It's not okay
The storm happening outside is too loud for Evangeline's liking that she pulled the covers over her head to drone out the sound. It didn't work though, all it did was make her feel like she was suffocating. She closed her eyes and tried to get out of her head, to remind herself that she was perfectly safe and she let out a small scream when a knock sounded on her door.
"Princess?"
She relaxes slightly at the sound of Clover's voice and she darts out of bed to the door, the chamber is enveloped in darkness as she had already blown out the candles. She opened the door to find Clover standing there and the light in the hallway allowed her to see that he was wearing his sleepwear, she could not stop the frown from making its way to her face "It's late, what are you doing here?"
He tried to keep his face neutral, not to give much away to her but in reality he was worried about her "I thought you might want some company"
"Right now?" she was very confused
He nods once "This is an unfamiliar castle and it is not as protected as the castle in Harmpton. I thought I might see to it that nothing happens to you"
Half-true.
Evangeline cursed internally when her body warmed at his words but she startles when the thunder sounds too loudly outside and his eyes softened in a way she has never seen before "Let me come inside"
Even though he had not said the word 'please', his words still sounded like a plea. And against her better judgement she stepped aside to let him in before closing the door and enveloping them in darkness. A hint of light shines through the window from the moon and she uses it to guide her back to the bed and it takes her a moment to realise he hadn't moved yet. "You may get on the bed, Prince Clover"
"Of course" His voice sounded slightly strained, he had not thought his plan through but moved closer to the bed nonetheless and it dipped under his weight as he lay down beside her under the covers. For a while they stayed like that, laying tense next to each other in uncomfortable silence and the only thing that could be heard was their soft breathing and the raging storm outside. Clover decided to break the silence, speaking softly as if he feared he might scare her away "It was storming"
He continued staring up at the ceiling in the dark but he could feel her shift like she had glanced in his direction "What are you on about this time?"
"That night. When you wrote me the letter when you couldn't sleep, it was storming and you said you hated it."
She was stunned to say the least. She always thought he never read her letters, because he never replied to them. But the knowledge that he had read it and chose to not write back stung more than she cared to admit, but she tried to push the bitterness away and said sarcastically "Ah, so you read my late night rant after all"
"I did." he pauses before adding "I wanted to write back after that letter"
Now it's her turn to speak softly "Why didn't you?"
He let out a dry chuckle and turned in the darkness to face her, he could vaguely make out her stiletto "I wasn't ready."
She swallows before nodding even though she wasn't sure if he could see it "What for?"
"Something more between us. The thought of having to open up to you feel odd"
He didn't say that to sound mean and she didn't take it as an offence "I get it. The thought of having to let you in sounds scary"
He was glad she wasn't attacking him, in this moment with them surrounded in darkness and only the storm outside could be heard, he felt as if he could be vulnerable. After a moment of hesitation, he says "I have been seeing someone."
"I know" he wasn't surprised that she knew, he knew Evangeline wasn't stupid and was very observant, she asked "Do you love her?"
A small smile makes its way to his face and he lets out a sigh that sounded like one of content "I do. She's the only person who sees more than my title, she sees me as a person."
Evangeline didn't like that answer but she's past the point of thinking her and Clover could be a love match "I assume you will continue seeing her? Even when we do wed?"
Her question had been innocent but it didn't stop him from feeling like he had been punched in the gut, that was planned all along, to continue seeing Mia but why does it suddenly feel wrong? "I do plan to. She is more than just her body to me, I don't like I could ever stay away from her"
She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying something harsh, he wasn't trying to put her down, he was just being honest and she appreciated that he opened up to her about his feelings for the maid. She clutched the covers tightly as the thunders strike outside and decided to let him in "Our castle in Dunstead had a basement that we never really used...my father often locked me in there if I did not do what I was told"
Clover's body jerked in surprise as horror spread through the blood in his veins. He suspected that King Lucien was not the perfect father and husband but he would never have suspected this. He didn't want her to stop talking but couldn't help and asked "How old were you?"
"It started when I was seven. I didn't want to attend tea parties with my mother and those boring events, I wanted to do fun things. He didn't approve"
His hands balled into fist, so her father would lock her in their basement when all she wanted to do was be a child? Christ, at age seven he was learning how to use a sword but his parents had at least let him enjoy some time getting dirty in the sand. He felt that right now wasn't the time to talk, it was hers. "He wanted me to be the perfect princess so that I would one day be the perfect Queen" he can hear the sadness in her voice that she tried to cover up with a scoff "I was ten when he kept me locked me in there a bit longer, my punishment for not wanting to learn how to play piano….it started storming."
Her voice cracks on the last sentence and he can't take this, he blindly reaches a hand out and it finds her waist, he yanks her to him and she tenses for a moment and he holds his breath half expecting her to knee him in the nuts for touching her. But she lets out a heavy breath before burying her face in his neck and he lets out a sigh of relief as he rubs a hand her back "I truly am sorry you had endure that"
"Don't be. It made me tough"
"It made you a bitch" he says dryly but pretends to wince when she lightly slaps him on his stomach
She lets out a laugh of genuine amusement, still laying in his arms "That too."
He presses his nose in her hair which smells like strawberries "Did your mother know? Prince Edward?"
"They knew" she says somberly "They couldn't do anything about it though. Father's word was always law."
Well not anymore, he's glad that she is to wed him so she wouldn't have to live under her father anymore and he would protect her. Shit. When did he go from wanting to throw her in a carriage and send her back to Dunstead to wanting to keep her in Harmpton so he could protect her? Maybe they can make this marriage work if Evangeline doesn't mind that it would be a marriage of three instead of two. He could be Evangeline's husband while still seeing Mia. He knew it sounded selfish but I'm sure they could make it work, he wouldn't be the first King with a mistress -even if he didn't see Mia as that- and he definitely wouldn't be the last. That night they fell asleep in each other's arms with their legs tangled together and even though they did nothing there was something intimate about the act.
Guess the kingdom of Grigos does in fact bring lovers together.
But when morning came and he woke up, she was gone and he assumed she was already at breakfast. He got ready for the day and went to the dining hall to join Oscar and Evangeline, when his eyes landed on her, he could see that she's back to her stubborn old self. She didn't meet his eyes and didn't even crack a smile when Duke Oscar made a joke about me taking a swing at her, because of her bare finger which mads over annoyed. At his attempt to joke that his fiancée does not have a ring and her reaction. She has clearly raised her walls again but he was not going to have any of that. When they went on their journey back to Harmpton after the storm stopped, she didn't speak and he cleared his throat before asking hesitantly "Do you regret telling me about your father?"
Her lips persuade and she glances at him "No. I'm glad I told you"
He immediately relaxed against his seat, he don't think he would have handled it if she said she regretted opening up to him "Good, because I'm glad you told me." When she nods, he asks "Then why are you shutting me out?"
She tucks a piece of her golden hair behind her hair before giving him a pointed look "You made it pretty clear where you stand with me, Prince Clover. And while last night was nice, I cannot forget the words you uttered that night in your bedchamber"
His jaw clenches, he didn't think she would bring that up but now he's glad she did. As the carriage continues to move, he gets off his seat opposite her and falls to his knees at her feet which makes her blinks at him in surprise "What are you doing?"
I swallow before looking at her "I want to apologize for the rude things I said. It was harsh, uncalled for and you most certainly did not deserve it."
She shakes her head, still dumbstruck that he's apologizing "No, I definitely deserved it. You made it clear that me being naked was not something you wanted and yet I pushed boundaries. And for that I apologize"
He continues staring at her, the fact that she too has apologized made him feel some type of way. He grins "I assume you don't apologize much huh?"
Her nose crinkles in an adorable way that made Clover want to pinch her cheeks "I don't. So handle this moment dearly"
"I am" his voice drops an octave and his eyes dart to her pink lips which makes her heart rate pick up but she clears her throat and glances out of the carriage window
"You should probably get off the carriage floor before you damage your custom made attire"
He huffs but takes his seat again and dusts of his pants, casting a glance in her direction to find her biting her bottom lip to hide a smile and in turn he presses his tongue to the inside of his cheek to hide his.