Prince Zadkiel had been locked away all his life and had never been seen since the day he was born. That is, until he was whisked away to be wedded to his promised Princess Aria of Oryn.
With the once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience life and fre...
Aria woke up seven times throughout the night, waiting for morning to come.
After she decided that she needed to let the prince know how she really felt, it had been almost impossible to sleep.
Finally, the sun had risen in the sky, and she didn’t even wait on her lady-in-waiting to help her get dressed, though she would be here any minute to help her on this special day.
Maybe her mother and sisters will join her too.
In all honesty Aria had almost forgotten about the importance of the day. Her mind had only been on one person. Does he even know what day it is today?
Of course not. She didn’t tell him, after all.
Just as Aria was fighting to pull on the corset strings herself, the door pushed open, revealing her two sisters and her mother.
“Eager for the day, aren’t you?” Sylvia asked after recovering from the shock that Aria was up and just about ready for her day. Aria was always the sister to wake up last.
Smiling, Aria turned her back to them, motioning for help. “I am indeed. But not for the reason you are thinking,”
“Happy birthday my dear,” Sylvia told her with a long kiss to her cheek. “I cannot believe that it has been twenty-three years.”
Tears welled in Sylvia’s eyes at the thought. Now her darling Aria is all grown up, getting ready to be married in a matter of weeks.
“I am still your darling baby, Mother,” Aria joked in hopes to make her feel better. “I will always be.”
“Happy birthday Aria,” Lizaith and Tina sang in unison as they grabbed her in a tight hug.
Aria giggled beneath their tight grip and returned their hugs wholeheartedly.
“Thank you. Now could you help me with this corset?”
“She wants to go see her darling prince,” Liziath teased, and almost immediately Tina’s face fell. Ari felt awful for her. They all knew how hard Tina was taking Joshua’s betrayal and departure.
It surely hasn’t been easy.
She shuffled away to sit on Aria’s bed with her head down-casted as she fiddled with a book that was resting on Aria’s bed.
Aria wanted to tell them how she felt about him but she didn’t want to upset Tina any more. Naturally, any talk of the prince would be a trigger. But will they avoid talking about him forever? The sooner she faces the truth, the better it will be for her.
“Actually, I do,” Aria admitted as a blush crept up her face. “I had a revelation last night, and I think I’m in love.”
Gasps from both Lizaith and Sylvia almost drew the air from the room as they stared at her in shock.
Soon after, a beaming smile stretched on Sylvia’s face with even more tears brewing behind her eyes. They wouldn’t even understand how happy that made her. Any parent would want nothing but happiness for their child.
“Are you sure?” Liziath asked in a small voice as she inched closer to Aria.
Aria nodded, knowing she wasn’t sure of anything else more than this. Her feelings for him were true, and that was enough to let her know that she was feeling what Liziath read about in books, and what she watched her parents experience daily.
“I do.” Her eyes watered as unwavering joy blossomed from her belly, and Liziath grabbed her sister in yet another bone crushing hug.
“I knew it would happen. Oh, I’m so happy for you.”
“And we know he feels the same,” Sylvia added.
“You think so?”
“We know so,” Liziath answered for her. “Have you seen the way that man looks at you?”
Another blush brightened her features again before she trailed her eyes towards Tina, who was still fiddling with the book. Aria didn’t even know if she was hearing.
“Tina? What do you think?” Aria asked carefully as she moved closer to her. Tina’s head rose at the sound of her name, and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
“I think that is wonderful, Aria. I am happy for you.” Her words were true, that much was for sure. But she was hurting. It hurt them all too.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” Liziath asked, not wanting to sound judgmental, but she was genuinely curious about Tina’s opinion. Tina shook her head.
“I do not. I think it is quite possible for you to love him soon.” A single tear rolled down her cheek, at which she quickly swiped it away as if it was an abomination, and jumped to her feet.
“May I be excused, Mother?” she asked swiftly. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin her sister’s day with her mood. But Aria understood.
She wanted nothing more than to cheer up her sister, but Sylvia had already approved her request and Tina was gone in a blink.
Sighing, the three women eyed each other.
“What are we going to do about her?” Liziath mumbled as the door closed.
Sylvia sighed. “There isn’t anything we can do, my dear. Show her love and let time do its healing.”
“Do you think she loved him?” Aria questioned in concern.
“I don’t know.” Liziath sighed. “But there was something there.”
“Hopefully she will get better soon. The Tina we all knew was detached, but now she’s…”
“Lost,” Liziath finished for Aria, since she was scared to say it.
Love. It’s such a bitter-sweet thing.
“You need not to worry about your sister,” Sylvia said after a moment of silence. “In due time, it will all be better.”
Aria nibbled on her lower lip as her mother finally yanked on her corset strings. Still, it didn’t faze her, as her mind was far away.
In due time indeed.
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