Caroline’s POV:
“Excuse me, Your Highness, I will leave you with your… friend,” Liam murmured close to my ear. I wasn’t even sure if Stephen was able to hear him, and I am pretty sure that I was the only one in the room that could hear that he was hurt because of it.
Since we were not alone, I could not reassure him or clarify anything, so I nodded and murmured: “You are dismissed, Private Caldwell.” I tried to look into Liam’s eyes to understand the turmoil that was taking his soul and try to promise him that everything would be fine, and I wasn’t happy to see Stephan here either, but I couldn’t do that much. Liam turned his back and got out through the same door that brought us here.
I tried to disguise my sadness so that Stephan wouldn't see my disappointment, so I plastered a smile upon my face and turned to face my future husband, at least, in my father's opinion.
"Stephan! Good to see you
Vanessa’s POV:I knew that this was stupid of me, but I couldn’t leave Liam alone. I liked him. He was kind, brave, and insanely handsome. Well, obviously the first thing that got my attention was the fact that he was handsome, but when I heard that he was the one that saved the princess, I went crazy about him. I loved a good hero, and I always had. From books to movies. The hero was definitely my favorite character in any story. And now I met one in the flash. That couldn’t be better!When he got to the hospital wing, I could see that he was stable, but was weak. He took a shot on his tight protecting the princess, and this fact was brave enough for him to make it into my heroes list. Having him at the hospital and talking to him every day made him go up to the top one on my list.It was the best part of my day, attending to him at the clinic. I wasn’t in his surgery, because I’m not qualified yet to assist doctors in complicated
Caroline’s POV:“So, Stephan, it is so good to see you back!” My father exclaimed at dinner. Sometimes, I could manage to avoid those meals with my parents, on the excuse of being busy or feeling unwell, but I knew that I would never manage to do that tonight. My “beloved fiancé” was back in town and since all the kingdom thought that I was madly in love with him, I had to pretend that I missed him badly.“It is good to be back too, Your Majesty,” Stephan answered my father.The king waved at him dismissing all the formalities: “Nonsense, Call me Maximus. You are practically family! I’ve been friends with your parents for decades and now our families will be as one because of your marriage to my beloved daughter!” I felt a little disturbed by my dad’s comments. That was not normal. He was always so formal towards everyone! Who was he trying to trick here?I must have made a really we
Caroline’s POV:Talking to Stephan gave me the opportunity to understand that he is not 100% comfortable with our parents’ agreement. It also gave me the perspective that I was lacking here: there were too many people in this “relationship”. Stephan, me, my parents, his parents... Even Liam was in this relationship. Nobody knows about it, but he was probably one of the reasons why I wasn’t such a huge fan of Stephan’s. It was good, though, to know that I wasn’t alone with my discomfort. I bet that even Stephan doesn’t want to be tied to me, although I doubt that he would go against his parents either.I wasn't planning on leaving my room anymore that night, but I wanted to talk to Liam. He showed up an hour or so later, apparently from the force of my thought, but it was actually because he was on call for tonight.Liam knocked on my door and Lucill
Liam’s POV:I knew that this was wrong, and I knew that I should find another way to discover if Vanessa had any kind of proof against us, but that was the best plan that we came up with so far. Actually, Lucille gave the best idea, and here we were, following her plan.There were three types of dorms in the castle: one wing for the single men, which normally would share their rooms, one wing for the single ladies, which was a mix of single rooms and shared ones, and finally, one for the couples and even their kids. The last ones were the largest. I walked through the corridors on my way to the ladies’ wing, I passed through those rooms, and a little heartache came to me. I was planning on bringing my beloved Olivia to live in one of these rooms with me as soon as I give her my name.I didn’t go too far as to imagine our kids living in the capital, but still, I visualized a future with her right next to me, and every day it seemed as if this futu
Caroline’s POV:“So…? Did you guys find anything?” I asked Lucille and Liam at the moment they got into my room and closed the doors. Curiosity was eating me alive, and I was extra anxious because my conversation with Vanessa didn’t go the way I planned.Lucille sighed a little frustrated and told me: “Well, not really. She got nothing about you guys, at least, not in her room. Any threats that she could launch couldn’t be sustained by proof.” Damn it. The worst part was to know that all the tension on the tearoom was for nothing.“Well, thank you, guys,” I murmured to them, and then I continued: “I guess that we are back to square one, after all.”“Don’t say that too soon,” Liam told me, and a small light of hope emerged on the horizon. I looke
Liam’s POV:I left the princess’ room thinking about how I would contact Steppenwolf this time. Of course, I had the excuse that we were looking for Guttenberg, but I also had the responsibility to find out more about who was Morgan and what was that "nurse mission" mentioned in Vanessa’s letter. I just had no idea how I would connect both subjects in my next conversation with them, and if I would be allowed to know such a thing.Well, at least I didn’t have to wait a lot for another meeting. In one of my breaks on the next day, I went to my room as I always do, and tucked into my pillowcase there was a small note that simply said:Tonight, 11 o’clock. Same square.Sure, you don’t have to be a genius to understand where this note came from. In the next opportunity I had, I let the princess know that I was going to m
Vanessa looked at me with a wide smile spread on her face. Steppenwolf noticed immediately that we knew each other, but he didn't look as surprised as the others."Hey, looks like you two know each other!" Jack said pointing at Vanessa and me."Of course, they know each other, Jack. Our boy was shot, and our sweet nurse Vanessa took care of him," Steppenwolf said with a smile on his lips."Wait… was everything planned, including the shooting?" I asked in disbelief.Steppenwolf grimaced and said to me, "Of course not, kid. We didn't want to lose one of our own, but the aftermath of it all resulted in you being close to the princess and that positively surprised us, that's all. The fact that Vanessa took care of you is just a plus."I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. At least they weren't that morbid."He knows me, Dad, but he didn't know I was part of the group," Vanessa said turning to Steppenwolf.Dad? Did I
Caroline’s POV:“So, are you or are you not going to tell me what is going on? What did you find, Liam?” I asked him at the very moment he passed through my bedroom door the next morning. I purposely decided that I wouldn’t have breakfast that morning with my parents and that I wanted to be alone just because I wouldn’t like to waste one more second without knowing what Liam learned in his last meeting with the revolutionaries.“Well, I’m going to tell you what I can,” he told me carefully.“What do you mean when you say that you’re going to tell me what you can tell me? I thought that you would tell me everything you have heard!” I complained.“Which means almost nothing,” he murmured as an answer.“Then tell me what you heard, and we can decide together if this is almost nothing or not,” I demanded of him.He nodded acknowledging my reques
Caroline’s POV “So, were you even considering telling me that you are seeing someone?” I asked Lucille the moment Liam left my room. I crossed my arms in my chest because I was angry at her. Well, she was the first person that knew about Liam, and probably the only one that I trust, to be honest, and she was telling me nothing. What kind of friendship was this? “I was going to tell you, Care, at the right moment…” she told me and trailed off. “And the perfect moment would be…?” I shoot at her. “Well, when he asked me out for a second time, which didn’t happen until now,” she told me a little disappointed. Oh, poor Lucille. I was going to demand a proof of her friendship now but I lost my courage. She was really uneasy because of the waiting. I didn’t have a lot of advice to give to her, considering that my experience was an inch bigger than hers, so I put a hand on her shoulder and told her: “he will. Or, at least, you will call him tomorrow to help us and maybe this little reunio
Liam’s POVI knew that I couldn’t demonstrate any kind of possessiveness towards the princess, but I must confess that right in that moment my blood boiled in my veins seeing that Reichart guy try kissing her. I swallowed that pill hard and fought to keep my composure.When he finally left the corridor, I noticed the princess looking at me. She probably knew that I'd seen them, and she looked as pale as a ghost.We weren’t alone in the corridor, though. I had a couple of other guards watching the princess’ quarters. She saw that we couldn’t speak freely. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times like a fish trying to breathe on the surface, and then she opened her bedroom’s door and closed it after herself.I was boiling in anger, and I couldn’t do a thing. Maybe she had a plan and was making me jealous so she could contrive on whatever plan she had to get rid of him. I had to keep it cool and preclude her from doing so, because we never knew what kind of future effects these i
The next day dawned too soon, and the hours seemed to pass by until the afternoon when my suitor and soon-to-be fiancé knocked on my door. Lucille opened the door for him, but I wasn’t far, and I could see behind Stephan that Liam made a face. He didn’t like my idea to get rid of Stephan, but at the same time, he wasn’t enjoying this story at all. Well, good for him. It was silly of me, but I believe that causing Liam some jealousy could help me to get him on board with my idea or give him any other one that we could use in our favor.Too soon, though, Lucille closed the door and excused herself to my dressing room, murmuring something that I could not understand. Stephan avoided the awkward silence and started talking:“Good afternoon, Caroline. I hope you are doing fine.”He seemed so formal towards me, that a little laugh escaped from my lips.“What are you laughing about?” He asked me promptly.“I’m sorry, Stephan. Good afternoon. I’m fine, and you?” I told him, but before he coul
“Well, I don’t know what you are talking about,” I told Stephan with a smile plastered on my face. I wouldn’t admit anything that easily.“Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. The fact is: do you remember the last time that I walked you to your room and we talked about respect? Well, this would be a flagrant disrespect. Something that I can’t accept in our relationship,” he told me. He wasn’t actually threatening me, but there was a small discomfort on his tone. Something more than his words were saying. Was he trying to tell me that he would harm me or Liam?“Do you remember, Caroline?” he insisted.“Yes, Stephan,” I told him upset. So, he finally decided to show a little bit of his true colors. My tipsy me wanted to fight with him and throw in his face the fact that Liam really existed, and that even though he didn't have a royal title, Liam was worth a thousand Stephans to me.“Well, I might not have known your favorite color until this morning, but I do have my pride, and I will defend
“I know, darling! It is a lot to process, but don’t worry, honey. This party is going to be spectacular!” My mother took advantage of my silence and continued to chatter as if the news she had just given me was the best news ever.“But mother, I thought that we were going to take it slow…” I tried to dissuade her from this idea. Of course, we were not taking it slow. They never suggested that, actually. I was the one trying to delay my engagement and eventual marriage as long as I could.“Don’t be silly, darling! You know that our families are longing to be as one!” My mother answered me.I swallowed a couple of times, with no idea what to say to dissuade her, and she continued talking, clueless as if I was quiet because of the excitement.“You know, your birthday parties are always epic, and this one will be the biggest one ever! Stephan&rsquo
Caroline’s POV:“So, are you or are you not going to tell me what is going on? What did you find, Liam?” I asked him at the very moment he passed through my bedroom door the next morning. I purposely decided that I wouldn’t have breakfast that morning with my parents and that I wanted to be alone just because I wouldn’t like to waste one more second without knowing what Liam learned in his last meeting with the revolutionaries.“Well, I’m going to tell you what I can,” he told me carefully.“What do you mean when you say that you’re going to tell me what you can tell me? I thought that you would tell me everything you have heard!” I complained.“Which means almost nothing,” he murmured as an answer.“Then tell me what you heard, and we can decide together if this is almost nothing or not,” I demanded of him.He nodded acknowledging my reques
Vanessa looked at me with a wide smile spread on her face. Steppenwolf noticed immediately that we knew each other, but he didn't look as surprised as the others."Hey, looks like you two know each other!" Jack said pointing at Vanessa and me."Of course, they know each other, Jack. Our boy was shot, and our sweet nurse Vanessa took care of him," Steppenwolf said with a smile on his lips."Wait… was everything planned, including the shooting?" I asked in disbelief.Steppenwolf grimaced and said to me, "Of course not, kid. We didn't want to lose one of our own, but the aftermath of it all resulted in you being close to the princess and that positively surprised us, that's all. The fact that Vanessa took care of you is just a plus."I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. At least they weren't that morbid."He knows me, Dad, but he didn't know I was part of the group," Vanessa said turning to Steppenwolf.Dad? Did I
Liam’s POV:I left the princess’ room thinking about how I would contact Steppenwolf this time. Of course, I had the excuse that we were looking for Guttenberg, but I also had the responsibility to find out more about who was Morgan and what was that "nurse mission" mentioned in Vanessa’s letter. I just had no idea how I would connect both subjects in my next conversation with them, and if I would be allowed to know such a thing.Well, at least I didn’t have to wait a lot for another meeting. In one of my breaks on the next day, I went to my room as I always do, and tucked into my pillowcase there was a small note that simply said:Tonight, 11 o’clock. Same square.Sure, you don’t have to be a genius to understand where this note came from. In the next opportunity I had, I let the princess know that I was going to m
Caroline’s POV:“So…? Did you guys find anything?” I asked Lucille and Liam at the moment they got into my room and closed the doors. Curiosity was eating me alive, and I was extra anxious because my conversation with Vanessa didn’t go the way I planned.Lucille sighed a little frustrated and told me: “Well, not really. She got nothing about you guys, at least, not in her room. Any threats that she could launch couldn’t be sustained by proof.” Damn it. The worst part was to know that all the tension on the tearoom was for nothing.“Well, thank you, guys,” I murmured to them, and then I continued: “I guess that we are back to square one, after all.”“Don’t say that too soon,” Liam told me, and a small light of hope emerged on the horizon. I looke