#trrchoices

As the party guests cheer and celebrate their new Duchess and future Queen, Madeleine glances at Regina, „Liam is turning his reign into a circus. He should know better than presenting his feelings to his court like that. This only makes him look weak and foolish“. 

Regina moves closer to madeleine, „Come with me“. Walking through the cheering crowd, they leave the ball room through one of the French doors leading to the inner courtyard and sit down on a bench in a dark corner, far from anyone’s sight, „Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do… in a few days she will be Liam’s Queen and will initiate the end of the monarchy as we know it“.

„Aunt Regina, don’t be so pessimistic. As long as they aren’t married, a lot could happen…“, Madeleine smiles at her Regina as if she already had a plan.

„You don’t understand… the girl is with child. Liam would never believe any intrigue and he will definitely never leave her“, Regina shakes her head, „The only thing that makes us better than commoners is their believe in that. Catherine wants to bring this monarchy closer to the people… for God’s sake, she got Liam build a kitchen in the King’s chamber so they can cook together. What is next? Will she send their child to public school? Soon people will start asking if they really need a King. She will destroy the monarchy and all of us with it“.

„W-What? A child?“, Madeleine stands up and start pacing nervously, „That bitch thought  of everything…“, she mumbles.

„My thoughts exactly“, Regina watches Madeleine’s steps slowing down.

„Oh, no but we are not going down without a fight!“, Madeleine crosses her arms in front of her, „Liam will never leave her but would she stay if she knew what life in palace is really about? If she knew how dangerous this life can be for her and her child? If we gave her a taste of how life with enemies in her own court could be?“

„I’m listening… What do you have in mind?“, Regina looks at Madeleine curious to know her plans.

—————

Once the celebration came to a close, Liam accompanied his fiancee back to their apartment. Unaware of Regina’s and Madeleine’s plans to disrupt their happiness, he runs a bath for him and Catherine.

Liam walks out of the bathroom, watching Catherine on the bed relaxing after this stressful day. He offers her his hand, „Love, the water is ready for you“. Once she gets up, standing in front of Liam, he unties her dressing gown, letting it fall to the floor. His eyes sweeps over her naked body, „You are so beautiful my love“. He gets closer to her, „Your breast… they look bigger“.

She giggles, „You noticed…“, she puts her arms around his neck. „Yeah, our baby is growing strong and soon we won’t be able to hide my pregnancy anymore“. 

„I can’t wait to see your belly growing“, Liam runs his hands over belly and around her waist, going down to her butt. He smiles, squeezing it gently and then his hands make their way down to reach under her thighs and lift her up. She hooks her legs around his waist and he brings her to the bathroom. He then helps her into the tub and she slides forward so he can sit behind her. „Once we are back from our honeymoon, we will be able to know the sex of our baby… do you want to know it? I can’t wait for this day to be honest“, he massages her back.

„Of course I want to know! Then we can finally decide on a name for our little one“, she smiles and rests a hand on her belly. „I'd say once we reach the second trimester, we could share the news with our people“.

Liam kisses her shoulder and her neck, „This day will be historical. After over four years, Cordonia will finally have an heir to the throne. Our people will rejoice over the news and we can finally start preparing for our baby’s arrival“.

„Honey, isn’t it too early to start getting ready for our baby?“, Catherine chuckles.

He hugs her, resting his head on her shoulder, „We are talking about the crown prince or crown princess of Cordonia… we have to choose a room, find someone to be responsible for the interior design, we need to find a local carpenter to make the furniture…“, before he finishes his thought, Catherine says:

„Hold on a second. If you still have the furniture of your baby room, we could use them. We would have the carpenter refurbishing those pieces, but the we wouldn’t need anything new and at the same time we would have something from your mother… that she chose for you. What do you think?“, she turns her head to Liam and notices he is getting emotional.

He kisses the back of her head, „You are amazing, my love. I don’t deserve you… you’re so thoughtful, so kind… your love is everything I need to feel complete“, his voice was soft, almost fragile, „That you wanna include my mother in this special moment, welcoming her into our child’s life means so much to me“. Liam holds her tighter to him, „I wish she could have met you, Katie… she would have loved you“, he whispers.

„I’m sure she is here, Liam, taking care of all of us“, she takes his hand and puts it on her belly, „Taking care of our baby“. 

Liam closes his eyes and thanks God for having sent her to him, he can’t stand the thought of a life without Catherine. 

—————

The next morning, Liam and Catherine head to Valtoria for a day trip. Catherine looks through the window enjoying the scenery and with the corner of her eyes she catches Liam staring at her. 

She smiles, „So, my King, what are the plan for the day?“

„We will be choosing the flower arrangements for the Cathedral from a local florist and also one of our wedding cakes will come from a Valtorian baker. As I told you before, it isn’t an official visit but I thought it would be nice to include your duchy in the celebrations. Unfortunately, we won’t have much time over there because of my trip to France tomorrow“, Liam kisses her forehead, „Now, you better look out the window or you will miss the entrance to your castle“.

Catherine’s eyes widen in disbelief, „What?“, she looks back at Liam shocked, „Are you serious? This is like out of a fairy tale“.

Liam smiles, „Everything you see here is yours“.

Catherine smiles, getting closer to Liam she whispers, „Well, Mr. Rhys, I can’t wait for the day we will christen every and each room of this castle“, she brushes her fingers over Liam’s chest and trails kisses over his neck.

Liam blushes, „Oh honey, I can’t wait for this day either but let’s not start something now that we won’t be able to finish… in a couple of minutes we will have to leave the car and I, erm…, I won’t be able to walk out of this car if you go on like that“. Catherine giggles and kisses him on the cheek, turning back to the window.

After their arrival, Catherine is greeted by Gladys, the majordomo and is led by her through the castle for a tour of the most important places while the florist displays her arrangements in the ballroom. 

When Liam and Catherine finally arrive at the entrance of the room, they can already take in the sweet scent of the flowers. Catherine slowly walks into the sea of flowers and heads straight to the petit brunette, working on the final details of one arrangement.

„Good Morning!“, she says, „This look amazing!“. 

Liam walks behind Catherine, watching carefully every details, „You have exceeded my expectation, Mrs. Wallace“.

The woman curtsies, „You Majesty, your Grace. Forgive me for having my back turned to you, I didn’t notice you approaching!“

„Please, don’t worry about it in anyway“, Catherine smiles, „So, I see you have included my favorite flowers in your arrangements?“

„Yes, your Grace. His Majesty made clear that I should add pink and white roses to the arrangements. I took the liberty to add the peonies though, for they are one of the symbols of your duchy“, she smiles and shows the different arrangements she has created.

„I love peonies and everything you have here. What do you think, Liam?“, Catherine looks at him and he walks through the sea of flowers.

„I believe this arrangement is one of my favorite — it’s simple yet classic and elegant“, he looks at Catherine and she smiles.

„I love it, sweetheart! I think we have a winner!“, she takes his hand in hers and leans her head against his strong arm. „Now it is starting to feel real, soon we will be married, Liam“, she looks at him and he kisses her head. They discuss a few other details with the florist before heading for lunch in the dining room.

In the afternoon, they headed to the parlor, where a local baker prepared a few different cake slices for a wedding cake tasting. Liam playfully fed Catherine with every cake flavor that was represented on the several trays. After going through the different flavors, they settled for a chocolate truffle cake filled with chocolate ganache with a hint of raspberry and vanilla.

The day in Valtoria ended with a ride through the the countryside, just a small presentation of Catherine’s duchy as their first official visit will be after their honeymoon and they will spend their first week as a married couple in her lands.

—————

In that same evening, after dinner, Catherine walks into her bedroom wearing a white night gown. She looks at Liam, lying in her bed, very concentrate in his reading and she smiles. She sits down next to him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

Liam smiles and looks at her, putting down his book, „Sorry, I didn’t see you there…“

„It’s okay. What are you reading?“, she gets closer to him and he wraps an arm around her waist.

„Nothing too important, I’m just trying to get ready for my trip to France tomorrow“, he kisses the top of her head, „Are you sure you don’t wanna come with me?“.

Catherine smiles, „I’d love to but I got work to do and I got that tea party thing, the one Regina is organizing, remember?“

„Oh, yes, I do“, Liam tilts her chin gently to him, „If Madeleine is there and if anything happen that makes you uncomfortable, don’t feel obligated to stay there, okay?“.

„Thank you, sweetheart, but I think I can deal with Regina and Madeleine…“, she smiles and stares at him for a few seconds. Catherine bites her bottom lip, moving slowly over him, pulling her gown high enough so she can straddle Liam.

He smiles naughtily, „Hmmm, you are insatiable, my Queen…“

„I’m blaming the pregnancy hormones…“, she giggles and lower herself slowly onto him for a passionate kiss. His hands roam up her thighs -- one holding her hip and the other stopping between her legs, making her moan.

„Oh god, Katie, you are so wet…“, he whispers and massages her love button with his thumb. She slips her hand into Liam’s boxer briefs, reaching for his fully erected manhood. She looks deep into his eyes, leading him slowly inside of her and he groans. „Oh baby, you feel so fucking good…“. She lowers the straps of her gown, exposing her breasts to Liam. He reaches for them and massages them gently for a moment while she rides him the way he loves it. He pulls her to him and kisses her neck, trailing kisses down to her collarbone and to her breast. They enjoy the feeling of their body becoming one for a while, their moans and groans getting louder.

„Fuck, baby… I’m close“, she lets her head falls to her back and Liam grabs her hips, intensifying her movement, getting deeper and faster into her, making her scream, „Liam…“.

„Yeah, love, come for me…“, as he feels her walls tightening around him, he wraps his arms around her, pulling her tighter to him and he lets go, finding his release inside of her. He looks deep into her eyes, „Catherine, I love you more than anything…“

„I love you too, Liam“, she lets herself fall to his side and Liam lies down, pulling her to him while they try to catch their breaths. She nestles into his arms, tracing circles on his muscular chest.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Catherine wakes up feeling sick. She tries not to wake up Liam but when he hears her throwing up in the bathroom, he doesn’t hesitate to go to her side. Although the treatment is working, some days are better than others. 

After 30 minutes in the bathroom, she washed her face, brushing her teeth and went to bed feeling terribly. Liam pours her a glass of water, „Maybe I should cancel my trip…“, he looks at her worried.

„Nonsense, Liam. I’ll be fine… we know that the sickness can last throughout the pregnancy. I’m just glad I get a break some days“, she drinks the glass of water and rests her head on Liam’s chest.

„Then promises me you will see the palace doctor in the morning, please! Just to make sure you don’t need another infusion…“, he kisses her head and strokes her back.

„Okay, honey, now you should sleep. You have an early flight to catch“.

Liam sighs and turns off the light. He tries to fall asleep but he can’t shake the feeling that he shouldn’t leave her alone.

—————

Feeling better than the night before, Catherine walks through the palace, on her way to Liam’s study to work from home. After two conference calls she hears a knock on the door. 

„Come in“, she says.

Regina opens the door and looks at her annoyed, „I was looking for you, your Grace. I just couldn’t believe my ears when I was told you would be working here, in Liam’s study“.

„It was Liam’s idea but I’m sure you aren’t here to discuss where I should or shouldn’t be…“, Catherine closes her laptop, „Please, have a seat“.

Regina walks into the room and sits down, „I had an early meeting with our family lawyer and I was told you still haven’t signed a prenup“.

„Liam and I have never talked about it, actually“, Catherine crosses her arms.

„He probably forgot with so many things to take care of... “, she smiles, „That’s the reason why I took the liberty to bring this for you. It is the same prenup Madeleine signed so in case of a divorce you will be taken care of“.

Catherine has a quick flick through it and closes her eyes shortly, pinching the bridge of her nose, „Okay, Regina… you know I am a lawyer, don’t you? Do you really think I am going to sign this?“, she opens her eyes and sighs.

„Why not? It’s fair…“, she says.

„First of fall, if we signed a prenup or not it’s none of your business, so you don’t have to go around asking questions. Secondly, I’m not against it. If Liam wants a prenup, we will have one but one that we both agreed upon — we will find a lawyer and we will discuss the terms of this contract, not you and your lawyer, do you understand me, Regina?“, Catherine stands up and walks to the bar area to pour herself a glass of water.

„I just wanted to be helpful…“, she says, „And there is also this other thing...“.

Catherine signs and takes a deep breath trying to keep her cool, „What is it?“, she walks back to her seat.

„This one you have to sign. Every Queen before you did…“

Catherine reads attentively every line and can’t believe her eyes, „You want me to terminate my parental rights to my unborn child?! Are you insane?“, she laughs but actually she feels like screaming, „‚The child of a King or Queen is property of the Crown‘? My child is property of nobody. I mean, Regina, if you or anyone think I’m going to sign this… you are delusional“.

„As I said, every Queen before you did. It’s just to assure that the child will have a courtly education and in your case, that you won’t take the child away from Liam“, she says.

„Liam knows that I’d never do this to him and there are international laws that protect the rights of both parents... I’d never be able to leave the country with my child without the father’s consent. You have to know this much at least“, Catherine says, trying to keep her voice down, „Look, I have work to do. I’m gong to discuss this with Liam but I can tell you now, I’m not signing it!“.

Regina stands up and smiles, „Sooner or later you will have to…“. She turns around and leaves the room. Catherine waits until she closes the door and sends Liam a text:

„Can you talk now?“

A couple of minutes later, Liam calls her:

„Hey sweetheart, what is going on? Missing me already?“, his voice is soft and full of love.

„Liam, do you want a prenup?“, she says agitated.

„Whoa, where is this coming from?“, he says confused.

„Go on! Have a guess…“, she sighs.

„Regina? But I have never talked to her about a prenup… Honey, listen to me, I don’t need one. Otherwise we would have talked about it a while ago“, he tries to calm her down.

„Liam, I am not even mad because of the prenup but with the prenup she gave me a waver… to sign over my parental rights to the crown?! What the fuck! I am not doing that…“, Catherine stands up and starts pacing.

„Love, you don’t have to sign anything. I would never ask you to do that, you know me. You have to calm down, Katie, this isn’t good for you or our baby…“, Liam waits for an answer but she doesn’t say anything. „Honey?“

Catherine sits down again and puts a hand on her side, feeling some cramping, „Yeah, you are right. I think I gotta finish up things here and lie down for a while“.

„Is everything okay? Did you see the doctor?“, he asks worried.

„Yes, he will come by after the afternoon tea and I’ll probably get an infusion again“, Catherine closes her eyes and breaths deeply. 

„You should stay in bed today, you don’t have to go to Regina’s tea party“.

„I am going with Hana, Liam. Don’t worry too much about me… everything will be fine“, she says feeling a little better, „I love you… talk later?“

„I love you too, please call me whenever you want!“. After talking to Liam, Catherine answered a few emails and went to bed. She was still annoyed with Regina for her lacking of boundaries, but she tried not to worry about it for the baby.

—————

After a few hours in bed reading, Catherine got dressed for the tea party and met with Hana in the parlor.

As they arrive in the tea room, Catherine and Hana are greeted by Regina and from the corner of her eyes she sees Madeleine with a group of ladies. The room is nicely decorated with beautiful flower arrangements and live piano music. In every table there were a selection of teacakes, macaroons, scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve, tiny sandwiches and other exquisite pastries. Regina was trying to be extremely nice, introducing Catherine to the other ladies.

After chatting with each one of the ladies, Catherine and Hana headed to their table and soon Regina joined them.

„Are you enjoying the tea party, your Grace“, Madeleine comes from behind Catherine and sits down by her side.

Catherine glances shortly at Hana before putting on a fake smile and turning her head to Madeleine, „Hi Madeleine. Yes, it’s been delightful so far. Are you enjoying it?“

“Well, enjoying isn’t the exactly the word I’d go for. I know most of the ladies in here. They are from lower nobility classes, looking for the opportunity of their lives…“, Madeleine stares at Catherine with a grin on her lips.

„Oh yeah? And what kind of opportunity are you talking about?“, Catherine asks curious.

At this Moment Regina starts saying, „Well, I’m not sure if you know but in a Cordonian marriage is quite common for both parties to have extra conjugal relationships. And as future Queen, it is your duty to choose Liam at least two of these beautiful ladies“.

„Do you see Lady Anne and Lady Cassandra over there? Those I chose for him before we got married… his mistresses will live in the palace. Of course not in your quarter but they should be available whenever their King desires“, Madeleine looks over at Catherine and her face is blank.

„Okay… Regina and Madeleine, Liam doesn’t need a mistress. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t want one. It may be usual in a political marriage or a marriage of interests but we love each other. There will be no third person in our bed“, Catherine stares deeply into Regina’s eyes.

Madeleine laughs quietly, „Listen, Catherine, this monarchy is much older than your own country. If you wanna survive as Queen, you better accept that… your relationship with Liam is everything but normal, there are rules and you will follow them or you will have to leave“. Suddenly, Catherine feels extremely sick and tries to get up from her chair but Madeleine grabs her arm forcefully, „Now, you listen to me. Do you see the table on our left? Those ‚Ladies‘ I introduced you to? Why don’t you choose two of them and you can go… Liam has already pre-approved each one of them a few months ago. Lady Sophia, for example, spent 48 hour in a hotel in Paris with Liam… as you know, our King doesn’t lack of stamina. Lady Jasmin, on the other hand, spent a couple of days in his Yacht… oh, haven’t you two spent some lovely days cruising the Mediterranean? I hope it doesn’t bother you too much that you weren’t the first one. And lady Agnieszka, he sent a plane to Saint Petersburg to bring her to Cordonia for the weekend… I don’t need to tell you the things he might have done to her… probably in your room…“. Catherine feel the pain coming back and it makes her so dizzy she can’t concentrate.

„Enough, Madeleine!“, Hana stands up, „We are leaving… you two should be ashamed of yourselves!“, Hana takes Catherine’s hand and helps her to stand up. 

„But I didn’t finish yet…“, Madeleine says laughing while Hana and Catherine leave the room.

Hana leads Catherine to the parlor and after a couple of minutes in silence, she says, „You are pale and your hands are cold. I gotta call someone“.

„I think I am a little dehydrated, I feel so dizzy I don’t think I can go up the stairs…“, Catherine says, her hand is on her belly. „Would you please call Leo?“, she hands her phone to Hana.

Hana immediately calls him and tells Leo to come as fast as he can. Meanwhile, Catherine wraps her arms around her stomach in pain. She tries to takes deep breaths but it doesn’t help.

When Leo arrives, he walks up to Catherine, „You don’t look good, Katie… What happened? I thought you guys were having tea with Regina!“. Hana told him what happened in the tea room. „What the fuck is wrong with those two? Liam is going to kill them…“. He offers a hand to Catherine, „Let’s go, I’m taking you to your room and then I’ll let the doctor know you aren’t feeling well”.

When Catherine stands up, Hana notices blood in the back of her dress, „Katie, you are bleeding…“, she says. Shortly after Hana finishes her sentence, Catherine faints, being caught by Leo.

„No, no, no.. this isn’t good! Okay, I gotta take her to the hospital… You tell the guards to not allow Madeleine or Regina to leave this palace. They should take them to Liam’s office and stay there until I come back!“, Leo holds Catherine in his arms and runs to the front door, getting her into his car and rushing to the hospital.

During the short drive to the hospital, he let them know that he would be arriving with Catherine and in less than 15 minutes he parked in the back entrance of the hospital, where a team was already waiting for her. Leo watched her go before leaving to park his car. Nervous with the situation, he called his brother but nobody answered the call. Then he tried Bastien:

„Bastien, where is Liam?“, he says apprehensive.

„He is in a call, can I help you with anything?“, Bastien asks.

„I need to talk to him. Catherine is in the hospital“

„I see, give me a second…“, Bastien puts him on hold and soon Liam in on the other side of the line.

„What is it, brother? Did you cause a fire in the palace again?“, Liam chuckles.

„Li, listen to me… you better come back! Regina and Madeleine are out of control…“, he says agitated.

„Okay, you are making me nervous… what is going on, Leo?“

„Catherine is in the hospital, I think she and the baby aren’t doing well… she was bleeding, you better get here fast, Liam. I’ll tell you what happened once you arrive!“, Leo explains.

„I’m on my way“, Liam says angrily, „Don’t let them leave… I’m going to deal with those two once and for all“.

To be continued…

For more chapters go to my MASTERLIST in my bio.

—————

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Bragnae rolled over to hug her pillow feeling the sunlight hit her eyelids. She slowly opened her eyes to glance at the clock on the nightstand reading 11:42 a.m. She gasped as she sat up quickly in her bed.

“I… what? I must’ve slept in!”

Just then Bragnae felt a pounding in her head, which caused her to slowly sink back down onto the pillow clutching her forehead.

“Oof. Maybe I’ll just lay here for a second more.” Bragnae closed her eyes trying to will the throbbing away.

As she tried to relax, she let her mind wander to the crazy events that transpired last night that led her to her current position.

I can’t believe I ran around the ballroom in my underwear. All in the name of Truth or Dare…well, for him. God, I’ll do anything just to catch his attention. How embarrassing. But…he does seem to enjoy when I make an effort to embarrass myself for his benefit no matter how silly it is. And he did kiss me back last night. Oh, his lips…they’re so soft. I could kiss him all day.

Bragnae smiled to herself remembering his hands touching her for the briefest of moments last night after he walked her back to her room.

He said that it was ‘the most incredible kiss’ he’s ever had. Bragnae grinned peacefully to herself as images of Drake flashed across her mind. I can’t wait to see him again. I need to see him again.

Thoughts of Drake motivated Bragnae to get out of bed despite her now dull headache. She got herself dressed, and took a few minutes to complete her morning routine before heading downstairs. On her way down, she saw a few members of the house staff plus Bertrand and Maxwell cleaning up last night’s mess.

“Hey, why’d nobody come get me?” She asked.

“You earned a day to sleep in,” Bertrand replied as he bent down to pick up another shard of glass from a broken Champagne bottle.

Bragnae was taken aback by his comment. “I… did?”

“We also thought it’d be better if we minimized the destruction from last night before you woke up,” Maxwell added.

“I could have helped you guys… You know that right?”

“We don’t want you wasting your energy when we’re heading into one of the most important events of our lives…” Bertrand said, waving Bragnae off.

“The Coronation Ball is next, and after last night, all eyes are going to be on you!” Maxwell said proudly.

Bertrand continued, “So, get what you sleep you can. It’s not long before we depart for the palace.”

Bertrand walked away toting a full bag of trash in one hand as he instructed the staff on their next steps. Realizing just how soon the Coronation Ball was, Bragnae started to panic internally.

I knew this was coming, but I didn’t realize just how soon it was. I’m not ready for it. I need more time. I need to see Drake. But maybe also Gabriel? I just need to do something with them that’s normal for once. Like regular people. Maybe Maxwell would want to go, and Hana. But what could we do?

“Hey, Maxwell.”

“What’s up?” He asked as he continued to sweep.

“I was thinking we could all go out tonight to do something fun… you know, for old time’s sake before Gabriel’s Coronation? Before things get crazy for all of us. Not that last night wasn’t fun, but I was thinking about something more ordinary than, say, riding horses in the house and breaking open champagne bottles with swords.”

Maxwell abruptly stopped sweeping dropping his broom to the floor as he raced over to Bragnae who was still standing on the stairs.

“Bragnae, you’re a genius! I’ve been dying to check out this new place here in Ramsford. It’s a karaoke bar and dance club all in one! You know, I’m always ready for a party.”

“Do you think Gabriel, Drake and Hana would want to go?”

“Go where?” Hana asked, rubbing her eyes as she descended the stairs toward them.

“Morning Sleepyhead!” Maxwell practically screamed.

“I haven’t slept in like that in a very long time,” she said stifling a yawn.

“Maxwell and I were just discussing going out tonight to a karaoke and dance club. Do you want to go?” Bragnae asked.

Come on, Hana. Say ‘yes’.

“Sure! I’m well-rested, and I’d love to try karaoke! I’ve never done it before, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“Well, apparently this weekend is full of ‘firsts’ for you! Maxwell, where are the guys? We need to see if –”

Before Bragnae could finish her sentence, Maxwell was already speaking to Gabriel on the phone.

“… Yeah. So, do you want to go?… Of course, Bragnae’s going. It was basically her idea. Ask Drake if he’ll come too... Oh, come on! He has to sing! … Okay, fine. As long as he comes. Let’s all meet up here, and go together. Okay, see you then.”

“So, what’s the verdict?” Bragnae asked, trying to restrain her excitement.

“They’re in! It’s going to be one awesome night! Oh my God, what am I going to wear? What are you going to wear?” Maxwell asked. “Let’s go pick out our outfits, ladies!”

The three of them walked briskly to the boutique leaving Maxwell’s half swept mess on the floor behind them. The girls immediately walked over to the rack of dresses as Maxwell flipped through countless shirts occasionally tossing some to the floor with a look of disgust.

“So, what kind of look are we going for at a Karaoke Bar?” Hana asked, waiting to be inspired by the perfect dress.

“We definitely need something that will stand out. We’re going to be on stage singing in front of people, so we need an outfit that looks great against the lights that will be on us,” Bragnae said as she slid more hangers across the rack.

“Glitter and sequence, ladies. It’s all about the sparkle!” Maxwell called over his shoulder.

Hmmm… what am I going to wear? I want something with color. I wonder which one Drake would like. Should I ask Maxwell what his favorite color is? No. That’s too obvious. I’m sure he’ll like whatever I pick out.

“I’ve got it!” Hana exclaimed, holding up a hot pink dress with rhinestones delicately placed in a starburst pattern. It had spaghetti straps and the front was cut low… lower than Bragnae thought Hana would choose to wear.

“That’s perfect, Hana! Go try it on!” Maxwell suggested.

Damn it. What am I going to wear?

“Hey, Princess-to-be. I think I found what you’re looking for,” Maxwell said, dangling a dress in front of him.

Bragnae turned around and her eyes grew wide. “Maxwell! That’s it! How do you always manage to find the perfect outfit for me?” She ran over to him grabbing the dress and headed for a changing room.

This is definitely going to turn some heads.

Bragnae took off her clothes and slipped on the dress Maxwell found. It had a plunging, cowl neckline held up by a halter strap, which allowed only a hint of her cleavage to show in the center of her chest. The back was completely open, and the rest of the dress hugged her curves nicely. Perhaps the best part that made this dress stand out was its green and blue gradient sequin design. She watched the dress change colors against the light as she rotated her body back and forth in the mirror.

“I want to see too, Bragnae!” Maxwell cried.

“Yes! Come see mine as well!” Hana added.

Bragnae stepped out of the changing room strutting like she was on a runway in Paris.

“Woohoo! That’s what I’m talking about! Get it, girl!” Maxwell called out.

“Bragnae, that’s beautiful!”

“So is yours, Hana! We’re going to light this club on fire!” Bragnae said confidently.

Maxwell held a deep red button up shirt against himself. “This is what I’m wearing. Talk about fire. It’s going to be an inferno up in there! I may even keep the top few buttons undone.”

“Oooh, scandalous!” Hana said.

A few hours later, Bragnae and Hana were in Bragnae’s room getting ready for the night. Hana chose to straighten her hair completely for a more edgy look, whereas Bragnae added a soft curl to hers to provide more volume against her already form-fitted outfit. They began applying their make-up, already dressed.

“You want to be bold and dramatic, Hana. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone. Here. Add some wings to your eyes with the eyeliner like this.” Bragnae turned her attention away from the mirror, and faced Hana closing her eyelids to display her own design.

“That’s so pretty! I’ve never worn gray and black eye shadow before. My mother always told me to stay with neutral tones as to not offend the eye of a potential suitor. It’s not too much, is it?”

“That’s called the smoky look, and no, it’s not too much. It’s exactly what you need for a night out like this,” Bragnae reassured her.

The girls finished with their make-up, spritzed perfume on their bodies and slipped on their black high heels. With a final look in the mirror, they headed downstairs to meet the guys in the foyer. Bragnae couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness like she was meeting Drake for a date. She hoped he liked how she looked, and couldn’t wait to see him. Maxwell, Gabriel and Drake were standing near the front door talking when the girls began their decent down the stairs.

Maxwell stood facing the stairs in his deep red shirt with his collar popped, and a few buttons undone at the top as promised, along with black slacks. Gabriel and Drake also wore button up shirts, but Drake had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Gabriel’s was a steel blue color, which complimented his eyes, and looked great with his hair. Drake’s was black, a color Bragnae had not often seen him in. He completed his look with a pair of dark jeans, which he wore very well. Drake stood with his back to the stairs, keeping his face out of Bragnae’s view much to her disappointment.

“Damn, ladies! Check you out!” Maxwell said, looking up at them.

Gabriel turned his head to the right, and Drake slowly turned around to face Hana and Bragnae.

“You ladies look beautiful tonight,” Gabriel marveled.

“They’re gorgeous!” Maxwell added.

“Oh, you guys! Stop it!” Hana playfully dismissed.

Drake stayed silent as he clenched his jaw and swallowed hard keeping his eyes on Bragnae. When her eyes met his, she felt a little weak in the knees, so she gripped the railing tighter as she continued to walk down the steps. Bragnae felt her heart flutter as her breathing increased slightly. She wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and kiss him for the rest of the night. Bragnae realized she had not looked away from Drake this whole time, so she decided to divert her attention to the others to avoid suspicion. She looked towards Gabriel who had a big smile on his face. He stepped forward to offer her a hand as she took her last step off the stairs.

“Thank you, Gabriel. You look nice.”

“Thank you, but nothing rivals the way you…and Hana look tonight,” he replied.

Bragnae turned to Drake and smiled. “Drake, I’ve never seen you in that shirt before. Is it new?”

“Nah. This is Maxwell’s. He made me wear it tonight,” he said, almost curtly. His eyes still focused on Bragnae and his body rigid.

“Well, it looks good on you.”

“Let’s go, guys!” Maxwell shouted as he threw the double doors open and walked out to the limo waiting outside.

“After you,” Drake offered.

What a polite and subtle way to check me out, Drake. Good one.

Knowing his eyes were most likely on her backside, Bragnae added an extra sexy strut to her step as she followed the others out the door. They piled into the limo and soon they arrived at the club.

“Alright, everyone. I called ahead, and got us the VIP table in the back. It includes drinks all night!” Maxwell stated.

The group sat down around the table as the waiter came over to collect their drink orders and place glittery plastic VIP bracelets around their wrists. Maxwell ran off almost immediately toward the stage and returned just as quickly with a large binder, a pen and a couple pieces of paper. Bragnae found herself seated in between Drake and Gabriel with Hana and Maxwell across from her. Maxwell flipped rigorously through the binder until he suddenly stopped and his eyes lit up.

“Oh! That’s the one!” He said as he lowered his head toward the table covering his paper with one hand writing his selection down secretly.

“What are you going to sing?” Hana asked him.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he replied turning his paper over on the table.

“Bragnae, do you know what you’d like to sing? I’m looking forward to hearing your beautiful voice again,” Gabriel said, smiling at her.

Drake looked over at her. “You sing, Bennett?”

“Yes, I do,” she replied proudly.

“Are you any good?” He asked.

“I guess you’ll have to be the judge of that,” she said with a wink. “I’m not sure what I want to sing yet. Maxwell, pass me the binder.”

Taking the massive binder from him, she began to flip through the seemingly endless pages. With some songs standing out, she still felt they weren’t quite right. Drake moved his leg slightly under the table brushing against hers, which made Bragnae lose all train of thought. The slightest touch from him wreaked havoc on her mind and body. She stared at the binder trying hard to steal a peripheral glance at Drake without making it obvious.

“You could sing Empire State by Alicia Keys. And ooh! I can rap Jay-Z’s part!” Maxwell offered with enthusiasm.

She smiled at him and resumed her search through the binder before seeing it. This was it. The song she would sing. It was perfect. Bragnae quickly closed the binder, and grabbed a piece of paper writing her name, song title and the artist on it.

“Do we get to know what you chose?” Hana asked.

“Like Maxwell, I too shall keep it a surprise,” she said pressing the paper to her chest.

While Maxwell and Gabriel helped Hana pick out a song to sing, the waiter dropped off their first round of drinks.

“A martini, huh Bennett?” Drake inquired.

“A dirty martini. I love them. Plus, I think I’m going to need the vodka to calm my nerves. Stage-fright sucks. I see you’re staying well within your whiskey comfort zone.”

“Why mess with a good thing, Bennett?” Drake smirked as he took a drink.

With their selections given to the DJ, the group passed the time talking about the past week’s events until the lights in the club dimmed, and the DJ began speaking.

“Good evening ladies and gentleman! Who’s ready to get this party started? Our first guest who will be singing tonight is Maxwell, A.K.A ‘M-Dizzle’ delighting us with Gansta’s Paradise by Coolio. M-Dizzle, come on up!”

Maxwell hurried up to the stage transforming his face to a hard, determined look. The signature 90’s beat Bragnae knew all too well hit the sound system as the crowd cheered.

“Wooooo! Maxwell!!!!” Hana yelled.

Maxwell rolled right into the song impressively rapping every verse, and loving every minute of it. When the chorus hit, Maxwell threw his arm in the air waving it back and forth to the beat causing the audience to do the same. His presence was commanding, and he shined on stage. He was truly in his element.

♪ Fool, death ain't nothin' but a heartbeat away – I'm livin' life do or die, what can I say? – I'm 23 now but will I live to see 24? – The way things is going I don't know ♪

“That’s for sure,” Drake said chuckling.

Bragnae moved slowly to the beat in her seat mouthing every word along with Maxwell.

♪ We keep spending most our lives – Livin' in a gangsta's paradise – Tell me why are we so blind to see – That the ones we hurt are you and me? ♪

As the song came to a close, the crowd cheered even more chanting his name. He dropped the microphone and ran into the audience high-fiving and fist bumping anyone in his path before returning to the table breathless.

“Maxwell! That was amazing!” Hana screamed.

“I loved that song so much growing up, and now I love it even more! You nailed it!” Bragnae said offering him a high-five.

“Thanks guys. That’s felt incredible! I need a drink!”

Drake shook his head while smiling at Maxwell as Gabriel patted him on the back. A few other patrons got up on stage as the group continued talking, laughing and having a good time.

“Hana, you’ll be fine. Just go up there with confidence, and you’ll kill it!” Maxwell encouraged.

Drake excused himself from the table as Bragnae turned towards Gabriel.

“So, Your Highness, will you be gracing us with your singing talent tonight?” She asked.

Gabriel chuckled. “No, I came for the entertainment. Truth be told, I’m really looking forward to your turn up there in the lights.” He smiled at her with a bit of heat in his eyes. “I have no doubts you’ll blow us all away.”

“You sure are putting me on a high pedestal. I hope I can meet your expectations.”

“As a woman of many talents, I think you deserve that high pedestal,” he said with a wink.

With the current singer stepping off the stage, the DJ spoke again. “And next, we’d like to welcome Bragnae to the stage who will be singing Christina Aguilera’s Bound to You.

Her friends cheered her on as she made her way to the stage feeling butterflies in her stomach with each step. She reached the stage and stepped up to the microphone, which she decided to keep on its stand throughout her performance. She adjusted its height, and braced herself. The music began and she took a deep breath…

 Drake heard soft music starting to play as he returned to the table noticing Bragnae wasn’t in her seat.

“Where’s Bennett?” He asked the group.

Gabriel nodded his head in the direction of the stage as Drake heard an angelic voice come across the microphone.

♪ Sweet love, sweet love – Trapped in your love – I've opened up, unsure I can trust – My heart and I were buried in dust – Free me, free us ♪

Drake was instantly mesmerized by Bragnae’s voice as he stood there watching the most beautiful sound come out of the amazing woman he knew standing on stage. As she continued, he slowly sank into his seat listening to her as every word she sang felt like it touched his soul.

♪ You're all I need when I'm holding you tight – If you walk away I will suffer tonight ♪

♪ I found a man I can trust – And boy, I believe in us – I am terrified to love for the first time – Can't you see that I'm bound in chains? – I finally found my way – I am bound to you – I am bound to you ♪

Drake was frozen in place. As far as he was concerned, he was the only one in the audience, and she was singing just for him. That voice. It’s amazing. She’s amazing.

♪ So much, so young, I've faced on my own – Walls I built up became my home – I'm strong and I'm sure there's a fire in us – Sweet love, so pure ♪

♪ I catch my breath we're just one beating heart – And I brace myself, please don't tear this apart ♪

As Bragnae came to the chorus again, Drake couldn’t help but think this song was chosen on purpose. She sang it with such passion, and it felt like it was coming from her heart. Is she singing this for me? No. It can’t be. Maybe it’s for Gabriel. But the words. It makes sense for me and Bragnae.

♪ Suddenly the moment's here – I embrace my fears – All that I have been carrying all these years – Do I risk it all, come this far just to fall, fall? ♪

That last word led Bragnae to crescendo into a loud and powerful note sending a chill throughout Drake’s body. He watched in amazement as she closed her eyes singing the next verse with conviction.

♪ Oh, I can trust – And boy, I believe in us ♪

Shit. She’s looking right at me. Oh my god. She’s not looking away.

♪ I am terrified to love for the first time – Can't you see that I'm bound in chains – And finally found my way – I am bound to you ♪

As the intensity of the song grew, Drake stopped breathing watching her, listening. Breaking her gaze for just a moment to summon the final notes of the song, she looked at him once more.

♪ I am – Ooh, I am – I'm bound to you ♪

As Bragnae finished singing the last word of the song, the lights faded off her as the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause. Hana, Maxwell and Gabriel stood to give her a standing ovation, but Drake couldn’t move. He finally let out the breath he’d been holding as he watched her exit the stage. Realizing he was the only schmuck not clapping for her, he snapped out of his temporary paralysis, and stood to join the others clapping. Bragnae joined everyone at the table receiving a hug from Hana as Maxwell playfully bowed down in front of her reveling in her stellar performance. Gabriel pulled her into an embrace as Drake watched him whisper something into her ear. She pulled back and smiled at him.

What was that about? Stop. He’s probably just telling her how amazing she was. Because she was. But look at her smile at him. Maybe she was singing it for him. But those words…it made sense for me. Maybe I want it to make sense for me, and she’s just singing a damn song. Ugh, I don’t fucking know.

The crowd was still clapping and cheering for her. Bragnae made her way over to her seat and smiled at Drake as she sat down. He joined her as he trembled slightly trying to think of something to say.

Speak. Say something, you idiot. Anything. Tell her she killed it, tell her she’s amazing. SOMETHING.

“Wow, Bennett. Didn’t peg you as a Christina Aguilera fan.”

Okay, that was dumb. Say something better. Why can’t you say something nice to her? Fucking give her a compliment!

“Uh… I meant to say, that was, uh… pretty incredible.”

She smiled at him and touched his shoulder. “Thanks Drake.”

He melted at her touch as he watched her turn to the others and graciously accept their endless praise. Shortly after, she excused herself from the table and headed back toward the restrooms. Drake finished off his whiskey trying to shake himself loose of the trance he couldn’t get away from.

“She slayed up there! I’m still freaking out about it!” Maxwell went on. “Who knew our little Bragnae was a master vocalist? We should start a musical group. We could sing and dance, and go on tour!”

As the others went on about Maxwell’s day dream of starting a band, Drake felt himself watching the hallway that led to the restrooms waiting for her to return. He wanted to look at her and never stop. He wanted to hold her and gaze into her eyes and tell her how much that song meant to him. He wanted to kiss her. God, he wanted to kiss her. He was enraptured. He didn’t care if anyone saw him do it either. If that song was truly about him, for him, then he wanted to know for sure. Finally, Bragnae emerged from the hallway, but headed to the bar instead of returning to the table. Drake took this opportunity to join her.

“Time for another drink. Anybody want anything?” He asked the group, hoping they’d all say no, so he could get to the bar as quickly as possible.

“I’m good, thanks,” Hana replied.

“I’ll take another Manhattan, Drake,” Gabriel announced.

“Could you get me a large water with lots of ice?” Maxwell requested. What the fuck, Maxwell?

“Yeah… Be right back.” Drake spoke with little energy as his attention was still on Bragnae.

He made his way over to where Bragnae was standing. She was leaning into the bar with one foot balancing on the foot rail beneath it. He asked the bartender to fill his drink orders, and turned to Bragnae with a smile.

“You know, you really were incredible up there. I’ve never heard a more beautiful voice in my entire life.”

She smiled the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her. “Thanks Drake. That really means a lot. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Singing is one of my favorite things to do.”

“So, I was wondering… what made you pick that song out of all of them?”

Drake watched as Bragnae looked down at the bar pausing to come up with her response. “It’s one of my favorite songs to sing. I can really showcase my talent with that one.”

“Oh, well… you certainly did that. I think you blew the roof off this joint with everyone’s cheers.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Come on, Drake. Just ask her.

Drake mustered up all of his confidence. “You sang with a lot of passion behind your words. It seems as if you might have picked that song to relay a message to someone.” He looked her in the eyes so intensely that he saw her draw in a sharp breath before she spoke.

“Well, Drake… did you feel that it was a message to someone?” She spoke now playfully, but also with a hint of seriousness.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then maybe you should trust your instinct.”

Damn, this woman is so elusive with her words sometimes. Just tell me it was about me, so I can pick you up and take you out of here.

Bragnae leaned in closer to him placing her hand on his arm. Their faces just inches apart. “I’m bound to you, Drake.”

Oh my God. It was about me. Holy shit.

“Bennett, I –” Drake began.

Just then the bartender placed the drinks they ordered in front of them breaking their attention on each other.

“Come on, let’s join the others,” Bragnae said, grabbing half the drinks as Drake took the others.

They returned to the table and distributed the drinks just as the DJ called Hana up to the stage.

Hana picked up the microphone and sang Dolly Parton’s Jolene as if she’d been singing country music her entire life. The group cheered her on as she finished strong, earning loud praise from the audience.

“Well, guys, I think it’s time we head back to the estate,” Gabriel suggested.

He’s always the party pooper. Can’t he just rebel and stay out late like any normal guy? He’s not normal, asshole. He’s the Prince. Give him a break. God, you’re such a dick.

As they made their way to the doors, Hana, Maxwell and Gabriel walked outside and got in the limo. Drake was about to walk through the door himself when he felt his arm getting tugged hard. Bragnae pulled him back inside and up against a wall near the entrance. It was dark and secluded in that space, and she had him pinned. Without speaking, Bragnae reached up and gave Drake a searing kiss grabbing his sides as he kissed her back. He held her face with both hands and deepened the kiss. All too soon, she pulled away from him slowly and breathless.

“Shall we go?” She asked looking up at him.

Drake nodded as she had removed all words from his body. He only wanted her and to keep doing that. Reluctantly, she walked out of the club as he followed her. They got in the limo and made their way back to the Beaumont Estate.

„Liam, if we do this now you can shut down all the doubts and reservations that others may have about our baby. Now, let’s hear what Dr. Stern has to say, please?!“, they look at the doctor, who seems surprised about the inquiry.

„Well, it’s non-invasive because all what is needed is a blood sample of the mother to-be and a swab from the father to-be. While pregnant, you have free-floating fetal cells in your blood stream, Lady Catherine and through these cells the paternity can be determined. As far as I know, it takes about three days to get the results, it is a fairly simple and trustworthy process. If your Majesty agrees to the testing, I can arrange for someone from a clinic to come and collect the samples tomorrow — needless to say that this will be managed very discreetly!“, he says waiting for an answer.

Liam stands up, walking up to Dr. Stern, „Thank you very much. Please, arrange an appointment for tomorrow morning“, he shakes his hand and shows Dr. Stern out of the apartment. When Liam walks back to Catherine’s room, he looks at her annoyed, „Please, don’t do this ever again!“, he leans against the door and crosses his arms in front of him.

„What are you talking about, Liam? I just asked for informations…“, Catherine looks at him confused.

„Katie, you make me look like an asshole that doesn’t trust you when you ask our family doctor about a paternity test…“, he walks back to the bed and sits down by her side.

„Liam… I am sorry if you felt this way, you know it’s not like that… I just want to all of us to get along. Regina is an important person in your life, she loves you as a mother, she is family and I hope one day she can welcome me in this family too — not for me but for our child. If this paternity test is what it will take, then I think we should do it!“, she puts her head on Liam’s chest and he wraps an arm around her pulling her closer.

„Trust me, I understand but you can’t please everybody, love. And you should be careful, especially with Regina. She may be family but she has her own agenda… this palace and the power that comes with it has a way of corrupting people“, he kisses her head.

„What do you mean?“, Catherine looks up at him.

„Nothing, love… I’m still mad about the fight we had a few days ago“, he cups her cheek with one hand, „I want you to know that once we are married and you are Queen, this palace will be whatever you want it to be… but until then, if anyone says anything to offend or hurt you in anyway, I want to know and I will deal with this person properly“, he lower his lips to hers shortly for a gentle kiss. „Now, on to something happier… I have a surprise for you“, he says smiling.

„Yeah, what is it?“, she puts her hand on his and squeezes it.

„We are having an engagement ball next week… this isn’t the surprise though, I know how you feel about balls since what happened…“, he strokes her arm, holding her tight against his body, „But this time I will be by your side, holding your hand and nothing can touch you, my Queen“, he takes her hand in his and kisses it.

„Thank you, my King. So... tell me more about this surprise“, she giggles.

„You will be named a Duchess at the ball“, he smiles and Catherine looks at him surprised, „That’s the look I was aiming for!“, he laughs, „Yes, A Duchy will be bequeathed to you as part of becoming Queen of Cordonia. I have all the arrangements made, and after the ball we will be visiting your lands“.

Catherine looks at Liam nervously, „What? Wow… Do you think I can do this, it sounds like a lot of responsibility!“.

Liam chuckles, „Says the woman who is going to be Queen and mother to the heir to the throne…“, he places a kiss on her nose, „You will do fine! You are a lawyer, you know how to deal with people; you are a thinker and knows how to analyze situations, looking for the best solutions to problems; you are just and you fight for what is just… and you are the only person in the world, who can tell me what to do…“, he smiles.

Catherine giggles, „Yeah, wait until our baby is born! Then you will know who’s boss“.

„I can’t wait for this day, my love“, he puts his hand on her belly and strokes it gently, „I feel so content with my life right now. I will finally get to marry the love of my life, we are having a baby already… sometimes I fear that something could go wrong. It’s unnatural to me to feel this happy and to live such a perfect life“, he lowers his sight and sighs.

„You have been through a lot already, my King. Aren’t the years married to Madeleine torture enough for you?“, she looks at him smiling and he chuckles. „Talking about Madeleine… is she coming to this ball?“

„Unfortunately, we had to send out invites to the entire Cordonian nobility and that includes her and her family but I’m hoping she won’t come to her ex husband’s engagement party“, he stands up and pour a glass of water for Catherine, „But you shouldn’t worry about it, my love, you only have to worry about getting well“, he hands it to her, „Now, drink and try to rest for a moment. I’ll be by your side all the time“.

Catherine drinks her water and lies down, Liam lies down next to her, holding her in his arms.

—————

A few days have passed since Catherine left to London to deal with her work-related responsibilities. The result of the testing had arrived, proving Liam’s paternity to Catherine’s child — Liam shared the news immediately with Regina, hoping she would finally leave his bride alone.

Catherine arrives from London in the day of the ball and heads to Liam’s study. As she can’t find Liam’s private secretary to make sure he isn’t in an important meeting, she goes straight to him. She knocks at the door and opens it slowly, noticing the room is empty. She walks in and sits down on the couch, waiting for Liam.

Suddenly, Regina walks in, „Oh, I thought Liam was here!“. Catherine stands up and curtsies while Regina walks in her direction.

„Good afternoon. Unfortunately, he isn’t. I have been here waiting for him for the past five minutes“, Catherine waits for Regina to join her on the couch before sitting down again.

„I see he isn’t here. However, I wonder why you are here… this is not your quarter, Lady Catherine. This is the Government wing and as long as you aren’t in the presence of the King or married to him, you can’t walk in and out as you please!“, Regina says looking at her.

„Liam has never told me about any sort of rule that kept me restricted to one part of the palace, Regina. If you think me coming to my fiancé’s office isn’t appropriate, then maybe you should talk to him“, Catherine crosses her legs, putting her hands on her knees.

„Ah… Liam… Liam is blinded by your charms. At least now I know the baby is his but nothing will make me believe that this pregnancy wasn’t planed by you“, Regina stands up, heading to the bar cart, pouring herself some brandy. „I’m keeping an eye on you, Lady Catherine…“.

Catherine stands up, „Regina, you don’t really know me… The wedding is two weeks away and I’ll be marrying Liam because I love him. Can’t we just try to coexist amicably? For Liam and the baby?“

Regina laughs, „Aren’t you such a sweet thing…“, she says sarcastically, „You are either playing games or this place will chew you up and spit you out…“, she walks to the window.

Catherine takes a deep breath, „Alright… my door will always be open for you though, if one day you decide to be a part of my family“, she says leaving the room annoyed. On her way out, she sees Liam at the end of the hall and she smiles. He jogs to her, picking her up and spinning her around.

„Oh, my love!“, he puts her down, placing kisses all around her face, „You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you“, he places his hand on her belly, stroking it and looks into her blue eyes for a second before kissing her passionately.

„Liam… someone could see us…“, she caresses his cheeks, giggling, „I’ve missed you too. I was in your study waiting for you but now I need to go to the boutique to pick up my gown for tonight“, she places a kiss on his lips.

„Okay, love. I’ll try to finish my work within the next hour and I’ll meet you in our apartment… I can’t wait to show every inch of you how much I’ve missed you!“, he smirks.

„Hmm… I’d love that, my King!“, she smiles, „But now I have to go… I love you!“, she places a kiss on his cheek.

„I love you too!“, he embraces her once again before letting her go to her appointment.

————

Liam waits for Catherine at the bottom of the stairs. It is the first time they will be announced together in front of the court and he can’t wait to see his future wife.

When Catherine finally appears, walking down the stairs, she catches Liam’s eyes, sweeping over her body, his mouth slightly ajar. As she arrives at the bottom, she hugs him, smiling „You look dashing, my King!“

„You… look… stunning!“, he looks at her beautiful red gown that accentuates her curves. „More than stunning, no word could do you justice, my love!“, he takes her hand and kisses it, taking a moment to admire her beauty. „Are you ready?“, he asks.

„Lead the way…“, she smiles and they head to the door, waiting for the herald to announce them.

„His Majesty, King Liam of Cordonia and Lady Catherine Spencer“, they hear their names and the doors open up. Liam looks at Catherine and winks, she smiles and they walk into the room full of nobles.

After entering the ball room, Liam danced the Cordonia waltz with Catherine while the room watched fascinated by the two of them. Liam has never looked so happy and in love before. Afterwards, both of them started to do their rounds - Liam walking up to some diplomats to greet them while Catherine heads to Maxwell and Drake.

„Hey you too. Long time no see!“, she says smiling.

„Katie! I can’t believe you guys are finally getting married…“, Maxwell says excited.

„Max, you say it as if they’ve been engaged for twenty years“, Drake says and Catherine giggles.

„You know what I mean… true love winning in the end… this is just like a fairy tale coming true!“, Maxwell raises his glass and they toast to Liam and Catherine. They talk for a while before Catherine goes through the crowd greeting their other guests until she finally joined Liam for a short moment only the two of them. Catherine tells Liam about her talks to their friends and their well wishes, when suddenly she notices Liam’s facial expression changing. She looks behind her and sees Madeleine coming at their direction.

„If this isn’t the woman who destroyed my life…“, Madeleine says with a fake smile.

„I think you are giving me far too much credit, your… how should I address you now, Madeleine? Is your ex-majesty to your satisfaction?“, Catherine raises a brow at her and Liam tries to suppress a laugh, while Madeleine can’t believe her ears. „About me destroying your life, I believe you have managed it all by yourself! Now, excuse me please I have other guests to greet“.

Madeleine narrows her eyes at Liam, „Are you going to allow her to talk to me like this?“.

„You had it coming, Madeleine! And why did you even bother gracing us with your presence?“, he holds his stoic expression.

„That engagement interview you two gave… you embarrassed me, Liam! You came across as if you were forced to marry me to consolidate your power and at your first chance, you threw me out…“, she says hurt.

„I’m sorry if you feel this way. I already told you, I’m sorry I could not offer you anything other than a title but you were the one to offer this arrangement, if my memory doesn’t fail me. I love Catherine, I always loved her and I never hid it from you. I am sorry you think I embarrassed you, I am a man in love and this is how it came across to the people, I can’t hide the way I feel after so many years trying“, Liam looks away, trying to find Catherine, „Anyway, I hope you enjoy the festivities, I have to go find my fiancee“.

„Liam…“, she holds Liam’s arm, pulling him closer to her, „One last advice… keep her on a short leash! Don’t allow her to destroy the monarchy“.

Liam furrows his brow, „Catherine is exactly what this monarchy needs, she is a breath of fresh air, people can relate to her kindness and passion“, he discreetly frees himself from her grip, „And Madeleine…“, he narrows his eyes at her, „Next time you decide to put your hands on me, don’t! And this isn’t a friendly request, it’s a warning“, he leaves without looking back.

Catherine is talking to Hana and Drake, when Liam walks behind her putting a hand on her waist. She looks at him and smiles, „I see you survived that conversation“, she giggles.

Liam chuckles, „Yes, indeed but let’s try to focus on something else“, he looks at the time, „I wanna ask you to join me in the gardens to watch the fireworks“, he takes her hand and kisses it.

„I can’t wait to see it with you!“, she says excited.

„Hana, Drake, the others will be joining us in a couple of minutes. You should come with us now, so you can choose a nice spot for the show“, Liam says, putting a hand on Drake’s shoulder.

„Wonderful! I haven’t seen a celebration like this in a while“, Hana says and they head out. 

They walk through the crowd on their way outside and while Drake and Hana look for a spot, Liam takes Catherine to the place reserved for them. He helps her to sit down on the blanket before following her, „You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, my Queen“, he kisses her lips gently, „It is quite difficult to handle an event like this with you by my side… you make me wanna kiss you every second of the evening!“

Catherine giggles and quickly enough the lawn fills up with people ready for the fireworks. Soon the countdown starts and the sky brightens in different colors in honor of the couple. She leans against Liam’s chests and it feels as if there were only both of them in the world. He wraps his arms around her and says, „I love you, my Queen!“

She turns her head to him, „I love you too, my King!“.

To be continued...

For more chapters go to my MASTERLIST in my bio.

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