AT DAWN - colin bridgerton

004 | overthinking and doubts

Two days after the letter incident, both Lady Bridgerton and Colin Bridgerton were to arrive in the next hour. It did not take much to convince the Queen, as Dawn had explained she impulsively did it because of her attraction for the young man.

Dawn could not be more nervous. Part of her wanted to murder her brother for putting her in such situation, but she knew he only did it for her own good, did he not?

When the blonde young woman entered one of the many sitting rooms, dressed in a beautiful pastel pink dress and wearing stunning silver jewelry, her brother could not help to smile at her.

"Dressed to impress I see?" he commented, making her look down at her outfit hesitatingly

"Do you think this is a little too much? Maybe I should change to another dress, should i not? You are definitely right this is too much..."

"Dawn, you look amazing, do not change. He will love it" he stated and the girl smiled at him

Although her brother's reassurance did make the girl feel a bit better, she did spend a lot of time pacing around the tea room, bouncing her leg every time she sat down, and once she met with the Queen, she quickly noticed her niece's anxious state.

"What is it that you're so nervous about, dearest?" she asked, sitting down next to the girl and placing her hand on her leg, causing the girl to immediately stop bouncing it

"I wish I could tell you Aunt but the truth is I do not even know why myself" she confessed, letting herself fall on the couch, sitting in a way that, if anyone else was present to see, would have get her incredibly judged

"You truly like him, do you not?" the Queen asked and she simply sighed, nodding her hand "then what is it that you fear so much? Love is a beautiful thing darling"

"Indeed Aunt Charlotte. I suppose part of me has been listening to the gossip more than I should. People has been saying he is not serious about courting me, he is only twenty two after all. And he has told me himself that what he desires the most is to travel the world. Why would he give that all away so quickly?" the girl finally let out what her real thoughts were

"Dawn Juliette, you have the most loving, beautiful soul to ever exist. I think you are well aware of the brightness you bring to every room each time you make an appearance. If he does not love you so strongly to even include you in his plans, or to see such things, it is after all his loss. There are thousands of men who would kill to be in his place"

"But I do not want thousands of men" she sighed and looked up to her "I want Colin"

"I know the young man to be smart enough not to let you split through his fingers, dearest. Now, brighten up, they should arrive in any moment"

And indeed they did, as their conversation was cut short by one of their servants announcing their entrance. Dawn immediately sat up correctly and looked at the door, a smile growing on her face as both Colin and Lady Bridgerton walked through the door, stopping in front of them to bow.

"Good evening Lady Bridgerton, Lord Bridgerton" the Queen greeted the guests politely and with a hand gesture invited them to take their seats on the perfectly arranged table

"Thank you, Lady Violet for accepting our invitation" Dawn spoke with a smile on her face, turning to look at Colin who was already looking at her with a smile on his face

"How could we not Your Highness? It is an honor" she confessed as one of the servants made her way to the table to pour the tea in each cup

"I believe you are excited for the ball to happen tomorrow evening" the Queen spoke, in hopes of starting a conversation "It seems to be a great opportunity for your daughter, Lady Daphne, to find decent suitors. Although I believe I have read something about the Duke wishing to court her?"

"It shall be an important night for my dear daughter indeed, she seems to be quite pleased with the Duke" 

"They will be gossiping the entire evening, will they not?" Colin asked, softly making sure only the Princess could hear him, and she smiled

"They most likely will. Us, although, could talk about that tour you were telling me about a few days ago" the blonde girl said, before taking a sip of her tea 

"I am to begin in Greece. However, I am not sure of when I will be starting it, considering I have a... thing, to take care of" he nervously stated, looking up to see the girl

"Is that so? I wonder what could be so important that should delay such a fantastic tour" Dawn said, stopping to think about what could ever possibly stop him from doing the tour he was always dreamed of.

Colin, however, simply shook his head and brushed it off, not wanting to admit the only thing holding him back from starting his road trip was herself. Just as much as Dawn, Colin too found himself in loss of words when it came to her. He too overthought every single detail if she was involved in the situation. His dream has always been travelling the world, but now that he has met her, the only thing he truly wanted her was the woman he was beginning to love by his side as his dream came true.

He has dreamed so much about the idea of being with her that he had even forgot that she was nothing less than a princess. She could have any man she wished, why would she choose him?

No one could deny the chemistry between the two of them. But was that enough? If he was to marry the Princess Dawn, uncountable responsibilities would fall upon him. Was he ready to manage all the stress and pressure? Was she ready to let that burden fall on him?

Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, no matter how hard you wish to be with them and protect them, the universe wants differently.