The silence that followed Rhode’s announcement was almost deafening. For a moment, Megan felt as though the ground would be very kind to open up and swallow her.Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone clapping, and one by one the sound of clapping grew more and everyone was standing.“Welcome, our future queen.” Lord Rosebud said, approaching her with outstretched arms.The gesture took Megan by surprise but she was very glad. She hugged Lord Rosebud and for the first time since she stepped out of the carriage, she left Rhode’s hand. “Thank you.” She said to him,Rhode took her hand back in his and she smiled back at him. He leaned and whispered in her ear, “the worst part is over. We’ll be back at your temporary quarters shortly.” She nodded in response.One by one, every person that was present came to pay their respects to Rhode and Megan.“I am glad the King has finally found a good thing.” One of the old men said.“Welcome to the West.” Another said.“It’s good to finally have
Brian and Brianna walked awkwardly out of the room and Brian mentally face-palmed himself and muttered “stupid.”He had made Brianna upset with him by stepping back but the reason he did that was because he did not want her to see just how flushed he was.As they walked down the same hall they followed to Megan’s new room, they approached the intersection and Brian said, “I should take you to your room or do you rather be reunited with lady Rosetta?” He asked her. She was avoiding eye contact with him, “I do not think I have the strength right now. I would rather be in my room. Do I share a room with Rosetta?”“I would have to see with the head of palace affairs. I could take you to my room in the meantime, to rest.”Brianna was sure that she flushed red, “Oh, no! I would not want to impose and, is that allowed in the West?... I mean, we are unmarried after all.” She said the last part in a low voice.Brian chuckled, “I suppose not but who actually follows that rule set by prudes? Mor
For what felt like hours, Rhode and Brian were in some sort of stare-down. The two men watched each other, barely blinking in the minutes that had gone by.Rhode was waiting for Brian to say that his earlier statement was a joke and Brian was wishing he had not said it outloud the moment the words left his mouth.He had just thought about it the moment he said it out. What he actually wanted to tell Rhode was that he needed some advice on how to relate with Brianna. He felt that for some reason there was always something that caused a misunderstanding between the two of them and between him and Rhode, Rhode had way more experience with women, for the sole reason that even though they flocked all around him, he dismissed them with care for their feelings. Brian on the other hand, froze at any interaction or contact with women so he really was winging it with Brianna and he was failing woefully.“You want to marry lady Brianna.” Rhode finally broke the silence and stare-down. The thing
In the palace, somewhere in the guest wing was Mirabel Fulher. She was being attended to by her ladies in waiting when the door flew open and Anne, another of her ladies came rushing in.“The king has returned!” She announced, stopping right in front of where Mirabel was sitting, panting profusely.“With a bride.” She said the last part after catching her breath for a few seconds.“What?!” Mary, the lady who was fanning Mirabel exclaimed, “you should be used to Anne’s jokes by now. She is clearly joking. The king would never marry and when he does, it will be to our future queen, lady Mirabel.” Lily, the other lady said.Mirabel used her hand to dismiss both ladies from standing close to her, Anne was still panting.
“My lady,” Mary’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She was back to the very harsh reality. Although she was married to Rhode’s late brother, she always felt that as long as Rhode remained unmarried, she could bear not being with him. As long as no other woman got to have him, she was okay.She was shattered by the news of her husband succumbing to his illness, she was a widow at 28 years. She was not going to be queen anymore and that was what her father cared about most in the world.A grieving widow, she was surprised to be told to remain in the palace, afterall the throne was now empty and the next in line was Rhode. There was no way Rhode was going to marry her. He had already rejected her.“You will marry his brother, Rhode.” Her father said to her on one of the many pa
“Right away my lady.” Lily rushed into the bathroom and Mirabel took a seat, waiting for her to prepare the bath.She took a deep sigh. Her father had basically abandoned her when Rhode told him to never speak of her marrying him again.She thought her father wanted nothing to do with her. She was now unimportant and although it hurt, Mirabel had peace for the first time in her life. She was a disappointment but she did not mind.Being summoned means she has a role to play in his cruel game again. She was going to be a pawn again and honestly, she was tired.“Your bath is ready, my…my lady.” Lily stuttered.Mirabel got up and took a quick bath. Since he
Mirabel approached the mansion, heart pounding in her chest. Children who grew up in a normal, functioning family would be glad to return home after so long but all Mirabel wanted to do was run away. Run away from the West if possible but she didn’t even have the strength to do so.The doorman opened the door and she entered the mansion, heading for the balcony where her parents always sat.She didn’t miss the lack of ceramic in the hallway. He must have broken them all. He would never change.She walked towards the balcony and as she entered she saw her mother and father. She had not seen them in months despite the fact that her father was a regular at the palace.“Mirabel, dear! How are you?” Her mother gleamed at her with that fake, plastic smi
The sound of Megan screaming was almost deafening. Rhode shut his eyes immediately, “I apologize!” He said, taking a step, then another backwards until he was out of the room. As he shut the door, he said “I promise, I did not see anything.”Inside the room, Megan was flushed. Truth was, she wasn’t undressed or improperly dressed. She was standing in front of her new vanity and taught to decorate her hair with what was left of the flowers. She had just started to realize how ridiculous it looked and was about to take them out when the door flew open.She looked at herself in the mirror, cupping her face, “did he really not see anything?”She sighed and reached for the first flower petal sticking out and laughed at herself. She never thought to do anything this silly when she
Megan stretched awake as she felt the bright rays of sunlight hit her face from behind her closed lashes.Groaning, she opened her eyes, shocked to see Rosetta and Briana already awake and in her room talking in hushed tones.This had never happened before, no one rose earlier than the queen, but she guessed came with a lot of limitations, and for a moment she was unsure how to proceed. They seemed busy.“Oh my, my lady you are awake!” A shrill voice shook Megan from her thoughts and she looked up to see Rosetta running towards her with bright eyes.“Good morning my lady.” Brianna greeted with a softer tone and an even softer smile.“This is the first time the sun has woken before me.” Megan laughed lightly, as she stood up and allowed Rosetta to drape a silk robe over her.“For a moment I was unsure on how to act.” Megan grinned, and the smile was similar to a school girl's grin which was something her ladies had never seen before, and they looked at each other in delight.“You are s
Aspen frowned as she stared at the man in front of her, Duke Elric, he claimed to be. She was suspicious, but given his ranking as a Duke she was reluctant to storm out. He was higher than she was and probably could ever be if she had tricked the gullible Richardson and played the homewrecker by ruining her friend's marriage.Knowing this, she sat back down with heaving breaths as her eyes narrowed with distrust and barely restrained anger.“My my, you seem to be fighting with yourself not to strangle me.” The strange man laughed, and Aspen clenched her hands. What she hated the most was being made fun of and it seemed like this gentleman was hellbent on doing that.“My Lord, I'm currently very busy and I would like to be left alone.” Aspen reiterated stiffly, hoping that was enough to get him to leave. But to her surprise and dismay, his cunning blues hardened as he glared down at her.“Did you just dismiss me?” He asked with clenched teeth and Aspen felt herself wilt. He was dangero
“It’s delicious.” Megan said as she took her first bite out of the deliciously roasted venison.“It’s lamb.” Rhode said as he took a bite out of it.The two enjoyed a quiet lunch. Apparently, it was a rule that the king could not eat alone under any circumstance. There needed to be servers with a physician present in case there is a risk of food poisoning.Another thing that was very different from the East.After dinner, the couple walked back to Megan’s chambers. She didn’t show it but she was very glad that she didn’t have to continue with her little charade of being unemotional.She did it for years in the East but the thought of doing it again stressed her. She was grateful that she could be herself, whatever that meant and wasn’t quite ready to take on the role of the stoic queen.She didn’t show it but she was glad Rhode didn’t leave her to her thoughts and assumptions though he was late and she had already jumped into a million and one conclusions.When they entered her room,
Megan froze as he walked towards her, pulling her towards him. His hand rested gently above her waist and his other hand, supporting her neck. She was frozen in shock, at a loss for words. “I’m sorry.” Megan could not ignore the pounding of her heart. It felt like anyone within hearing distance could hear, she was sure Rhode heard it. She stuttered, and she never stuttered, “I don’t understand…, my king.” That did it. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Megan. Don’t do that with me, not you. I’m not my king to you.” Rhode paused. “I’m Rhode. Just Rhode.” Rhode held her eyes, his deep purple eyes boring a hole into her eyes. She had never been in a stare down before but she was clearly losing. Megan kept quiet, unsure of what to say in response. She was not upset at him for anything he did or did not do but she did have a resolve until just now. And Megan never broke her resolve but a deep purple pair of eyes staring into her soul was making her reconsider her decisions. “Is it somethin
“Never, my lady…”“We would never think of such a thing.” Mary said to Mirabel, eyes filled with worry.Where was this suddenly coming from?Mirabel smiled, “I see. Let us go.”Mary and Lily both looked at themselves before following behind Mirabel. She was acting strangely but they knew to not ask questions. It was not their place to.In her room, Megan was actually surprised at the fact that she shed no tears despite the fact that she felt her heart physically shatter.Perhaps she cried out all her tears in the East.‘I did cry a lot.’ She thought to herself.
Mirabel? Who was this woman? Was he not going to introduce Megan? She stood beside Rhode while he and this unknown woman who looked very known to Rhode engaged in a staring competition with Rhode and he with her.Was this tension she felt?“My king.” The unknown woman curtsied and walked past her and Rhode.“Let us go.” Rhode said to her. Megan was greatly confused but masked her emotions. Was he not going to tell her who the lady was? Mirable, was it? She thought she heard him call her that.He continued pointing out different places to her but if she was being honest with herself, she heard nothing that he said.In fact, she was beginning to get pretty upset. She wasn’t asking for his entire history, she just wished he would tell her about people she would eventually see.Like that girl back at the inn and now this, Mirabel.She didn’t look like a nobody. She was dressed like a lady and had ladies with her.Did she live in the palace? She must since she was in the west quarters.M
Megan turned a very bright shade of red, “what?” She blurted out, flushed. He was flirting way more than usual lately.Rhode chuckled. He admitted to himself that he did things intentionally so he could see Megan turn a bright shade of pink. He loved watching the stoic Megan Brighton getting all flustered.“You always tease me.” She said, plopping down on her bed, pouting.“I’m not teasing, my queen. I did miss you.” Rhode said, taking a seat at her vanity, where he had sat earlier.“I know I’ve asked this before but, how are you? Do you like it here? Do you like your room?” He paused, “Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?”Megan smiled. He really was mindful of her.“You don’t have to worry so much about me, Rhode.” “I am very comfortable.” Megan paused, “Although, I can’t determine how things will be after the wedding.”“That is true. Nonetheless, I’m sure they would love you.” Rhode said, very sure.“They?” Megan asked, unsure of who he was referring to.“Your
Rhode never opened the letter because he had no plans on ever getting married and thought that the letter would be filled with advice he was never going to have any use for. However, after he decided on his mission to the East all those months ago, he started to think that maybe he would have use for the letter after all.His plan did involve wooing Megan Brighton but a part of him did not believe he would be able to pull it off. She was married to her mate after all.Who would have thought?He broke the seal and opened the letter, met face to face with his brother’s nostalgic handwriting.He had often gone back to reread the other letters, which were helpful tips on how to be king, not that he took most of the advice. He and Michael had different ways of doing everything. It was the thought that Michael put into writing them, despite how ill he must have been that warmed his heart.Michael knew that Rhode would find the box.I’m writing this last because knowing you, you would probab
Brianna did her best to hide the surprise she was sure was evident on her face, “sir Brian.” “Hello my lady, do you have a moment?” Brian asked her. She looked into the room to see Rosetta raising two thumbs to her, giving her the go ahead. “Okay.” Brianna breathed, closing the door behind her. The two walked down the hall and took a left turn down to the palace grounds. “I wanted to see you,” Brian started, “It troubled me that it seemed like we left on a bad foot earlier today.” “Oh.” Brianna said softly. She did not think he noticed. “Yes, I meant it when I said I would like us to be friends. I hate having misunderstandings.” Friends. That was the only word that rang in Brianna’s ears. Were they friends? “I understand Sir Brian. I did feel someway seeing you flinch at me but I now realize that you probably do not like it when people touch you. I should have asked before reaching for you.” Brianna said simply. For some reason she felt really flushed despite the fact that th