Luke pov
I paced back and forth in my old chambers, trying to rid myself of the rage that consumes me. Everything in the room has been packed up and moved to my 'marital quarters.' It's as though my old life has been completely erased. How am I to go from enjoying the affections of two ladies a night, never the same one twice, to being stuck with some boring virgin for the rest of my life? Three sharp knocks on the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I sighed, knowing it was probably just some pesky maid coming to strip the bed or sweep the floor. I was surprised when my father stepped through the door. It's not that I'm not close with my parents, I just hardly ever see them. There's always a document to be signed or a peasant to be met with when you're running a country. The thing I've always admired about them is that they do everything together. They're each other's best friend, business partner, and lover all at the same time.
"Luke," my father greets. I give him a single nod. He sits down on the bed, gesturing for me to sit next to him.
"That was quite the show you put on back there," he says, speaking of my outburst. I huff angrily, feeling the rage start to come back.
"Relax, I'm not here to chastise you, I just want to talk," I take a deep breath and he continues.
"I was only a year older than you when I married your mother. You and I were much alike. I was very accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Going to parties, drinking my fill of wine and ale, then entertaining beautiful women for the remainder of the night. But when the time came, I straightened out and married because it was best for the kingdom. That's what you must do. I know it's difficult to give up everything, but we are monarchs. We can't afford to be selfish," he finishes.
"This is completely different! Princess Emmaline and I have nothing in common. I know nothing about her except that she's a virgin!" I exclaim.
"You have each other in common. You're not the only one in this situation. Imagine what it's like for her. Not only is she marrying a strange man, but she's also been shipped off to a strange country and she's lost her family. Talk to her, give this marriage a chance," my father pleads. We talk a little more after that about the wars going on in several different countries, but he leaves soon to attend a meeting. I suppose I should go to my new chambers and change out of these clothes.
Emma pov
I awoke to the sound of drawers being slammed shut. My mind was very groggy, I wasn't sure what time it was or even where I am. The room was all dark except for a lantern set on the table opposite to me. I suddenly realized I was not alone in the room. A man was going through the dresser, evidently trying to find a shirt considering he wasn't wearing one. His back was to me, showing off his bare broad shoulders. Even in the warm candle light, his skin was pale. As my clouded mind finally became more aware, I gathered that this strange man going through the dresser is Luke. I don't know why this startled me, as this is his chamber too. Maybe it's the fact that I've woken up to the sight of his bare skin after barely saying three words to him since we've met. Or maybe it was his harsh speech from earlier making me wary. He finally finds a plain white shirt to wear. He must not know I'm awake. I decide to fake my slumber until he leaves. Shutting my eyes, I rely on my hearing to know what's going on. He shuffles his feet like he's turning around, and I can feel his gaze upon me. He said something to himself as well, probably cursing my existence. I hear a timid knock on the door, footsteps, then the sound of the door opening a closing.
"Oh, Your Majesty!" a maid's voice says. She's probably surprised he's in here.
"Is Princess Emmaline here? We were told to prepare her for tonight's celebration," another maid asks.
"She's over there," Luke mumbles and I hear him leave the room, into the study.
"Princess?" one of the maid shakes me softly. I 'stir awake' and promptly ask the time.
"It's an hour past sunset ma'am," she answers. I reluctantly get out of the soft bed and we go through the study to get to my separate chambers, passing Luke who was hunched over his desk studying maps.
The maids chattered about things while I stayed quiet unless I was asked a direct question. I learned to tune most of their conversation out as it was mostly foolish gossip, but I did notice when their conversation turned to Luke. They spoke about all of the escapades he has had around the castle with women. The stories were quite crude, but I drew the line when they started talking about his performance in bed and even the size of his manhood.
"Ladies, do you not think it unwise to be speaking in such away about your future king while he's in the next room?" I ask, instantly putting an end to their mindless rumor spreading. Their round faces went white with fear.
"Oh Miss, we didn't mean to say such things in your presence, my mouth just runs and runs in such a way that I don't even realize what I've said until I've said it!" one cries hysterically.
"Please don't tell anyone!" the other pleads.
"No, I wouldn't tell anyone. I have no reason to, I was just worried for your jobs if he had heard. That would be a whole other story," I say to calm them. They thank me repeatedly then go back to lacing up my corset.
****
This was by far the dullest party I had ever attended. It consisted of old members of parliament, dignitaries from other countries, and a few wealthy English land owners. I arrived on Luke's arm, as was required since this is supposed to be our wedding celebration, but I was quickly dumped in a chair in the back of the room so Luke could go speak with his friends. I watched them for a while. They laughed and teased each other, it was the first time I'd ever seen Luke with a smile on his face. I lifted my gaze when they started flirting with women, feeling tears well up in my eyes. It didn't bother me that Luke was whispering in some girl's ear, making her blush and giggle. What bothers me is that I have to sit here in this strange place with no one to talk to while he does it. I quickly wipe away the few tears that escaped when I see a boy with curly hair and dimples approach me.
"Hello," he says cheerfully to me, pulling up a chair next to me. I immediately recognize him as one of Luke's companions.
"Hello," I say, trying to match his enthusiasm, but sounding hardly amused at best.
"My name's Ashton Irwin. And you're Prince Luke's wife, Princess Emmaline, correct?" he asks
"Just call me Emma," I smile.
"So what are you doing sitting here?" he questions. At first I think he's making fun of me, but then I see the genuine confusion on his face.
"Well it seems I've sailed all the way from France to be surrounded by uptight Englishmen," I reply and to my surprise he laughs.
"I promise not all of our parties are like this. Unfortunately they had to invite all of the boring officials so everyone knows the ceremony went through," he explains.
"So I'm guessing grumpy over there has made your day pretty difficult," Ashton assumes, gesturing to Luke.
"If you're referring to Luke, then yes, he most certainly has. He's already vocalized his wish for me to die in childbirth so his precious bachelor life is given back to him," I laugh and so does Ashton.
"I'm sorry, he tends to act like that when he doesn't get his way. Hopefully it will pass in a few days. He's really not that bad when he doesn't have a stick up his ass," Ashton chuckles and I blush from his use of language, making him laugh even more.
"Well," he says once he's caught his breath, "I will not allow your first night it London to be completely bad memory. Would you like to dance?" He holds out his hand and I accept it without hesitation. We dance for at least three songs, me telling him about France and him telling me stupid jokes. I really enjoy his company and I'm happy to have at least one friend here. Our conversation was halted when I felt a tall presence behind me and heard a curt, "I'll take it from here, mate," from a voice I recognized as my new husband's. Ashton stopped talking, moving, and the expression on his face was fearful. His grip on my waist started to loosen and I panicked. From the tone of his voice, I could tell Luke was in a foul mood, perhaps worse than it had been this morning.
"Ashton, wait please don't leave me with-" I plead to Ashton, but he was gone and replaced by Luke before I could even finish my sentence. Luke placed his hands on my waist lightly, leaving as much space between us as possible. He looked anywhere but at me, making me feel absolutely worthless.
"I thought you were supposed to be a virgin," he said as soon as we started dancing. My cheeks flame up and I struggle to respond to such a blunt accusation.
"You've made a fool out of me in my own kingdom. Not only did you dance with another man on our wedding night, but you danced with my best friend," he says in contained anger so no one else can hear our conversation. I stood there, dumbfounded.
"Do you realize the repercussions your actions will have? People will think I can't control my own wife. It's bad enough you're a slut, but do you have to be a daft slut too? I knew this marriage-" I stop his nonsense words with a slap to his face. His face is completely stunned, matching the faces of the onlookers in the crowd. I shocked myself a little too. After a few seconds, Luke comes back to reality, grabs my hand roughly, and angrily leads us out of the room. I glance back at Ashton before exiting the room, his face holding a big grin.
Luke stomps away from the ballroom, going up a flight of steps, and into a small closet.
"What the hell was that?" he yells, his voice bouncing off the walls.
"How dare you speak to me like that! I'm not your property, you aren't to tell me what I can and cannot do. Especially not when you didn't acknowledge my existence until I started dancing with Ashton. I only danced with him because you were too busy winning the affections of the pretty girl clinging to your arm!" I reply, my tone and volume matching his.
"And you think you're permitted to slap me?" he asks, his voice raising to a dangerous volume.
"I wouldn't hesitate to do it again!" I challenge.
"Oh, is that so?" he asks testily.
"Yes, that is so! I hate you Luke Hemmings. Every single fiber of your being!" I exclaim.
"Good, so I shouldn't be expecting you in bed tonight dearest?" he sneers.
"No, you most certainly shouldn't, I don't want to be ten miles from you, let alone share a bed!" I quickly leave, slamming the door shut behind me.
