"Thank you, Julian. I'm sorry for worrying you. You were right earlier, we're not ready to give up yet. Maybe one day I'll stop doubting myself so much and I'll be able to stop worrying that I'm putting you in danger everyday. So thank you for being patient with me."With that said, Julian moved himself away from her embrace, getting off of the bed and walking over to where his clothes had been left neatly folded beside the foot of his bed. Catherine remained silent as he pulled on his shirt and trousers before turning back around and slipping his jacket on. As he stood there, adjusting his collar and buttoning up his shirt as he looked over towards her."So how are you feeling?" he asked her hesitantly.Catherine raised her eyebrows slightly in confusion. "Fine. Why?""Because it seemed like you were crying earlier," Julian replied quietly.Catherine hesitated slightly, pursing her lips slightly. "I'm sorry, it was just hard seeing you like that. I don' t deserve you after all that
"No, Julian. I slept alone. I woke up earlier than usual to use the bathroom and when I got back I could hear you moving around in there and so I decided to wait for you. That was when you started talking and then… well, after that, I decided to take a shower."Curtis frowned slightly. "But that shouldn't have taken long. I haven't used the toilet or anything else in days, and I still feel gross after yesterday."Catherine gave him an amused smile, despite the worry growing within herself that she was starting to develop. She knew that the fact that he hadn't been using the toilet or brushing his teeth was cause for concern, but she was hoping he would start to grow out of his little habit. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky."You're just tired. It's understandable. After being held prisoner in such a small room for so long, I wouldn't blame you if you were a bit groggy," she told him, hoping he wouldn't take it wrong."But you've been awake for hours. There should have been no way
Without turning around she raised her hand and cupped his cheeks. She didn't bother replying, instead pulling him tightly towards her and resting her head against his chest. She listened carefully to his heartbeat, wanting to memorise every single beat. Every single movement of his chest was calming to her, reminding her of his steady heartbeat. For a brief moment she let herself sink into the feeling of the embrace and just enjoyed being in his arms. He stroked her hair tenderly, holding her firmly as if afraid she might disappear if he let go.A tear rolled down her cheek as another sob escaped her lips. She buried her face deeper into his shirt. She wasn't crying just because she missed him. She was crying because she missed him so badly. She missed being in his arms."I miss you so bad," she muttered in between sobs. "I need you. Please, come back home."He wrapped his arms around her tighter."I will."The next morning Catherine awoke with a start. She rubbed her eyes blearily
Once their plates were cleared away, Catherine helped her mother clean the dishes up. It took her awhile, due to her pregnant condition but eventually she got the dishes cleaned. When she was finally ready she turned to her mother."So, Mama, can I have a few minutes alone?""Hmm," she hummed in response, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you already had two minutes.""I can use five," she responded with an innocent smile.Queen Diana nodded her head slowly before walking to the living room where she was sitting on the couch. Catherine smiled at her mother before quickly following her into the living room. Once they were both sat down on the couch Queen Diana looked towards her daughter. Catherine could sense the questioning gaze that she was giving her. She could tell that her mother had a lot of questions on her mind. She knew why she had asked to be alone, especially after the last night that they spent together."Is something wrong Catherine?" her mother asked with a slight tone o
Her father immediately began to jog towards her as she stood there, holding her stomach. She couldn't help but smile brightly when she noticed his happy look as he saw her standing there. She watched as he ran up to her and lifted her off her feet in excitement. After a quick embrace between father and daughter they separated and stepped back, smiling at each other."How are you feeling?" he asked curiously as he studied his daughter.She shrugged lightly before responding: "A little tired, but otherwise fine.""Have you had any problems? Any pain? Has your stomach been bothering you?" her father inquired."Nothing really, Dad. Everything has been fine. Besides that, I haven't been sick. It's nothing serious, so stop worrying.""Ok, alright. That's all that matters to me.""Yeah, that's definitely all that matters to me too," Catherine replied.Then, without warning, Catherine launched herself towards her father and hugged him tightly. He returned the gesture happily, wrapping his ar
Catherine felt her heart begin to pound furiously in her chest."Do you think I give a damn about that?" she practically screamed, grabbing hold of her mother's arms tightly. "I've already told you that I'm not going to date any boys that aren't my brothers! Especially not some guy that doesn't even know my name! I'd rather die first!"Mrs Ellen glared angrily at Catherine for a moment before letting out a sigh and resting her forehead against hers. She then slowly shook her head as she spoke."If I'd known that this would happen, I'd have never asked you to move here, Catherine," she whispered.Catherine remained silent."And I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess. I just thought it was the only way to keep you safe, Catherine."Catherine opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She just sighed heavily, closing her eyes."I'm sorry," her mother repeated, her voice softer.She slowly moved her face away from Catherine's and gazed back at her husband, who was looking at h
The sounds of her mother humming happily filled the small apartment, making Catherine feel at ease despite the fact that she was still tired and sore. She closed her eyes and focused on the song that her mother was singing softly. The tune sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite pinpoint why it was playing in her head. Suddenly, an image of a very young girl in red riding boots and a matching coat appeared in Catherine's head. She frowned as she tried to remember who the girl was, but her mind refused to provide her with any answers. She frowned lightly and opened her eyes, deciding to focus on the melody instead. A few moments later, Catherine's eyebrows arched in realization.That's right... it's Catherine! Catherine smiled softly as she remembered the day that they met for the first time. She hadn't expected that the child would become such a big part of her life. She had been surprised when the child showed interest in her, but she hadn't minded it in the slightest. She liked
Catherine bit her lip nervously before taking a deep breath and beginning to speak."Yesterday morning I went to the park with Catherine," she began hesitantly.Serena nodded encouragingly, urging her to continue."Well, we were there for about twenty minutes or so, before I started getting bored." She laughed lightly, looking towards the ground. "I mean, we spent practically all day yesterday doing nothing, and I wanted to do something new today.""So I suggested that we go back home to get ready and take a walk in the park before heading to your place to meet everyone. I figured that the sun might help wake us up since we slept so late last night and we didn't have dinner. Then, we were walking back to the road when we started hearing voices…"Serena looked puzzled by Catherine's words."Voices?" she repeated in confusion. "I don't hear anyone."Catherine paused, frowning slightly before answering slowly, "I know...that's why I called you. Because I couldn't make out where they we
"It sounds like your husband was really great." He remarked. She nodded slowly, not saying anything in response.Julian knew that she probably needed to process what happened before she could continue talking to him about it. He waited patiently.After a few moments, she took a deep breath and lifted her head."Do you remember when I said that my mother passed away a year ago? Well, it wasn't actually a death. It was a suicide." She revealed quietly. "We had just moved here after that." Julian nodded. He remembered the day perfectly. He had taken her to visit her mother and she had shown them around the house. They had visited the cemetery and Serena had talked about her mother for the entire time.She seemed happy. It was obvious how fond of her mother she was. Julian smiled slightly at the memory."Well, she did it. I think that my father may have been responsible. After he found out, he got violent. And he didn't take it well when she killed herself." Serena explained. She shrugg
The sound of soft footsteps alerted Julian to the presence of another person entering the room. He turned around and gave his visitor a weak smile."Hi" He whispered. She returned the gesture with a soft smile of her own."How are you?" She asked concerned, moving to sit down next to him. He glanced at her briefly and shrugged."I'm alright. Tired. I think I caught a cold. I feel pretty gross, too. My throat is hurting." He answered honestly. She chuckled."That happens sometimes when you get sick. Have you eaten anything?" She asked him. He shook his head. "I can cook you something.""No, no. I can eat when I have the chance." He protested."You shouldn't. It can cause more harm than good." She told him. He sighed quietly."I know. But I'll eat anyway. If it means that I won't starve to death, I'll eat." He insisted. She laughed again."Okay" She agreed after a beat.Silence fell between them as they both stared blankly at the wall opposite of them. After a few minutes of silence, h
"I see…" She paused for a moment before she spoke again. "Can I ask you something though?" She inquired. Julian nodded absentmindedly. "What happened?" "Why did you have that conversation with her?""Because…” He started explaining vaguely. “Because…" He trailed off as he tried to find the words to explain to her. It was true that he didn't want to burden her with anything concerning his relationship with Serena. However, he knew that he couldn't hide things from his family forever. If he did, then eventually they would discover that something was wrong with him. He sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration."Dad, can you give me a minute? I'll be right back" He whispered. Without waiting for his father to respond, he ended the call and went back inside the room. He stood behind the couch for a few moments as he listened to the soft sound of Serena's breathing. He could barely make out any sounds from the living room.He approached the sleeping girl slowl
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She smiled reassuringly, hoping that her boyfriend would believe her. Julian smiled back at her.“Alright then” He said in response. He leaned forward and pressed another tender kiss onto her lips. A few seconds later he released his fiancée from his embrace and turned to open the horse carriage. Before leaving the parking lot he glanced at his wife once more. “Stay inside, all right? No wandering around alone.” He added.“Sure. Don’t worry.”“I don’t care if you stay inside the whole time, I will still worry.”“Okay” She laughed and waved at him as he drove away. She waited until he disappeared from view before returning to sit down on the sofa once again. She was silent for several minutes, pondering what he had told her before. As she sat there and stared ahead at nothing particular, she suddenly felt like she was suffocating.She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she found herself sitting there sta
He smiled gently and leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his fiancée's forehead. She chuckled quietly and moved her hands to hold the back of his head. They stayed like that for a few moments before Julian pulled away."I need to go check on something." He announced getting up from the couch.Serena watched curiously as her husband headed towards the kitchen. She tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms in front of her chest."Do you think that he might be cheating on me?" Serena whispered to herself.Suddenly the sound of footsteps caught her attention. She looked behind her and spotted Julian leaning against the door frame watching her."Hm?" She hummed. He shrugged his shoulders."Nothing. I guess you should come with me." Julian told her as he gestured towards the hallway."Where are we going? And why?" Serena asked."I'm checking if my mother and father are home and if they have any guests." Julian answered as he walked toward the closet to retrieve his jacket and t
After another minute or two he started moving his hand slowly. He caressed her side slowly, enjoying the feeling of his thumb brushing against her tender skin. He pressed a gentle kiss to her inner thigh and started teasing her.“Please….please don’t….stop” Serena begged breathlessly, her eyes still closed. The prince smirked and continued to stroke her thigh slowly. He reached the peak again, but hesitated. Just as he was about to push inside her and make her come, there was a knock on the door.Serena froze and tensed in his lap.“Are you expecting anyone?” Julian asked calmly as he continued to stroke her inner thigh slowly. The princess shook her head no and slowly slid off of his lap.“No, it can’t be my parents. They aren’t home yet." She muttered worriedly. Julian furrowed his eyebrows. Something doesn’t seem right. He looked over to his wife and noticed that she was staring intently at the door. There was fear evident in her blue orbs. What could it possibly be.“Go answer t
“I love you so much Serena.” Julian said placing a few quick pecks on the girl’s lips. He heard some gasps around him and saw that everyone else were looking at him weirdly. He frowned and pulled away from the girl. “We have to pay for these groceries so let’s hurry up okay?” He said before grabbing the shopping basket from her hands.A few minutes later they were leaving the grocery store and Julian couldn’t hold back the huge grin on his face. This is definitely the best day of his life and he wouldn’t change any minute of it. He finally proposed to his beautiful queen and got a yes from her."I am so happy." He thought happily.He looked over to Serena who was walking next to him and noticed that she was also smiling like a fool. As soon as they got in the carriage, he reached out and held her hand. "So many things happened yesterday. Our parents came, I proposed to her, she said yes, she said yes to marrying me and I kissed her." Julian laughed and squeezed the princess’s hand
“You look cute today.” His girlfriend said while looking at the prince who is smiling at himself while wearing his blue coat and holding his hand. “How can I look cute when you are wearing the prettiest thing on earth?” His boyfriend said kissing the redhead’s hand.“You are lucky I love you then.” Serena chuckled taking the boy’s hand and heading towards the exit of the park, the prince couldn’t stop smiling.They arrived at the ice rink where they usually meet each other. Their friends is there already waiting for them and they went to the ice skating rink together. This is where Serena found her boyfriend. He was wearing a red robe with scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, gloves and long coat. The boy was smiling brightly like a mad man while trying to keep his balance on the slippery ice, he looked adorable."Do you like it?" Asked Julian while looking at her. The princess was busy admiring her boyfriend, her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest and she felt herself blu
Suddenly, the dragon let out a deafening roar. It echoed throughout the entire pier and caused many people to yelp in pain and fright. Several people started crying and clutching onto their friends' arms tightly as if they would fall apart at any moment. Serena couldn't take her eyes of the terrifying beast which was now standing proudly right before them, roaring and snorting menacingly. It was impossible to tell how many people were trapped inside those gigantic jaws, as the darkness prevented them from seeing. But judging by the loud growls coming from the creature, they must've been close to death.After a few seconds the roaring sound gradually decreased until it eventually disappeared, leaving behind an eerie silence. The crowd was dead silent. Everyone remained motionless, except for the tears streaming down their cheeks and the shudders that wracked their bodies. No one made a peep or uttered a single word. Everyone was glued to the horrifying creature in front of them, a