Marrying the Stranger Prince ✔ (The Stranger Prince Series #1)

Chapter 19 : Goodbyes are Painful.

"I wish I could love you less."
- Unravel Me, by Tahereh Mafi.

♚

Sebastian had left long before her, but somehow Adela managed to walk through the snow, all alone, ever so slowly.

She felt dead inside. A part of her had died with Samantha, was now buried with her in the cold ground.

The other part had died the moment Sebastian had crushed it. Again and again. She had never known there was actually so much to Sebastian, she had never known he'd gone through so much. Now the whole of her heart ached for him, for the fifteen year old who had to bury a dead body with his own bare hands. A fifteen year old who loved a girl to such an extent that he still couldn't get over it. That was who Sebastian.

He really was a stranger, wasn't he?

But Adela had always been late. Too late on every occasion, and somehow when she reached back to the Palace, she was late over there as well.

Apparently, she'd just spent two hours out in the deserted streets, staring at nothing.

And now there were two large carriages being prepared to set off to their own Kingdoms. One to Silvetotia, one to Larcbost. And she hadn't realised how badly she'd miss the environment. The joy. The noises. This grand Palace would go back to being quiet and miserable again. Just like before.

She closed her eyes, and then regained her strength. And then she walked forward to stand with the King and the Queen of Archensheen, to see of the Kings of both the Kingdoms. Edgar was nowhere to be seen, but Adela stood quietly.

The King looked over at her daughter, and he smiled at her. Adela didn't feel like smiling at all.

The luggage was being loaded onto separate, smaller carriages by the servants, and Adela was standing there, lost in thought when she heard the King of Larcbost.

"Princess Adela." He said, and Adela bowed down.

"Your Majesty." She said quietly.

"I would like to have a word with you." He smiled, and Adela didn't seem to have any other choice but to walk with him, away from them all, in a corner. He stood there and smiled, and she tried to forget how his eyes were exactly like those of Sebastian.

"It has been great, spending our time here in Archensheen." He began, "And I took it upon me to... closely observe things, if you might say it in a polite way." He pouted at himself, "I observed you and Sebastian, together."

Adela was still. Too still to be normal.

"I saw you on the parties and everywhere else. And I've decided, Adela." He let out a defeated breath, "I'm not going to force Sebastian into marrying you, or anyone else."

"What..?" The word only came out breathless.

The King sighed again, "Yes, Adela. I talked with your father too. We are not going to force you two to marry now." He looked down, "It was a bad decision to do so in the first place, but we were too blinded by the need for alliance, and the severe need to do so.

"But Sebastian isn't like all of the other Princes." He continued, "He has gone through a lot, much more than a Prince as young as him should've gone through. He is broken, and I didn't know by doing so, I would be breaking him all over again. In years, I have never been able to see him think about anything but the poor girl." He smiled weakly, "I have decided, I won't repeat my mistakes."