Two years ago
Inside the train, Denis was reading a book of poetry, while Thérèse stared at the rapidly passing scenes from the window.
She was never bored, and stayed up for long hours.
“Aren't you bored?”
“No, I'm fine.”
She turned her face towards him.
Her face was filled with anticipation.
This was their first holiday trip since their marriage.
It was their first trip as a married couple, and it was also the first time Thérèse had left the capital since she was born.
They had taken the eastbound train from Villervan Central Station, having arrived from Leoburn.
It was an escape from the hot Lewburn summer, so the arrival was welcome wherever it was.
“Is this your first time traveling outside your area, Therese?” He asked in surprise.
"Yes."
“Aha.”
She lowered her head and was ashamed.
She felt like he might see her as a villager.
Foreign travel was popular at that time in the Valois Kingdom, while she had not even traveled within the Kingdom itself.
In fact, she never had the opportunity to travel at all.
She grew up under the care of a father who was busy working after her mother died.
Therese was raised for one purpose only: when she was young, she was to excel and graduate from the academy, and when she was older, she was to become a princess and raise the status of her family.
She did not pay attention to anything outside this framework.
Therefore, she did not enjoy attending social events as other ladies did, and she did not like buying dresses and decorations or building friendships.
All of these things were not necessary for its purpose.
Therese looked down to see what she was wearing.
Bright white dress.
If anyone who knew her had seen her, they would have reproached her because her princess dress was too casual.
But Therese didn't care.
It was summer vacation after all.
It had been a long time since she had such a quiet time, where she didn't worry about how she appeared to others, nor contemplated the meaning of their actions.
“So, am I the first to…?”
“First what?”
“The first to travel with you.”
"Yes."
Tabriz answered calmly.
“Good, I will make this time a memory that stays in your memory.”
Dennis raised his chin and smiled confidently.
He too seemed to be feeling happy, perhaps because such relaxation had been new to him for some time as well.
“Yes I am really looking forward to it, Your Highness.”
The scenes began to change.
Buildings and people disappeared, and the train passed through dense forests.
“We'll be there shortly.”
“Has Your Highness ever visited Sukone before?”
“Yes, when I was little.”
Dennis added curtly.
“But I don't remember it well.
This is the first time since then.
It must have changed a lot.”
You started to feel the train gradually slowing down.
It seems they arrived as he said.
“Let's get down, Therese.”
He lowered her large suitcase from the luggage rack and carried it easily with one hand, then walked out into the train aisle.
Therese followed him.
The train station platform was crowded with people.
Travelers, depositors, waiters, fruit, drink and sweets sellers, and pickpocket boys mingled in it, making the place very crowded.
"Oh?!
Isn't this the First Prince?"
“It's the prince!”
Someone recognized him as he got off the train and shouted loudly.
Immediately, people gathered around him.
In the midst of the crowds that poured in like bandits, Dennis looked behind him.
Therese also turned to look behind her.
A huge crowd was advancing towards them.
She almost lost Denise in the crowd.
The distance between them became little by little.
Therese opened her mouth to call him.
At that moment, a familiar hot hand grabbed her wrist.
It was him, a fighter against the human trend.
Dennis grabbed her wrist tightly and suddenly started running.
Therese ran after him.
She tried to keep up with his speed with her unathletic body, but found it difficult.
How long did they run?
They passed through the platform, then through the station hall, and got rid of the crowd by running through the narrow alleys until they reached a narrow alley behind the train station.
There was a horse-drawn carriage at the end of it.
“Get up quickly.”
He said before she could respond.
“Before people catch up with us.”
He pushed her into the cart and closed the door.
The cart started moving immediately.
“I pre-ordered the carriage.
We will arrive at the hut with it.”
He said while wiping his sweat wet hair.
His smooth forehead appeared between the strands of his dark black hair.
Then he unbuttoned his shirt that stuck to his skin, wet with sweat.
She saw drops of sweat running down his collarbone and neck.
At the mansion, Dennis was dressed impeccably throughout the seasons: shirt, tie, jacket, and coat.
But today, because they were going on vacation, he was only wearing a loose shirt.
As if he was feeling hot, he opened the window and started fanning his shirt with his hand.
His chest appeared and then disappeared between the open buttons.
Therese looked at this scene and swallowed her saliva without realizing it.
He saw her sitting in shock, so he asked her out of concern: “Did I hurt you?”
"No no."
“Then why...?”
Therese suddenly felt her face flush with heat.
“It's free.”
“Really?”
Dennis stared at her.
She was dressed more comfortably than usual, but still wearing a long dress.
“Then take it off.”
He said, smiling wickedly.
It was the expression he made when he teased her.
“It's okay, really it's okay, Your Highness.”
Dennis was looking at her slyly.
“Oh, come on, my wife needs a lot of care.”
He said this in a dramatic tone and then pulled the end of the ribbon fastened to the bosom of her dress.
The ribbon undid quietly and the bodice of the dress opened, almost exposing her collarbone.
“Your Highness, it's okay, really.”
"Hmm?
That way you won't feel hot, Therese."
He was smiling like he was having a lot of fun.
Therese frowned.
I felt that things were going as I wanted.
She wanted to reject him and at the same time she did not respond.
Her heart was beating so hard with stress that she thought he would hear its beating.
He stared at her after he completely undid the bodice of her dress.
The straps and buttons were undone and her perky breasts were visible through the fabric of the thin bra.
He had an expression of satisfaction as he looked at what he had created.
Then he moved closer until he was very close to her.
She felt something burning in Dennis's eyes as he looked at her.
He placed his lips on the spot between her chin and neck where the artery pulsed, then breathed deeply and placed a passionate kiss.
“I like the smell of you.”
He returned to his place calmly and comfortably, then put his chin on his palm and looked outside.
A cold breeze entered through the open dress.
Her ears turned red and she felt like her face was going to explode.
“We have arrived.”
When the driver stopped the carriage, Therese was hurriedly arranging the bodice of her dress.
Her hands were shaking from stress, causing her to repeatedly mis-fasten the buttons.
Dennis, who was staring at her, took a white mass out of his bag and threw it at her.
“Wear this.”
It was his shirt.
Thérèse took it without a word and put it on.
She did not notice when she took it, but when she put it on, she found that it was too big for her, as if a child was wearing adult clothes.
"Are you done?"
"Yes."
He opened the door and got out first, then waited under the carriage to accompany her as she got out.
Therese stood still and looked into his eyes as he waited for her to descend, and her heart skipped a beat again.
I grabbed his arm and got out of the carriage.
"wow!"
When she raised her head and looked ahead, she saw a small, isolated hut in the middle of the forest.
The log hut was surrounded by pine trees, and beyond it stretched the foothills of the Scone Mountains.
They were beautiful natural scenes, the likes of which Therese had never seen before
“Here then...”
“Yes, this is where we will spend the summer.”
After Thérèse finished raving, an elderly couple came out to greet them.
“You are welcome.”
“We are Laurent Collaro, the manager of this hut...”
The man with the pleasant features said, introducing himself, and then the elderly wife picked up the words:
“Me, Aida, the trip must have been tiring.”
“Thank you for having me.”
Dennis greeted them politely.
“On the contrary, we were going to come to meet you at the station...”
The man who introduced himself as Laurent said, then hesitated.
Dennis smiled and said:
“I told you not to.
Shall we come in now?
I wonder if everything is as it is.”
Greeted by the elderly couple, Dennis and Thérèse entered the hut.
The first thing they saw when they opened the door was the pine forest stretching behind the large window.
Thérèse concealed the exclamation that was about to appear unreservedly.
Dennis looked at her curious face and smiled slightly.
The space they entered was a small living room.
In the left wall there was a large fireplace decorated with stones.
In front of her was an ornate red rug, and next to it were two single sofas placed on either side of the fireplace.
On the other side of the fireplace, behind a door in the right wall, there was a small room containing a dining table for four people and a kitchen.
The space was small, but it was divided into places for relaxing and others for dining.
“Everything seems to be pretty much the same.”
Dennis said as if recalling memories.
“Your memory is excellent, Your Highness.”
“Do you want to see the second floor?”
They walked up the stairs to the second floor where they found a bed with warm-looking covers.
Behind the head of the bed was a window overlooking the dense forest again.
Thérèse went to the window and looked out and saw the foothills of the Scone Mountains.
“It's a really great place.”
Therese said her opinion after a long silence.
“Isn't it?
Queen Charles loved this cottage very much.”
Aida said as if recalling memories.
Thérèse inquired with surprise: “Do you mean Queen Charles?”
“When the prince was four years old, I think?
She was staying in this hut.”
Aida was immersed in her memories.
The Queen did not mention Charles throughout their trip to Scone.
Therese felt a sudden heaviness in her heart.
“Okay, he was a kid.
Since we’ve seen everything, let’s pack up now.”
Dennis tried to change the subject.
“Oh, my God, you must be tired.
I was so happy to see you after such a long time.”
Laurent said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
“Let's go quickly, my dear Highness.
We'll see you at dinner time.”
“Yes, thank you, Ida.”
Aida poked Laurent's side and they quickly disappeared downstairs.
He suddenly found himself and Therese alone in the hut.
Therese was still confused.
She didn't know if she was allowed to ask him about Queen Charles.
“Therese, change your clothes.”
“Yes, Your Highness, I…”
“Don’t mind what Aida said, we’re here to relax.”
“Yes, but...”
“I also want to relax.”
“Okay, I understand, Your Highness.”
Thérèse did not bring up the subject of Queen Charles again.
She decided instead to follow his desire to relax without thinking about anything.
“Do you want to change your clothes and then go out?”
"Yes."
“Good, change your clothes and come downstairs.”