The Bride

Chapter 5//: What if?

♕✿~♕✿~Chapter 5//: What if?♕✿~♕✿~

Ahren's POV

"Where would you like the diplomats from the Lakelands and the princes from Piedmont to be located, Your Majesty?"

"Should I send the invitations out on the cream-colored cards or on the blue-colored cards, Your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, what flowers would you like to be at your coronation?"

"Your Majesty, I'll need you to stand up so that I can get your measurements for your coronation outfit. By the way, Your Majesty, is this design alright for your coronation outfit?"

I sigh as I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to relieve my head from the aching migraine I'm suffering from right now. Coronation preparations were not fun. With a hollow ache, I wished that my mother and father were here to help me make these decisions.

I turn to look at each of the attendants as I answer their questions. "I want the diplomants and the princes to be located at the front. Separate, of course, since they're not on friendly terms with each other yet." The woman nods as she notes this in her notepad. "Let's keep it simple and not blind the ones attending my coronation when we send out the invitations to them." The young lady nods as she tosses the blue-colored cards back into the bag she's carrying and starts to plan out what she will write on the cream-colored cards. I paused before answering the next question: "Let's have roses and magnolias at the coronation." Those were always mother's favorite flowers, I think with a sad smile. The male nods and rushes off to go order the flowers. "And the design is fine for my coronation outfit."

I stand up for the man to measure my body to get the proportions needed for my coronation outfit. Afterwards, the man nods to himself and leaves without another word, already preparing to send my measurements to the tailor.

I groan in exhaustion as I slump back into my chair. Gregory sits beside me, looking sympathetic but slightly amused. "It's just coronation preparations, Your Majesty," he murmurs to me with laughter in his eyes.

"It's tiring," I can't help but complain. "and useless, if you ask me. Why do they need me to confirm everything? The coronation could be held in a pig's pen, and I honestly wouldn't complain." I pause before adding softly, "I'd rather be looking for Madi right now."

Gregory sighs. "Nick already has that covered. You need to relax and focus on important matters right now, Your Majesty." Gregory looks at me pointedly. "For instance, possibly finding a new queen?"

I groan. "Gregory, not this again. I've already told you that I'm not in the mood to search for a wife from the remaining girls." And I'm never going to be in the mood for it.

Gregory just sighs. "I know you don't want to continue the Choosing. But sooner or later, you will have to, Your Majesty. The people will become nervous if the Calore rule and Norta throne don't become stable soon. I just want you to be mentally prepared for this."

"Alright, I'll think about it, Gregory," I lie to him just so I can escape this kind of talk for a couple of days. But from the look Gregory is giving me, I don't think he bought my lie very easily.

But he's as tired about this conversation as I am, so he just sighs and says, "Good."

I'm pretty sure we both knew, though, that I would never escape the topic of the Choosing at this time. Everywhere I went in the palace, there always seemed to be a whisper of what would happen to the Choosing. For a week, I haven't done anything with the remaining girls. Hell, I wasn't even talking to any of them. I was too busy and consumed by the worry and need to find Madi. Every time I passed the girls in the halls, they avoided me like they knew what I was going through and knew to give me space. I appreciated that from them.

But others definitely didn't want me avoiding the Choosing at all cost right now. Yesterday, I had sent all the Chosens' families back with two guards for each of the families. The palace wasn't safe anymore, and it was the number one target for the rebels right now. I had to deal with confused questions, angry looks, and demands from all of the families. Well, all of the families except for Madi's. Her family had complied easily, not saying anything. As they had passed me at the door, the mom looked at the floor, Sydney glanced at me with teary eyes and a quivering lip, and the dad's gaze hardened when his eyes met mine. I still felt an overpowering guilt every time I saw Madi's family. I knew it was irrational to do so, but I blamed myself for Madi's disappearance.

There were a lot of what ifs. What if I had stayed with Madi instead of running off to find the rebels? What if I had made sure Madi was in safe hands before leaving her? What if I hadn't left her like I did?

What if I had asked her the question, like I had planned to that day?

"Sir!" A guard comes rushing into the ballroom. Pulled from my thoughts, I jump up from my seat as the alarmed and frightened looking guard came towards me.

"What is it?" I ask urgently. Was it Madi? Was it rebels?

The guard stops in front of me and takes a second to take in large gulps of air. Anticipating the worst, I start to tap my foot on the ground restlessly.

Finally, the guard straightens up again and puts his right hand over his heart, bowing deeply. "I'm one of the guards who was sent by Officer Skonos to go search for Lady Madison, Your Majesty."

My heart starts to race. "And?" I ask, my voice shaking a bit. Could it be? Could they have found Madi? I clench my fists to try to not get my hopes up too high, but I can't help it. The thought of being able to see Madi in person again was both exhilarating and intoxicating.

But my feelings of elatedness were soon crushed as the guard looked at me with a grim look.

"We found something that you may want to see, Your Majesty."

♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~

Sorry the majority of this chapter was kinda just a filler. The next chapter will be more exciting.

This chapter was originally around 700 words, which is a super low count for my chapters, so the middle part of this chapter about the Choosing was honestly made up on the spot, so sorry it's crap :p But hopefully it showed you guys a bit more on how much Ahren's guilt is clawing at him, and how this might affect him and his decisions in the future. And the end part of this middle section also gives you guys a bit more ideas on what exactly Ahren was going to tell Madison the day he was acting all flustered ;)

Hope you all have a good week!

Glass_Sword