I put a lot of Ugene to keep this secret, and knew he wouldn't let me down. I could only hope my mother wasn't beheading people for my misbehavior. 
Smiles are earned as I pass people, and I send them one of my own. Ladies from the village were beautiful as Ugene suspected. They wave, blushing when I walk by as I make my way further into the village. 
There were all kinds of shops. Starting from the bakery, flowers, fabric, food, bracelets, shoes, etc. I pass a lady that's handling the flower shop and she hands me a nice red flower, sharing a smile. 
"Thank you." I hold up the flower in appreciation, sharing a smile with her as well. 
I felt safe in the comfort of the village. I didn't have any rules, nor were people expecting something of me as the king. I wasn't the king here, I was Jaxson. 
Walking further, I pause in my tracks when seeing a lady smiling at a worker in one of the fabric shops. She carries the fabric in her petite hands, handing over coins as a payment. 
She was absolutely memorizing. Her smile, the curve of her nose, her hair that is wrapped half up and half down and falls above her bottom. 
In a quick movement, she's turning away from me and walking away from the shop. This was the first young lady to take my breath away, to get me to stop in my tracks, to keep me watching with the way she smiles at everyone she passes. 
I try to walk after her, to at least introduce myself but there's a crowd that she walks through and I'm left with not knowing her. 
A sigh escapes from someone behind me, and I spin on my heels to face the person. He's tall, slim, and he's carrying a bag over his shoulder. He's staring at me as if he caught me lurking at the woman. 
"Arabella Houstings," he says. 
I raise a brow. "Excuse me?"
He juts his chin up at where she once was. "The lady. Her name is Arabella Houstings."
"I-"
He smiles. "I know the look on a man when he wants something, and you, my friend, have fallen. You want her."
I don't say anything, stunned at how he could recognize that with just one look. He holds his hand out, still holding onto that smile. "Bridger Cunningham."
"Oden Adams." I come up with, leaning in to catch his hand with mine, holding onto it in a firm shake. 
"You've got a tight grip on you, Oden." He smirks. "I've never seen you before, where are you from?" 
"Nowhere at the moment. I'm a traveler," I answer. 
"Well, welcome to Lockwood village. Are you here temporarily?" 
"I am." I nod.  "I just stopped by here for money. Traveling is more expensive than I thought."
"Don't I know that. The king has done a job on the taxes." I nod along with him. 
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" He soon asks after. 
I shake my head. "I do not."
"Perhaps, you could bunk with me at my home? I was going to look for a job tomorrow and you can come with if you're interested," he explains his reasoning for asking. 
"That would be great, thank you." I follow him as he's tugging on the bag over his shoulder. 
"That lady, Arabella, her family are looking for servants. One for the kitchen and the other for the daughter, I'm assuming it is for Arabella," he then stated as we walk to his home. 
"You know her family?" 
He nods. "Everyone does. The darling family is wonderful. They taught the youngest the most manners, every gentleman is looking to be her suitor but she's blind to it all."
"Arabella?" I question about her. 
"She's the youngest." He smirks. "She's a catch. Have fun trying to suit her, especially if you're her servant. Her mother wants them with a duke or viscount."
Duke or viscount. Isn't that funny? 
What about a king? 
"So, the mother has strict rules I suppose?" 
"The oldest, yes. I'm not so sure with Arabella since it's not her time for marriage. You probably still have time to win her over, she basically does what she wants since her mother really doesn't pay her attention right now."
It was like he had studied the family. Knew all their dirty secrets. I liked him. 
"Arabella... Nobody's asked for her hand?" 
"No, the lady won't give them the time of day. It's funny to watch them try and get rejected." He laughs at his own statement. 
"Why doesn't she want to marry?" I ask him. 
He shrugs. "That, I don't know. Come with me tomorrow and we'll get in, with your looks the mother will think you're perfect."
He stops at a cottage home, sighing when he does. "This is home."
"Nice and simple," I hum out. 
"That's the way I like it. However, the girls here prefer a palace and a king to marry." He enters his home and I follow behind, his home was dark but the inside made up for it. He had a bear carpet, a deer head hanging off the wall, something I've never seen before. 
Trust me, the palace is not what it seems. It needed more work. It needed a queen.