III. The Impact of Her

My heart stopped for a moment.

The manner of how he spoke was similar to Mallory. And I couldn’t help but be concerned. Should he walk the same road that she did, he would be hurt if things didn’t go as he would expect.

“She told you that?” I asked.

“Her actions speak for her.”

“Benjamin,” I looked directly into his eyes, “You can’t simply rely on actions. You need a direct answer from her. Otherwise, you will only get your heart smashed to bits if she doesn’t feel the same for you,” I scolded him.

Benjamin never exerted this much effort towards a woman. Ladies would surround him always and they were the ones who made steps to be in his graces. For him to be this invested only proved that he was indeed smitten by whoever this woman was.

However, if feelings weren’t mutual from the beginning, the end would be heartbreaking.

He sighed as he put his hands behind his neck. “She protests whenever I do something for her. She is never amused with my jokes. She never showed interest in the stories that I tell her. And during my last visit, she wasn’t happy that I came,” Benjamin complained, completely frustrated.

“Then, why are you still pursuing her?” I asked, confused. I continued, “You are the heir to the kingdom of Eastern Sun. All the ladies of your court are begging for your affection. Why not choose one of them instead?”

“I want her to realise that I am the one for her as she is the one for me. I am willing to sail the Perilous Seven if that’s what it takes to prove myself to her,” Benjamin said in desperation.

I couldn’t believe what I heard from him. My friend was more than willing to put his life in peril, just to win the love of a woman!

The Perilous Seven were the most dangerous waters in our realm. It was said that those oceans had minds of their own. Many have tried and braved their unforgiving currents. But, each and every attempt always ended in tragedy.

Ships were sunk. Some were stranded on mysterious islands that were never to be seen. Most died as their ships were swallowed by the ocean.

For us Immortals, the Perilous Seven was an absolute end for us. And for Benjamin to say something such as that was a daring and fooling feat, simply to obtain a woman’s heart.

A woman who didn’t seem to care for him.

“Benjamin, I have something to tell you. And I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. You are my best friend, my brother. And I love you too much. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of a woman,” I replied gently. “But, isn’t it better for you to find someone who is as interested as you?”

“Robert,” he held onto my shoulders as he looked at me with wide opened eyes, “She is exactly what I wish for a bride. And I will not let anyone take her from me.”

“Benjamin,” I then grabbed hold of his arms in an attempt to calm him down, “You are a true gentleman. Amongst the heirs of each kingdom, you are the ideal groom for reasons that almost all Immortal women are aware of. If you can’t have her, you don’t have to force anything. Don’t be so hard on yourself. A man such as yourself can have any woman that he pleases.”

Benjamin sighed and groaned after. He threw his head back, his eyes closed. “Robert, please help me with this,” his voice cracked as he looked back at me. “You are the only one that I can trust in regards to this.”

I was absolutely baffled on why Benjamin was desperately in love with this mysterious woman.

Has she tricked him into falling for her?

Benjamin had a long list of previous lovers. But not once did he act this way towards one of them. He was desperate and frantic. To see him in this state was strange and frightening for me.

Benjamin was a prince. He shouldn’t be begging for a woman’s affections when there were dozens of women in their court, waiting for his attention.

Benjamin stared at me more as his brows were knitted together. Faint lines showed on his forehead. His eyes were in despair as he begged for me to agree.

In all honesty, I didn’t want to agree to his request. And I knew he sensed my defiance. I simply didn’t trust his expectations: that he would get the results that he wanted. However, I was also aware that he wouldn’t stop at nothing to obtain what he wanted.

Defeated, I sighed as I rolled my head. “I will use the queen’s horse to accompany you,” I turned around and headed for the stables.

Behind me, he clapped gloriously. “You are such a miracle to me, Robert,” he said as he caught up with me. “You truly are.”

We finally arrived at a flower store in the Mortal Realm.

The shop had two benches in front of its small windows. A range of different flowers were seen from the outside.

As we unmounted our horses, I asked, “What are we doing here?”

“I met her here in the Mortal Realm,” Benjamin replied as he turned to me with a smile. He continued as we proceeded towards the entrance, “When you said you met somebody here, I thought I could look around. Who knew that I would be so lucky to find someone here?”

“I can introduce you to my lady after. I am very certain that you will get along,” I said.

“That would be fantastic. The four of us can make a powerful group together,” he nodded.

All sorts of flowers greeted our sights as we stepped foot into the store. The atmosphere was filled with all the beautiful scents of each plant. Some were in pots that hang from the ceiling. And the rest were in pots, settled on the ground or by the window sill.

Then, a man with a fashionable moustache approached us as he came from the back door.

“Good morning, young gentlemen!” he bowed with enthusiasm as he stood before us. “Welcome to the Moustache Flower Store,” he gestured all around him as he showed off his business with pride. He continued, “What can I offer such refined young men such as yourselves?”

I chuckled. ‘He really had to include that moustache into his business name. It must be truly precious to him,’ I snarked in my mind.

“I need a flower arrangement that can help me win the sweet approval from the woman of my desires,” Benjamin replied as he looked around. He passed by the shop owner as Benjamin added, “Perhaps you have something for me.” He then looked back to the shop owner.

“Ah, flowers for a young lady. I always say: the best way to a woman’s heart is through her favourite flowers,” the owner giggled. “What are her favourites? I am more than certain that I have them here,” he asked.

The shop owner was too happy, in my opinion. To be jolly in front of your customers wasn’t a bad thing. However, he was way over the top. I was unsure if that was how he truly acted or not.

“Uh,” Benjamin rubbed his nape as he got a bit worried, “I never got the chance to ask her, sir. But I trust that you will give me a beautiful bouquet.”

“Of course, of course!” the owner nodded without hesitation. He grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and the pen from his ear. “What would you like to have in your arrangement?” he asked.

Benjamin walked further into the shop as he examined the flowers that surrounded us. “I want the arrangement to be bold but not too much. It can overwhelm her and I don’t want that,” Benjamin replied and the shop owner wrote it down immediately. “I want it to be colourful in sight and in scent,” he continued as he bent down to smell a flower, “That will suit her vibrant personality.” A smile formed on Benjamin’s face as he took in the fragrance of the flower.

There was no denying that Benjamin was indeed in love with his woman. Just the mere thought of her, it made his eyes light up. And a grin evidently followed. Whoever she was, that woman has Benjamin wrapped around her fingers.

The owner then turned to my direction and asked, “And as for you, good sir?”

“I am only here to support my friend in his conquest for love,” I said as I put my hands behind me, closing my legs together as I stood properly.

“Ah, I see. A very loyal friend,” the owner remarked as he wrote down one final thing. “Very well, then,” he remarked as he took one last look on his list before he returned to Benjamin, “I shall make the preparations now. When will you be needing it?”

“Today. In a few hours, if possible,” Benjamin replied.

“Oh, quite in a rush for love, aren’t we?” the owner chuckled as he took a step back, clearly surprised and amused. “Fear not, sir. I will have everything prepared in no time. This will not take long,” he continued as he slid his pen back on his ear. “Please, make yourselves comfortable and I will be right back,” he pointed at the bench before heading to the back.

“Benjamin,” I said, which made him look to me, “May I offer you a piece of advice?”

He nodded.

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for what I was about to say. I could only hope that he wouldn’t see me as discouraging him. I started, “I don’t want to be the one to bring your hopes down. You know fully well that I will support you in any way that I can. But you have to promise me: you will not expect too much from this woman.”