“The king will be making his appearance with the Duchess Isabella so I thought that it would be best to present them with a gift that they would both admire. Someone close to Duchess Isabella gave me a valuable clue that the Duchess is very fond of a particular flower. Please have a look at this,” Lady Regina said as she held a small piece of paper towards me. I slowly approached her and while keeping my eyes down, I carefully took the paper from her hand. The moment that my eyes lowered to take a look at the paper, I found out that it was actually a photograph of a flower. It’s mix of red and purple color along with the shape made it look unique. I had never seen a flower shaped like this before and perhaps that was why the Duchess was attracted to its exotic beauty. “The flower is called Hermiosa and it can only be found in the wild. This special flower cannot be cultivated and must be picked from up in the mountain only. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time left because my meeti
“I better find that flower soon so that I can head back…” I muttered. The driver mentioned that he would be back for me around sunset, so I had to find the flower before that no matter what. Sundown would mark the extent of my search because I doubt that I would be able to see anything after the sun had set. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was extremely poorly equipped for my journey through the forest. I wasn’t wearing suitable shoes for a trek in the forest, and I didn’t have a flashlight to use if it got dark. “Let’s do this…” I mumbled to myself before taking in a deep breath.After steeling my nerves and pumping myself with adrenaline, I marched right into the forest on my search for the flower that the Duchess Isabella was so in love with. The forest seemed less dense when I walked inside and it didn’t feel as scary as when I was staring at if from the outside, thankfully. I breathed a sigh of relief; however, my initial feeling of relief did not last long. I remembe
My body froze in fear and suddenly the atmosphere around me felt very cold. My eyes widened as they focused on the golden eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. ‘Beware of Wolves…’My lower lips quivered as everything went completely silent all around me. My fear and panic made my chest felt tight as I stood there glued to the spot. The loud sound of my heart racing against my ribcage was the only sound that echoed in my ear. Suddenly, there were more than one pair of eyes staring back at me. It was like some kind of dark magic how the number of golden yellow eyes staring back at me from the darkness seemed to multiply at such a rapid speed. Before there was only one pair of eyes and now there were countless of them. My eyes darted all around me as even more of those golden orbs appeared in the darkness all around me. I’m surrounded. Just how many of them are there? I never thought that I would feel so much peace in my last moment. How can a girl outrun a pack of wolves in th
Suddenly, my eyes could make out a moving shadow approaching where I was. The wolves around me began to shrink backwards as if a much larger predator that they couldn’t handle was approaching. As if this pack of wolves wasn’t bad enough already. Is a tiger approaching this time?There was a series of loud rustling sound as the tree and its lower branches seemed to move. My eyes were glued to that spot as my body froze in panic again. If I’m going to die anyways, can we get this over as fast as possible, please?The tension in the air was stifling and killing me…“Somehow…I made it in time…”A man?My eyes widened as my hand flew to my mouth at the unexpected sound of a voice that I had gotten so familiar with. Instead of a larger wolf or a tiger, the tree branches parted to reveal just a man.No, it’s so dangerous!“Don’t come any closer! There are wolves all around here!” I shouted loudly.The moment that my loud and desperate cry left my lips and echoed throughout the woods around m
**A Few Hours Earlier **“Seems like she’s not coming here today...” Florian said with a hint of teasing in his voice.Leonard watched as his younger brother stepped out from the shadows of the stables and into the open where he could see Florian’s face clearly. Florian had a beautiful smile on his lips; however, his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Why are you here?” Leonard asked instead of reacting to Florian’s words. “I could ask you the same thing,” Florian replied as he looked around the stables with distaste. “This place doesn’t suit you and you’re not a big fan of horses. Did you come here just to see me?” Leonard asked innocently. “My nose told me that a very sweet-smelling little maid had been working here every day,” Florian replied before he laughed playfully. “Well, it seems like you scared her off because she didn’t turn up today,” Leonard replied smoothly. “You knew that she wouldn’t be here, but you still came. I don’t even want to know what that means…” Florian mut
It had been many hours already and the sun was already setting. Even if he found out now, what can he possibly do about it? “Answer me, Regina…” Leonard demanded coldly. He’s so angry…“I am meeting your father and Duchess Isabella tomorrow, so I asked her to find the Hermiosa flower that the Duchess favors to give to her as a gift. The maid that you are looking for should be in the mountains…” Regina replied as if she had done nothing wrong. She smiled charmingly at the prince while telling herself that she had not done anything wrong. The Duchess had requested for the flower, and she simply had one of her maids travel up the mountain to find it. Without waiting for her to say anymore, Leonard turned and walked hastily away towards the exit of the room. “Leonard! Please wait!” Regina called after him.She hurried after him before pulling on his arm to stop him. Why was he so worried and doing so much for that maid? She’s just a maid. She smiled sweetly up at him and then their
If I remembered correctly, I was sent to the forest up on the mountain to search for a rare flower. In the end, I didn’t end up finding it and I was chased by a pack of wolves when it got dark. Then, just when I thought that I would end up dead as a meal for the wolves for sure, the nameless man saved me. Then somehow, I woke up here. My eyes lowered to the navy blanket that covered my body from the waist down before moving upwards to the light pink satin and lacey night gown that I had on. If I wasn’t wrong, I was wearing my maid uniform…I looked up again to see the man staring at me with intent interest as if he was observing my every little reaction and I started to blush. This was the first time seeing his entire face clearly and I guess I could say that it took my breath away. My brain still found it hard to reconcile the truth with my dreams. Was it even possible to reconcile the two or piece them together? Suddenly, I felt very shy and even more conscious of the fact that
Instinctively, I tried to cover and hide my breast by folding my arms over my chest and turning away. Prince Leonard chuckled before he closed his eyes and began laughing opening. I took a step backwards when he suddenly took a step towards me, immediately close the distance between us. “Get back in bed. You’re not well…” he ordered but his tone was gentle. When his face came closer to mine and his blue eyes peered into my face, my chest started to feel tight. I have never felt my heart clench like this before. He was so close again and when I took another step backwards, he took a step forward to close the distance between us again. I must have been playing right into his hands because the more I retreated away from him, the closer I got to the bed. After taking yet another step backwards, I felt the bed against my backside. “I should head back…” I murmured as I tried to avoid meeting his intense gaze. “Get back in bed. That’s an order,” he ordered sternly. His presence felt sli
“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