Reality struck Frederick in an instant, leaving him stunned by his own actions as he pulled away from Selene, as if his very body were aflame. The king's gaze remained fixated on Selene's swollen, reddened lips. He swallowed heavily, and if it weren't for the faint knocks on the door, he might have stayed there all night, watching her sleep. The king exited the room after hearing one of the guards' calls, who had approached to inform him that the inn had been checked and secured. Frederick felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment, fearing discovery of his indiscretion. "She's my betrothed," he reminded himself mentally, trying to calm down and feel less ashamed of his actions. He hurriedly made his way to his own room, paying no heed to its small size. Meanwhile, Selene lay still on the bed, her fingers caressing her lips. What had happened? What had led her to remain motionless, prolonging Frederick's kiss? The truth was, she didn't know, and no matter how hard she tried to find a log
Marcus smiled. "I assure you it will be an honor for me to unsheathe my sword and lay it at your feet," he said as a compliment. Frederick's face transformed at such words. He clenched his fists, controlling the anger that coursed through him, especially when he saw the smile Selene bestowed upon the newcomer. "I believe you are forgetting that Lady Selene is my betrothed, my future wife, and your future queen," he declared. Marcus vehemently shook his head and slightly inclined it toward the king. "Of course, I could never forget, Your Majesty. It's the reason I'm honored to kneel at your feet," he insisted gallantly, but his response didn't soothe Frederick. The Marquess of Borja cleared his throat, noticing the discomfort on the king's face and the tension in the air. "Please, Your Majesty, forgive my nephew. He's young and a bit reckless," he said, while Marcus smiled at Selene. "You should go freshen up a bit, and then join us for dinner," he suggested to the young man. "Wit
Frederick stormed into his chamber as if chased by demons. His heart pounded erratically within his chest, even to the point of discomfort. He had to recline on his bed and await the calming of his breath, along with the wild beats of his heart. "What the devil is happening with Selene?" He pondered to himself. How was it that she could drive him to act irrationally and less than gentlemanly? He was the king; he had to maintain composure, and he was in love with Lady Regina. How could he forget those feelings? How was it possible for Selene to hold such power over him? He shook his head vigorously to dispel those thoughts. Placing a hand over his chest, he closed his eyes. It was a mistake, for doing so only drew him into recent events, and the discomfort within his trousers made him feel even worse about Selene and Lady Regina. He prided himself on always having control. Now was the moment to exert that self-control and behave as was proper. However, saying it was one thing; doing
The way he inquired about the young lady caught the Marquess's attention, but he said nothing as he noticed a certain tension between the royal couple that he couldn't decipher. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I haven't seen Lady Selene since I delivered her breakfast tray to her chamber," the maid replied. "She must still be there because I haven't seen her come downstairs. But for your peace of mind, I can ask the other maids." Frederick nodded slightly in gratitude. "Perhaps Lady Selene felt curious about the garden and peeked out to see the exotic species we've brought from abroad," the Marquess spoke without concern. "If she has been unwell, this might do her good." "Mmm..." "It's best to let her rest; the journey must be quite exhausting for a lady like her, Your Majesty," the Marquess said with a slight smile. Frederick nodded, not entirely convinced, but he accepted the Marquess's invitation to eat without Selene at the table, mainly because not doing so would be disrespectful t
The king declared with a stern and commanding tone, his desire to end this awkward situation as quickly as possible evident. The feeling of annoyance that overwhelmed the king was much more than anger from seeing Selene with the young man in such a friendly, if not more intimate, attitude. Frederick's first impulse was to find the entrance to the cabin and separate Selene from Marcus, but before he could even move, he heard the notes coming from the piano under Selene's fingers. They were not perfect notes, he thought it might be a Mozart melody, but he couldn't be certain because it didn't sound right, but there was something that kept him still and focused, watching Selene slide her fingers clumsily across the keys. Marcus moved a little closer to the edge of the bench, giving Selene more space to play and, unintentionally, providing some relief to the king's agitated heart. Selene's occasional facial expressions when she made a mistake drew a few tightly pressed smiles from Frede
The couple was so engrossed in their argument that they didn't notice the moment when Marcus had passed by and headed towards the castle. He had overheard some of their conversation, but didn't understand much or, if he did, he pretended he hadn't heard anything. He couldn't intervene, and he also didn't want to cause Selene more trouble.The young man entered the castle, greeted his uncle, who was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading a book."Where were you all day, boy?" the Marquess asked calmly. "Don't tell me you were playing your father's old piano," he commented, and Marcus nodded."I apologize for disappearing," he said, but his uncle waved it off. "You know I don't have a problem with that, well, I do," he said, causing tension in his nephew. "My problem is that I didn't hear you play. But now that I remember, you owe us a musical piece," he reminded Marcus, who nodded and swallowed hard, unsure if the king would be in a pleasant mood to hear him after what had happened
Fredrick's face turned crimson, and his hands couldn't help but find their way to his noble parts, yet he remained standing tall, like a king."Allow me to offer you some advice, Your Majesty," Selene said, completely ignoring the pain she had inflicted on Frederick. "Don't start something you're not willing to finish."Frederick didn't respond. He couldn't! And Selene took the opportunity to escape and seek refuge in the safety of her chamber, aware that if the king wanted to barge in, she couldn't stop him. Nevertheless, she hoped that Frederick would act like a gentleman after their heated encounter.The night was ridiculously short. There was no other way to describe it from Selene's perspective. She had wished for more time to rest, as she hadn't been able to sleep, and just when she was about to close her eyes, dawn surprised her."Are you all right, my Lady?" her maid asked as she helped her adjust her corset."I had a rough night," she confessed. There was no point in pretendi
Hearing the man's words, Selene pushed Frederick off her body, for the embarrassment of being seen in that situation with the king was overwhelming. Her cheeks turned red, and her gaze went straight to the door she had left open, but she felt reassured to see it closed.Frederick looked at Selene, noticed the way her chest was rising and falling without a beat, his own heart was the same and the desire was still burning inside him, he had no desire to stop.“Your Majesty," she whispered in a breathless whisper.“I swear to you that all I want at this moment is to finish what I have started," he growled, without catching his breath.Selene's body shuddered at his statement, especially the reaction she had had to the king's advances, she felt strange, her intimacy was moist, and it felt strangely good.“Your Majesty, shall I ask the Viscount to wait? “the servant insisted.Frederick grunted and for the first time in his life he had the impulse to send the servant and the Viscount to the
Happiness did not leave Astor Castle, after the birth of the heir, the Royal House dressed up again, the marriage of Samantha and Marcus could not wait any longer and only three months later they were swearing eternal love to each other before God, before the kings and before the people.Samantha looked radiant in her beautiful white dress, fit for the princess she was, her eyes sparkling with excitement every time she met the gaze of her now husband. The desire was latent in them and none of them could deny it. It was so much, that they were looking forward to being able to sneak away from people to be alone for a moment, but it wasn't until too late that they were able to do so.Marcus looked at his wife, she was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women he had ever had the joy of knowing, he was happy to share his life and his future with Samantha."Why do you look at me that way?" The young woman asked, feeling a lump in her throat. His hands were sweating with nervousness.
The months following the coronation were full of emotions, Selene and Frederick eagerly awaited the moment of meeting their first child, Eleanor was sure it was a boy because of the shape of the Queen's belly, Samantha opted for the idea of having a little niece running around the gardens, while the parents only prayed to God that their baby would be born healthy and strong.It was that morning, near sunset, while Samantha and Selene were taking a walk in the garden that it all began and the entire castle was turned upside down."Oh, for God's sake! Selene shouted as she felt a strong tug on her lower belly, her hands were placed under the lump, as if she wanted to hold it, but nothing appeased that first burst of pain."Selene! Samantha screamed as she watched her bend over in pain and grit her teeth."I think it's the boy, Sam!" My baby is coming! He exclaimed in the midst of another sharp pain that took his breath away.Samantha widened her eyes and for a moment she panicked, she
Over the next few days, Frederick took great pains to keep Selene's mind occupied, sometimes unable to do so. I saw her looking at the garden, distracted, I couldn't blame her, I couldn't expect her to forget what happened overnight, like everything, this too would have a process and he would be there to accompany her."You should be getting ready, what are you doing here, love?" Frederick asked, catching Selene's waist as she looked out into the garden."I'm nervous," she muttered.Selene felt an emptiness in the pit of her stomach, that night she would be crowned as the Queen Consort, she would occupy the place that the Queen Mother had held during her years at her husband's side. It was a great challenge for Selene, but she was confident in herself and considered herself very capable of playing a good role for the kingdom and the people."I understand you must be, today is not only about your coronation as my Queen, but it's also the day we can make public the arrival of our firstb
It didn't take long for the Queen to rush to the newlyweds' bedroom, as did Samantha. It was impossible for anyone in the castle not to have heard the screams and blows of the guards, in addition to Selene's screams, of which he had not been aware."What happened?!" The queen shouted as she saw Henry on the ground, in a pool of blood and a chilling expression in his eyes."Oh, for God's sake! Samantha exclaimed terrified by the scene and her stomach churned, so she turned her body to run out of the bedroom, but arms caught her before her escape.For a moment Marcus thought that Samantha had been affected by Henry's death, an emptiness formed in his stomach, but it was short-lived, when the young princess noticed that he was in her arms and clung to his waist with a tight embrace."He came in to hurt them..." Hurt us," she sobbed softly and cradled her head on Marcus' chest."He won't hurt them again," she whispered against Sam's crown.It was a moment for both of us, even if they were
"The woman looks like she was swallowed by the earth," one of the royal guards said in frustration."Damn it! His companion shouted in frustration and slammed the old table that still stood in Anabel's battered house. Going back to the old house didn't help them at all. There was no sign of Anabel."By this time the King must be married, and because of that damned woman we couldn't make it," growled the other man, sitting down on the filthy floor. Everything was just as they had left it the last time they were there, indicating that Anabel did not return."The King has entrusted us with this mission because he trusts us, do not lament and get up. "We must keep looking," the senior guard ordered.The search continued and was fruitless, so they had no choice but to move away from those lands abandoned by man, a dry place that could hardly give life.Meanwhile, Anabel entered the castle, taking advantage of the distraction of the party, the woman clenched her fists tightly and cursed the
Marcus took a deep breath and walked over to his fiancée's face, her eyes shining like stars guiding him along the way. Her lips slammed into Sam's cheek, very close to the corner of his mouth. Marcus placed a tender kiss, which drew a sigh from the princess.He was quite a gentleman, that was the greatest audacity he could do, no matter how much he wanted more; However, Samantha had a different idea and before Marcus could get away from her she grabbed him by the shirt and carefully pulled him towards her, joining their lips in a delicate kiss, although this was short-lived, as the desire was overwhelming and the kiss intense."I love you so much," Frederick whispered in his wife's ear, sending a stream of excitement through her body."Let's get out of here," Selene replied quietly. The king smiled and quickly sat up to continue the celebration privately.Frederick and Selene bade farewell to their guests; However, none of them left, as the party continued without the bride and groom
"You look beautiful," said the Queen Mother, and approached Selene. He caressed her cheek gently. You look like an angel.Selene wasn't able to answer, her eyes filled with tears that she forced herself to hold back, because she didn't want to ruin her makeup, but hearing those words comforted her soul, while breaking it into pieces. Those were the words she should have heard from her mother, but now it was the Queen who protected and cared for her like a daughter."I've brought this," the queen announced, and put a silver brooch with small blue flowers in Selene's hair."Thank you," whispered Selene, who was overly excited."Good luck for all the success of your marriage and reign," the Queen snapped. The bride couldn't take it anymore and threw herself into Leonor's arms, she received her calmly and with all the affection of which she was capable."Are you ready yet?" Sam asked, entering Selene's bedroom. As soon as she saw her friend and sister-in-law in her mother's arms, she stop
Norwood gritted his teeth as he realized that the King's men were coming, he looked at Regina with seriousness and determination. I had been thinking and analyzing what was the best way to save her from prison, but there wasn't much choice."What's the matter, who's coming?" Regina asked, getting out of bed."The King's guard," he said morosely."Are they coming for me?" He asked in a trembling voice.The Count did not know the answer, so he looked at Regina, took her by the arms, and spoke:"It's likely—""Don't let them take me, I don't want to go to prison," she cried, clinging to her father's hands."I'll do everything in my power, Regina, but you have to do things as I tell you, otherwise there won't be anything I can do for you. He could never face the king and be victorious."What do I have to do?" She asked sorrowfully. I'll do whatever you tell me, but I don't want to go to jail," she sobbed.The Count nodded, he had only a short time before he was called by the men to the vi
Frederick made sure to guard the carriage in which Henry was transported back to the castle, where he would be taken to the dungeons. He didn't want to risk an accomplice trying to do anything to free him."Edward! He called to him, and the guard rode up quickly."Tell me, your majesty."What happened to Henry's mother?" He asked, fearing that the woman would try to do something to complete the plans she had with her son."A group of guards must be seizing her right now, Your Majesty," he informed him, and Frederick nodded. He didn't want to rejoice until he was sure that everything was going well, but it was hard not to feel that everything was finally taking the right turn.Anabel heard the hooves of the horses approaching along the road of stones and dirt, her heart stirred, especially because she had not heard from her son for several days and the last thing she heard in a bar near her old house was that he was being sought dead or alive. Something inside her told her that she was