get it". He squeezed her palms.
She nodded. "Did Mrs. Faircloth get her clothes on time?"
"Absolutely".
She sat on a chair and looked at Mr. Roberts. "I have a news. The king wants us to make him a suit too".
Mr. Roberts eyes widened so much that Mariana was suprised they didn't budge out.
"You met the king!"
Was it a statement or a question, Mariana would never know.
He hopped a little. "He want a suit made by us".
Again she couldn't guess if he was asking or announcing. Nonetheless, she nodded.
"Oh, Miss Mariana, the purpose of my life will be fulfilled after that. Seeing His Majesty wearing our work. Wearing the same fabric that we'd held in our hands". He started to breathe heavily.
"But I haven't yet accepted the offer". She bit her bottom lip.
Mr. Roberts froze for a moment and then asked, "Why?"
"Mr. Roberts, he is the king. We haven't too much experience in men's wear. What if we fail him?"
Despite the king's devilish smirks and charm, Mariana couldn't help but be aware of the fact that he was a king. She couldn't agree to give him something she wasn't best at. She didn't want herself to be seen as a bad seamstress in the eyes of a person whom she respected for his work. He had earned her respect amd Mariana wanted him to respect her for her work too.
"But you know how to do it, don't you?" Mr. Roberts asked softly.
"Hmm".
"Then, you must accept it, Miss Mariana".
She shrugged in confusion. "I don't know. What if we dissappoint him?"
"Did you tell him you don't make men's wear?"
She nodded.
"And what did he say then?"
"He said that there is always a first time".
"Oh, see. Such golden words! Only a king could say them". He looked at her with kind eyes. "Accept it, Miss Mariana. I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe in you".
Mariana smiled, grateful for his trust.
He was right though. She did know how to make suits. And besides, he and aunt Penny would help her in every way she needed.
She took a deep breath. "Let's go tomorrow and meet him then".
Aaron and Jasper moved towards the study after returning from the forest. Charles had taken his leave. Aaron knew the damn loyal man would now rattle about their day to his mother. He must start rehearsing what to answer her.
The door of his study was ajar where Amy was working on something over his desk.
"Good evening, Your Highness", Jasper greeted her and went to the oppposite cabinet.
She looked up, putting away the quill. "Good evening, Jasper".
Aaron sat on his chair opposite her and started to read papers about the finance of his kingdom. He must give Jasper a healthy allowance for those witches he had met today.
"Aaron?" Amy said.
"Hmm?" He didn't look up from the papers.
"I'm glad you decided to have a new suit made".
"Hmm".
"I am surprised though".
Sensing the amusement in her voice, Aaron frowned and looked at her.
His elder sister was smiling, which looked a bit like smirking. He wondered what had caused it. "It's your birthday, afterall".
"Hmm", she folded her hands. "I'll send order to the royal seamsters tomorrow then to meet you".
"What?" He looked up again. He had asked Miss Mariana for the suit in front of her, then why was she saying to summon the royal seamsters. Seeing the grin on his sister's face, Aaron wondered if she'd observed something, and having a really faint idea of what it might be, he blinked and cleared his throat.
"There's no need for it. I've asked your seamtress to do the suit".
"My seamstress will be busy with my gown. I don't want her distracted
with your suits".
"It's her job. She won't be distracted". His lips pulled up a bit thinking about how he would distract his little saviour.
"Won't you distract her?" Amy asked with a wider grin.
Aaron norrowed his eyes at his sister.
She raised a brow. "You tried very hard earlier".
Jasper came to the desk placing two glasses of wine on the table and carrying one in his hand. "What are you two talking about?"
Amy took a glass in her hand and eyed Aaron mischieviously. "I think my new seamstress has caught my brother's eye".
"Really?" Jasper asked with sparkling eyes, leaning on the shelf beside his desk. "And here we were looking in the castles for the princesses and our king wants one from the boutique. Jasper grinned.
Aaron sighed. "Nothing caught my eye. But if you keep grinning like that, your eye will catch something sharp".
Jasper chuckled. "Like what?"
"Like my dagger".
Choking on his wine, Jasper coughed.
Amy chuckled. "You made sure she won't decline you. Hmm, this is something fresh", she said while tapping her chin.
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Stop imagining scenarios, Amy. For someone who doesn't want a suitor for herself, you sure are a romantic". Aaron found his little saviour pretty interesting. But it wasn't so big of interest that he would be teased upon.
Shrugging, she took another sip of her wine. "I said what I saw".
"What did you see?" Jasper asked curiously, sitting on the other chair beside Amy.
Aaron glared at him but his red-haired friend paid no heed to him.
"Shut up, Jasper". Aaron wrote the allowances on the paper and handed it to him. "Take care of this and wipe that blasted grin off".
Unaffected, his friend and his sister laughed heartily.
The next moment, Aaron's mother enetered his study.
Jasper stood up and curtsied. "Your Majesty".
His mother gave him a nod. "I want to talk to Aaron privately. Jasper, Amy, Would you please leave us alone?"
Here we go, Aaron thought. He really must start punishing Charles.
Amy gave him a last smirk and then, taking Jasper's arm, walked to leave the study.
Before going however, his red-haired friend wriggled his brows at him behind his mother's back. That bastard knew his mother was going to give him a hell of a time for meeting those witches.