Page 21 of How Not to Marry a Prince

"All that I do?"

The official smiled. "My wife is from Tesh. She came here after she finished her schooling—schooling she would never have been able to afford on her own. She attended on one of your scholarships. We'd never have met if not for the assistance you provide."

Amador broke into a wide smile. "Oh, I'm so happy to hear that! I confess I do little beyond provide the funds. The real work is done by other people, each of them marvelous at their job."

"The money makes all the difference, but I assure you my wife has thanked them as well. I simply saw an opportunity to thank you personally and did not want to miss it. Should you have further need of us, you've only to write or send for us."

"Thank you, and have a good rest of the day."

Outside, Amador let out a long, soft sigh, smiling faintly. So far, this day was going well. He half expected Ottokar to come around the corner any moment.

"You offer scholarships, Your Highness?" one of his bodyguards, Reta, asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Well, it's a charity to provide schooling for the 'less fortunate,' though I always hated that phrase. It awards approximately three hundred scholarships a year. I'm told competition for them is quite fierce. All the way in Portan, and I manage to encounter a winner." He laughed. "All right, if you don't mind, I would like to do a bit of shopping before returning to the palace."

"We serve at your pleasure, Your Highness."

He smiled and thanked them with a nod. "Well, it wouldn't do to keep you out past shift change."

Reaching the carriage, he gave the driver the places to visit, leaving it to him to choose whatever order made the most sense.

The first stop was to select fabric for new clothes, colors and patterns that would hold him in good stead no matter where he was, as he traveled far too much to ever keep up with the latest fashion. Once those were done and sent on to a tailor that Nazaire had recommended to visit later in the week, they traveled to the next stop, where he probably spent far too much time and effort selecting new stationery, pens, and inks, as his current set had not endured well through all his traveling.

Probably a silly thing to buy if he wound up running away after all. Then again, good stationery went far when seeking housing, a job, and other such things. Things he'd never had to do before, so he'd need every advantage he could get.

He had the feeling his future rested on the conversation Sohan wanted to have, but despite hours of worrying himself to death over the matter, Amador still had no idea what Sohan would need to speak with him about. The only thing he'd accomplished here so far was technically still in progress, and he wouldn't know until tomorrow if his plan for tonight truly worked.

Neither of his little bits of mischief really amounted to much, not enough that a king would think he was useful enough to keep around.

His hands, resting on his thighs, curled inward as the memory of Sohan's gentle touch rose up. What? What could Sohan possibly want to speak with him about that had to wait three long, torturous days? Possibly longer, if he was delayed.

Amador drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was nothing he could do but wait. Thankfully, there wasn't much of that left to do, and he'd be busy part of tonight, which would make the time go all the faster.

The final stop of the day was a jewelry store. For each of his bodyguards he selected a pair of earrings, small, bejeweled hoops that would more than suit a fine occasion, small enough to wear even while working if they chose, but more remarkable than simple studs.

Next was an infinitely more difficult task: selecting a thank you gift for Sohan. No gift really seemed adequate for a man who'd done so much for him, for no reason at all. Leaving aside that Sohan was king and could buy and have practically anything, he received gifts daily for tens, if not hundreds, of reasons. There would be an entire team who did nothing but manage the influx of gifts that the throne received, putting them to use where most suitable or needed, with almost none of them actually going to Sohan.

So what could he possibly gift that would stand out from the deluge? Nothing, really, but he finally settled on a line bracelet of moss green peridot set in yellow gold. Simple, classic, and the exact color of Sohan's eyes. Also reminiscent of a certain stupid pond, for better and worse.

"All right," he said as he left the jewelry store. "Let's go home, shall we?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" his servants and bodyguards chorused, and with a smile, Amador climbed into the carriage.

"You! You, you, you!"

Amador froze, until he registered Marcellette's voice, at which point he laughed as he turned to face the figure barreling toward him in a billowy pink dress, fan out and ready for thwacking or poking or both. "Me?"

"You!" Marcellette said, then broke into a smile before throwing herself at Amador and hugging him tightly.

Barely keeping them upright, Amador managed an 'oof,' but didn't get further as Marcellette drew back enough to kiss each of his cheeks before hugging him tightly again.

"I can't breathe," Amador gasped out.

Giggling, Marcellette let him go and backed up a couple of steps. "How did you do it?"

"So I take it Lipovsky has announced his decision?" Amador asked. "He worked even faster than I thought he would."

Marcellette held out her right hand, where a large blue diamond caught the fading sunlight and cast rainbows across the wall. "He has indeed, and his lovely, beautiful, perfect heir has finally accepted my offer of marriage, which just about made Lipovsky pass out."

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