Chapter 88: Not bad

When Hazel descended down the stairs, her steps unconsciously halted midway. Damien stood at the entrance of the mansion, dressed in plain trousers and a simple black tunic.

There were embroiders on his tunic, no emblem and definitely no sign of his status and rank.

Yet, even in a commoner's outfit, his back was straight and his shoulders were firm. The commoners outfit did nothing to hide his aura and presence, if anything it made him seem like an unsheathed sword instead. His presence was unmistakable, he did not blend in and he never would.

Hazel almost could not take her eyes off him.

And Damien was also the same.

The instant he heard her light steps, he turned around and literally froze afterwards.

His breath caught at the sight of her.

Hazel had always been gorgeous, but in a commoners outfit, it was even more so. His gaze settled on her, lingering for far too long until Hazel coughed lightly.

“You are staring,” she said, smiling softly.

She likes it when his gaze is on her and when he is unable to stop staring. It always gives her an odd sense of satisfaction.

Surprisingly, Damien did not retort this time.

“I know.” He replied, catching Hazel off guard. “You are late.” He added and the sticky atmosphere became lighter in an instant.

“I didn’t know you were keeping count.” Hazel replied with a roll of her eyes.

Damien’s eyes twinkled with amusement, “Shall we?”

“Are we taking the carriage or what?”

“Do you want us to?”

“No, I want to walk.”

“Okay.”

The two of them left the mansion quietly and unnoticed, but as soon as they left, a few guards followed behind them secretly. They were assigned to ensure the safety of the two of them without interfering with their time together.

…

The market was lively as usual.

Merchants stood in front of their stalls and called out prices, voices overlapped and the combined aroma of different goods filled the whole place.

Hazel, without any escorts or guards accompanying her, walked freely like a bird.

When she saw a stall displaying glass beads, her eyes lit up. She grabbed Damien’s wrist and pulled him forward.

“Damien, come. I saw something.” She exclaimed with bright eyes.

Damien allowed her to drag him, but his gaze was fixated on her happy expression. She seemed like a child who had stumbled upon a rare toy.

When the stall owner saw the new customers, her eyes lit up. Her gaze darted between the two good-looking people and she quickly began introducing her most pretty collection to Hazel.

“Miss, seeing how pretty you are, you must get a few of these neck glass beads, they suit your skin, highlighting your entire look.”

The stall owner’s mouth talked and her hands were also not idle. She kept putting the glass beads in Hazel's hand. The woman was smart, she picked the most pretty ones with better qualities.

Seeing the beads, Hazel was attracted to all of them, especially the ones that were in shapes of different animals. The stall owner was experienced and knew how to read eyes, so she began introducing Hazel to animal shaped ones.

“See? This is in the shape of a rabbit cub, isn’t it cute? You can even keep it for your children.”

Hearing her last words, Hazel's cheeks burned and she almost dropped the rabbit-shaped glass bead in her hold. She tried reaching for her pulse to pay for the few she picked and that was when she realized she didn’t have any money with her.

Damien noticed this and spoke calmly, “Pack what she picked.”

The stall owner smiled happily and quickly packed the stuff into a small delicate pouch before handing it to Hazel.

“Damien, let’s go to another stall.” Hazel kept the pouch in satisfaction and pointed towards a food stall that attracted her attention.

She took the initiative to approach the stall, not knowing that Damien wasn’t behind her yet due to excitement.

“Pack everything in the stall, I’m getting them.” Damien told the stall owner calmly and she froze in shock.

“E…everything?” She asked, dumbfounded.

Damien raised his brows, “What? Is it not for sale?”

The woman quickly nodded like a chicken pecking rice.

“It is, it is. I will pack them now, right away.” She beamed and quickly began packing the order. Damien had already left, but in his place, several men in commoners' outfits stood calmly.

Though in commoners outfits, their strong aura could not be hidden and the stall owner instantly knew that the couple who just left were definitely not simple.

She has struck gold this time.

With this sale, her family can finally eat good food and she can get new clothes for her children after so long.

“Please come back again next time.” She handed several bags and pouches to the guards with her lips almost stretched to her ears.

The guards said nothing and left.

Hasel had no idea that all the glass beads she had seen had been purchased, she was busy swallowing her saliva before a stall selling flour bun.

“You look like a child, get it if you want it.” Damien told her calmly and she swallowed, somewhat embarrassed.

She could not believe that she had almost lost her composure in front of this tyrant over a bun.

“Miss, we have different flavors of bun, which one do you want?” the stall owner, a middle-aged man asked.

Hazel threw away the composure she was still childing herself for and quickly said, “I want the jasmine flavored one.”

“Right away.”

They didn’t wait for long before Hazel got her order. When she took the first bite of the bun, she ignored the hotness and almost swallowed her tongue at how tasty it was.

“Damien, you need to order one of these and taste it.” She said, subconsciously wanting to share everything good she sees with him.

Damien wanted to refuse, but seeing Hazel's expression, he suddenly leaned down and took a bite of the bun in her hand.

Under Hazel's shocked eyes, he chewed calmly and nodded.

“Not bad.”

“You…”