After all, what’s the point of me having the prince’s child if he doesn’t even want it?“But the prince… I mumbled in protest. The duchess held up her hand to silence me and I found myself holding back my words. The older lady shook her head softly before she grinned at me. “Seriously, why do you think I’m still around? Just take a look at the current king and you will see what I mean. Do you honestly think that the three of us were his only lovers from when he was in his prime?” she asked before her smile widened. I didn’t know what to say although I understood the point that she was trying to make already. In response, all I could do was shake my head. Undoubtedly the king must have had many lovers when he was younger but as the duchess rightfully pointed out, only two women were still by his side given that Prince Leonard’s mother had already passed away. “In case you don’t already get the picture, I’m going to give it to you straight. The only women who are still left by the k
Darius had already heard the ruckus in front of the room even before Asana opened the door. He already knew that she was there and why she had come to see him. Unfortunately, he had to meet up with Salena for her regular report and didn’t think that there was a need for him to avoid the Sacred Chambers even if that meant encountering Asana. When he ordered Madame Sand to send her away, he already knew that she wouldn’t be so willing to leave peacefully, and he wasn’t wrong. “Welcome, Asana. It’s good to see you again,” Darius said passively. Asana stood in the doorway with her chest heaving up and down. With a slight nod of her head, she slowly closed the door before locking it firmly behind her. A mere honorable maiden having an audience with one of the princes was unimaginable unless the invitation was extended by the prince himself. Asana knew this very well and understood that this was a rare chance for her to see the prince again. She may get punished severely for this, but she
“You never know what you’re going to need, you know. Better safe than sorry,” Jessie replied immediately. “I agree. It’s a lot better than not having something when you need it. You’ll also be away so we won’t be there to help you,” Salena said. I disliked the way they were talking as if prior to having them working as my personal maids I wasn’t able to take care of myself. Of course, I knew that my friends meant well but sometimes their efforts were just way over the top. I let out a sigh of resignation as I decided to let them do whatever they wanted. As for me, I had much bigger problems at hand to deal with. “The prince is running a little late, isn’t he?” Salena asked in a small voice as she came to stand next to me.“He’s probably busy with something…” I replied without much worry. “Do you want to review your schedule again for the trip?” Jessie suggested before handing me the booklet that had been prepared. “That’s not a bad idea. Thank you,” I thanked her before taking th
The flight lasted only a couple of hours and soon enough the pilot informed us that we would be descending to the airport of our destination. The country that we were visiting was one with very close ties to the prince’s family. “Just make sure to keep smiling. You don’t have to answer anyone’s questions. One last thing, always stay close by my side,” Prince Leonard instructed.“I will,” I promised him without any hesitation. When we exited the plane and entered the airport, many people were there to greet the prince. I found out that so many people travelled along with us for the trip. Many reporters were there to take photos of us, and I could understand why the prince had instructed me to smile. It felt like the only thing that I could do as I stood by his side. Everything proceeded exactly as outlined in the schedule that was printed and given to me beforehand. Someone who looked very senior came to greet the prince and as they shook hands, a middle-aged woman offered me a bouqu
I was certain that the many medical technological advances that the team of doctors presented to us were beyond impressive; however, it made me feel conflicted inside. To me, I felt like there was also an emotional side to the process of conceiving and having a baby. Many things during the various presentations caught my attention although I couldn’t completely comprehend the medical aspect of things due to my limited background knowledge.The various videos shown of mothers with their newborn baby and other videos of mothers and fathers raising their baby into a young child were easy enough for me to understand. Everyone featured in the videos seemed happy as they lived their dream come true moment of finally having a child. For a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if the parents that I used to have smiled like that when they had me or when they were raising me when I was a baby or a young girl. Trying to recall my memories of them was futile because I simply did not remember anythi
The luxurious room did not surprise me and neither did the spectacular food options that were present. Thankfully, the food wasn’t much different to the food served in the palace because that meant that I knew quite well what was being served. At first everything seemed normal as I took my seat next to the prince at the dining table. Apart from us, many government officials that had joined us on the trip were also present at the dining table along with a handful of people that represented the host country. Frankly, I did not recognize most of the people and had no idea what their roles were. Regardless of not knowing precisely who they were, I could feel their eyes on me. It did cross my mind that they were staring at Prince Leonard who was seated next to me; however, as time went on, I was certain that I had become the center of their attention. The way they looked at me made me feel uneasy. Suddenly a man dressed in a formal suit approached us.“Your Highness, if I may have a word
“I…Umm…” I murmured as I hesitated. “You don’t have to be shy about it…” she coaxed before smiling at me. I wished that the only emotion that I felt at that moment was simply shyness; however, that was very far from the case. I felt so conflicted, and all my emotions were a mess as I struggled more with myself than the pressure that everyone seemed to be putting on me to answer that question. “I’m…” I began saying before I had to stop. “Are you embarrassed? Well, there’s no need to be. I’m just very curious about your relationship with the prince. So, tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Prince Leonard?” she asked again as her eyes stared directly at my face. “I…I’m just…” I murmured as I felt my body tremble slightly. “Mila…”I heard the prince’s voice calling my name almost at the same time that I felt the warmth of his hand on my bare shoulder. My heart skipped a beat before relief flooded my chest. I turned to stare up at Prince Leonard’s face; however, he wasn’t
My heart clenched a little in my chest before I felt a wave of warmth washing over me. “Umm…you should get some rest…” I suggested as I started to feel slightly shy. “I’m very sorry, Mila. I shouldn’t have left you alone like that. I didn’t think that the talk would take so long…” Prince Leonard suddenly apologized. I turned to him with what must have been a very blank look on my face because I didn’t expect an apology from him. That was also simply because I didn’t feel like there was anything that he needed to apologize for. In fact, I felt like I owed him such a big favor after all that he had said in my defense. “There’s no need for you to apologize for anything. I’m fine…” I quickly reassured him. “It’s my fault. I misjudged the situation and you had to pay the price for it,” he replied firmly. I had no idea what he was talking about or why it seemed to be such a big deal for him. It was true that many people in the dining room made me uncomfortable and Lucinda did put me o
“Congratulations to us, you’re pregnant, Mila!” Prince Leonard announced excitedly.“I’m pregnant?” I asked more out of curiosity than out of surprise. Although I knew that the prince would never joke about something like this, I still found it hard to believe that I was suddenly pregnant.“That’s right, you’re pregnant, and that means we’re about to have another baby,” Prince Leonard said before breaking into another wide smile.“I’m…really pregnant?” I whispered as I struggled to wrap my head around the prince’s sudden announcement.“The doctor said that you might have been feeling tired because you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. I’m sorry that I hadn’t realized this sooner; otherwise, I would have kept all the ceremonies short so that you didn’t have to go through all of that when you’re feeling so tired,” the prince said apologetically as he took my hands into his. I kept staring at the prince as he buried the side of his face against the palm of my hand.“We’re about to hav
“Have you eaten anything? Actually, that’s a very stupid question. I know that you haven’t really eaten anything because you haven’t had the time, right?” the Duchess asked knowingly.Although I didn’t want to admit it because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to anyone, the Duchess was spot on correct that I hadn’t had the time or the opportunity to eat anything. The day had been so busy from early in the morning up until the evening, and everything seemed more important than filling my own stomach.“It’s fine, I’ll make sure to eat something when this reception is over,” I told her reassuringly before offering her a smile. Duchess Flavia only gave me a disapproving glare before shaking her head from side to side.“You look like you’re about to faint. It’s like I can see your face go pale even with all the makeup,” she said as she brought her face closer to mine to get a closer look at me.“I’m feeling fine,” I told her while I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t feeling light-
"Your daughter looks like you," Prince Leonard commented."And I think that your son looks like you, and I'm sure that he will grow up into a great king," Regina said, and I could hear the confidence in her voice."Let me know if you ever need anything," the prince told her with a warm smile."You're always too kind. Please take good care of yourself and of Mila. Mila, please take care of our King," Regina said, turning to address me."I will," I replied shortly before finding myself smiling at her.Regina truly did look happier than the time when she lived in the palace. It felt like the shadow that had always been following her around and haunting her was no longer there. I could tell that she was no longer living under pressure, and it made her shine with happiness and freedom. It seemed that I didn't have to worry about her anymore.After some parting words, Regina led her daughter away from us so that we could converse with other guests. I had no idea how many conversations we ha
Prince Leonard probably had no idea that it was the way his beautiful eyes looked at me and the way his alluring lips curved up into a smile that was responsible for making everything else fade away from my field of vision so that all I could do was focus on him."Thank you for making me your queen," I whispered softly and sweetly.The prince only nodded his head once before carefully placing the crown on the top of my head. When I was aware of the world surrounding us again, all I could hear was the thundering sound of applause that echoed in the royal hall...."Hang in there for just a little longer, Mila," the prince said before flashing me a teasing smile."I guess we're done with two out of the three parts of what we have planned for today," I mumbled before stifling a yawn. I had no idea why I felt so lethargic and sleepy, although it was only just early in the evening. So far, the prince and I operated as the perfect team to pull off two of our most important events of the day
His words touched me like never before, and I could feel it in my heart and soul that I reciprocated his feelings and thoughts. I had never understood the concept of fated mates until I experienced it myself along with the prince. Our bond felt stronger and firmer than any endearing words of promise."I love you. I’ll love you forever," I said the words that came naturally to my mind.**Back to the present**When it came my turn to say ‘I do’, I found myself managing to say it without any difficulty. It must have been partly because I truly meant it when I vowed to be with the prince in sickness and in health, through thick and thin; however, I was certain that everything felt easier because I knew that we had a bond that even the heavens could never break."I do," I said firmly when it was my turn.When we shared the kiss to seal our wedding vows, I knew that what we had was something that was going to last forever until the end of our lifetimes....Our wedding ceremony in the churc
I gave Logan's hand a slight squeeze before taking my first step forward into the church. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I reminded myself to keep my head held high, curving my lips into one of my most beautiful smiles. Without any hesitation, I made my way forward down the aisle. The fact that each step forward brought me closer to the man waiting for me at the end of the aisle gave me the comfort and courage to continue on. I didn't even bother trying to identify faces that I might recognize in the crowd of guests present on both sides of me.It felt as if all my nervousness melted away completely when my eyes met Prince Leonard's. I’d always thought he looked amazingly attractive, but seeing the prince wearing an all-white tuxedo standing in front of the altar with such a loving smile on his face as he waited for me was out of this world. I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest, and it wasn't at all because of my nervousness. Everything and everyone around me slowly faded aw
It was clear that everything was too extravagant for my own taste to the point where it must have been pretty obvious to Prince Leonard that I had no hand in the selection and design of the proposed decorations. "I'm actually fine with anything. I think everything they've chosen is very beautiful, and their work is a lot more professional than anything I could have done by myself," I admitted to the prince honestly."If that's the case, then fine, but if there's anything that you don't like, just tell them to take it out," the prince said firmly."I just think it's easier to let them sort everything out. It's enough for me that we'll be getting married and that Logan will be there to witness our union," I said while trying to keep my tone cheerful. I was certain that if I picked out anything by myself or intervened with the guest list, I would be bringing unwarranted complications and troubles that I didn't want to deal with."If that's what you say," the prince said after finally gi
I should have known that the prince would never want to become the next king for his own personal gain. I found myself nodding my head naturally in agreement with his plan when I realized that I also had to play my part in contributing to the happiness of our son in the future.“I agree that that seems to be the easiest way. I guess if you become king, you can change the rules in whatever way you want,” I said while seeing more than a glimpse of hope.“It’s not going to be that easy. Many people on the committee are going to be against it, but this is our best shot. No matter what, we’re going to make this successful and change the rules of this country for the better,” the prince said, so motivatingly that I found myself feeling slightly excited.“I guess bringing change, especially big changes, isn’t going to be easy,” I said, but by then I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. In my mind, I had already envisioned such a bright future, and it gave me the greatest honor to be able to co
“What is it?” I asked, feeling a sense of worry stir in the pit of my stomach.“I’m concerned about Logan,” the prince confessed in a whisper.“Concerned? What is there for you to be concerned about? Is something wrong?” I bombarded him with questions, thinking there might be a threat to Logan’s safety. I had no idea why I felt that way, but I just had a very bad feeling.“Remember when you asked me why I changed my mind about taking over the throne? I’m sorry, but I haven’t been entirely honest with you,” the prince said with a regretful look on his face.“It’s fine. It must have been hard for you,” I said understandingly while wondering what had the prince feeling so concerned. “What is it about Logan?” I asked as I started to frown with worry.“Logan is getting a lot better at controlling his transformations now, but he’s still too young for us to be sure about what will happen in his future,” Prince Leonard said.It was true that our son had improved tremendously at controlling hi