Page 12 of Jon’s Desert Prince Dream

“Better?” I asked, not wanting to assume.

“So much,” he said with feeling. “In fact, I think I want to try a darker shade.”

“Try ’em, try ’em,” Garrett said.

Jon tried four other pairs on, some of them going back on the display, some of them staying on the counter. He paused and stared at the two, the debate clear on his face. One was noticeably lighter than the other, more of an amber hue.

“I want the lighter ones since they allow me to see inside a building,” he explained to us, still frowning. “But the darker shades are the only ones that can really mute Prince Donovan’s aura. Or yours, Garrett.”

I was really that bright?

Yes, that went straight to my ego, thanks for asking.

“Get both,” Garrett said. “You can use the darker ones outside, switch to the lighter ones when you’re inside. No reason to be stuck with one when you can easily afford both. They’re not expensive.”

“Oh, they’re not?”

“No, no, they’re only ten din a piece.”

This prompted an entire currency lesson. Jon’s old country had many different forms of coins, which led to a complex system allowing you to break down money into very small, single digit amounts. Tennoa’s currency was on a five-base system—the smallest you could go was in intervals of five.

Jon paid for both pairs of glasses, and I noticed he put the darker shades on, despite saying he could see less inside. Perhaps Garrett and I were too much for him combined.

“Saw a bunch of enslavers hassling people this morning,” Garrett commented. “Stepped in, reported it, they’re under a warning to not do it again. You know anything about that?”

I gave a sour grunt, as unfortunately I did. “I handled it.”

“Just wanted to make sure. They’re leaving soon, I hope?”

“They’d better, if they know what’s good for them. No one’s happy they’re here right now.”

“I bet.”

Shaking that off, I asked Jon, “Anything else you want, or do you want to continue to your building?”

“The building, please.”

“All right. In that case, see you later, Garrett.”

“Sure. Come back and see me, Jon!”

Jon flashed him a smile. “I will.”

The moment we stepped outside, he slipped his hand into mine, completely unprompted. It wasn’t wrong for me to hope, was it? That he felt safe around me, that he’d choose me?

“What is your role here, exactly?”

His curiosity fueled my wish. I tried not to become overeager, but it was proving an uphill battle. “I’m the Minister of Internal Security. I run and maintain the police force.”

Jon startled, whipping his head around to stare up at me. “I knew you were important and high up, but can you just take today off and spend it with me?”

“No, hence why I had to do some work this morning before coming back to fetch you. Barring an emergency, I won’t need to leave your side the rest of the day.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“Not at all. You’re my priority.” Sensing some interest from him, I chose to keep talking. “Really, I have an excellent staff that handles most of the day-to-day, but I do try to keep my finger on the pulse. Because this is a trade city, we have huge influxes of travelers at any given time, which often leads to conflicts. I do not want trouble in my country, much less my city, so I take the job very seriously.”

“It’s also why you said I can help you tremendously in your position.”