Chapter 27

Alyssa’s heart was beating fast as she looked at Luther. She couldn’t bear the thought that she might like him. What would her parents say? Well, Allisa’s parents would be thrilled and hers would give a flying fuck even if it hit them in the face. What would her friends think? Allisa had no friends here which was honestly quite sad but Alyssa was grateful for it. She didn’t know how she would do this if Allisa had a close childhood friend and her only friend, Lexi was back in her own world. She pushed those thoughts aside, telling herself that what she was feeling was just the result of being in close proximity to someone of the opposite sex.

But as the audience began to chant for Luther to kiss Alyssa, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her stomach. She looked up at Luther, who was smiling at her. “You aren’t thinking about kissing me, are you?” he asked, his lips inching closer to hers.

Alyssa knew that if he kissed her, she would feel more confused than ever. She didn’t want that, so instead, she turned her cheek and his mouth landed there. The audience groaned in disappointment, but Luther quickly diffused the situation by promising a private kiss later.

As Alyssa made her way to the ladies’ room to collect her thoughts, she couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to her. Was she really developing feelings for the king? She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her cheeks were redder than ever before. She knew it would be easy to wash her face and remove the redness but she didn’t want to ruin her makeup.

Alyssa could still feel Luther’s breath on her cheeks, making her feel giddy and excited. “Get a hold of yourself,” she chided herself. She knew that it was just because he was the first guy who had ever been that close to her.

She thought back to what her friend had said when she first fell in love with her boyfriend. Her heart would beat fast, and her cheeks would turn all red, and then she’d feel giddy and excited. That’s how Alyssa knew that she loved him. Was she feeling the same way now?

“No, of course not,” she told herself sternly. “It’s not what I’m feeling.”

Just then, she heard a knock on the door, interrupting her thoughts. “My dear, are you alright?” Mitchell’s mother called out. Alyssa took a deep breath and prepared herself.

“Yes, Mom, I’m alright.”

“Are you sure? I’m not convinced. Open the door and let me in.”

Alyssa knew there was no point in arguing. Her mother-in-law would not leave until she was satisfied. So she opened the door and let her in.

“What’s going on?” the older woman asked, looking at Alyssa with concern in her eyes.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Alyssa replied with a smile.

“You’ve always wanted this, Alyssa. You’ve talked about marrying the king for months. Now that it’s about to happen, I feel like you’re not happy.”

Alyssa felt ashamed and a little guilty. She wasn’t the one that had dreamt of marrying Luther so she could muster any enthusiasm. She hasn’t even thought that she would ever get married.

***###***

Alyssa sat in the huge hall, lost in thought while the people that sat with her chatted away. She couldn’t help the feeling of anxiety that had been building up inside her ever since she agreed to marry Luther. Her mother’s comforting words had helped a little but Alyssa still felt lost. She couldn’t seem to shake off the nagging fear that she was making a big mistake.

“I also felt this way when I wanted to marry your dad but then I was okay later on,” her mother had told her. “You want to know what I did?”.

“What?” Alyssa had asked, desperately wanting a solution to her predicament.

“I told your father about it and he took me in his arms and told me that he will always be here for me and that he loves me. All my fears disappeared because I felt so safe in his arms.” Her mother’s comforting tone had worked wonders on Alyssa’s jangled nerves.

“And what do I do to stop feeling this way?” Alyssa had asked, grateful for her mother’s advice.

“I think your husband-to-be will know what to do about that,” her mother had said with a knowing smile.

“How will he know when we don’t even l……….” Alyssa stopped herself before she blurted out the whole truth to her mother.

“When you don’t what?” her mother had asked gently.

“We hardly talk, mom. The king and I hardly communicate with each other,” Alyssa had said. They barely talked without it ending up in an argument with one or both of them getting upset.

“Is that the only barrier between the two of you?” her mother had asked, her gaze fixed on her daughter.

Alyssa had nodded gently, feeling a little embarrassed by the whole situation.

“Well, I think that will be solved soon. Well, this is a secret okay? The king plans on spending the weekend with you on some kind of island,” her mother had told her excitedly.

Alyssa’s eyes widened in horror. Spend the weekend with Luis on some island? The last thing she needed was to be alone with him on an island.

“Isn’t that great?” her mother had asked.

“Y…..yes, it is,” Alyssa had answered, trying to hide her fear.

“Well, he said he is planning on working you for the two days you will be there. You deserve that after all you kept on running after him. Let him do the running now. Play hard to get a bit and then show him how much you love him,” her mother had said, her tone gentle and reassuring.

Before Alyssa knew it, one of the palace maids was interrupting them, saying that the king was asking for her. Her mother assured her that everything would be okay and Alyssa nervously made her way towards Luther.

Everyone was up and mingling, making it hard for Alyssa to find Luther amongst the crowd. But she sensed his presence. She turned and saw him by the door with one of the ministers. Her heart began to race, and she couldn’t help but stare. Suddenly, she felt his gaze on her, and she couldn’t look away. Their eyes met, and she saw him smile at her. She looked away feeling nervous and walked off to the balcony to collect her thoughts.

As she stood there, breathing in the fresh air, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw him there – the King. “Is something wrong?” he asked, walking up to her.

Alyssa tried to play it cool, “I’m fine, Your Highness.” But the truth was, she was far from fine. She was scared, confused, and deeply in like with him.

Luther’s words echoed in her mind. She needed to tell him how she felt, but how do you tell someone that you’re starting to fall for them? The weight of the situation was beginning to weigh on her.

“Your mother seemed worried about you earlier,” the King said, moving close to her.

Alyssa couldn’t help but feel his presence and step back a little. He caught her by the waist, holding her close. She could feel his breath on her skin, and it made her heart skip a beat.

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re trying to avoid me?” The King’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “This wasn’t the deal we made, Mitchell.”

Alyssa made up her mind, she was going to tell him how she felt, regardless of what might happen. She gathered up all the courage she had and looked him straight in the eye. “I… I just feel like things are moving too fast, and I don’t know if I’m ready for everything that comes with being a queen and being married. Even if it’s fake and only for a little while”

The King didn’t seem surprised. Instead, he took Alyssa’s hand and led her to a more private space off the balcony. He listened to her concerns, the unease she felt, and how everything was just too much for her to handle, almost in one breath.

“I understand, Alyssa. I don’t know about being married since this is my first time but I know about how it feel to be uncertain. I felt the same way when I took over from my father,” he said, gently squeezing her hand.

“Really?” Alyssa asked.

“But soon, you’ll get used to making decisions, making sacrifices while at the same time, trying to do the right thing. It can be difficult but it is worth it”.