The trail in the woods led to a broader road, and Opal resigned herself to having to walk along it for a bit before being able to return to the forest. She was far more comfortable in the woods, she always had been. Probably because it was one of the few places where she wasn't being yelled at. And even now, though the voices were never raised and the words were polite, she kept getting the feeling that she was being corrected all the time. It was never, ever a good feeling.
She tried so hard to be a real princess. Her husband was a good person, at least Opal really wanted to believe he was. He'd been so kind to her in the woods that day. And she didn't really want to think that he only married her because of her “blessing.” So she tried to do everything right, so he wouldn't be ashamed of her. But there was always someone, somewhere, giving her a look or a quiet shake of their head, if not outright telling her that what she had done wasn't really what she should have done.
But in the forest, on her own, there wasn't anybody to tell her she was wrong. There weren't any snide whispers or sly looks from the servants. There wasn't anybody watching her, at least nobody human. Opal could just be herself, and since she spent so much time trying to do just the opposite of that, it was a genuine relief. The woods were a sanctuary for her, so she'd put up with the road for a bit if it could get her back on her way to finding a nice spot for a picnic sooner.
Hearing the beat of hooves behind her, Opal first glanced back, fearful that it was someone from the castle come to retrieve her. But the colors on the livery weren't her father-in-law's, so it wasn't them. It was some other group of nobles or well-off citizens. So she simply continued on her way, willing to let them pass at their own pace.
One of the very first habits that had been broken when Opal became a princess was the automatic urge to bend a knee whenever somebody of wealth and privilege was in her presence. She was no longer beneath them in her new position. And though she really didn't think of herself as a princess, that lesson had apparently stuck because it never occurred to her to curtsey to whomever it was that rode by. She gave a polite nod to the nice man on the horse, and continued to walk without giving it a second thought.
Until he wheeled his horse around and came trotting back. Then she wondered if perhaps it had been a mistake. But what should she have done? If she'd curtsied, then she wasn't being the princess that she should be for her new husband. But since she hadn't, she was going to get yelled at now. And she didn't have any servants with her to prove that she didn't have to anymore. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear.
But the nice man didn't yell, he only had a kind question. Which wasn't surprising now that she could see his face better. His eyes were kind too, and he had a gentle sort of curve to his mouth, and Opal was sure she could really like him. Except that he'd asked her a question. And she couldn't not answer.
So she shook her head, then realized that wouldn't be enough of a reply. Not if she was going to be polite, and he was nice enough that he deserved that. Opal ducked her head slightly, and brought her hand up to cover her mouth demurely before she quietly answered, “That's a generous offer, but no, thank you. I am looking for a spot to eat. Quietly. By myself. But thank you so much, that was very kind.”
She had to speak slowly so that it didn't come out garbled as the gems and flowers fell from her lips, and she quietly caught each and every one of them. Somehow, she would have to sneak them into her basket so they wouldn't be seen, but she felt she'd done the right thing in speaking to this man.