Chapter 3

Prince Edward's Estate was even grander than I'd imagined.

Just the two stone lions outside the gate were probably worth three years of my shop's income.

With Ben beside me and a small bundle on my back, I stood at the gate looking more like someone there to collect a debt.

"So you're the tutor Mother sent me?" Edward was lounging crookedly on a daybed in the main hall, peeling lychees, juice still at the corner of his mouth. The second he saw me, he nearly choked on the pit.

"You?!" He shot upright so fast the lychees scattered all over the floor. "The one who was chopping firewood!"

"Charlotte Sinclair greets Prince Edward." I bowed properly and quietly pulled Ben a little farther behind me. I was afraid this unreliable prince might rub off on my son.

"Why are you here?" Edward circled me like a cat that had found a new toy. "Mother said she was sending me a tutor. I thought it'd be some wrinkled old lady. Why is it you?"

"Her Majesty flatters me. I hardly deserve it."

"Alright, alright, cut the formal talk." Edward leaned in, eyes sparkling. "The way you saved me with that axe was so damn cool. I talked to Mother about it for three days straight.

"She must've thought you were amazing and sent you here because of that, right?"

I was lost for words. "Something like that."

This dumb kid still thought that whole thing had been an accidental rescue.

The queen was right. He really was missing a few screws.

"Anyway, what can you do?" Edward bounced back onto the daybed and grabbed another handful of lychees. "Horse riding? Archery? Military strategy? Statecraft? All my old tutors were boring as hell. If you're going to teach me that stuff too, I'll throw you out."

I looked at his carefree face and suddenly smiled.

"Your Highness, I don't know any of that."

Edward froze. "Huh?"

"I don't know riding, military strategy, or statecraft." I spoke slowly. "I only know three things—chopping firewood, making clothes, and bargaining."

"...Bargaining?"

"That's right." I walked over, picked up a lychee from the table, peeled it, and popped it into my mouth. It was so sweet my eyes narrowed. "Your first lesson is going to the market with me tomorrow to buy wheat."

"Buy wheat?" Edward's eyes nearly popped out. "I have to buy rice? Why would I go buy wheat? There are stewards and cooks in the estate. Can't they do it?"

"They can. You can't." I spat the pit neatly into the fruit plate beside me. "If a prince doesn't even know how much wheat costs, how is he supposed to govern his lands one day? How is he supposed to understand how ordinary people live?"

Edward opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again like a fish tossed onto shore. "But... but none of my tutors ever made me buy rice before."

"Which is exactly why you're still useless."

The whole main hall went dead silent.

The maids and eunuchs standing nearby all sucked in a sharp breath. A few timid ones were already inching toward the exit.

Edward's face went red, then pale, and the lychee in his hand burst under his grip.

I thought he was about to lose his temper. I'd already started planning that if he had me dragged out and beaten, I'd pull out the queen's token to save myself.

But the next second, Prince Edward suddenly laughed.

He laughed so hard tears came out.

"Useless!" He slapped his thigh as he laughed. "She called me useless! Hahaha! This is great. This is really great!"

I stared at him, speechless.

Was there actually something wrong with his brain?

"Fine!" After laughing enough, Edward jumped off the daybed and strode over to stand in front of me. He looked down at me from above. He was more than a head taller, and I had to tilt my face up just to meet his eyes.

"Charlotte Sinclair, right? I'll go buy wheat with you. But let me warn you first. If you fail to teach me properly, I'll go complain to Mother and tell her you bullied me."

"Then what if Your Highness fails to learn?"

"How could I possibly fail? I'm a genius."

I looked at his confident face and silently gave him a score in my head. Zero.

Early the next morning, I took Edward to East Market.

To avoid drawing attention, I made him change into common clothes. But even in rough plain fabric, that face of his was way too eye-catching. Girls kept sneaking glances at him the whole way.

"Your Highness, could you maybe cover your face a little?" I asked.

"What's wrong with my face? It's not like I'm ugly." He was confused.

"That's exactly the problem. It's too noticeable."

Edward froze, then the tips of his ears turned red. He looked away. "You... are you saying I'm handsome?"

"I'm stating a fact." I kept walking without changing expression.

When we reached a grocery shop, I stopped and pulled out a string of coins from my sleeve, then handed it to Edward.

"Today's task is simple. Buy ten pounds of wheat and don't spend more than thirty coins."

Edward took the coins and walked into the shop full of confidence.

I followed behind and watched him step up to the owner. He cleared his throat and spoke in the same tone he'd probably use with his officials. "Shopkeeper, give me... I mean, give me ten pounds of wheat."

The owner was a sharp middle-aged man. He sized Edward up from head to toe and smiled. "Sir, ten pounds of wheat. Forty coins."

"Forty?" Edward's eyes widened. "Charlotte said it should only cost thirty!"

I nearly laughed out loud beside him. This kid had just handed over the target price himself.

The owner smiled even wider. "Sir, thirty gets you old wheat. Mine is fresh wheat. Big difference."

"Then... then give me old wheat."

"I've only got eight pounds of old wheat left. How about eight pounds of old wheat and two pounds of fresh? I'll make it thirty-six coins for you."

Edward counted on his fingers for ages before finally looking at me in total confusion.

I shook my head.

He gritted his teeth and copied the stance of an older woman nearby, hands on his hips. "Shopkeeper, that's way too expensive. The wheat shop next door only charges thirty-two!"

The owner didn't even blink. "The wheat next door is dirty. Mixed with sand."

"Then is yours clean?"

"Of course it's clean."

"Then make it cheaper. How about thirty-four?"

Watching this prince bargain with a grocery shop owner, I suddenly felt something strange stir inside me.

Prince Edward wasn't stupid. He'd just never been given the chance to learn any of this.

Like a bird locked in a golden cage. Not unable to fly, just never having flown before.

In the end, Edward bought ten pounds of wheat for thirty-five copper coins, two pounds fresh and eight pounds old. The shopkeeper even threw in a handful of beans.

He carried the wheat sack out of the shop with sweat all over his forehead, but the smile on his face was bright as the sun.

"Charlotte! Did you see that? I bargained him down! I saved five coins!"

"Amazing, Your Highness." I clapped without a hint of emotion.

"What's with that look? It's my first time bargaining!"

"Does Your Highness know what those five saved coins can buy?"

Edward thought for a moment. "A candied fruit skewer?"

"Two piece of bread," I said. "Enough for a poor family's meal."

His smile slowly faded. He looked down at the copper coins in his hand and stayed quiet for a long time.

"Charlotte," he said at last, his voice much softer than usual, "did you... live like this too?"

I didn't answer.

But he seemed to know the answer already.