The Heiress

Chapter 9 - Heart Matters

 They finally entered the room, and the rest of the evening passed without a hitch. The meal was worthy of the most demanding palates, the accompanying drinks were chosen meticulously, the servants took great care to satisfy them, their conversation was pleasant... Everything helped the sovereign to forget this dark event, or at least, to put it down. aside, and the time spent together brought her closer to the Prince. She was able to get to know him better, and she could not hide the fact that it cheered him up. She learned that, since he was the last in the line of ascension to the throne, he was therefore in charge of Wran's military and magical affairs. He had studied the mystical arts as well as the Ancient Elven, by the way, and confided that if Mage's life was not so restrictive, he would have gladly turned to it. He also sent her more formally the congratulations of her family and people on her ascension as Queen, but equally offered her condolences on the loss of her father. Ashen, who had relaxed, then proceeded to confide her suffering on this matter to him, and he listened to her with compassion.

Once dinner was over, Cyran offered to take her back to her private quarters, and she accepted without the slightest hesitation. However, neither he nor she hurried, deliberately slowing down the pace to spend a little more time with each other, continuing their discussion regardless of the late hour. But they finally reached the door leading to the Queen's chambers, and they exchanged a slight smile, almost distressed at having to leave each other so soon.

– Thank you very much for the honor you have done me this evening, my Queen, said the Prince, even though I would have liked the start of the evening to have unfolded... differently, let's say.

They both huffed out a laugh, and as she pulled her hand away from the young man's arm, the young man took it gently, putting his lips to it again. Ashen could not help but blush, looking away and shyly placing a brown lock behind his ear.

– It was the least I could do, after the incident that happened when you arrived, she replied.

– Did you do this out of simple diplomacy? Or-...

She sharply turned her head towards him, and he abruptly put a hand over his mouth, his eyes widening and taking a step back: he had gone too far, and he was realizing... Too late. She had heard it very well, and felt the blood rush to her cheeks; her reaction told her that he was hoping for something else, and that the apology she had just made hadn't had the effect she had hoped for.

– I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't mean-... he began.

She interrupted him by resting her fingers on his, and their presence so close to his face made him blush too, and he could not help it. She herself could not contain the delighted smile on her lips, even as her heart pounded. However, she suddenly realized that the gesture she had just made was far too familiar, especially to a man she barely knew, and it was her turn to step back, crossing her arms to keep from touching him. Again.

– I-I am sorry too, Prince, I should not have done this to you and- ...

– I am your humble servant, my Queen, do to me as you desire.

His words and the bow he did made her blush, and she put her hand on the doorknob, without opening the door; she was torn between the desire to get away from him so that her heart would eventually calm down, and the desire to spend some more time in his company. Reason prevailed, however, over what her heart cried out to her:

– V-very well, Prince Wranarhea, she whispered. We will see each other again soon, I suppose ... In the meantime, I wish you a good night.

– You too, my Queen...

Without another word, she rushed into her quarters, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it, closing her eyes. She needed to calm down: she was the Queen now, and she would have to obey her head more than her heart! She repeated this phrase to herself for several minutes, catching her breath, keeping her back against the white wooden wall. But even though she did her best to make reason prevail, the Prince's voice, face and gestures kept coming back to her. It seemed to her that the moment she thought of him, a wave of emotions washed over her, and a strange sensation took hold of her chest, and yet, she did not know what it was. But what she knew even less was that behind the door she was leaning on to come to her senses, Cyran was also leaning against it. Each stood by their side, their minds filled with images of the other, not even knowing that the object of their thought was in the same situation. A few minutes later, they both left. The Prince returned to his quarters, the Queen went to bed, and slowly night fell, and sleep overtook them.

When Ashen awoke, the rays of the sun on her face made her smile. She sat down, picking up the locks that fell on her nose, and looked around. For a short moment, she wondered if what happened last night had not been just a dream, but every feeling she had felt came back to her, and her doubts melted away. She got up and knocked on the door that connected her room with Hannah's, and Hannah arrived without delay, with her usual happy smile.

– Hello, my Queen, she exclaimed, cheerful to see her. Did you have a good night's sleep?

– Oh, Hannah, I keep telling you, sighed the other young woman. No formalities when we are between us.

– Yes, but then I forget about it all time!

They huffed out a laugh and then hugged each other, and so began the Queen's morning routine. The redhead prepared a bath for her, and while Ashen was relaxing in it, she went to get her breakfast from the kitchens. When she returned, the sovereign was still enjoying the water, but the calm was short-lived:

– Big sister, big sister, you have mail! Royal mail!