A Royal Arrangement

Chapter 3

- Vesper's Pov -

I was working on my stupid embroidery again, which I hated doing but after the last few days, I needed some much-needed distraction and had gone through stacks of literature in the past week, so the option was either embroidery or taking a walk. Which I wasn't keen on doing either. Rumours had already begun to spread and people were gossiping, clutching on each other, and pointing towards me, speaking in muffled voices. My parents kindly suggested that I was to stay in as much as possible. I started working on the piece, a boring and generic rose in bloom, but my mind kept drifting off to Loki and his marriage proposal.

I had already made my mind up. Naturally, my parents disagreed with me, but I was unwilling to change my perspective. I knew it was not the best of decisions but there was no option. In two days, I would leave for Alfhiem to live with my aunt and uncle and their swarm of children and act as their governess, aiding in education and childcare at least for the time being. It was not something I was looking forward to because the kids were unruly and bad-mannered so I would have my work cut out for me. Yet. there was no other option, I could not possibly go forward with accepting Prince Loki's offer. While the gesture was kind and vaillant there was no way I could say yes for several reasons.

The main reason for not marrying the Prince was we were both in love with someone else. I had done some research when my mother announced that she and my father had set up a potential suitor to be my husband. I had heard on the grapevine that Loki was privy to rejecting one of the finest, the most beautiful of women, which I found odd. Being the Second Prince of Asgard, he had his pick of wanting, stunning women but he refused them, and I wanted to know why.

So I sent a raven to my best friends, Luna Holloway and Myra Hale, who knew everything and anything about Asgard's privileged citizens and had gathered enough information about Loki and a certain singer named Sigyn Hellstrand. According to Luna, Loki and Sigyn had a secret relationship (though, I wouldn't call it a secret when all of Asgard knew about it) for an exceedingly long time and Loki, at one point, intended to marry her but she had reminded him of their difference in status and broke things off. Myra was the one who told me that Loki still visited her performances in secret the odd time that she did perform at the theatre. And that she had married another.

So on the day when Queen Frigga and her son came to see me, I had already made my mind up about him, had a prejudice against him and acted rudely, which was stupid of me as he did try and save my honour. I then judged him for being in love with someone else while I was still in love with Dimitri, even after knowing he preferred my cousin, married my cousin, bedded my cousin and is having a baby with her. How foolish of me but I had not forgotten about him. I mean how could I not? Seeing him the other day made things so much worse.

After an hour, I gave up on embroidery after the umpteenth wrong stitch, I put the piece of cloth down and instead, focused on looking outside. I was lost in glancing at people going about their day, the carriages entering and leaving her street. I was so lost in thoughts that I did not notice the sound of feet, rapidly coming towards the drawing room and a second later the door flew open.
"Vesper..." The voice spoke. I dropped my embroidery and got up, all the while staring at him in shock.
"Dimitri, what are you doing here?" I barely got the words out of my mouth. He looked dishevelled and was breathing heavily and I could see a storm of emotions in those red eyes that I loved so much. He walked over towards me and stopped just short of where I was stood. A bit too close for comfort as it was a familiar proximity but this time it did not feel right. I took a step back from him.
"Is it true? You are to marry the Prince?" he demanded to know with a voice that was part angry, upset and desperate. I couldn't answer him as I was still in shock "So, after all we have been through you are just going to marry someone else. Just like that," he asked accusingly.
"How can you accuse me of that when you did the same thing?" I frowned. his face dropped instantly "I was not the one that gave up on us, that was all you. Not only had you given up on us, You had replaced me with a better version. You yourself told me that you had upgraded, without having any regard for my feelings." Dimitri looked down and then took a few steps back. There was a long silence between us. It was hard to think that we were once in love.
"I... I made a mistake. I shouldn't have-" he began with a trembling voice and I could see tears formulating in his eyes.
"Yes, but you did..." I said, trying to keep it all together. And I was succeeding but I could not say how long it would last.
"I don't know what came over me. I know promised you we were to marry after I got back from the business trip Father sent me on. I wanted to... truly, I did and then... And then you introduced me to Lori and-"
"So, like my mother, you believe that I am at fault?" I inquired, irritably.
"Of course not!" he immediately responded "None of this is your fault but how could you forget so easily? We were going to start a life together, remember?" he asked me, overcome with emotion.
"I have not forgotten. It's why I have struggled to find another suitor because I believed that they would leave me for another. Just like you did. I was always the second choice. When you left me for Lori... I don't know what happened. I don't understand... It felt like I didn't know you anymore. The Dimitri I knew and loved... my Dimitri. My Dimitri would not have-" I started to cry. Dimitri rushed forward and grabbed my cheeks in his hands. I started to hit his chest as all my emotions poured out "My Dimitri would never have hurt me,"
"Vesper, I am still your Dimitri. I can be yours again. I'll do whatever you want. Just say the word." he interjected. I shook my head again and I let him see my true feelings. I let my tears fall freely.
"It's too late. Don't you see? It is too late," I said dejected.
"No," and this time he disagreed with me by shaking his head. Dimitri wiped my tears with his thumbs.
"Vesper... It is not too late. I'll get an annulment and then you and I can-" Dimitri wished to argue but did not get extremely far.
"And you expect me to take you back even if you were free as if nothing happened? You will be a father in a couple of months, Dimitri or have you forgotten about that?" He did not answer. instead, he just stared at me with compassion in his eyes "Do you know what you did? Do you? You broke my heart, not in two but into a million pieces," I continued. I didn't want to feel safe in his arms. I wanted to throw him out the window but I had to let him know. I had to let him know what his deceit, this betrayal he had caused. He was silent once more for a second but then Dimitri suddenly walked over, took me in his arms and we started to cry in each other's arms.
"Oh, Vesper, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me," he repeated while holding me tightly, as tight as he possibly could.

A moment later, lost in embrace, we exchanged looks and before I knew it, he had bent down and kissed me. The kiss was timid at first, felt like two former lovers getting to know each other again, but soon changed after he deepened it, and eventually let his tongue mingle with mine. He then guided his hands over my body, my sides, and then my back before his hands slipped lower and slightly grazed at my bottom. It was as if their bodies had been taken over by different people for we had never gone that far before, but it felt right. And if I was being honest, it felt amazing. It felt lovely.

Still kissing her, he guided me over to the sofa in my room, the large one where they sat down briefly before he pushed my body back. He was now lying on top of me, touching me from my sides to my legs, before moving upwards again. His kisses were feverish and unrelenting. He alternated by kissing my mouth and neck, completely overcome with lust.

I grasped at his shoulders, eager to feel him again after so many months, and trenched through his soft, sliver curls with my fingers and felt his lower body rising and gasped at the feeling. Dimitri was stroking my legs again but this time he tugged the fabric of my dress. He positioned himself differently so now he was nestled in between them tighter. With one hand he reached for my left breast, first grazing his fingers over it, and then starting to knead and applying a sturdy pressure. It was not long for we both moaned, loudly. With the other hand, he started to travel downwards again, wishing to take this further, wishing to take me, here on the sofa. He wanted my virginity, to bury himself inside me. My virginity was his to take. Not anyone else's, no other man should. I was his and would always be his. He slightly tugged at the side of her underwear and started to drag it down but then I realized what the hell we were doing.
"No..." He was married. And an expectant father. He was not mine. Not anymore. "No. Dimitri," I managed to remove my mouth from his and pushed at his chest to get him off me "We... cannot," Slightly confused, He obliged and stood up but stared at me with an expression of sorrow for he knew this was the end. I can never give in to his charm again.
"Vesper..." He whispered. I stood up, fixed my dress and then looked at him. Not amused with their stunt the other day.
"We can't do this." I wrapped my arms around myself.
"Vesper, please, I beg of you. Please don't-" He was looking dishevelled and out of it, barely holding it together. He was never very good at rejection.
"You should go. Dimitri. Please," I said.
"No. No Vesper. Don't you understand? I cannot. I-" he wished to argue but I will not budge over this.
"Leave, Dimitri. Now," I stated sternly. Dimitri looked at me an instant more and then walked to the door, defeatedly but before he left, he turned to face me again.
"I can't let you marry him, Vesper. I just can't," he said and then he was out of the room. I nearly collapsed to the floor, sat on my knees, and put my hand on her stammering heart. It was difficult to breathe. Why did I let him go that far?

It took me a while to recuperate. A whole 20 minutes. But then something dawned on me. Something that Dimitri said. He said he couldn't let me marry Loki. What did he mean by that? A sudden a sense of shock went through me. He wouldn't do something stupid. Surely? I got from the floor and ran to the front door, where the coachman had just returned.
"Casey... Did you transport Lord Grimwood just now?" I wished to know.
"I did, Lady Hawthorne," He nodded before frowning at me "Are you alright, My Lady? You do not look too well", he asked worriedly.
"I am alright. Thank you, Casey. but tell me, please... Where did you take Lord Grimwood?" I demanded to know.
"To the palace. He said he had a meeting there," Dimitri, you idiot. Why did you go and do something so stupid?