The much awaited day was here. I woke up bright and early and ate breakfast with my folks as I would not see them for almost a week.
Lydia came to visit as well prior to leaving for wedding shopping. She was bubbling with happiness, explaining the quiet engagement ceremony. Everything seemed a little too good to be true.
As we were lazing in the sun sipping tea and watching the hummingbirds near the beautiful petunias and hydrangea blooms, a servant came looking for me.
"The King wants to see you as soon as possible."
"Me?" I looked at my mother anxiously.
"Where is the Prince? Let him know first. You never know what threats and warnings the King wants to give you."
"He went to the town square with Mason but should be back anytime now," Lydia replied.
"Well, I think it's a bad idea to keep the King waiting. I will update Ian about it later."
Both my mother and aunt called my name in a shrill voice as I was leaving.
"Be c
It was a glorious morning in the company of an even more glorious man. Ian was anything but boring. I had all my worries about not being compatible or have nothing to talk about types of worries cleared away during the train ride itself when I lost track of time in his company.My only complaint was about time, which was rushing like crazy while we are making precious memories.We stopped for breakfast by a mountain town with a funny name, Fludir. Nestled amid snow-capped mountains, pine trees, and serene natural beauty, it was a dream of a town.Once we stepped out of the warm indoors, Ian rubbed my shoulders as we crossed the street to the wagon stop."You seem to handle this weather okay so far.""It's freezing, but I love this town. You just have to hug me every other minute so I keep warm." I put my hands in the pockets of his winter jacket and pulled him toward me."Is that so? Someone told me yesterday that my smiles and words w
Lyra helped me braid my waist-long dark wavy hair into a neat upstyle bun. It was good to get some expert help when I was so unsure about what to wear and how to present myself in a roomful of snobs.It was 11 AM, and I was still in the mountain lodge. Ian left at seven in the morning and asked me to get some sleep and join him at the Courthouse Square in the city center before noon.I covered my dark circles with some makeup but couldn't cover the tired look on my face.I was up till late at night thinking, and Ian was merciless in the morning. He woke me up before five o'clock and seduced me with those long toned legs wrapped around me, taking over my precious sleep time."Is My Lady ready?" I heard Mr. Prim's voice from somewhere, asking one of the servants. He was going to accompany me to Ian's meeting."Lyra, I got this. Could you please give the blue file over there to Mr. Prim? I don't want to forget it."Ian asked me to bring it
The rest of the afternoon dragged on with a room full of stiffs discussing the most depressingly dull topics. Ever since I saw Ian look at Catherine, my stomach felt queasy. Even the nonstop supply of coffee cakes and pastries that were brought in every hour didn't appeal to me.Ian suggested going to the library in this building or exploring the city with Lyra and Mr. Prim. I wanted to leave too.I didn't trust his ex though. What if they rekindled some old memories and ended up in each other's arms somehow? Someone has to play gooseberry and interrupt them from getting too cozy.So I subjected myself to torture for four long hours, listening and nodding off.The only thing I understood from all this was that many kingdoms collapsed all over the world, paving way for the British and Russian empires to expand colossally.Even Julia's grandmother knew this much, and her stories were much more interesting.Everyone in the room seemed to be div
I woke up with a nasty headache, and memories of last night came flooding back before I opened my eyes. I groaned and tried to stir, but there was a weight pressing me down.I gazed upon Ian. He was lying on my chest asleep, with his arms wrapped around me. I didn't want to miss a single moment that I got to hold him.The dawn was slowly breaking with snow falling hard."Ian..." I planted a wake-up kiss on his forehead.He mumbled something and went back to sleep."It's already seven o'clock. You will be late.""I am not going anywhere," he said, adjusting himself in the middle of my chest. My heart fluttered in response."Ian!" I shook him hard to wake him up.He got off the bed and gave me silent treatment while I followed him around the suite. He hustled to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.I gave the kitchen maid a list to get me some fresh produce for cooking. It was darn cold outside, and I had no intentions
~Ian~"What are you going to do to me?" Her voice was trembling with excitement as her bound wrists writhed against the restraints."Dirty things for sure." I was equally excited to see her under me like this.My mind was constantly warring between being gentle with her and drilling up her ass relentlessly. I wanted to be inside her in every sense possible, to devour every inch of her and cover her in my scent.Watching her offer herself to me, with no hesitation or doubt, I wondered if she was the one who had me tied down to her with something far stronger. It was her deep trust in me that held me down. I will do my best to never let her down."Ian," she whispered, dripping with desire as I uncovered her naked body.The way she hungered for my touch, her willingness to let me hold her and please her; it was the best kind of feeling of power. I wanted to capture these moments and freeze them forever.She looked up at me wi
Long after Ian was gone on his two-day trip, his words and thoughts played on my mind. The weight of uncertainty and heavier emotions kicked in as I tossed and turned on the bed, trying to catch up on some sleep.Ian being Ian, kept me awake until dawn when it was time for him to leave.The sandalwood and citrus notes of his perfume lingered in the air and on my body. The way those stormy grey eyes looked at me one last time, sucking me in before he kissed goodbye.He was a completely different person with me as opposed to the rest of the world. I watched him put his mask of indifference back on that gorgeous face as he walked out of my room and nodded to the guards. That tender, vulnerable side of him was instantly replaced with dominance and confidence. His strong voice was void of any emotion except for the firm authority that had taken over.It took all of my willpower to not call his name and hold him from the back to stop him from leaving. The despera
After drenching in the rain for over an hour, stuck in the chair and lost in my thoughts, I realized Lydia needed me. I told her I would be back soon.Grief from losing a loved one was much more painful. It doesn't compare to the pain from losing a deceptive Ian. She needed me more.She was with Mason for four long years, waiting with patience and hope while diligently performing her duties. Did she not deserve to be happy after going through with everything with not a single complaint ever? He kept her going, and he was no more.My thoughts kept wandering back to Ian. Was he really deceptive? Did he have the heart to keep me in the dark about something so big and important? I guess I will be in limbo until his return.No matter what anyone said, I should trust him until he clears things up. Was I in denial? Maybe. But what if he was innocent, and these women were playing me? Our bond shouldn't break so easily just because people don't want us to be happy
"You decided that I should have Ian's babies, and so you did shit without talking to me even once?"Why am I even surprised? I should definitely get her removed from my room right away."I did what's best for you. You are so pea-brained, it makes me wonder if you were really born to me. Didn't you see how your aunt wanted you out of this contract in a year? She wants Julia to get her chance as the Prince's mistress.""I am not worried about what she wants or doesn't. Let's talk about what you did without my consent.""Do you even hear yourself? Our folks would trade an arm and a leg to be where you are, and you don't know a thing about how to keep what you got. Be nice to the Queen and the future Duchess. You don't want them plotting and scheming against you.""Future Duchess, huh! So the plotting and scheming vamps didn't include you in their plans and lies?""What are you talking about?""Apparently, Ian got married to her last week
Nine months later (Mountbatten, September 30, 1836) ~Nadia~ "Sorry, I can't help being rough with you today," he said, gripping my hips tighter. "Me neither!" I bit into the skin near his collarbone and sucked on the side of his neck. We were dying to be alone and as loud as we wanted for almost a week now. He pushed me up against the wall, capturing my lips in a passionate kiss and moving his hands under my blouse. A sharp, angry cry resonated throughout the entire home. "Oh, that little brat!!" Ian made a sulky face as he went to check on Leo, and I followed him laughing. Leo stopped crying as soon as I rubbed his chin with my finger. Just like Ian, he wanted me to brush his hair with my fingers. Ian admired his sleeping little daughter. Oh yes, we had twins, Mabel and Leo. "Look at my angel, sleeping so peacefully, allowing us some quality time. Such a sweet darling." He moved the tiny r
~Nadia~"Do you have any idea the kind of hell you put Seb through?"What was she talking about? She had a wedding ring on and a baby bump, probably in her second trimester."You can write such articulate letters to strangers with pen names but don't have the guts to confront the father of your child? So what if he rejects you? At least you would have tried. You deprived him of seeing the baby grow inside you and the satisfaction of being there for you. You made all decisions for the three of you.""I saw him with you at the ball. You were all over him as always." I couldn't remove the bitterness out of my voice."I love him, and there was no sign of you anywhere for months. You can't expect me to be a saint and sacrifice him for you. You should have confronted him, fought with him, and claimed him back if you really wanted him that bad. You ran like a little kid, making him dig into the entire Prussian spy network and operations."I w
~Ian~I reached Ivaris Central in no time, and the first thing I noticed was a large group of people surrounding something and a lot of commotion. I pushed my way through to find that Andrew was beaten to a pulp and my men were in a heated argument with a handful of commoners."What's going on here?" I helped Andrew off the floor and asked him."That woman in the barracks, she's Noah's accomplice.""Which woman?""She's pregnant now. She ran after him while we were chasing him. I tried to stop her, but she concocted some cock and bull story and got me beaten.""Where is she now? Did you hurt her?""She ran after him, that way." He pointed to the tracks."I saw her get into the train that left just twenty minutes back." Another one of my men told me.I went to the ticket counter to ask which train she might have taken. Only two trains left in the last thirty minutes, one going to Arcadia and the other to Krems
~Nadia~I needed to go as far away from Ian as possible. I feel disgusted by him to the core. Once a playboy, always a playboy. Such a fool I was to wait for him, hoping he would come one day.Where was the map that grandpa uses? I needed to get out of Ivaris and go somewhere up north. I changed into more comfortable clothes and packed some food and clothes as quickly as possible.Poor Andreas, I wrote an apology note for him as well and another note for grandparents and Giselle. I left part of my earnings along with the letter, hoping that Andreas continues to send them my allowance, at least for Giselle's sake.I ripped the letter meant for Ian into a thousand pieces and left home. The train station was in Ivaris Central, which was only a mile away by the shortcut grandpa showed me. There was a long line of people at the ticket station because of the rush hour.As I stood in the line and marveled at the granite facades lit with giant lanter
~Ian~"Seb, did you like it?"I forgot what Caty wanted me to try. She put her hand on my back."It's good," I lied."I knew it!"Every time she laid even a finger on me, I could hear Nadia yelling at me. I can't forget that night she got drunk and ran onto the street because I hurt her. Even though she left me, I still felt loyal to her.I gently slid Caty's hand off of me, but she wrapped her other arm around me."Won't you dance with me?" She whispered in my ear."Maybe after we eat dinner. I'm not in the mood right now."I turned around to eat one more of what Nadia loved. I would give everything I had to get that night back when she was in my room, talking about baking and why she loved plum jam turnovers so much.Those large brown eyes staring into mine every time she lifted her head up after burying her face into my chest. Knowing enough about her now, I know why she did that back then. She was feelin
~Nadia~Putting Giselle to sleep was a daunting task today. Her snuffles didn't stop long after she closed her eyes. I pushed all thoughts of Noah away until she was off to bed, but now that I was the only one awake in the house, I went into Noah's room and burned those two letters addressed to Johann Barnekow.Was that really Noah under the streetlight today? Did he escape from the prison and come to see Giselle? Why would he not come home unless he was a fugitive on the run?I don't want to side with a spy, no matter how good he is to me. Do I want to deprive Giselle of her papa though? Certainly not. I have to do my part so he's able to come back to Giselle one day, sooner than later.I guess he would have talked to me and his daughter today if Andreas wasn't with us. He was always there when I was low. Why couldn't he be the simple, honest man I thought he was?What if Ian never came for me because of Noah? If he was in the prison as some Barne
~Nadia~"Oh, wow! What kind of sorcery is this?" I was staring at the model of an automobile with my mouth wide open. Andreas told me it was an electric carriage made by someone from Scotland.Giselle wanted to sit inside the model because it looked like a perfect toy on wheels.Ivaris was holding a three-day fair as part of the first harvest festival of the year. Arcadia fairs never had all these engineered models on display. Here, people could watch science in progress, touch prototypes of future inventions, and even volunteer to take part in some of these ventures where developers were conducting surveys and handing us forms to fill."Do you like it?" Andreas asked Giselle as if he was gifting her one. He was really excited about these model designs and talked about random facts nonstop."Inventors are trying to make one powered by an internal combustion engine. So we can go to the beaches in Colchis, take a trip to the Macaby caves and sp
~Ian~After visiting Ivaris for a second time, I met their Crown Prince and went hunting with him. Ivaris was one of the best hunting places I have known with lots of freshwater, feeding spots, and some kind of game breeding throughout the year. The last time I was with Andreas was in February when I couldn't stop thinking about Nadia. It was the first time I thought about someone who was not Caty.On one such day eight years ago, Andreas and I met Caty when we were up north in his kingdom, hunting for some Alpine Ibex. Visiting Ivaris always brought back memories of her, and the good times we spent together. Just a few kisses from Nadia made me forget Caty, who was on my mind for many years. I wanted to stay mad at Nadia for pushing me away for some nonexistent future husband. I left without telling her because it really hurt my ego. Little did I know it was Noah she wanted to save herself for. Months later, I still can't stop thinking about
~Nadia~ As I entered the second trimester of my pregnancy, mood swings became extreme and so did my food cravings. I hardly ate two meals a day ever since I left the palace. Until recently, despite trying my best to take care of myself, my appetite refused to return to how it used to be. But now, I had the opposite problem. I felt hungry all the time. After eating an early dinner, I got hungry within an hour and wanted more. Snacking on cheese and crackers had become a routine habit at midnight. Noah's grandparents were at times afraid to talk to me because of how badly I snapped at them. Only Giselle could handle my tantrums, despite being so little. The coffee shop was overly busy because the Prince sent everyone this way. It exhausted me to death by the end of the day, but the pay before leaving kept increasing day by day, and it was the end of the second week already. Today was a good day for a change because I got done early with work and