Super Secret, Secret Thing

"I cried, I was upset. I am upset. It's something you never get over. But... it doesn't stop me functioning anymore. I live each day with her in mind, I'm more grateful to be alive and have family left when some have nothing."

Vladomir nodded a little bit in response to that, "You get used to not having much, eventually, I have a brother but his visits are rare. He enjoys other kingdoms more than the one we flourish in. No, not flourish. It hasn't been flourish the past few years; I fear soon I'll be as low as the ill gotten people we see on our streets."

"Have you ever thought of moving to another place where horses are required more? Or taking up another profession too? Bakers are popular all year round and the one in the village is old and ailing with no wife or family. I feel he will be gone soon with no baker in town."

Vladomir laughed at that and shook his head in the negative, "No, no that is not my area. I could never do that, it was be simply impossible, I'd have to pay someone to do such a thing and I do not have the money for that."

---

"Tell me about yourself?" Lilliana prompted quietly.

"Horses and breeding them are all you know then? You have no other skills you can use to apply to another job?"

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"What would you like to know m'lady?"

"I believe I'm what they'd call a one trick pony," Vladomir replied gloomily with a deep frown, "It was a family business and I never saw the need to look into anything else. It's always been so thriving; it's just a bad season, it'll pick up further into winter we get. I always suffer during the summer, I have to leave all the business to my staff and they just don't have the same wiseness of words to make sales."

---

"Your interests, perhaps?" Lilliana replied, "Anything you are willing to tell me; you are suppose to be wooing me, and you have been awfully quiet."

"Well I pray you'll fare better the coming winter then."

---

"Forgive me princess, but I believe it futile. You are known for rejecting princes of noble and higher birth than myself. And I am... indecisive about marriage too."

"Then why am I even spending my days here?" Lilliana sighed, "I despise this, being paraded to multiple men whom all claim to want me but really want my fathers title. At least they all had to sense to converse with me though."

---

"As do I,"

"I do not want your fathers title. That would mean moving from everyone and everything I have known. I'm sorry princess, but I'm forced into this just as much as you are."

---

"I'm sure you will, even if just from us purchasing more gifts for more suitors of my brother."

Lilliana just lowered her gaze to look at the ground quietly, "I.... Show me to my room. There is no point in making an effort if you do not wish to make one. If you do not wish to even try, perhaps if it were only for friendship. I'll just sit out the months in my room."

---

"You do not think he'll be able to seduce this princess?"

"Why become friends when you'll leave after rejecting the marriage proposal I must make? You deserve better than a fake proposal. We both do. We both deserve better than the deal we're getting here."

---

"No. He's tired of being paraded like a show pony to prospective wives and have them or their fathers shoot him down for some reason or another. And this princess has rejected dozens of suitors already. He wont be good enough for her and he's too tired to make the effort to see if she's worth it."

"I don't agree with that, an effort must always be made around company. Whether the princess has denied many suitors in the past or not, it's important to make an effort, be interest in a person."

---

"A fake proposal is all I will ever receive, I am nothing more than my title - not even my title. My fathers. I am not the son he required so I must find him one and he's growing impatient of me now. Before I left my home to get here he raised his hand to me...He's never done such a thing before."

"And I hope he never does again. You shall have a proper proposal one day, but it wont be from me... I am tired of this. I have hundreds of years ahead of me so I do not see the urgency to be married."

---

"Like I said, he is tired and does not wish to be insulted with rejections even further."

"I...." Lilliana began, though just went silent then. Hesitating before turning around and walking the way they had came quietly.

---

"But to not make an effort. All ladies deserve an effort to be made to them, it's just polite."

"He's tired of it. Tired of having his faults and his flaws constantly being pointed out, tired of being rejected for silly things, tired of being told he talks to much, he sounds too stupid, he's not interesting enough, he's not this, he's too that." Rheanys whispered. "He's tired of it." she repeated.

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"We're both deserving of more than being set out to market like cattle."

"I've spoken to many people about such things, and have been punished for voicing such things too. I am not more deserving than that, I used to believe I was but no. All I am to everyone is my title, and now it is because of my title, because of the situation we are in that you won't talk to me. I did not choose this. If I were to ever own a fast enough horse I would get on and run away from all of this, so far no one would find me."

---

"Just as you are, who is to say that the women he has to see feel the same way as you? I just think effort is required in life to make it bearable, if everyone gave up with each other every person would feel worse about having to marry people they do not wish to then they currently do."

"i'm not going to make my brother try when it breaks his heart each time he falls for a woman who rejects him. He loved the last one, a jewelers daughter from Spain. Lucindá. She rejected his proposal because he spoke to often and was like an excitable child when his interests were mentioned. She wanted a man and not a boy whom would get giddy. She was sixteen."

---

"Maybe being alone is best, until the current way of parading us around like horses dies out."

"Men are allowed to have that attitude, I will not. I would have to run away to be able to do such a thing, and if I were to ever be found, which I would be, my father would not give me any choice at all and make me marry whom he wishes me to marry." Lilliana whispered. "Please speak to me, please tell me about yourself. I don't wish to be lonely whilst I am here. I apologise if you do not like me already, I have done my best I.... don't understand."

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"I am allowed to believe it impolite not to try and find out about a guest," Vladomir replied, sounding a little irritated now.

"What if that guest will crush you?"

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"I don't dislike you. I don't know you to dislike you."

"I- I'm going for a walk." Lilliana mumbled with a sigh.

---

"What if that guest is just as broken and exhausted of being hurt as you are? You don't know a person until you make an effort with them and every person is worth getting to know. Especially if they are living in your home because they have been shipped out of their own to be paraded around and no amount of white mares brought for them will ever make up for the lack of people genuinely caring about who you are as person."

"Well then they'll understand why my brother wishes to make no effort."

---

"Stay safe princess."

Lilliana just nodded before wandering off in complete silence.

---

Vladomir rolled his eyes at that.

"I can take the horses the rest of the way, thank you for your assistance."

"Is the dinner invite not appropriate now that we have clashing opinions?" Vladomir asked with a deep frown.

---

Lilliana hesitantly wandered into the stables when she found him, walking to one of the horses and resting her hand on it's neck gently.

"Dinner isn't until later on tonight. The offer still stands, but I always assumed you'd rather go and tend your horses until the time came."