Prince Clover stared down at the ring in the little box before his eyes darted to Mia who's sleeping soundly in his bed, a small smile gracing his lips as he took in her sleeping form. He shuts the box before shoving it back in his drawer then climbing back under the covers, pulling her body closer to his. When he and Princess Evangenline got back to the castle, they spoke with his father who seemed thoroughly pleased that they found a solution to Duke Oscar's problem even if Prince Clover thinks it was never really that serious. Mia had missed him and she made that clear in the way she touched him the moment they were alone, she tried to question him about his time away and he assured her that nothing happened between him and the Princess. Which is not a lie, sure they shared a bed and held each other until they fell asleep but it meant nothing.
It. Meant. Nothing.
When he reached the dining hall the next morning, he was surprised to only see his parents and Princess Evangeline "Good morning"
"Morning" they muttered at the same time
His eyes were on Evangeline though, noting she was wearing a peach dress "Will your parents and brother not be joining us?"
"No. Unfortunately they had to head back to Danstead, there was some issues that they needed to tend to"
Not that Evangeline was complaining, she feels like she can breathe easier now and enjoy her breakfast without a pit in her stomach. Clover too seemed happy to hear that, he was not sure how he would react if he were to see King Lucien after knowing how he treated Evangeline when she was little.
Queen Charlotte pipes up "It's a shame that they'll miss your engagement party"
Evangeline shrugs "They'll be in time for the wedding."
For the first time since she arrived at Harmpton, breakfast was not tense. The four of them had pleasant conversations and the King and Queen noticed that the two didn't bicker like they usually did and they shared a knowing glance. It seems their plan of bringing the two together had worked.
Evangeline suddenly says "I noticed you have brown eyes, my Queen"
Queen Charlotte raised an eyebrow and the King's eyes narrow "I do yes"
"Well the Duke mentioned Prince Clover having his mother's eyes"
Queen Charlotte chokes on the coffee she was drinking and her husband lightly pats her back, asking if she's okay. Clover shoots her a look "Duke Oscar was clearly drunk, Princess"
"Right" she agrees but her eyes are on the older couple who seems to have gotten tense and looks very uncomfortable right now "Oh well, I better write to Daisy and make sure she attends the engagement. That way I can speak to her in person about a marriage prospect"
Clover nods "Good idea"
"Excuse me then" she casts one last look at the King and Queen before walking out of the dining hall, she heads to the staircase but notices the floor is wet. She frowns and follows it to find Mia in the drawing room mopping the floors, or at least attempting to. She loudly clears her throat which startles Mia and whips around, her eyes widening before she bows "Princess, what can I do for you?"
Evangeline gestures to the floor "I am no expert on how to use a mop but even I know the intent is to clean the floor not leaving it wet to make it seem like the place flooded."
Mia's face drops "Oh. Uhh…I'll have it cleaned up shortly, Your Highness" she gave an embarrassed smile "I'm still learning how to use a mop effectively"
That made Evangeline's eyes narrow "If you have been working here for years and do not know how to use a mop then what exactly have you been doing? Besides bedding my fiancé of course"
Her cheeks heated up with embarrassment "I-I didn't…."
"Didn't know how to use a mop? Or didn't bed my fiancé?"
Mia wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole, her eyes darted over the Princess' shoulder and Evangeline felt his presence before he spoke "What's going on here?"
Before Evangeline could speak, Mia's eyes shone with tears which made Clover speed walk over to her as she says "She was so mean to me, Clover."
He glared at Evangeline who's eyebrows shot up "I would hardly call that mean"
"She accused me of sleeping with you" she cried softly which made Clover pull her to his chest
"Really, Princess? How could you say that?"
She was beyond confused now "Because it's the truth? I don't understand why she's crying if she knows it's the truth."
Clover scoffs "My and Mia's relationship is private and I told you about it because I thought I could confide in you, clearly I was wrong."
She frowned and the sound of the maid crying made her even more annoyed "You can confide in me. I did not think this is how she would react"
"Oh really?" he glares, that soft look in his eyes completely gone. "Well how would you react if I told everyone about what you told me?" she clenched her hands into tight fists and he nods, like he got the answer he wanted "Exactly"
She did not understand anything of what was happening right now but still tried to explain herself to him "The floor is really wet, Prince, I was just making sure she does her job. You have older people working for you, they could have easily slipped and hit their head."
"Mia is completely capable of doing what is required of her" he says defensively as he rubs a hand over the maid's back and she hid her face in his chest which reminds Evangeline of when he rubbed her back when he comforted her in Grigos "Nobody else has complained about her work ethic, just you. And I know this may come as a shock to you but not everyone has their standards high enough that no one can reach"
Evangeline plants on a sweet smile "Indeed. I personally think everyone should have high standards but then again you won't know the meaning of that because you probably hire staff based on how quickly their legs fall open for you."
Mia gasps and Clover releases her, walking up to Evangeline until he's standing toe to toe with her and she has to crane her neck slightly to look up at him "You really are as warm as a stack of fucking bricks."
"And you really are as dumb as a bag of fucking rocks"
His head pulls back in surprise and outrage at her sweet smile while she utters absolute venom. And he wanted to get back at her, dammit so he leaned closer to her so that only she could hear his next words "I regret ever going to you during that storm. I should have let you suffer."
She grits her teeth and pretends her heart is not clenching at his words "Well no one asked you to join me. I am used to taking care of myself and by the looks of it, will continue to do so"
She gives him one last glare before walking away, being careful not to slip on the unnecessary wet floor. The moment she's gone, the Prince turns back to Mia who seems to be looking better now but he still couldn't help but ask "Are you okay?"
She nods as she cleans her cheeks "Yes, I'm glad you came when you did. I can't imagine what else she would have said to me."
"You're right." He pulls her in for a hug and closes his eyes as he breathes in the familiar coconut scent of her hair and he's reminded just how different the two women are from each other. Clover knew Evangeline often spoke her mind but it must have come as a shock to Mia that the princess is never afraid to hold back.
"She won't speak to you like that ever again" he promises as he kisses her brown hair "I got you"
"Thank you, Clover, I don't know what I would do without you"
He smiled and pulled back so that he could lean down and press a kiss to her lips "I love you"
She smiles against his lips "And I love you"
This right here is exactly what Prince Clover is content with. The love of his life being happy with him is all he ever needs.
Meanwhile upstairs Evangeline accidently walked into another maid who happened to be carrying a pot of tea and it spilled all over her hand and the front of her dress.
"Christ!" she shrieks at the hotness against her skin
The maid pales "I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I didn't see-"
"It's fine" she clips as she presses the dry side of her dress on her hand to stop the burn
"Is everything okay?"
Evangeline turns to find Queen Charlotte watching them with a frown "Yeah. We just bumped into each other and the tea spilled on me"
The maid tried apologizing again but the look on the Princess' face made her shut her mouth and the Charlotte says "Bring a bowl of cold water up to my bedchamber, Dona"
The maid nods and bows before walking down and the Queen ushers Evangeline into her room where she eagerly took everything in, it was huge compared to the room she was staying in. Charlotte made her sit on the chair by the desk and she took the other one, the maid brough the bowl and deposited it on the desk before leaving again.
"Let's see your hand, shall we?" She reached her hand out which doesn't look like it'll have much damage but it still stings of the hotness "This might hurt a little"
Charlotte gently cups her hand and puts it in the bowl of cold water, Evangeline lets out a small hiss but after a while she welcomes the pain until all is left is a dull ache. She watches her hand in the water with tears in her eyes and she pretends it's from the pain and not from how shit her life has been the past few weeks.
Queen Charlotte watches her with a gentle expression "You are a very angry woman, Princess Evangeline"
She lets out a small chuckle even though she felt like breaking down "Is it that obvious huh?"
"Very obvious" the Queen says with a light laugh before she takes Evangeline's hand out of the water and lightly dabs it dry with a cloth "I may not know you very well, Evangeline but you seem like the type of person who carries the burden of everyone's problems on your shoulders"
She can feel the tears silently rolling down her cheeks and she lets it, because right now with the Queen handling her with such care, she felt safe. "I just feel like I'm never doing anything right."
Charlotte's eyes soften "It may feel like that to you but the people around you notice the efforts you give. Your dedication to the wedding, your eagerness to learn about Harmpton and its people and how you handled Duke Oscar. We notice, Evangeline"
She shakes her head and says softly "My parents don't notice. And it feels like I'm bound to end up hurting somebody. If not my father then Prince Clover."
Charlotte stares at her for a while and the Queen can see there's something bothering her, something heavy on her shoulders that she's not not ready to share "Contrary to what you think, my son is very strong and it'll take a lot more than little old you to hurt him"
Evangeline lets out a soft laugh which sounds like a cry because of the sob she's trying to hold back "I wish I didn't have to marry him." She should probably be ashamed to say that to her fiancé's mother but she needs someone to talk to and right now Charlotte seems content to be that person and she nods in understanding. Evangeline continues "I wish I didn't have to do any of this. The ball gowns, the tiara's, constantly having to be in everyone's face. I want to say I wish I could go home but I hardly know the feeling of having a home" she uses her free hand to wipe her tears as Charlotte cradles the other one in both of her hands.
Charlotte too has unshed tears in her eyes as she says "If my verdict about you is right then I assume you practically raised yourself and no little kid should raise themselves" she bites the inside of her cheek and the Queen gently squeezes her hand "I have no doubt that you're a marvellous young woman, Evangeline. You do not have to be afraid to let us see you. The real you. Not the one who hides behind mean comments and a fake smile. I'm sure we'll love her and never hurt her."
Evangeline's bottom lip quivers but she doesn't say anything in return, she wouldn't want to make promises she can't keep.
"I do love my son dearly but he can be stubborn and refuse to see that Mia is not what he needs"
"She is who he wants though"
Charlotte shakes her head "You need to show him that it's you he should want and I know you don't want to marry him but I believe you and him would be great together." the queen regards her for a moment before saying "We should use the advantage of your parents not being at your engagement party. I personally think you should make a statement to the Prince and everyone in attendance"
She rakes a hand through her hair "I am not exactly in the mood to speak at the engagement"
She raises an eyebrow "Who said anything about speaking?"