Chapter 72 - The Perfect Gift

"Are we not going to buy anything after coming this far?" asked Richard as he looked at the girl who was just wandering and looking around. She had not yet bought a single gift for which they were here in the first place.

"Hmmm" she replied absentmindedly as her eyes fell on the gold cufflinks that had a small sapphire

in the centre. It would go well with her dress and they both would look like perfect couples.

Her eyes sparkled at that thought and she ran towards the shop.

He frowned at her sudden excitement. She was looking rather reluctant to buy anything all this time and now she was running as if she could not wait any further to buy the gifts.

He followed her with slow steps as she walked into a jewellery shop. A pair of sapphire cufflinks were on her hands and when she heard footsteps, she turned to look at him.

"How is this?" She showed him the small cufflinks and he nodded absentmindedly as he did not care much about what she was going to give her family. He still did not understand her plans completely. Why shall she gift her family and behave amiably with them when she could just ruin them. 

A signal from her and her whole family would end up in his underground prison and she could torment them as much as she wanted.

His thoughts broke when he felt her coming closer to her and held his hands, he blinked when she adjusted the cufflinks on his shirt.

"Do you think that it goes well with your shirt?" Only then did he look at the cufflinks carefully, it had the same design as her neckline with gold and a sapphire in between.

"Yes, it would look like a couple pair if you wear it." she smiled with an embarrassed face as she mumbled that while keeping her eyes on the cufflinks. 

She did not dare to look into his eyes. If she had, she would have noticed how it had been darkened. A string was pulled off his heart and he felt a strange feeling in his heart.the girl smiled when she changed the cufflinks of his shirts and then looked at their interlocked hands.

"So, shall we buy it?" she asked and his lips curled upwards unconsciously. He nodded and then looked at the salesperson who was standing behind them. 

The man bowed his head and brought the bill which Richard did not even spare a glance to. He took out another pouch of gold coins from his coat and passed it to the man whose eyes widened when she counted them.

"My lady, why don't you look at other jewels too. This month is more than 5 times the amount of cufflinks or do you want us to count the amount and return the rest to you?" asked the man politely this time. Though he knew that Hazel was rich by looking at her dress, he had never thought that they were so rich and spendthrift. 

His attitude towards her hand took a 180 degree turn.

"No! I think that is enough." she was about to stand up when her eyes fell on the rings and her gaze flickered.

Before the man could bow and leave, she called him again, "wait! On second thought. I want to have a set of couple rings.'' The man bowed and brought a lot of couple rings for them to choose.

"How about this one?"

"It is too fancy!"

"Oh! How about this?"

"It is too simple."

"Well! How about this one?" 

"I do not like its stone."

"Then this one!"

"Its design is too loud."

The salesman wanted to shout, how could the designs be so loud?? But all he could do was nod and bring more rings for her. But no matter how many rings did he show her she did not like any.

In the end, he sighed and slumped on the chair.

"My lady, would you please describe to me what kind of ring you want?" though he was sure there were hardly any rings left in the shop.

"I want a good design that suits us!" she replied with an innocent face.

"......." 'Could she tell him her definition of good!' he wanted to pull all his hair at her vague reply when his eyes fell on the small box in the corner. He had not opened the box because the design of the rings were rather weird but looking at the different liking of the lady, he decided to take another chance.

"Oh! I forgot to show me our shop's best design. I think you are made to wear it, that is why you did not like any other design!" with a flattering smile on his face, he walked towards the box and opened it.

It was a strange design that one would have returned with a single glimpse. But when Richard looked at them his eyes shone and so as his hands moved and took the ring in his hands.

The girl ring had a small moon with two amber stones above it as if they were the eyes of someone. While the man's rings had a small girl with her hair open under the moonlight. It looked more like a scenery than a single design. But the amber eyes matched his glowing eyes when he took the form of the wolf.

"We are taking these rings." she replied and then looked at Richard who nodded his head in affirmation.

The salesman who had lost all his hopes of seeing the rings to them was surprised but then a bright smile formed on his lips, "i knew that the lady had a great sense of art. I will pack the ring now." he bowed and tried to take the ring back but Hazel shook her head.

"There is no need to do that. Just calculate the bill and return the rest of the money." the man nodded and left to count their bill.

Hazel turned to look at Richard whose eyes were glowing already.

"I know that I did not ask you, but as a married couple. We should wear rings!" she replied as she looked at the rings closely.

He did not know if he was being too sensitive today, but he felt that her every word was creating an echoing effect in his mind. As if small stones were thrown on the calm lake creating ripples all over.

He nodded his head but before he could take the ring from her hands and enter the ring in her ring finger. She took the ring and wore it by herself while giving his ring to him instead of helping him in wearing it.

".........." he did not know why but his mood turned sour when she did not forward her hand in front of him. What was he even thinking? It was not a real marriage after all!

He shook his head as he let go of that disturbing feeling and then took a deep breath. Looking at the ring in her finger for one last time, he took his ring and wore it in his ring finger too.

"Anything else?" he wanted to ask if she was buying anything else for her family when she shook her head.

"No! It is too late. We will buy some flowers from the small stall on the corner for my family.'' She stood up and patted her dress as the salesman brought their bill and he had a complementary bouquet of flowers with a wide smile on his face.

"Madam, this is for you as a thank you note for buying jewels from us. Hope to see you again soon." The man bowed his head with a professional smile on his face and hazel chuckled.

She looked at the bouquet in his hand and then turned to look at richard.

"I think we had saved that money too. This would be just perfect gift from them.'' The flowers were not even roses that were popular or any expensive ones. It was a simple bouquet of daisy flowers that could be even found in any garden yet the girl was looking at them as if she had found a priceless gift for her family.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he looked at the perfunctory gift by the shop who would have gifted the same bouquet to every customer with a frown. There was nothing special in it. 

"Of course," then her face turned down as she continued, " we have come here to buy gifts for the whole family but what could we do!? The siblings from Marques house had come to argue with us and it took a long time to clear the misunderstanding and we became late.

Since we can not keep the crown prince waiting, we have to come empty handed for which we are highly apologetic.. If only the siblings would not have blamed us, we would have brought a precious gift for them."