I'm Forbidden To Love You

Chapter 19

Ryan had never been this confused over things.

Silk?

Or

Crepe?

Satin?

Chiffon?

Or

Maybe, linen?

Ryan knew that to an outsider, he would look like a mad man for how he sat in front of different fabrics, trying to decide one material that would suit her the most.

Ryan had a fabulous idea of gifting her a gown to the ball that was in few days. Ryan knew that she would not be allowed to wear clothes like expensive gowns in here but, he hoped that she could wear them in her homeland.

And, selfishly, Ryan wanted to be the one to gift a gown first time in her life. And, he wished that she will be reminded of him whenever she wore this dress.

For that, he had to select the fabric first and also the design.

Ryan didn’t know much about girl’s fashion and had never done shopping for things like this to anyone, ever.

Maybe, he should have brought Joy here. No, then he would have to explain who Ryan was buying this gown for, which wouldn’t go well.

What to do?

There are only a few days left till the ball, and he had yet to choose the material for her dress.

What is he going to do?

Ryan maybe should take a deep breath instead of panicking like this. All he has to do is bring her image in his mind.

And just as he closed his eyes, her memories were ready to assault his mind more intensely than before.

Her smile…

Her eyes…

Her beauty…

Everything mesmerized him on a level that seemed to be out of the normal.

It felt like Ryan woke up thinking about her and went to sleep with the thoughts of her.

She was all he could think of nowadays. And, he liked it. Ryan loved this feeling of fluffy, heart fluttering, and sometimes, all-consuming intense feeling he has now, this feeling seemed so precious that he wanted to live in this moment longer.

Even though Ryan didn’t know anything about dresses, he loved this. He loved to buy things for her and see her wearing the things he brought.

Ryan knew he could never see her in the dress he would buy for her; even so, he delighted in getting her a gown.

After escorting Zelda to her chamber after that case, a week had passed by, and he got to see her only once. Ryan wished he could stay with her all the time.

He should be happy that he gets to see her at least once a week, yet, the greedy heart of his still longed for her presence every minute.

The last time he saw her near the tributary where she comes to wash the clothes, he went there with a new vial of herbs he got from Granny Ada and gave it to her, inspecting her wounds, checking if she was okay.

She had chuckled at him when he fretted over her. But the look in those turquoise eyes when he cared for her, he could still remember it. She looked at him in wonder as if none had cared for her like him. And he cherished her look.

It still brought a smile to Ryan, thinking about their last meeting.

*Cough*

Ryan opened his eyes to see the shop owner pretending to cough, reminding him that he had come to a shop and was smiling like a fool with his eyes closed.

Ryan ducked his head in embarrassment and looked over the fabric once again.

Zabe Braxon, the shop owner he had come to see, was smiling at his antics which Ryan ignored steadily, not wanting to be at the end of his teasing smiles.

Zabe, son of Granny Ada, owns a textile shop in the village that Ryan had decided to visit today. Ryan couldn’t order the royal tailors to make a dress for her as it would reach his mother’s ears in a minute.

So, he had decided to visit Zabe, the one who had given him horse rides on his back when he was a child. Ryan always remembered Granny Ada’s family fondly as they were all good people.

Even though Ryan could purchase anywhere, he preferred Zabe’s shop as it was not only in a remote area but also Zabe would deliver it to Granny Ada’s house in the castle. Granny will transport the dress to wherever he wanted without anybody knowing.

Zabe coughed again, reminding him that he was lost in his thoughts again.

Ryan touched the fabric one by one, not wanting to irritate Zabe anymore.

Chiffon…

No, it seemed like a light material, and that would wrinkle easily.

Velvet seemed nice, but he didn’t like the shine of it.

Maybe, silk….

No….

When he touched the satin, he imagined the soft and smooth fabric against her skin, and Ryan stopped his thoughts right there……

Ryan bit the insides of his cheeks, not wanting to give in to the blush at the way his thoughts went.

Ryan nodded at Zabe, giving him the satin fabric.

Finally, it was done.

Just as he decided to get up and leave, Zabe looked at him with pity.

“Sit down, Prince Ryan.”

Ryan looked puzzled at him.

“Now, how do you want the dress, Prince Ryan?”

Ryan tilted his head a little in confusion,

“How?”

Zabe gave him a look that screamed unbelievable to Ryan.

“How you want the dress to look like, Prince Ryan? Sleeveless or full sleeves? One shoulder or shoulder less? Floor-length or tea-length? Empire neckline or jewel neckline? What do you prefer?”

Ryan felt like his head was spinning with the way Zabe went on with his questions.

Does a gown have these many things in it?

Maybe he shouldn’t have chosen this to gift her. He had already been embarrassed enough to give her size to the tailor in Zabe’s shop, who luckily was a trustworthy woman Zabe had approved to speak with him and got her size and height with his vague description.

And later, he had spent almost an hour in choosing the color and fabric for her.

Ryan had gone with red color, as he really wanted her to wear something bright for once as he always saw her in lighter and pale colors.

Seeing his dilemma, Zabe took pity on him and gestured toward the tailor woman to bring the scrolls from the cupboard.

“Here, Prince Ryan. These are some drawings of gown models; you could look into it and choose among them.”

Ryan brought the scrolls from Zabe and put them on the table before him, deciding to open them one by one.

Ryan picked the first scroll near his hand and opened it.

Ryan was scandalized with how the dress looked, and his mind couldn’t imagine any other girl, so it conjured an image of Zelda in this dress.

The dress was hugging the body like a second skin, and it had a slit from the waist, showing off her legs.

Ryan threw that scroll away, feeling his ears hot, startling Zabe and the woman nearby him.

“Prince Ryan.”

Ryan looked at Zabe’s startled expression and apologized for throwing the scroll away.

No..

No way can he see her in this, nor can he allow anyone to see her in this.

Never will he let anyone see her like this.

Nope.

Ryan decided to take another one from the scrolls and controlled himself from throwing them away with how revealing some of them were.

And his mind didn’t help him either with the way it conjured images of her in the dresses he saw in the scrolls.

Nope, definitely not this low neck.

How can anyone wear this?

Ryan could feel possessiveness reaching beyond the maximum limit, imagining some other male seeing her like this.

After he crumbled the scroll, Zabe decided to take the scrolls away from him, gesturing to the tailor woman to help him.

She drew some decent sketches after he described how he didn’t want any revealing types of gowns.

Ryan was asked not to choose the drawings of the whole gown as a model, and he only chose whichever part he liked.

So he went for the sheer bateau neck, floral appliqued, and cap sleeve.

Decent yet elegant.

She would look beautiful in them.

Floor-length, long and fluffy tulle.

The tailor woman painted what he described from the various gowns he saw in the scrolls and colored it with the red he chose for her, adding black floral appliques from neck to waist.

And, Ryan couldn’t find anything more beautiful than this gown.

God! She would be an enchanting beauty in this dress.

He then paid for everything, apologizing for the inconvenience he caused Zabe, which Zabe brushed it off and ruffled his head in a friendly way, and assured him that everything will be kept secret.

Ryan left the shop and moved towards the crowded area of the market.

He had disguised himself as a commoner and had come to shop today in the village nearby the castle, Creekberg.

The village was full of people today, shops crowded with men and women alike, purchasing things for the upcoming ball. Even maids and servants were allowed to the party, so everyone seemed busy with purchasing from dresses to last-minute courting gifts.

Ryan was happy to get lost in the crowd, like a normal person. He was always recognized by his hair color, so he decided to wear a turban to hide himself and chose to wear simple clothes.

Ryan thankfully had already brought a hairpin for his sister, Joy as the jewelry shops were the most crowded ones.

Even though he had come to shop today in a disguise, he knew that his mother would know immediately that he had left the castle.

So he cannot return to the castle with empty hands so he brought a hairpin for Joy and a comb to his mom along with some scarves for Granny Ada as the weather was getting colder with rain. Thankfully, it didn’t rain today that was why there was too much crowd today.

Some shops were too crowded as it seemed there were no place anymore yet people kept on coming. The noise of chattering of customers and shop keepers could get annoying

Ryan moved out of the way and took the path leading to the forest area where he had left his horse off.

He put the bag around the saddle and hopped on the horse. He had risked his Willa’s anger by taking a different horse, not wanting to draw attention from anyone.

Ryan had wanted to eat the dumplings but looking at the crowd, he had decided to leave and it was hard to ignore the appealing smell wafting from many food stalls. Ryan cannot waste any more time though. So, he had left there, deciding to eat once he reached the castle.

Just as he was seated on the saddle, he bent down to adjust the bag and an arrow whizzed past his head, hitting his turban.

Ryan withdrew his small sword he had hidden in his clothes and guided the horse behind a tree and looked around.

He turned his head around, hearing the sound of horses, his grip tight on the small sword.

It was his personal guards, they surrounded him, forming a shield and he silently allowed them, knowing there was no compromising on this.

He was a second away from being hit by an arrow. The thought of not living in the world where Zelda lived angered him.

Who was the one that had sent someone to kill him?

Ryan couldn’t see anyone as the area was full of dense trees. Ryan didn’t question his guards about how they had followed him, knowing Nora must have tailed him.

 “I have sent soldiers to scout this place and arrest anyone suspicious, Prince Burton.”

“Nora..”

“Let’s leave from here, Prince Burton.”

Ryan winced inwardly at the tone Nora used, making him feel guilty for putting him and other guards through this.

He silently agreed with Nora taking charge of the situation and galloped the horse towards the path that would lead the castle.

They decided to take the main path instead of taking shortcuts through the forest area as the main road leading to the castle will be guarded by soldiers.

As he rode off towards the castle, contemplating about the new attempt on his life. Ryan had just now started to desire to live his life.

He cannot risk coming out like this anymore. He should at least, take Nora along with him.

He decided to turn the gaze towards the walking people on the sidelines and was surprised to see Zelda.

The happiness at seeing her in a tense situation soon morphed into a deep pain.

His heart turned ice-cold seeing her smile and laugh with a man, the image stuck in his mind even after he rode past her.