The purpose of the box of cannoli was neither to bribe Rhiane Black, nor to make her feel special. It was his curiosity, and perhaps a little bit of pride, that convinced the crown prince to ask for his sister’s help to purchase the dessert from a reputable pastry shop. One that was unlike the casual restaurant they had brunch in that morning. Luke’s intention when he made the request was two-fold. First, to refresh his memory on how the dessert tasted, and second, to share with the farmer girl the experience of biting into luxurious velvety filling that he was certain the commoner’s gift lacked. Cannoli was an unexceptional sweet treat. One could procure it from most pastry shops and bakeries. It was probably the reason why the farmer girl had a familiarity with it. However, like most everything, the truly gifted with culinary skills had a way of elevating food from conventional to luxurious for a price. 

The box he asked Calista to buy was not meant as a gift for the princess elect. It was more for him than her, actually. When he saw the stranger present the unassuming box to his date, then saw the reaction on the naïve woman’s face, he couldn’t help but feel as if a challenge was issued from one man to another. Luke had no desire to win Rhiane’s affection, especially not that morning after she annoyed him with her stubborn viewpoints. Honestly, it was not about her. It was about an untitled young professional, who was probably struggling through quarter life crisis, working more than forty hours a week just to pay for the car he bought but could not really afford. It was between that stranger and him, the future king. Apparently, the woman who would sit by his side when he inherited the throne, who he was offering an access to his personal finances, would leave him for a box of sweets.

However, somewhere along the minutes that trickled into hours, the circumstances changed the plan and Luke was glad that he had the cannoli brought to his room. 

“I had to enlist Calista’s help to for the tastiest cannoli in the capital. She enjoys sweets as much as you do.” But the princess herself would not be burdened with such a menial task, except when it was her brother calling for a favor. Crown prince or not, the same was expected of Luke.

Grinning like a schoolboy, he stared expectantly as the woman seemed to contemplate what to do with the good graces presented to her. Common sense dictated to take advantage of his generosity, yet he could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she contemplated if there was any consequence in taking the offer. In the end, her love for sweet things won her over and Luke had not seen her happier.

Too happy, perhaps, that it must have been purely instincts when she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. In the middle of quietly celebrating for a seemingly small victory, the unprecedented gesture made Luke tense for a quarter of a second. It was all he could to not to cringe. After all his touching and flirting, he had not forgotten that she was a low-born peasant and all of it was just part of his duty to his mother’s kingdom. He and Rhiane were not a real couple, and his heart would rather be somewhere else. The boyish grin was momentarily wiped off his face. He was not a good actor, did not need to be. Who knew lying and pretending would be very useful life skills?

The slight shift in the cushion as she very happily planted herself beside him pulled him out of his thoughts. He only barely managed to stop himself from retreating to the cold and distant crown prince as he turned to her with a small smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Don’t mind if I do,” he mumbled before taking a treat randomly. He stuffed it in his mouth in a manner that he could only do in the privacy of his own suite. They had kissed, he thought. Actually, he had initiated the kiss on both occasions. It just felt different than when he, with full knowledge that it was just for show, was instigating the romantic gestures compared to when she took the initiative. A kiss on the cheek was far from being a romantic gesture, but the issue was that one day was not enough to erase his prejudice.

Dark chocolate filling was smudged on his thumb after he pushed the cannolo in his mouth. He stared at it for a second, then at Rhiane. She may be in the act of choosing which treat to attack when he did attack. Luke wiped the dark chocolate on Rhiane’s upper lip. Grinning, he declared, “Moustache!” Then stepped away, out of her reach, laughing, before crawling into bed where he settled at the center. “Be quiet when you chew, sugar monster,” he called out as he buried himself under the covers.

She was not that bad, he tried to convince himself. He could have been engaged to somebody worse.