Chapter 9

Emily's POV

I rose slowly, the maid's eyes growing wider and wider as I stood up and faced her with my eyes still watering.

"I'm getting the guards," she said and dropped her cleaning supplies to make a dash for the door, but I was quick in stopping her.

"Please don't. He knows I'm here. I don't want to get him into trouble," I begged her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Emily. Emily Hollen. Sebastian and I are...togeth...we're frie..." I was tongue-tied as I remembered the reason I was crying. Apparently, the maid saw my defeat and came over and wrapped me in a small hug without saying another word. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks again, and I attempted to pull myself together.

Shortly after, the maid left and locked the door after her. I was alone again, and in my head, I was thinking about how to fight with Sebastian when he got back.

'You son of a bitch.' No! That's too over the top. 'You bastard!' No, I can't be so disrespectful to him.

I heaved a sigh, retrieved my cellphone from my bag, and called Gen. No matter how down I was feeling, Gen had that ability to turn it around and put a smile back on my face. I loved that about her.

"Hey, you," she answered cheerfully.

"Heey," I dragged out sadly.

"Uh-oh, what's wrong, pumpkin? You sound like you've been crying when you really shouldn't be because you're with a prince, your prince."

"He's not my prince, Gen, he's getting married to someone else. A real princess, actually."

"Oh no! Em, I'm so sorry. He's a bastard for that! How could he?"

"I really don't know. I'm so bummed out right now. Why would he bring me here if he wanted to marry someone else, why try reconnecting with me?"

"I have no idea, sweetie, but I'll tear that palace down and shave him bald if he thinks he's going to just use you and dump you afterwards."

"He would look silly bald," I laughed.

"His head would look like a watermelon," Gen completed.

I laughed through a pillow, being cautious to not be heard by someone else.

"When will you be back?" Gen asked.

"I'm thinking tomorrow night or the night after that. Girl, it's so beautiful here. I feel like I'm at home. He's got a Jacuzzi right outside his bedroom, and his bed is so soft, and his body is everything and more, Gen. I can't stop thinking about last night. It was amazing."

"WAIT A MINUTE, you had sex with him?"

I blushed.

"Emily, you better answer me."

"Yes, we did it."

"Oh My Gosh, you're so bad! You had sex with a prince!"

"I know! It all feels like it's just a dream. I think I'm falling for him again, Gen."

"Don't. He's getting married to someone else, Emily. You can't fall for him."

"Too late," I thought, but Gen was right. I was setting myself up for heartbreak.

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Sebastian's POV

"EXCELLENT! I love the sound of that, Your Majesty. Allowing the wedding to commence beforehand is a very brilliant idea..." Naomi's mother spoke through the phone, which was on speaker.

"Brilliant for who, you?" I asked.

Silence filled the room, and I felt my father's eyes on me, along with the rest of his associates and the others I wasn't interested in being in the same room with.

"Sebastian, what's the meaning of this?" Father finally asked.

"Please enlighten us, Prince Sebastian," Naomi's mother spoke through the phone again.

"My heart isn't in it," I spoke.

"Not in what?" father asked sharply.

"Marrying Princess Naomi."

"Then you better get your heart in it, Sebastian!"

"How do you expect me to marry someone I'm not compatible with, Father?"

"This isn't about finding the 'perfect match' Sebastian. This is about uniting the Three Nations in a powerful merger, and you're the key to doing that. For your country and for your people."

"I'm just not ready for all of this. This is a lot of pressure."

"You've already been shaped for it. Are you telling me that you don't want to be king, is that what you're saying?" His eyes grew angry as they narrowed in on me from the opposite side.

"Of course I want to be king, but I want to rule with someone I love by my side. You loved mom."

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" His voice boomed out and sent echoes throughout the room. I got up from my seat and walked out the door.

I got into my personal vehicle and drove back to the palace by myself.

I admit, I crossed the line with that one, but I wasn't expecting that reaction from him. He loved my mother, but somewhere the love mixed with other emotions, and things didn't work out the way they were supposed to. I didn't want to end up like my father: alone and cold underneath all the power he possessed.

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I drove through the front entrance and headed for my bedroom, but I was stopped by Naomi in the hallway.

"My darling husband-to-be, how was the meeting?"

"Fine," I answered.

"Was the new date scheduled?"

"Naomi, with all due respect, I was heading to my bedroom because I don't want to be bothered. Kindly excuse me." I walked past her and continued on my way.

I unlocked the door and walked in, eyes immediately searching for her. "Honey, I'm home," I joked.

She appeared, eyes swollen, with a smile that wasn't real.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I asked as I went over to her and pulled her onto me gently, but she brushed me off.

"Why didn't you tell me Sebastian?" she looked me dead in the eyes, and I knew that she knew.

I flopped my behind down on the bed and took my jacket off, then my shoes. Her eyes didn't leave me, nor did she move.

"Emily, believe me when I tell you this: You have no idea the kind of pressure I'm facing right now. And this isn't like an ordinary job, I can't just quit and try to find another."

"I just need to know one thing," she said.

"What's that?"

"Did last night mean anything to you?"

"Emily, it meant everything to me, why would you even ask me that?"

"Because you're getting married to someone else, Sebastian, and I've fallen for you. I know it's soon, and I know that I can't stop you from doing what you have to do. I wouldn't dare get in the way of your duties to become king, but I just thought that the decision wasn't already made."

Tears were pouring down her face, and it broke my heart to see her cry like that. This time, I firmly pulled her onto me, and she began sobbing like a baby.

"Emily, stop crying. It's going to be okay. Look at me." I held her face to mine and stared into her beautiful grey eyes. Everything about this girl was perfect. I kissed her and felt a rush of blood being poured out from my heart as the beats increased. Her arms circled my neck, and mine found its way around her waist.

"SEBASTIAN! THIS IS YOUR FATHER! OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Hide!" I told her, and she went underneath the bed as I went for the door. My father stormed in. "Never have I been disrespected by my own son. You walked out of the meeting and walked out on me!"

"Father, there was a reason. I'm being pressured into something, and I don't like it."

"A kingdom comes with pressure, Sebastian. You know that. Everybody knows that. This is your duty as KING!"

"Dad, I'm so sick of this!"

"Not another word, Sebastian! You're going to marry Princess Naomi whether you like it or not!"

He placed an envelope against me and walked out the door. I tore the envelope open, and it was an invitation. An invitation to my own wedding in the next two weeks.