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chapter nineteen, just shut up.
AS WEEKS GO BY AND RUMORS ARISE IT BECAME CLEAR TO THE ROYAL FAMILY THAT THEIR TIME WAS ALMOST OUT. Aaron needed to choose his bride, and fast. King Agnar and Queen Victoria, who, for the most part, stayed out of Aaron's decisions, finally began to pester him about it. It was all adding too much stress to the young Prince.
Currently, the three royals were sitting in the Kings office, discussing all of the women they had in their castle. They went through the list, pros and cons if you will. Most of them went by fast, some were opinionated and some were not.
Madilyn Smith - she was bold, loud and energetic. If she was chosen she would be good about inspiring their country, however, with the legal aspect she would fail to provide the country the security they need from their Queen. After a little bit of debate, the royals decided their answer, no.
Rebecca Alberthy - she was the exact opposite of Madilyn, Rebecca was quiet and closed off. She was smart, in the logistic way. She was raised to follow by the norms, no school, no reading and no thoughts of your own. She may be a good Queen in some ways, but overall, she would fail to complete the biggest task you need to do as Queen —connect to your people. The vote concluded in a no.
Elizabeth Taylor - for Aaron, it was an immediate no. Elizabeth was rude, often blunt and had a hard time actually reading the social cues in the room. She spoke what she wanted, when she wanted; normally, Aaron would admire that. But the way Elizabeth went about it wasn't right, she defied the norms in a way that just spoke bad about women.
Alice DuPont - Alice was quirky, she had some weird habits that just drove Aaron insane. She did a clicking sound with her mouth when the room grew quiet, or when no one was talking to her. Now, Aaron knew this wasn't a bad thing. It was who she was and he couldn't change that, but personally, he couldn't deal with it. All three decided no.
Chloé Devling - Chloé was nice, too nice in a way. Her kindness seemed fake, and maybe it was. She was bright and smiley, and Aaron grew tired of that, fast. Again, all three royals votes were a no.
Now, only one more girl lasted. Francesca Heart. Now, Agnar and Victoria couldn't say they were surprised, they saw this a mile away. Francesca was the perfect candidate; not only would the be the absolutely perfect Queen, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind which would prove to be helpful as it would defend her country and people, she was smart and not just in logistics. She was a good person, she was the person. But even with all of that, those weren't the reasons the King and Queen chose her — she made Aaron happy. It had been years since their once cold son had been truly happy, but all of that changed when Francesca came into the picture.
"Aaron, what are you thinking, sweetheart?" Victoria asked her son, awaiting for him to cast his vote. Aaron just sat there, his mind in deep thought. Would Francesca want this?
"It's her. She is my bride," Aaron said, silently pleading his parents not to ask why. He didn't want to explain this aching feeling he had in his chest that only Francesca seemed to cure.
"Are you sure? Why her?" Agnar asked with a slight smirk. Oh please, the way Aaron was acting with Francesca is exactly how Agnar and Victoria were when they were young.
"Because if I shall be wed, it will be her. She is the only one I can stand, she is my best friend. Quite frankly, I would rather have a friend for life than be stuck in an unhappy marriage. Plus, out of all of these women she'd be the best fit for Queen. I can't imagine anyone else taking the throne but her."
"And is that all?" Victoria asked gently, she just wanted Aaron to admit it not only to her and her husband, but to himself.
"Yeah, why?"
"You'll realize soon enough, my son." Agnar responded, smiling at his son. With that, the three concluded their conversation and Aaron parted ways with his parents.
Later that night, Aaron decided he would ask Francesca as soon as possible. In the meantime, he would just visit her. He walked to her door, knocking on it firmly. Within a few seconds, Francesca opened the door. Her look of surprise immediately shifted to fear, confusing Aaron greatly.
"Aaron, come in," Francesca said gently, moving to the side. She had shrunken into herself, she never did that with Aaron. Aaron walked forward, keeping a careful eye on the girl.
"Okay, I'm just gonna say something really quick. I really like it here, like really like it here. And I didn't expect to become attached to this place or its people, or you and because I did I'm scared. I'm scared that you're going to kick me out and I can't bear to not see you everyday-"
"Francesca."
"And I know I sound desperate, but maybe I am. Maybe I am desperate to still be in your life."
"Francesca, will you just shut up and let me speak?" Aaron smiled, moving closer to the girl. Francesca went quiet, awaiting for Aaron to speak.
Aaron cupped her cheek, trying to soothe the girl and the lines in her forehead. He smiled softly down at her, preparing himself. He had to ask. He had to ask now. Suddenly, Aaron pulled away, backing up. What if she said no?
"Marry me," Aaron blurted, and before Francesca could even register it, Aaron was on one knee: an elegant box in his hand. He opened the box, a gold engagement ring sitting in the bed of the box.
"Will you marry me?"
Francesca couldn't talk, there was no way this was happening, right? Aaron couldn't have just asked her, Francesca Heart, to marry him. However, only one thing could really come to mind. One word, one answer, and now, one future.
