After the horrible embarrassment she faced at the tea party, Ro didn't want to stay in civilization for a moment longer. She had failed—utterly humiliated herself—and she was sure Antonio would choose Luciana now. He had given her a chance to present herself properly in front of his parents, and she'd ruined it. Maybe she'd embarrassed him too. It was hopeless. She didn't even want to think about him anymore.
Antonio, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about her.
He wanted to go after Ro immediately. His body itched with urgency. But Queen Arianna pulled him aside with a look that brokered no argument, and once the tea was over, his father insisted that he take Luciana on a walk through the palace grounds.
It felt like punishment. Every word Luciana said felt distant and irrelevant, and his eyes kept flicking to the path Ro had fled down. When he was finally excused, he left without a word and searched the entire palace grounds until he found her in the greenhouse.
She was back in her island dress, with jam and custard still streaked through her hair from pastries thrown in panic and disgust. Her hands were muddy. Her eyes were rimmed red. She looked like she wanted to disappear.
She wouldn't meet his eyes.
Ro muttered that she didn't want to wear the shoes the maid had given her anymore. They'd hurt her feet. Everything about this place hurt.
Antonio knelt in front of her, gentle but firm. "Then I'll bring you a cobbler. Someone who will make you shoes that are only yours. No more pain."
He helped her up and asked the maids to run her a warm bath. She didn't fight it.
As she bathed, Antonio remembered something—his cousins Ashlyn, Courtney, and Edeline were visiting for the engagement ball. And they never traveled without their personal cobbler: Derek.
Antonio found them immediately and explained Ro's situation. He asked if he could hire their cobbler to make custom shoes for Ro. They agreed without hesitation.
Ro was finishing up her bath, not used to living in rooms and building she left the door open. "Miss Ro, are you here?" Derek accidentally entered while Ro was wrapped in a towel but she thought it looked like the dress in her island so she didn't mind him coming in. "Are you the cobbler?"
"Yes. Prince Antonio asked me to meet you here." Derek answered, trying to ignore the fact he was alone in a room with a girl wrapped in a towel fresh out of the bath.
Ro had to catch her breath when she saw Derek, he was so handsome with his striking light blue eyes and tall physique. He gestured her to take a seat on a chair. Ro sat down, and Derek knelt before her.
"May I touch your feet?" Derek awkwardly asked if he could study her feet. Ro nodded and giggled as Derek's hands touched her feet, examining them closely. Derek was fascinated by Ro's feet. Living in the island had given her a distinct feet shape and Derek could now see why she needed custom shoes made just for her.
But while he studied her feet he could also sense her looking at him and when he looked up and actually saw her face up close he realised she looked a lot like his long term crush, Princess Genevieve. She also seemed upset about something so he asked her what was wrong and she vented to him about how she felt like she didn't fit in this new land and she wasn't sure if she'd ever find her family.
Derek certainly felt sad for the girl, but he found it hard to focus on hundred percent of her story due to how beautiful she was, maybe even more beautiful than Princess Genevieve. No...how could he think that way! He liked Genevieve and Ro was just one of his clients. But then he also realised that no matter how much he liked Genevieve he would never have a chance with her because she was a princess.
But Ro, this beautiful, shipwrecked girl who didn't have a family and feeling rather lonely in this new land...maybe he could have a chance with her? But as she continued to speak he heard her mention Prince Antonio several times, it was obvious she liked him. Feeling slightly upset, Derek finished taking Ro's feet measurements and said,
"Next time we meet I will be back with your new shoes."
Ro didn't know why she couldn't wait to see him again. He was...cute. And he was nice and kind. No! What was she thinking! She knew Antonio for much longer and they spent two weeks travelling on his ship and she only met Derek like ten minutes ago? She loved Antonio...but at the same time she remembered that he was getting married to Luciana. With such a prim and proper Princess like Luciana available, Antonio would no way want to marry an island girl like her who couldn't even hold a tea cup properly.
Ro sighed, she didn't know what she was getting herself into. When did things start getting so complicated...
The maid then came into the room, shocked to see Ro was still wrapped in a towel. "Miss, do you need help getting dressed?"
Ro didn't feel like wearing one of those long dresses with the corsets, but she guessed she would continue to get weird looks from people if she stayed in her towel. She nodded and the maid put a new dress on Ro. At one point the maid asked if she wanted to go to the engagement ball, and Ro thought she must have been mocking her, and maybe setting up a trap to embarrass her in front of the king and queen once more. Ro refused, and decided she didn't want to see anyone for the rest of the night.
Three days later, Derek returned with a trunk.
"I made five pairs," he said, his smile shy but proud. "I'd like you to try them on."
Ro's eyes widened. "Five?"
"I couldn't decide on just one," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Each pair reminded me of something about you."
She looked down at the shoes—some had laces like vines, others had floral patterns etched into the leather, soft earthy tones, sea-glass beads. Her breath caught. "They're beautiful…"
"I wasn't sure which kind you'd like best," he added. "So I made a few guesses."
"I don't even know how to wear these," Ro said, a little embarrassed, running her fingers over a delicate pink heel. "Heels on an island girl…"
"Allow me," Derek offered, gentler now.
He knelt before her again. She hesitated, but then lifted her foot. As his fingers brushed her ankle, a shiver ran up her spine. She tried not to stare at him—at the soft lock of hair falling into his eyes, at the way he concentrated, so earnest, so careful.
The first pair slipped on like a dream.
"Try standing," he said.
She did—and immediately wobbled.
Without missing a beat, Derek caught her, both arms steadying her as she fell into his chest. Ro's hands pressed against his shoulders, and for a breathless moment, neither moved.
Her cheek brushed the fabric of his tunic. His breath hitched.
They looked at each other—so close now—and both turned red.
"I, um…" Ro backed up, giggling. "Maybe I need practice."
"We could take a walk," Derek offered, still holding her elbow, reluctant to let go. "Into town. There's a festival—music, dancing…"
She looked up at him, brightening. "I'd love that."
He extended his arm, and she took it. Their fingers brushed. She glanced up at him once, and his smile was boyish, unguarded. Something stirred in her chest.
They walked together through the palace gates, laughter and lanterns blooming in the town beyond
Antonio stood at the window in the east wing, his fists clenched behind his back. He had been standing there for over an hour now, the crisp white sleeves of his engagement attire wrinkled from pacing. His crown sat untouched on the nearby table—mocking him.
He had watched Ro walk through the gates with Derek. Watched her laugh. Watched her lean into another man's arm like it belonged to her.
That walk had once been his dream. Him and Ro. In the town. Free. Happy.
But he had hesitated. Again. And now…
"She's just a girl from the island," Queen Arianna had reminded him earlier that day when he tried to excuse himself from tea to look for her.
"She is not a suitable bride," his father had said, not even looking up from his seat. "Luciana is a perfect match. Stop with this fantasy."
But it didn't feel like fantasy. It felt real. Ro was real. She had sea salt in her voice and freedom in her eyes. She didn't care about titles or etiquette. She called things as she saw them. She had made him laugh like no one else had. He remembered her on the deck of his ship, tangled hair and sand-colored skin glowing in the sun. And now...
She was gone.
Antonio turned abruptly and struck the mantelpiece with his fist. A nearby vase cracked from the force and tumbled to the floor, shattering.
A servant gasped in the hallway but Antonio didn't care. Let them see. Let them see the prince fall apart.
He should've gone after her that day—after the tea party. He shouldn't have let his parents' orders stop him. He should've held her hand and told her she wasn't alone.
Instead, he sent someone else.
Some cobbler.
A stranger.
As soon as Ro stepped outside of the palace gates, all her worry faded away. The same land and people that seemed so intimidating to her at the start felt so interesting, and Derek was very patient and gentle to answer all her questions about the things she saw and how the town operated. They strolled through the town, stopping at different stalls and then Ro heard beautiful music playing.
"Can we follow the music?" she asked excitedly.
"Of course," Derek took Ro to a small gathering of people and some musicians playing music on the street. The people, mostly couples, danced in pairs to the music in celebration of the Prince's upcoming wedding.
Derek noticed Ro was fascinated by the scene. He offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?"
"Oh, I've never—" Ro shook her head, feeling shy. "I don't know how to."
"Come on, if there's any way to find out if the shoes are the right ones for you, it would be through dancing." Derek insisted. "Just try to have fun."
Ro took his hand, feeling her stomach flutter from the contact and anticipation as he led her to the dance space. He rested one hand on her waist while guiding her arm to hold his shoulder, and the two began slowly. Ro just kept looking at the floor, making sure she wouldn't step on Derek's feet. After a while the movements became natural to her and soon she found herself enjoying this act of dancing.
Derek noticed that even when it was possibly her first time dancing she was such a natural. Surely her dance skills weren't comparable to a certain blonde princess he regularly made dancing shoes for but Ro did her own thing and she enjoyed every second of it, and he loved to see it. They danced until the music stopped, Derek then realized it was getting quite late and he better return her to the palace.
Ro was upset they had to go back but she understood, and she was happy when Derek decided to come back to her room to help her try the rest of the shoes on. After she tried on the rest of the shoes, she thanked Derek for making her such comfortable and beautiful shoes. Derek said it was no problem and that Ro had beautiful, unique feet and it inspired him to put his best effort.
Ro blushed again, it wasn't everyday a man would take her out dancing and then find such a kind way to compliment her feet. She smiled but then she noticed that Derek's face became sad. She asked him what was wrong.
"i am going back to my kingdom." Derek said. "I was brought here by the princesses while they visited Apollonia. Now they are returning to their kingdom and I have to return with them."
"So, I will never see you, again?" Ro asked tearfully.
Derek was surprised that she got as upset as he did. Didn't she like the Prince? But with the Prince's wedding happening to Princess Luciana in a couple days he figured Ro had given up on him. Just like Derek had given up on Princess Genevieve a long time ago, she was a princess and he was a commoner, he would never be able to tell her. In a way, that made them more similar than he thought.
After having spent the day with Ro, Derek felt hopeful about this. Feeling like it was worth a try, he asked. "Ro, Would you like to come back with me? To my kingdom? We can get married."
Ro's eyes sparked. "Really?"
"Yes, though I can't offer you the luxury of a palace. I live in a small house with a small garden. It's just me, my pet bird and horse." Derek held her hands, looking intently into her eyes. "But I can take you dancing everyday...and in the future we can have our own little family."
Ro smiled, eyes sparkling. "I'd love that, Derek."
The two immediately pulled each other into an embrace. Derek kissed her hair, "We're leaving tomorrow."