novelraw Chapter 713: A Wonderful Day At Maria Land
Chapter 713: A Wonderful Day At Maria Land
Of course, Cassius caught up to Maria, and soon he was dragging her away to show off all the other stalls that had been set up. There were so many of them, and all were wonderful.
At one stall, there was a complete candle-making setup.
Maria’s eyes lit up immediately—she loved making candles for her church.
There was an entire workshop arranged with so many different aromatic oils and waxes, with various molds and colors to choose from.
"I can really make my own?" She asked excitedly.
"As many as you want." Cassius confirmed with a smile.
They then moved on to another stall where there were shelves upon shelves of old books. As someone devoted to the faith herself, she treasured reading such texts.
But these books were particularly special—they had been owned by previous high-ranking members of the church who had done many wonderful things in their time.
They were basically relics, precious artifacts of church history!
"Cassius, how did you even acquire these?"
Maria breathed, carefully touching one of the leather-bound volumes.
"Some of these are centuries old!"
"I have my ways." He said mysteriously.
Next was a small bakery setup with tables laden with sweet treats—all kinds of pastries, cakes, tarts, and confections. Everything was arranged beautifully, and the smell alone was heavenly.
"You can eat as much as you want." Cassius told her. "Everything here is fresh and made just this morning."
As tempting as the treats were, they didn’t stop the and visited stall after stall.
A pottery wheel where she could make vases.
A painting station where she could create her own masterpiece.
A jewelry stand where she could string beads and make bracelets.
Each one tailored to her tastes, her hobbies, her secret passions—things she had never told him, never mentioned to anyone.
And yet he knew.
Maria was overwhelmed.
She had known, intellectually, that Cassius had gone all out for this date. She had seen the throne, the dresses, the restaurant. She had understood, on some level, the scale of what he was doing.
But seeing it all laid out, stall after stall, each one a testament to how well he knew her, how much he cared, how far he was willing to go—it was too much.
She didn’t feel like she deserved any of this.
But she was too happy to argue.
—
Finally, they reached a cluster of stalls that looked different from the others.
These were games.
Classic carnival games—ring toss, can knockdown, balloon darts, a strength tester, a shooting gallery. Nothing special, nothing tailored, nothing that screamed "Maria."
She let out a breath of relief.
"Thank goodness." She said, pressing a hand to her chest. "Finally, some normal stalls. I was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the...the amazingness."
Cassius held up a hand, chuckling. "Hold on, Maria. The stalls themselves are totally normal, the same games you’d see at any festival. But the prizes are a little different."
Maria tilted her head, confused. "Isn’t it usually just a small toy or a doll?"
"Not quite." He grinned. "Every time you win a game, two thousand silver coins get donated to a charitable cause of your choosing. The more you play, the more good you do."
Maria’s knees went weak.
Two thousand silver coins.
She had spent her entire life doing charitable work, organizing fundraisers, begging nobles for donations. She knew exactly what that amount could do.
A thousand silver coins could sustain a dozen families for decades. Ten thousand could fund a small hospital. A school. A shelter.
And she could win multiple times.
She looked at the games. They weren’t even difficult. She could probably clear all of them in an hour, maybe less. The amount she could raise—
"Cassius, aren’t you afraid you’ll go bankrupt?" She asked, genuinely concerned.
He shrugged.
"Did you forget who you’re talking to, Maria? Or rather what family I come from?"
She hadn’t forgotten. The Holyfield family was the wealthiest in the continent—richer than all the nobles in the capital combined, richer even than the royal treasury. A few thousand silver coins was nothing to them.
But still.
"I feel like I’m taking advantage of you." She said. "Playing these games, winning all that money for charity...it feels wrong. Like I’m stealing from you."
Cassius shook his head.
"You’ve got it backwards, Maria. I’m the one taking advantage of you."
She blinked.
"Think about it. The more you play, the more money you raise. The more money you raise, the guiltier you’ll feel for taking it from me."
"And eventually..." He smirked. "...that guilt will become so overwhelming that you’ll have no choice but to agree to become my wife, just to make things even."
Maria stared at him.
"You’re trying to trap me with charitable donations?"
He grinned shamelessly. "It’s like gambling debt, except instead of losing money, you’re gaining it. And I’m using your own conscience against you."
She should have been offended.
Instead, she laughed.
"Cassius, you’re shameless!"
"So I’ve been told." He spread his arms wide. "Now go on. This land was made for you. Enjoy yourself."
She didn’t need to be told twice. She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the games.
"Let’s go, Cassius! Let’s have fun!"
He let himself be pulled, smiling at her enthusiasm.
—
They started with the puppies—Maria couldn’t resist.
She sat in the middle of the pen and let the animals swarm her, laughing as they licked her face and nibbled her fingers and tumbled over each other trying to get closer. She rubbed her face in their fur, let them climb onto her lap, held them like babies.
Cassius watched, his heart full.
Then she moved to the babies—the real ones, dressed as animals. She tickled them, made them giggle, sang them little songs. And then, to Cassius’s absolute shock, she changed a diaper.
"Maria." He said, his voice strangled. "You don’t have to—"
"I want to." She said, not looking up from her task. "It reminds me of when Joy was little. I miss those days."
The parents standing nearby looked at her with expressions of pure gratitude.
Cassius said nothing. Just watched.
She spent time with the babies until they grew sleepy, then returned to the puppies until they tired themselves out.
Then she moved to the music stall—but instead of asking the band to play, she asked if she could borrow an instrument.
The band leader handed her a lute, looking curious.
Maria sat down, positioned the instrument, and began to play.
The melody was beautiful—soft and sweet, with a melancholy undertone that made Cassius’s chest ache. The band members exchanged glances, then quietly joined in, adding harmonies and flourishes that elevated the piece to something extraordinary.
When the song ended, everyone applauded.
Cassius stared at her. "How did you learn to play like that?"
Maria shrugged, looking almost shy. "I used to play at the church. To lift people’s spirits. I’m not as good as I used to be, but..."
"You’re incredible." He said.
She blushed and moved on.
—
They made candles together, Maria guiding his hands through the process, teaching him about different scents and waxes and wick lengths.
Cassius pretended to listen, but really he was just watching her face—the way it lit up when she talked about something she loved.
—
They visited the garden again, and Maria walked him through every flower, explaining why she loved each one.
The golden ratchela for its resilience. The Bavarian magnolia for its unexpected beauty in harsh climates. The six-kissed lily for the way it opened to the sun.
Cassius listened to every word.
They climbed the platform and admired her portrait, and Maria stared at it for a long time, a small, embarrassed smile on her face.
"I look beautiful." She admitted quietly.
"You always look beautiful." He replied.
She didn’t argue.
—
They ate sweets from the bakery—so many sweets that Maria knew she would regret it later, but she didn’t care. Cassius had given her confidence, had made her feel beautiful in her own skin, and she wasn’t going to let a few extra pounds ruin that.
—
They explored the book stall, and Maria showed him ancient texts, explaining their history, their significance, their place in the church’s legacy.
Cassius didn’t care about any of it. But he loved the way she spoke, the passion in her voice, the light in her eyes.
He could have listened to her talk about paint drying and been happy.
—
She then painted silly things on his face at the face-painting stall—flowers, stars, a little heart on his cheek—and he looked so ridiculous that she couldn’t stop laughing.
He pretended to be offended, but he was smiling too.
—
They watched a play performed by child actors—a romantic, cheerful story that made the young audience shriek with delight. Maria sat in the front row, her hands clasped, her eyes shining, and when the hero finally kissed the heroine, she sighed.
Cassius watched her instead of the stage.
And then, finally, they returned to the games.
Maria played every single one.
She knocked down cans with precision. Threw hoops with accuracy. Popped balloons with darts, rang the bell on the strength tester, shot every target in the gallery.
Every time she won, the amount donated to charity increased.
Twenty thousand. Forty thousand. Sixty thousand.
Eighty thousand.
One hundred thousand.
She kept playing, kept winning, kept raising money for causes that mattered to her. Orphanages. Hospitals. Schools. Food banks.
And every time she won, she taunted Cassius.
"You’re going bankrupt, Cassius! I’m going to ruin your entire family!"
"I’m going to be the woman who brought the Holyfields to their knees!"
"Just wait until the capital hears about this!"
Cassius just smiled and let her win.
Because watching her like this—happy and carefree and utterly alive was worth more than any amount of money.
—
By the time she had exhausted every game, the sun was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. The donation total was astronomical. And Maria was exhausted.
But she was happy.
So, so happy.
She hadn’t felt like this in years. Maybe decades. Like a child again, full of wonder and excitement, unburdened by responsibility or expectation.
She looked at Cassius, standing beside her, his face still covered in her silly paintings, and felt something shift in her chest.
"Cassius." She said.
"Yes?"
She opened her mouth to say something, she didn’t know what, exactly—but before she could, he held up a hand.
"There’s one more thing." He said. "One more stall or rather a display. I saved it for last."
Maria blinked. "What is it?"
He smiled mysteriously.
"You’ll see."
He took her hand and led her toward the final attraction.
And Maria, her heart full, followed.