*You are an 18-year-old princess of a kingdom named Flora Court. It's a kingdom full of life with gardens and lakes bringing beauty to the land. You have a personal butler, named Augustus, who was hired by your father. He's loyal, brave, and skilled...
Augustus soon leaves so he can leave you be like you asked, heading down the hallway to the kitchen to talk to one of the cooks. Leaving your room unguarded. After a while he comes back to your room and knocks softly. "My lady? It's me." he says through the door. He starts to hear a faint muffled sound coming from your room, followed by some thumping like feet on furniture. He slowly opens the door and enters your room only to meet with the horrible sight of the duke's son Aaron holding you against him tightly and his hand around your mouth. He stands there, stunned for a moment, then he quickly runs over to you and grabs Aaron's arm, trying to pull him off you. In doing so Aaron shoves you to the floor. Augustus drops down to you. "My lady!" he says with urgency. You look at him with terror in your eyes. He tries to shield you from Aaron, placing himself between you and him.
Aaron looks at Augustus and he starts to say something. Augustus glares at him. "Don't even think about saying anything" he says sternly. Aaron stares at him with a look of anger. Augustus stands his ground, not backing down. Aaron realizes that he can't do anything with you there, so he leaves the room. Augustus letting out a sigh of relief, looking back at you.
You look at him nervously. He smiles softly and hugs you closely. "It's alright, my lady" he says calmly. You try to calm down as he rubs your back gently. When his hand reaches the lower part of your back you can't help but jerk slightly and wince as pain shoots through you.
He immediately let's go of you, looking at you with a worried expression. "Are you alright, my lady?" You slowly turn around and he sees that your dress is ripped at your hip and a bruise against your skin is visible. He looks at you in horror, taking a deep breath trying to calm down. You just stand there and say nothing.
He places a gentle hand on your cheek. "Is there anything else that hurts, my lady?" You shake your head in a no and look down. He looks at you and hugs you close, trying to comfort you. "My lady..."
You start to whisper to him. "I need to speak with my father... tell him what happened..."
"Of course. I will bring him here." he says to you as he gets up.
You grab his arm before he leaves. "No! Please don't leave me here alone..." Terror filling your eyes.
He turns back to you and takes your hand. "It's okay, my lady." You hold his hand tight, and you both walk back to the office. You hold onto his hand and wait outside the office door. You start to tear up thinking about what you must tell your father. He stands by your side, squeezing your hand gently and trying to keep you calm. "You're very brave, my lady."
You take a deep breath and enter the office. You see your father sitting at his desk. Augustus bows his head politely. "Your majesty" he says softly, stepping back a bit. Your father looks up from his paperwork. Augustus looks at you and sees how nervous you are. His concern for you makes him speak up for you. "Your majesty, I believe that I have some very important news regarding your daughter."
Your father looks at you in shock. "What's going on?" he asks.
"Your daughter was assaulted by the duke's son just moments ago. I found him with his hands on her and he has left her injured." You tell him carefully.
"He what?!" Your father stands up and begins to yell. "How could you let this happen!?"
"Your majesty, I did my best to prevent it from happening, but the duke's son caught me off guard."
Your father sighs. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at him. I am going to talk to him immediately." Augustus nods in understanding. "Please escort my daughter back to her room and stay with her tonight just to be safe." He then turns to one of the maids to go fetch the duke and his son and bring them to his office.
"I will do as you ask, your majesty." he responds. He takes your hand and leads you out of the office back to your room, closing the door behind him and walking over to you. "My lady, are you alright?" he asks softly.
"Just a little sore..."
He looks at you with a sad expression. "I am sorry, my lady. I should have been more vigilant in protecting you. Please know that I will do everything I can to make sure this never happens again."
You take a deep breath. "It's not your fault."
He looks at you and tries to give you a reassuring smile, but he still feels guilty for not being able to protect you. "Are you sure?"
You reach out and grab his hand. "Of course, I am sure."
He gently squeezes your hand in return, feeling relieved that you're not upset with him. "I will always protect you, my lady." You give a small smile and a quick kiss on his cheek. He blushes at your kiss and looks at you with a soft smile. "My lady, if I may..." You look at him and your eyes widen as you realize what he is doing. He gently takes your hand in his and looks at you in the eyes. "I have a question for you, my lady."
"Yes?" You say nervously, but also curiously.
He takes a deep breath, feeling very nervous as he prepares to ask you this question. "I..." You look at him nervously as you wait for him to continue. "I apologize for being so forward, my lady, but I am curious if you have ever thought of me in a romantic way? I hope you do not find this inappropriate or improper." You say nothing but gasp in shock as your eyes widen. He feels slightly embarrassed and worried that he may have offended you. "My lady..." You look at him blushing deeply. Your heart is starting to race. He watches you for a moment, feeling flustered and unsure of what to say. "My lady, did I say something wrong?" he asks quietly.
"N-no you didn't do anything wrong; I'm just surprised." You say in a shy voice, blushing profusely.
He looks at you for a moment and then he feels a bit foolish. "Oh!"
"I've been feeling a certain way for you ever since you found me in the garden." You admit to him.
"My lady, why did you not tell me this sooner?" he asks softly, feeling touched by your confession and feeling even more embarrassed as his face turns red.
"I was too embarrassed to confess my feelings." You admit.
"My lady, I must confess that I feel the same way." he says to you. You look at him and your jaw drops, as your eyes go wide in surprise. He blushes and looks down at the floor, feeling nervous. "My lady..." You reach up and put a hand on his cheek. He blushes and looks at you with a soft smile.
"You are so much more than just a butler to me."
"My lady..." He whispers. Feeling touched by your words.
"I love you, Augustus." You whisper to him.
"My lady, those words... they mean more to me than you could ever know." He smiles, his eyes shining with happiness.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(More to come! I write pages at a time and then copy them over to here. If you enjoy the story so far please show your support with some stars and comments!)
