"Yes, they are," Lina replied while watching as a school of fish played with each other in the pond.
Her lips slowly spread into a smile when she realized Austin's subtle act of diverting her mind towards the fish. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
A brief moment of silence fell between them, but Lina decided to speak after a while. "You're different from any servant I've seen before."
"I am?"
"Yes. You're perceptive and quick-witted compared to the other servants I've seen around."
"Oh, maybe it's because I'm more of a jester to His Highness than a servant."
"A jester?" Lina turned around to look at him.
"Yes, I juggle fruits, do a few magic tricks, and I tell His Highness a few stories or a funny secret that I might have come across in the palace."
"A funny secret?" She asked, while leaving the bridge, to take a seat underneath a shaded area of the garden, with Austin trailing behind her.
"Yes. Would my lady like to hear a secret?" He asked, and she replied with a nod before sitting on a bench, ready to listen to what he had to say.
Although she looked like she wasn't interested in listening to anything he had to say, the moment she heard that there was a secret about her future husband that she didn't know, Lina instinctively became interested in what this 'Jester' had to say.
"Very well." Austin placed the lacquered wooden tray containing snacks and tea next to her, then he straightened his robe before clearing his throat.
"Three years ago, when the fourth prince was fifteen years old, he tried to sneak into the Royal Library, dressed as a maid."
Lina blinked slowly; she never expected to hear that. "A maid?"
"Yes," Austin confirmed. "His Highness took a maid's uniform from the laundry line in the courtyard, stuffed his broad shoulders into it, tied his hair back with a pink ribbon, and walked into the library while carrying a stack of laundry with him."
"Why would he even-?"
"He was trying to avoid the chief librarian. Apparently, His Highness owed the man an overdue return of six scrolls, and His Highness didn't want the librarian to see him. So he figured, "Hey, if I dress up as a maid while carrying some laundry with me, I can just waltz right in and take any scroll I want."
Lina's jaw dropped but she was already invested in the story and was interested in knowing how it ended.
"And so, His Highness moved on with his plan, and luckily for him, it was working like a charm until he tripped over his skirt and crashed into a flower vase, but he still tried to pretend he was a maid by saying, 'Oh no, someone help me! These scrolls are ever so heavy!" Austin said, swiftly switching to a high-pitched voice.
Lina burst into laughter and nearly doubled over the bench from it.
"He really said that?"
"Yes."
"He really said 'ever so heavy'?"
"Of course, my lady. In fact, His Highness waved his hand like this, just like a maiden who is in dire need of help." Austin waved and flapped his hand in a ridiculously elegant gesture, and this made Lina giggle even more.
"What about the guards or the librarian? What did he say?"
"No one dared to say a word. They just helped him up and allowed him to leave with the scroll he needed, even though they could clearly see through his disguise."
Lina continued to giggle while wiping tears from the edges of her eyes. "If his Highness hears about this, you're definitely going to get into so much trouble."
"Yes, I might. But I'm sure he'll overlook my bold words once he sees the smile on your face."
Hearing his words, Lina turned her head to the side as she attempted to hide the faint blush blooming on her cheeks.
Thinking about the prince being here and witnessing her smiling and laughing made her feel happy, but she could only hope that such a day would come soon, and not later.
However, she pulled her mind away from such thoughts and swiftly sneaked a glance at the so-called "Jester."
She noticed that he was standing calmly in front of her while pretending to smooth the edge of his cloth, but the curve of his lips clearly showed how satisfied he was about being able to make a woman like her smile.
Meanwhile, Austin was just glad to see an elf smile.
It was the first time he was talking to an elf, and she was not just any elf, but a beautiful elf, for that matter, so it really filled him with a sense of pride to know that she was going to be his wife soon.
"What is your name?" Lina quietly asked, and Austin smiled before giving her a respectful bow.
"My Lady, names are a dangerous thing in the palace. If I told you my name, you'd be required to remember me." He replied as he slowly looked up to meet her gaze. "And I have a feeling that you're not used to remembering servants."
Lina stiffened after hearing his words.
It wasn't because she was offended; rather, it was because he was actually right.
As a daughter of a noble household, Lina had seen her fair share of servants and maids in her father's mansion. But out of all the servants she had seen back home, she could only remember the name of the head maid and no one else.
Most of the other servants were like passing shadows, so she had never bothered to know their names.
However, there was something different about this jester. He was unlike any other servant or court jester she had ever seen before.
"I knew it. You're definitely different from any servant I've met before."
"Well, it is like I said earlier, I am His Highness's humble...."
"I know, but you also act and speak like a noble."
"Then I guess I should be more careful. I wouldn't want to start any rumors in the palace."
Lina didn't say anything in response since she understood what he meant by that.
"Enjoy your tea, my lady," he added, and Austin bowed again before backing away.
"Wait! Before you go, could you sit and tell me the stories His Highness likes to listen to?"
Since the jester said that his Highness loved to listen to stories, Lina was also curious to know what his tastes and preferences were.
Knowing this, Austin nodded and sat on the spot Lina gestured to.
"What type of stories would you like to hear?" He asked.
"Only the ones his Highness likes."
"Hmm, his taste varies from adventure to war and even funny stories. But if any of these interest you, then I'll be happy to tell you about them."
"Yes, I would like to hear all about them."
"As you wish, my lady," Austin said and began to narrate a few historical novels that had captivated him when he read them, and before they both knew it, several hours had passed. But the two of them remained in the garden regardless, as Lina became increasingly interested in the stories being narrated to her.
Although Austin had mentioned adventure, war, and comedic-themed stories as what he would narrate to her, but as he spent more time with Lina, he realized that she was more interested in romance-themed stories, particularly the ones where the female leads were strong enough to protect themselves and those they loved.
"Did the girl become an empress in the end?" She asked, and Austin nodded in response.
"Yes, she did."
"But what about her sister? Will the empress punish her sister for trying to kill her, or will she spare her? Also, what happened to the empress's surrogate father? Will she visit her father again?"
Seeing how his future wife had so many questions about the story he had just finished narrating, Austin couldn't help but smile because this was the fourth story she was listening to, and yet her interest in his stories grew stronger the more she listened to them.
"Maybe we should call it a day, my lady," Austin advised as he stood up from the bench.
"Huh? You want us to stop?"
"Yes."
"But, we haven't finished the story yet."
"I know, my lady, and we'll continue the story tomorrow," Austin replied, but a maid arrived at that moment and bowed before Austin and Lina, unbeknownst to her that she was about to let the cat out of the bag.
"Your Highness, would you like to have some more snacks and tea?"
'Shit!'