𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐘 | 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤

Part 6

"Is this some kind of a joke?"You almost let out a laugh, thinking they were only joking. Alistair's eyes narrowed as he looked at you. He placed his hands on the thighs of his spread legs, then ran one hand through his hair, while the other moved to grip the chair he was sitting on."Why are you telling me this?"

Your grandmother gave you a stern look before she turned to the Queen with an apologetic smile. "I can assure you, it is not a joke."

The Queen, feeling the tension rising in the room, placed her hand on Alistair's shoulder and squeezed it before she spoke again. "You and your grandmother have a lot to discuss now. It would be for the best if we leave you alone. If you have any questions after, Lady Y/N, I will be in my chambers."

Alistair looked you up and down once again before he got up from the chair and followed his mother, leaving you and your grandmother to talk. As soon as the doors closed, you turned to your grandmother with a glare."Are you serious?"

"Do you seriously think we would joke about this?"She asked. "And we will have to speak of your behaviour, you can't act like that in front of the Queen. What happened to you today, you were a lady-"

"I'm sorry, grandmother, but I tend to react that way when people make decisions about my life without consulting me first." You replied, anger boiling inside of you, waiting to explode.

"Listen to me." Your grandmother stood up, walking up to you and taking your hands in hers. "This is a great chance for you and for our house. Rose will be married to the future King, and if you marry his brother, that would only strengthen our place. Do you know what advantage we'll have compared to others?"

You bit on the inside of your cheek as you looked at her. While your father was alive, he would promise you you would marry out of love, not out of duty. The woman in front of you looked over your face, expecting you to say something. "I do."

"Then you know what duty you have."She said, squeezing your shoulders. "You've been a great girl this whole time. I had no problems with you. You remind me of your father, you know." She said, moving a strand of your hair. "You two are so much alike, more than you realize."

You looked at the floor, trying to avoid her gaze. That didn't succeed, as she raised your head so you could look at her as she continued talking.

"You know what your duty is. You have to marry the Prince. And who knows, over the time, you two will probably grow to love each other."

Your head moved in a slight nod and a satisfied smile appeared on your grandmother's face. "Can I go to my chambers now?"

With her permission, you left the room, feeling like the air inside was suffocating you. You closed your eyes as you leaned against the wall next to the doors, trying to take deep breaths.

"I see your talk went well."You heard a male voice say and you opened your eyes, only to be met by the sight of Alistair leaning against one of the cabinets in the hall, arms crossed over his chest. You looked him over, and you had to admit he was a handsome, attractive man. His chocolate brown eyes looked you up and down, before his eyes locked on yours. The piercing glare he had felt like he was staring straight into your soul. His hand came up to rub the bit of a stubble on his face, before he pushed himself off the cabinet and moved towards you. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, letting you see small, light hairs on top of his chest.

You cleared your throat when you saw he was standing so close to you. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem for you, but you couldn't look at him the same anymore. Not when he was supposed to become your husband soon. "You could say so."

The corner of his lips moved upwards, smiling. "Well, I didn't hear screaming, so my guess is that it went just fine."He said and you could feel his breath on your face. Luckily, he didn't smell of alcohol. "Did you accept it?"