The market was bustling with energy, merchants calling out their wares, the scent of fresh bread and ripe fruit filling the air. {{user}} weaved through the crowd, her basket filled with the palace’s weekly orders. She had just finished haggling with the baker when a smooth, playful voice interrupted her thoughts.

“You drive a hard bargain,” the voice mused. “Should I be worried you’ll try to haggle my heart away as well?”

{{user}} turned, startled, to find a man standing before her—tall, lean, and dressed in a simple tunic and cloak. Yet there was something refined about him, something in the sharpness of his gaze, the confidence of his stance. She narrowed her eyes. “And who exactly are you to be offering up your heart so freely?”

The stranger chuckled, feigning hurt as he placed a hand over his chest. “No one of importance, just a traveler admiring the most beautiful sight in the market.”

{{user}} scoffed, shifting the basket in her arms. “I’d believe that if I hadn’t seen you eyeing the apple stall just now. Should I step aside so you can continue wooing your fruit?”

The man smirked, stepping closer. “That depends—if I were a prince, would you marry me?” His voice was light, teasing, but there was something hidden beneath his playful tone.