*𝙱𝙴𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙸𝙵𝚄𝙻 / 𝖉𝖆𝖒𝖓𝖊𝖉

the mortification of the shattered glass is nothing compared to the horror of caio approaching her. when he slips the key card into her palm, she immediately tries to press it back into his hand. "i don't need this," she says quietly, her voice urgent as she attempts to return the key. "i'm not here for that. please, just take it back." she looks directly at bertie, addressing his question while still trying to deal with caio's unwanted gesture. "we met at one of your birthday parties a few years ago." she's acutely aware of how this must look — her making a scene and then having this kind of exchange. which would have been fine before, but not anymore. not when she came here specifically to see bertie, not when she's finally admitted to herself that she wants him. ( @mcraki )

    please ? she must've actually broken that glass on his head and he was hallucinating, it was the only plausible reason for the princess before them to be offering caio polite words without any traces of sarcasm hidden behind them. it made him frown while retrieving the key, too stunned to be as subtle as he'd been delivering it. “ you love making my life difficult, don't you ? ” he concluded. if she decided to change her mind and come knocking on his door later, he would not get up to open it. the thought alone made the smirk find its way back to his lips while he listened to her explain how they'd first met to edward. “ that's right, i'd forgotten about that. then again, it just blurs together with the thousand other times we've met after that. ” the man shrugged. events like these and the party mentioned were the reason there likely wasn't a duo of people with royal titles yet to cross paths. “ are you two close ? ” ― @seraphaics

"she making your life difficult as well?" jesting tone in his voice, taking a sip from his drink, as she glanced at sabine. edward stood there, half-amused, mostly confused. a smile was plastered on his face behind cerulean eyes, observing keenly, dissecting the situation, and both caio and sabine's reactions. despite the confusion, he had to give the benefit of the doubt, royals were bound to cross paths one way or another; their circles were smaller than most thought. "you meet frequently?", attempting to hide the slight discomfort with a chuckle. "we grew up together. sabi is a dear friend." that word physically hurt him, calling sabine a friend. especially after the bahamas, she was more than that to him. "though it seems that you two seem closer," head going back and forth between the two. / @hcirlooms

she's still catching her breath, her skin flushed and heart racing as she lies there beside him. when he mentions hazard pay, she laughs, a real, uninhibited sound that she rarely lets herself make. "my staff have worked for my family for generations. i'm fairly certain they've heard, or seen, worse from various nassau-weilburgs over the centuries. though yes, margot will probably give me one of her looks tomorrow morning." when he turns to face her, tracing circles on her back, she feels herself melting into the touch. the way he's looking at her, like she's something precious and devastating all at once, makes her chest tight with emotion she's not quite ready to name yet. "hi," she whispers back when he kisses her nose, a soft smile playing at her lips. "not a dream. though i have to say, if someone had told me this morning that you'd fly to luxembourg, confess your love, and end up in my bed all in one afternoon, i would have called them mad." she reaches up to trace the line of his jaw, studying his face in the afternoon light filtering through her windows. "and you don't need to keep proving anything right now," she says quietly. "what you just showed me was... well." she feels heat creep up her cheeks despite everything they've just done. "let's just say i'm starting to believe you're serious about this. about us." she pauses, then adds with a teasing smile, "though i wouldn't be opposed to you continuing to prove it. you know, just to be absolutely certain."

"i'm fairly certain i've been blacklisted by margot," edward whispered, propping a hand under his neck to lift it comfortably. The smile on his lips grew wider, his dimples digging deeper into his cheeks. more recently, whenever sabi and edward were together, something always happened that sent their staff into a panic. he couldn't blame margot if he actually was on some sort of list. "are you not terrified of margot? because i am," letting out a chuckle as he pushed a stray piece of hair away from her face, gazing at her tenderly. strong arms pulled sabine’s small frame closer, as though he feared she might slip away. after this afternoon, edward knew he would do everything in his power to keep her near. "i do tend to keep you on your toes, don't i?" grinning smuggly. "who knew i was a romantic? i could give shakespeare a run for his money." it had only ever been her — it would only ever be her. “looks like i’ve been a bit too… thorough in proving myself, haven’t i?” english prince leaned into lover's delicate touch, savoring the warmth that spread through him with every brush of her fingers. he leaned in closer, voice low only for sabine to hear. "and trust me, this is only the beginning of what i can do to keep you convinced." a bold claim but one he promised to uphold. there was something so serene and ethereal about sabine in this moment. the way she moved, each gesture delicate yet deliberate, as if the world itself paused to admire her. even in the quietest moments, she held him captive—every glance, every breath, every subtle smile weaving a spell he had no desire to break. "us." edward echoed, still wrapping his head around the idea of them being a togther. "what happens now?" not to ruin the moment, but edward knew this question had to be asked—needed them both to linger on the same page, in the same space, together.

when he tells her to turn off her brain, she almost laughs, as if that's ever been possible for her. but then he's kissing her, and suddenly thinking becomes secondary to feeling. the kiss is just as consuming as she remembered from barbados, maybe more so because this time there's no storm, no panic, just them and years of build-up finally finding its release. when he presses her against the door, she feels her breath catch, and when he lifts her, her legs wrap around his waist instinctively. the solid weight of him against her, the way his hands move with such certainty — it's intoxicating. "every second?" she breathes against his ear, her voice slightly unsteady. "that's quite ambitious of you." his question about soundproofing makes her laugh softly, and she pulls back to meet his eyes. "thick stone walls, built to withstand medieval sieges," she says, her hands framing his face. "but more importantly, this is my home, bertie. my staff, my rules, my privacy." there's something liberating about that admission — that here, in vianden, she doesn't have to worry about protocol or propriety or anyone else's expectations. "so yes, we can be as loud as we want," she continues, her voice dropping to something more intimate. "though you might have your work cut out for you if you're really planning to make up for a lifetime of wanting." she traces her thumb along his lower lip, studying his face with new permission to look at him the way she's always wanted to. "because i've been wanting you just as long, even if i was too stubborn to admit it. and now that i have you here, in my space, with no interruptions..." she leans in closer, her breath warm against his ear. "i plan to make the most of every single moment."

breathless and content. when edward decided to fly to luxembourg, he hadn’t expected to end up naked in sabine’s bed. well, if he was being honest, edward hadn’t known what to expect at all. all he knew was that he couldn’t let another day pass without speaking to sabine — he refused. the room smelled faintly of her perfume — something floral, sharp around the edges, like her. scent so intoxicating and addicting,it had him wishing he could stay here forever. they said memories could be tied to scents; if that were true, this one would stay with him. everything edward couldn't articulate, he showed sabine with every kiss, every whimper, every brush of his hand against her skin. words felt clumsy and unnecessary; his body spoke in ways his mind never could. edward pressed closer, letting the tension he’d carried for weeks melt into her, into this moment. and maybe, for the first time in a long while, he felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be. "you weren't kidding with the no interruptions," english prince finally breathed out. a breathy chuckle escaped his chest. he half expected margo to barge in like she always did and thank heavens that did not happen. "i feel sorry for whoever passes by your chambers," he added, aware of how loud they must have gotten. "you might have to pay your staff extra... a harzard pay of some sort," smile growing wider as prince turned to his side to face beloved. he traced idle circles on her back, letting the quiet stretch between them once more. this time, edward's gaze shamelessly lingered, not even daring to pull away, memorizing every inch of her likeness. "hi," edward whispered, leaning in to plant a kiss on the tip of her sabine's nose. "this isn't a dream, is it? you are my complete and utter undoing, sabine." letting out a soft laugh, partly in awe, partly in disbelief. "i don't know how else i can show that i want to be with you, sabi — and maybe that wasn't enough but i'll keep proving it to you."

his confidence makes her breath catch, the way he says her full name like it's something precious. when he mentions moving mountains and parting seas, she almost believes he would try. "you're right, we have always worked," she admits, her hands sliding up to rest against his chest. "but bertie, friendship is different from... this. we've never had to navigate seeing each other while trying to be together. we've never had to figure out how to make time for a relationship when we're both constantly travelling, constantly busy with duties that pull us in opposite directions." when he asks what he must do to prove it to her, she feels torn between wanting to believe him and her very real fears. "i need to know you won't change your mind when it gets difficult," she whispers, her thumb tracing along his jawline. "when we go weeks without seeing each other, when people start speculating, when our schedules don't align and we're both exhausted from trying to make it work. i can't lose you as a friend if this doesn't work as something more." she rises up on her toes, bringing their faces even closer together, close enough that their breath mingles. "so prove it to me," she whispers, her voice dropping to something more intimate, more challenging. "not with words this time. i just need you to show me you want this badly enough to fight for it when it gets complicated. not today, but in time." her hands tangle in his hair, and she looks at him with a mixture of longing and determination. "but today... show me what a lifetime of wanting someone looks like, bertie."

" sabi, " edward breathed out, forehead rested against sabine's . if only she knew how much he's craved to be this close to her again, to feel her warmth . " do you want us to work? " the question was rhetorical, of course . " — because i do. i'll make it work, we'll make it work. i can't promise you anything because if there's one thing i hate to do, it's breaking promises. i don't know what the future will hold but trust that in whatever capacity i can, i will always try to make us work . " edward couldn't blame sabine's hesitation and fear. this, too, scared him but after these past few weeks, he's realized that fear was what held him back from even wanting sabi in the way he wanted her now and he couldn't let it dictate his life and his relationship any longer. "i'm here, aren't i? and we've barely scratched the surface. i'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me for a long time. if you'll have me." heir said with a slight chuckle. "sabi… look at me," he murmured, his voice soft but steady. "look at me. i don’t know what comes next, and i won’t promise you certainty… but right now, here with you, i’m not going anywhere. i'm not scared. we’ll figure it out together." slowly, he pulled away—just enough to look at her, to drink her in. his thumb traced the curve of her cheekbone, lingering as if she might vanish if he let go. silence wrapped around them, not the awkward kind, but the kind that charged the air, heavy with anticipation and aching with desire. "— so right now, i need you to turn off that brain of yours," finally, edward leaned in closing the gap between them. their kiss was just as electrifying and consuming as he remembered, if not, even more. edward's hands moved to cradle her face, fingers tangling in her hair, anchoring them both in the moment. carefully, he pressed sabine against the door, their bodies molding together. as he traced kisses down her jaw, he hoisted her up with a swift, confident motion, and her legs wrapped around his waist. "today," homme's murmured to her ear, voice rough with need, "i’ll show you every second i’ve wanted you. every thought, every ache — it all ends here." edward pressed her harder against her, his body flush with hers, hands roaming, memorizing, claiming. "how sound proof is your room?"

being wrapped in his arms feels like coming home after the longest journey, and she melts into the embrace despite herself. "those two weeks were awful for me too," she admits against his chest. "i kept reaching for my phone to text you or writing messages, then deleting them. i hated it." when he cups her face, she leans into the touch automatically, her eyes fluttering closed for just a moment. the forehead kiss is gentle and reverent, and she feels something in her chest settle completely for the first time in weeks. "a situationship?" she laughs softly, the tension finally breaking. "bertie, you sound like you're trying to speak a foreign language. and you're right, we're far too old for whatever that is." when he moves closer, when she can feel his breath against her skin, her pulse quickens. "i don't want to be just friends anymore either," she whispers back, her hands finding the lapels of his jacket. "i just... i think we need to consider what us looks like. not to be terribly boring, but logistics ended my last relationship. i don't want to get invested before realising logistics would ruin us too." suddenly the formal sitting room feels far too public for what she wants to do next. without warning, she takes his hand and pulls him toward the door. "come with me," she says with urgency, leading him quickly through the familiar corridors of vianden. her heart races with anticipation, and she's grateful that here, surrounded by her own staff who've known them both for years, there's no need for too many protocols. when they reach her private chambers, she closes the door and turns to face him, suddenly aware of how intimate this space is — her sanctuary, filled with personal touches that reflect who she really is. " i didn't want to let myself believe you could want me the way i wanted you," she says quietly, reaching up to touch his face. "are you sure about this? because once we cross this line properly, everything changes between us." but even as she asks, she's already moving closer, drawn to him like gravity.

if edward was going to be honest, he hadn't thought the logistics part through — all he knew was he wanted sabi. call it a toxic trait but when edward wanted something, he made sure to get it one way or another. logistics was a non-issue to him, but she was valid for bringing it up. "i don't mind talking about logistics and protocol," he breathed out, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "and you can call me an overly optimistic, madly in-love idiot, but we’ve always just… worked." His voice was steady, eyes never leaving hers. "we’ve been friends for heaven knows how long — and distance never stopped us before. maybe that doesn’t solve everything, but I need you to know—I’m not going anywhere. sabi, whatever it takes, i’ll figure it out with you." edward would move mountains and part seas if he could for her, and that was a fact. the grin on his face only grew wider as sabine took his hand and tugged him along—down the well-decorated halls, past staff who seemed to be minding their own business. edward couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, hands resting comfortably on the curve of her hips, ever so subtly pulling her close. "sabi," he mumbled, letting out a content sigh. "i’m fairly certain I poured my heart out to you not five minutes ago," prince said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "do I need to say it a dozen more ways before you believe me? i want you, sabine nassau-weilberg — i've never been more sure in my entire life." face inched closer as english heir spoke, his other hand caressing her cheek. cerulean eyes, laced with sincerity and desire, held hers unwaveringly. "what must i do," he whispered, voice low and deliberate, "to prove this to you?"

when he takes her hands, the warmth of his touch grounds her in a way she desperately needs. the tenderness in his voice, the way he's looking at her like she's something precious — it's overwhelming in the best possible way. she's never seen him quite like this, so open and vulnerable and certain all at once. "i know you'd never hurt me intentionally," she says quietly, her thumb tracing over his knuckles. "and i know i hurt you too, with my own silence. we both made mistakes." when he kisses her palm, her breath catches, and she feels something settle into place between them. for the first time since he arrived, she feels herself truly smile. "now we actually talk to each other. properly. no more assuming we know what the other is thinking, no more letting pride get in the way of honest conversation." she steps closer, close enough that she has to tilt her head up to meet his eyes properly. "we figure out what this looks like with schedules and staff and keeping this between us while we work out what we are. and we promise each other that when something bothers us, we say it instead of going silent for two weeks." she pauses, her free hand coming up to cup his cheek. "because if we're going to do this, bertie, we need to actually be together, not just when it's easy, but especially when it gets complicated."

strong arms wrap around sabine's petite figure, enveloping her in an embrace. it felt right, it needed — especially right now. breathing finally steadied, feeling sabine's warmth against him, the same one he's missed the past two weeks. edward was a fool for letting his feelings and pride get the best of him, and vowed he'd set them aside if it meant if it meant keeping her close. "those two weeks were not fun," he exhaled. "i'm going to be extremely cliche—and don't laugh—but let's not go two weeks without speaking. i would rather hear you yell at me through the phone than not hear you at all, sabi. it was maddening — i mean it, " english heir cupped saine's face, thumbs running cross her cheekbones. would it be improper for him to kiss her? can he kiss her? but there were cameras? it wasn't like luxembourg security team wasn't watching already. instead, he settled on kissing her on the forehead, warm lips lingering a little longer than they should before cerulean hues find her's once more. "is what the kids these days call — what was it," edward pondered for a moment. "a situationship?" brows furrowed in confusion and focus. "yes, i believe that's what it's called though i think we're a little too old to be in a situationship." his low chuckle reverberated throughout the room, realizing how silly he probably sounded. edward was never really up to date with pop culture and whatnot, having much bigger problems to worry about. "i'll take whatever you can give me, sabi. i just don't want o be 'friends' anymore." as edward spoke, he inched closer to her face, nose barely brushing against each other, voice low for only her to hear.

when the word love hits her, she almost stumbles, and for a moment she can't breathe. thirty years of friendship, of wondering, of telling herself she was imagining things, and here he is finally saying what she'd been afraid to hope for. her knees feel unsteady, and she's grateful for the door still at her back, giving her something solid to lean against. "bertie," she whispers, and there's something broken in her voice, something raw and overwhelmed. because he's right — his feelings have been clear as day, haven't they? she's just been too scared to believe them, too terrified of losing him to risk seeing what was right in front of her. she watches him step closer, sees the way his hands twitch like he wants to reach for her but doesn't dare, and something in her chest cracks wide open. "you love me," she repeats quietly, like she's testing the words, seeing how they feel in the air between them. "you actually love me." her breath comes out shaky, and she finally pushes off from the door, closing half the distance between them. "i've been terrified that i was reading too much into everything, that i was ruining us by wanting more. but you..." she shakes her head, still processing. she stops just out of reach, her hands trembling slightly. "i'm not ready to say it back yet," she admits, the honesty coming easier now that he's laid himself bare. "not because i don't feel something, but because when i say those words to you, i want to be sure. i want to mean them the way you mean them." she takes a shaky breath. "but that boundary you're talking about? sprint through it. please. because whatever this is between us, i want to find out."

it was as if edward could finally breathe, the weight lifting from his shoulders. sabine was the very air he needed, and those two weeks without her had been suffocating. now bolder, more certain, the prince stepped forward, hands reaching for hers. he could have gone on about everything he loved—what it was, when exactly he knew—but he held back. in time, he would tell her everything. for now, sabine knew all she needed to know. "you don't need to say it back," edward breathed. his gaze lingered on their intertwined hands, tracing up her arms before meeting her eyes. "i just ... need you to hear it. it was time you knew what i truly feel for you—fully, wholly." his words were quiet, low—a stark contrast to the raised voices of moments ago. they were meant for her, and her alone. "sabi, i’d never do anything to hurt you. i never wanted to. i hope you know that." one way or another, he had hurt her with the words left unsaid, and edward was willing to do whatever it took to make it right. silence enveloped them once more, but this time, edward looked at sabine with a tenderness that lingered, heavy with all the longing he’d kept buried. he brought her hand closer to his lips, kissing the inside of her palm sofly, "i'm here, sabi. i'm here. i've crossed the finish line, im not going anywhere. i'll be here as long as you'll have me." and suddenly, every fear, every misunderstanding, felt so small compared to what they had—fragile yet unshakable, something neither of them could walk away from. "what happens now?"

sabine accepts two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter, scanning the room for bertie. her stomach flutters with anticipation — she'd flown in so last minute that there'd been no time for anything but getting ready and arriving on time. it's only when she gets within a few metres of him that she realises he's standing directly next to caio. a blush colours her cheeks at the sight of them together, and she turns on her heel, needing to avoid that particular situation like the plague. but in her haste to retreat, one of the champagne flutes slips from her fingers and crashes against the marble floor with a sharp crack that cuts through the conversation. she freezes, mortified, as half the room turns to look at the source of the commotion — exactly the kind of attention she'd been desperately trying to avoid.

    he was pulled out of his thought process by the loud noise of glass shattering that interrupted his short speech to the english heir. caio, like everyone else in the room, looked to the general direction of the noise and found sabine there, which brought a smirk to his face. a couple of seconds of silence followed while the staff rushed in to clean up, and other guests went back to minding their businesses before he decided to say anything. “ that was physically painful to watch. ” was she trying to be subtle ? he turned to edward, muttering a low “ give me a second. ” while digging into the pockets of his suit's jacket to find the key card to his hotel room ― he could just claim to have lost it and ask for another one latee ― and subtly slip it to the princess. it was the sole reason she'd ever get close to him at events anyway, he was just cutting the whole interaction short. “ i'll text you later. ” then turned fully towards the english once more. “ as i was saying: that's the exact reason the privatization of government businesses can only end in the decline of product and service quality. ” ― @seraphaics

brows furrowed at the sound of glasses shattering, causing his conversation with caio to take a pause. eyes narrowed at the source, worry creeping in at the sight of crystal shards across the floor. "sabine?" english heir called out. just as he was about to approach, caio beat him to it, which made edward freeze. prince stood there utterly confused at what he had witnessed. what was that he slipped to sabine? i'll text you later? questions started swirling in his head, hesitating to voice them. a part of him wanted to let it slide, why was he adding malice to such a brief interaction. it could hardly mean anything right? "sorry—" edward adjusted his stance, cutting off caio. "do you — do you two know each other?" obviously they did, most royals seem to, but edward could not help but ask. there wasn't any harm in doing so right? // @hcirlooms

the word cared hangs in the air between them, and she catches how he cuts himself off, how he almost said something else entirely. something bigger, more terrifying. her anger doesn't dissipate exactly, but it shifts when she sees the way he's standing there, the weight of these past two weeks written across his face. "you know what? i'm done talking about caio," she says, cutting through whatever he might say next. "it doesn't mean anything. it never did. you want to know the difference? with him, it was just... physical. meaningless. but with you..." she stops herself, pressing her lips together before she says too much. "the point is, you're torturing yourself over nothing. absolutely nothing." she shakes her head, frustration still simmering beneath the surface. "you're right, i shouldn't have let the tabloids get in my head. but you gave me nothing else to go on, edward. radio silence for two weeks, and then suddenly there you are, looking perfectly content with someone else. what was i supposed to think?" but then he's talking about spending every waking moment with her, about holding back and respecting boundaries, and her breath catches. "boundaries we've yet to cross?" she repeats quietly, her voice suddenly smaller. "we were naked on a hotel room floor, bertie. we crossed every physical boundary there was to cross that night. so what boundary are you talking about? the one where we actually admit what this is instead of dancing around it?" she takes a shaky breath, her anger finally giving way to something more vulnerable. "because you're not the only one who's been holding back. these past two weeks have been awful, wondering if i'd imagined how you looked at me that night. wondering if we ruined thirty years of friendship on a whim, if i'm making a mistake, if you were just telling me what you thought i wanted to hear." she wants to step forward, to close the gap between them, but instead finds herself smoothing her skirt again, fidgeting with the fabric. "we need to discuss moving forward. stop hiding behind politeness and boundaries and tell me what you actually want." her chin lifts slightly, that familiar stubborn tilt he knows so well. "because i don't want to play games, and if you can't decide what you want from me, i'll find someone who can."

maybe that was what he needed to hear, the reassurance, the confirmation. what was he afraid of? he's thrown caution to the wind when in came to sabine in the past few weeks but what was he worried about now? he was walking on eggshells, afraid to cause more damage than what was done. "i—" edward stammered, tearing away from her to look out the window, needing reprieve from the urges that was threatening to overtake his sense. "you're right." he admitted. "i shouldn't have gone radio silence. i'm sorry." he didn't want to keep fighting, sabi. he didn't want to fight at all. looking at it now, edward wished he handled it differently but it was too late now and there was no going back. only forward. sigh was softer this time around, weighted not with anger but with worry—weariness at what this conversation had become. The fight had drained out of him, leaving only the raw truth he’d been circling around. edward's shoulders slumped slightly, the rigid posture he’d held onto loosening. "i don't know how much obvious i need to be sabine," edward’s lips pressed into a thin line, his hands tightening at his sides. "my feelings for you have been as clear as day from day one. when will you ever see it?" brows furrowed as he finally returned his gaze onto her, eyes softening. "how much do i have to keep repeating that i want you, sabine. it's always been you, don't you get it?" finally, he stepped closer, hands wanting to reach out to her, but hesitated. edward didn't want to push it, not when they were still in the heat of the moment, respecting the conversation that needed to be had. "i'm going to say what both of us refused to say outloud — i love you, sabine. i always have and even if you tell me you don't feel the same, i always will. this is exhausting—this back and forth we’re doing, the refusing to address it, the assumptions and miscommunications." shaking his head as he spoke. "thirty years was never ruined. it was a risk i — we — took, a risk i well never regret because it was worth it. and its a risk i will keep taking if it means i get to have you in my life longer." and then there was silence. the only sounds edward could hear were his hitched breathing and the steady thrum of his heartbeat in his ears. his gaze never faltered, fixed on hers, waiting, hoping, desperate for even a flicker of response. “this,” he said finally, voice low and deliberate, “is the boundary we are yet to cross. And if you let me, I will ever so gladly—sprint through it.”

the formal distance between them snaps the moment he starts talking, and she feels her carefully maintained composure crumble. "what is this?" she repeats, her voice rising slightly. "you're asking me what this is? you're the one who went cold the second you found out about caio. you're the one who started pulling away despite saying everything was fine." she pushes off from the door, finally crossing the room but stopping well short of him, arms crossed defensively. "i held off reaching out because you made it crystal clear that you were bothered. which is rich, considering caio and i can barely stand each other most of the time. it was a few times, months before barbados, and apparently that was enough to make you decide i wasn't worth the effort anymore." her voice gets sharper, all the hurt and frustration of the past two weeks spilling out. "was i supposed to give you my complete sexual history the moment we slept together? because that's not how this works, edward. and you didn't offer yours up either. i was clear that barbados meant something to me — i told you i couldn't pretend nothing happened. so why did you disappear, huh? you went silent and left me wondering what i'd done wrong." she gestures toward the windows, toward the world beyond. "and then i see you at wimbledon, looking perfectly happy with the duchess, and you dare to text me like nothing happened? like you haven't spent two weeks ignoring me? after you said you couldn't pretend nothing happened too." her chest is heaving slightly, years of diplomatic training warring with raw emotion. "so no, don't you dare put this on stubbornness. you created this silence, not me."

brows furrowed and expression shifted from despration to confusion to hurt all in mere seconds. a scoff escaped prince's lips, just to let out the pent up emotion brewing in his chest. "alright," he began, surprisingly calm. "so i was just going to let that go, that's what you're expecting sabine? that i was just going to let it slide that one of my closets friends just so happened to be previously sleeping with the woman i ... " he cut himself off, holding his tongue. "the woman i cared about." sabine was more than just the woman he cared about, edward knew in the heart of his hearts that he loved sabine but before they could even begin, cracks were showing. and that scared him. "yes, it was months ago, but you also can't blame me for trying to process the information. i needed space, sabine. space to figure out… what it meant, how I felt, and what I could do without losing myself in it.” edward wanted to go on about the questions and what ifs. he ran a hand through his hair, struggling to steady himself. "i pulled away because I had to make sense of it all. i needed to act within my limits because we weren’t — weren't together." yes, they were more than just friends at that point, but neither of them defined what they were. edward let jealously over something that wasn't worth getting jealous over consume him, and that was his fault. "you would take the tabloids' word over mine? believe them over me? i meant every word i said in barbados." the hurt was evident in his voice, defeated almost. "sabine, i just happened to sit next to her at wimbledon. that’s it. nothing more. it doesn’t mean anything—it didn’t mean anything—except that I was next to her for a few minutes, talking, nothing else." edward stood his ground, hands on his hips, eyes shut for a second with a loud sigh. "you don't ever get to say you're not worth the effort. i decide. because if it were up to me, i would spend every waking moment with you," his jaw clenched, the muscle tensing ever so slightly. cerulean hues catch hers, looking down at her with intensity, pleading. his chest rose and fell with the effort of holding back, yet his eyes gave him away—raw, open, desperate. the hurt shifted to exhaustion, limp from fighting the stubborness. “i’ve held back,” edward continued, voice rougher now, the words spilling out despite himself. “not because I didn’t care, but because I had to… respect the boundary we've yet to cross. but that doesn’t mean I didnt want to. so go ahead. argue, doubt, yell at me. say whatever you need. i’ll take it. i’ve tried to stay within my limits… tried to be reasonable, tried to think before i acted but don't ever say you're not worth the effort."

sabine had seen the photos from wimbledon the same day his text came through — bertie in the royal box with the duchess of rutland, both of them looking perfectly comfortable while the cameras captured every moment. the tabloids were speculating about their rekindled romance with breathless excitement that made her stomach twist. his message had been casual, almost painfully so: how have you been? like he hadn't become distant after finding out about caio, despite claiming everything was fine. she'd stared at her phone before typing back: good. how's the duchess? she wasn't jealous, it was just... she'd thought he'd wanted more with her, not with another woman. she hadn't expected any response, much less for margot to slip her a note during her climate council meeting: his royal highness prince edward has arrived and is waiting in the blue drawing room. her chief of staff's expression suggested she had thoughts about unscheduled royal visits that bypassed all diplomatic protocols. she pauses outside the drawing room door, smoothing her skirt and trying to gather her composure. his sudden appearance in luxembourg, without warning or his usual entourage, suggests this conversation will be about more than catching up. taking a breath, she opens the door to find him by the windows. painfully aware of the staff lingering in the corridor, she greets him formally with a curtsy: "good afternoon, prince edward. to what do i owe the pleasure?" she closes the door behind her and presses her back against it, maintaining distance even as every instinct tells her to cross the room and fall into his arms.

two weeks. for two weeks they had not spoken, and edward was spiraling. two weeks of silence stretched like years. edward knew, with a kind of hollow certainty, that if he didn’t bridge this gap soon, the silence might turn permanent. he wasn't going to pretend he wasn't in the wrong, his reactions partially led them to their current predicament. maybe he acted irrationally when he found out that caio and sabine casually slept together? was it immature of him to distance himself ever so slightly, trying to understand his own feelings upon hearing of it? he had questions, speculations, thousands of restless theories that kept him awake at night that he dare not voice out in the fear of crossing the line. they liked each other, yes — well, for edward, he always knew he loved sabine ever since he could remember — but he feared that if he even so much breathed a question about it, it would chase sabine away. or worse, he'd hate the answer to all of it. maybe he was a coward for not facing it head-on like he usually did but with sabine ... logic faltered. he felt first, thought after—or not at all—letting emotions carry him where reason could never follow. when luxe princess had replied 'good. how's the duchess?' edward could not sit still. wimbeldon was a whirlwind, half of which he could not even recall. he wasn't going to deny that he was seen with bridget, duchess of rutland, because he was. it didn't help that bridget was someone of his past, a casual fling in his youth that tabloids exploited more than they should once upon a time. their pasts haunting them seems to be the common theme. after that text, heir knew he couldn't just sit still. he wasn't going to let all this ruin what he and sabine have — it was too petty, too little, too insignificant. seeing as both of them were stubborn, edward lowered his walls and flew to luxembourg once and for all. "princess sabine," voice calm but stern, turning away from the window to face her. for a heartbeat, his breath hitched at the sight of her —how the light caught the edges of her hair, how the familiar tilt of her chin stirred something he hadn’t dared name. prince made sure they were alone before continuing. " sabine, what is this?" something finally snapped in him, hands raised in defeat. "what are we doing? is this how its going to be? " defeated and quite honestly, exhausted, edward met sabine's eyes. "two weeks, sabine. two weeks of not saying a word, and for what? so we can stew in our own stubbornness? i can’t—i can’t—keep pretending this silence doesn’t matter." it was torture and edward can no longer succumb to it, he refuses.

his words make her chest tighten with something she's not ready to name, but she can't deny the relief that floods through her when he says it wasn't nothing to him either. when he kisses the top of her head, so gentle and intimate, she feels herself melting against him despite all her careful walls. "margot's probably already drafting a resignation letter," she says, trying to match his attempt at levity even as her heart is racing. "and arnold's going to need therapy. we've probably scarred them both for life." his admission about not being able to take his hands off her sends heat coursing through her, and she's grateful when he takes her hand because it grounds her somehow. "that is going to be a problem," she agrees softly, squeezing his fingers. "especially since i don't particularly want you to stop. though we'll have to be more strategic about it. can't have every diplomatic mission turning into a scandal." when he opens the door and guides her out with his hand on her back, she's hyperaware of the contact, of how natural it feels despite everything that's changed. "oh, they definitely noticed," she murmurs back, catching sight of margot's carefully neutral expression and arnold's studious focus on his clipboard. "margot's using her 'diplomatic incident' face, which means she's already calculating damage control scenarios in her head." the ride to the airstrip is torture. they're seated in the back of the car with margot and arnold facing them from the opposite seats, which means any meaningful contact is impossible. but each fleeting contact sends electricity up her arm. "my grandmother's in london to visit with your parents," she says, grasping for safe conversation topics while trying to ignore how his knee is almost touching hers. "so i hope you don't mind if we go straight back rather than detouring past luxembourg?"

FIN.

he laughed, low and genuine, at her bluntness. "secret crush? please. i don't do crushes." he took another sip, eyes never leaving hers. "but there's a difference between off-limits and unavailable, isn't there?" he stepped back slightly, though his gaze remained intent. "besides, you said it yourself — you're no longer affiliated with the team. which means all those tedious rules about not fraternising with staff just went out the window." there was something almost relieved in his tone, like he'd been keeping himself in check longer than he'd realised. "and for the record," he added with that familiar grin, "i've been thinking about more than just my shoulder since that injury. just couldn't do anything about it while you were an employee." he raised his glass slightly. "timing's everything, isn't it?"

she wasn’t about to deny her attraction to the portuguese prince, but she’d be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of knowing it. “now that you’ve shared what seems to be your deepest thoughts about me—thank you by the way— but what is it exactly that you want me to do, de bragança?” gisele leaned back on her high-top chair, eyes locked on his, daring him to push a little further. the tension between them was delicious, and she wasn’t about to break it. “use your words—don't be shy.”

the way he kisses her again, slower this time, makes her knees feel unsteady. she's acutely aware of his thumbs tracing her ribs, of how easily she could get lost in this moment despite the very real threat of staff interruption. when he mentions margot blacklisting him, she can't help but laugh. "margot's probably writing a strongly worded memo about palace security protocols as we speak. we've traumatised the poor woman." his admission about not sleeping makes her study his face more carefully, noting the shadows under his eyes. "of course i'm worrying about you," she says softly, the words slipping out before she can stop them. "old habits." there's something vulnerable in the admission, like she's revealing more than she intended but trying to play it off as casual concern between friends. when he talks about recurring occurrences not being limited to hotel rooms, she feels that familiar flutter of excitement mixed with terror. "inappropriate times being any time margot or arnold might walk in on us," she clarifies with a wry smile. "though i have to say, the thrill of almost getting caught does add a certain... element to things." she can see him hesitate, like he wants to say something more, and she finds herself holding her breath. but then he's stepping back, offering her the tea, and the moment passes. "right," she says, accepting the cup and trying to ignore the slight disappointment. "can't have our staff staging another intervention." she takes a sip of the lukewarm tea, then glances at him. "and bertie? this becoming a recurring thing... i wouldn't be entirely opposed to that." the words come out quieter than she intended, and she immediately feels exposed. it goes against every instinct screaming at her not to let on too much, not to risk what they've always had. but she also knows she can't go another two months in limbo with him, wondering. not after last night, not after starting to process what this feeling between them actually is. "i just... i can't pretend nothing happened. not this time."

sabine's words made edward take a pause with brows furrowed slightly and pulse racing ever so slightly . " i don't want to pretend nothing happened, sabi, " his voice quiet, a faint whisper meant for only sabine to hear. " because that wasn't nothing to me . " and it really wasn't. edward has long harbored feelings for the luxe princess , longer than he could remember. last night's confession barely scratched the surface of how he truly felt for her. they've crossed a line that was so carefully protected and now there was no going back — not that edward wanted to anyway. he closed in on the gap he initally placed between them and placed a soft kiss atop her head, sighing lightly . " i don't think margot and arnold can pretend nothing happened too even if they tried, " a bad time to make a joke, edward acknowledged that, but he thought it was a great time to break the palpable tension . " i fear ... it's going to be worse from here on out because i can't seem to take my hands off you and that's going to be a problem. " cheeky grin growing once more. he wanted to say more, channel shakespeare and profess his feelings right then and there in front of his hotel door, but he knew sabi and didn't want to rush into it. once again, edward pulled away but hands traced down sabine's arm to take hers into his. "you ready to head out?" for a moment, english heir didn't move, just taking her in one last time before the mask he ever so carefully crafted had to be pulled back on. hand still holding sabine's, he opened the door carefully to check if the coast was clear, tugging her along with him. as they walked, he let go of her hand only to rest it on the small of her back—a subtle shift, but one that still ensured he was somehow connected to her. "do you think they noticed we were gone?" edward muttered under his breath, watching margot and arnold from the corner of his eye.

he blinked, easy smile faltering slightly. "your contract ended? yesterday?" there was genuine surprise in his voice, like the possibility hadn't even occurred to him. "fuck, i had no idea you were leaving." he wracked his brain, was there an email he'd missed? he took a sip from his now full glass, processing this information. "well, that's their loss, isn't it? you were the only one who could actually get me to behave besides my normal physician." his grin returned, though with a different edge now. "and here i was thinking i might see you around the training ground again." he stepped closer, voice dropping to a low tone. "no promises about not screaming for the next physio. but maybe i can make you scream in my ear instead." the suggestion hung in the air between them, his eyes not leaving hers.

femme couldn't help but be amused at the prince's expression change. sometimes, she forgot that he was royalty to begin with—they were humans, after all. head titled to the side, letting raven hair cascade down her slender arms, peeking at him through her old-fashioned glass as she took another sip. "medical school is a full time gig and i didn't exactly broadcast my departure from the medical team — not that it was such important news. you boys will survive, i'm sure," shrugging as she said this. "i was told a male physio was to replace me. let’s hope he’s nicer than i am … though I have a feeling he won’t have as much luck getting you to behave." gisele challenged his gaze, finding the boldness amusing. there was no denying that rafael was attractive. the kind of man who had women falling at his feet — save for her, of course. "tempting," she hummed, leaning in just close enough for him to feel her warmth. "but only if you can actually make it happen. maybe you'll discover how loud i can get." was it a challenge or an invitation? that was up to interpretation. "you're something else, rafael de bragança," not even addressing him with his proper titles. it only felt right to bring him to her level if he was going to openly flirt with her. "i tell you I’m no longer affiliated with your team, and the first thing you do is hit on me. you certainly aren’t helping your case. careful — i might start thinking you’ve been harboring a secret crush on me all this time."

    “ wrong again. if you had one, one who loves running with you, i wouldn't have to. so really its a win-win: you get a running partner, i get peace, everyone's happy. ”

"i—" edward couldn't even argue, visibly pausing with his finger up but no words came out. "you're not setting me up with someone," rolling cerulean hues. it wasn't that he was opposed to the idea but edward was always hesitant about dating just anybody. "how about we get coffee instead? win-win!"