The Royal Entanglement - Not A Fairytale

CH 24 : THE MISSING PIECE

Mary kept pacing around the room, worried about her sister's safety. She silently prayed that Richard reached Laura on time. It's been three days since Richard left to help Laura. Mary hasn't heard from either of them. Mary's train of thoughts paused when the servant opened the door.

" You have a letter , Lady Mary ." told Martha.

Mary took the letter and as she was about to drop it on the pile of letters on the desk, something caught her eye. She reviewed the letter to see the seal of Oakwood House.

"Thank Heavens! Richard must have made on time", thought Mary as she eagerly opened the letter.

Mary's eyes wandered across the letter as she read the letter again and again. It was a letter from Laura stating that she has been very lonely since Henry's departure and that she wished Mary was beside her.

Mary frowned in confusion. No matter how many times she read through the letter there was no mention of invaders or Richard. Mary felt a pang in her heart despite the news of her sister's safety. She scrambled through the pile of letters looking for the one she received few days ago. When she finally got her hands on it she realised that the earlier letter did not have the seal of Oakwood House which meant that it was not from Laura. The only thing that was not adding up was

"What happened to Richard?".

At the Orkwood Mansion....

Philip kept fidgeting on the bed as he sighed.

"These muscle cramps are going to be the death of me." He thought to himself.

Emma who was sleeping on the couch on the other side of the room noticed Philip's uneasiness.

"What is it My Lord?", she asked her voice filled with empathy as she looked at the man before her struggling.

"Oh, my apologies. I couldn't sleep.", told Philip scratching the back of his head

Emma failed to hide the smile as her lips curled up.

" Want me to read a story for you?", asked Emma.

"What NO! Um, I'm not a child, you don't have to", told Philip.

"A good story can keep you distracted for a while", told Emma.

"I'm fine ", told Philip looking the other way trying to ignore the way his face burned up as he blushed.

"Very well", told Emma as she left the room.

Philip turned back to look for her but turned away pretending to sleep when he heard footsteps.

Emma came back with a book in her hands.

"A long time ago....."she read out loud.

"What are you doing?", asked Philip sounding more confused than annoyed.

"I am reading, My Lord", told Emma.

"I told you, you don't have to read for me", told Philip.

"Who told anything about reading for you? I am reading for myself ", told Emma.

"Can you read quietly? " asked Philip.

"My apologies, I'm afaid I can't do that", told Emma smiling sheepishly.

Philip turned the other way using a pillow to cover his ears. After fidgeting for a while Philip opened his eyes to see the book Emma was holding.

"The Canterbury Tales?", he asked looking up at her.

"My mother used to read this for me since I was a child", told Emma.

"Do you want to join me?", asked Emma.

Philip nodded his head before scooting closer to Emma as they continued reading the story. Once they finished reading a couple of chapters, Emma looked by her side to see Philip who dozed off into a deep sleep. She looked at him, her eyes filled with adoration. She observed his face which looked relaxed void of the frown he always has when he is awake. She wrapped the blanket around him and brushed his hair softly, trying not to wake him up.

A/N : Hello my wonderful readers! I am extremely sorry about the late updates. I will try to upload it consistently in the future. Hope you liked this chapter. Please vote for the story and let me know your feedbacks in the comments, it means a lot🥰. Thanksss