Shadow X Reader - You Can't Force Love

Chapter 8 - Reunion

Your POV

Shadow said that there was gonna be a special dinner being held tonight, and I'm gonna help cater it. Princess Lacey was travelling her so that their parents could meet up and arrange the marriage. Oh, joy... I know Shadow said that he doesn't love her, but what if she has secret feelings for him... Now, I'm worried...

Time skip

It's 6:00pm and Princess Lacey has arrived at the castle. The guards have already greeted them and they're coming in. I saw her being escorted by someone, probably, her butler. They walked through the door and greeted the King and the Queen. Then they came and greeted Shadow. Wait... That butler's face... Why does he look so familiar...? Our eyes met and suddenly I remembered.

"Declan?!" I said in shock

"(Y/N)?!" he widened his eyes in utter surprise.

Shadow turned to me and asked, "You know him, (Y/N)?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I do... He was my childhood friend... I haven't seen him in years..."

The princess and Declan walked up to us. "(Y/N)..." Declan smiled. Then Princess Lacey greeted us.

"Hello, Shadow. And I'm guessing this is (Y/N). Pleased to meet you."

I bowed my head. "Pleasure to meet you as well, Princess Lacey."

She smiled and waved her hand, "Oh, you don't have to address me as 'Princess'. Just call me Lacey." I nodded as she continued, "And I see you've met Declan. He's says you two have been friends since you were young."

"Yes, that's right."

"Well, I'm glad you guys saw each other again."

Then their parents called them to dinner. Shadow and Lacey rolled their eyes and walked to the dining hall.

Time skip

After I finished my catering shift, Shadow's and Lacey's parents gave me and Declan permission to do whatever we wanted. We walked out to the garden.

"Long time no see, Declan. You've really changed." It's true... He got a little more muscle on him and his eyes have become a more vivid green that the last time I saw him.

"I could say the same for you." He said and I blushed lightly out of embarrassment.

"So, you're Lacey's butler. You seem to really enjoy your job."

"I do... I really enjoy it."

"I can tell. You look really happy. Hey, could you tell me how you came to be Lacey's butler?"

"Of course. It was just one of those days in the village. This happened right after I helped you make money for home. I went to pick up a few things, then I just happened to bump into someone. I looked up and saw the Princess. It didn't take me long to figure out who she was. She was escorted by two royal guards, after all. I kept apologizing over and over again, but she told me not to worry. She looked at me and realized I was poor, so she asked if I wanted to work for her. Things escalated from there and, well, here I am..."

I smiled. "Hey, (Y/N), would you mind telling me about your story?"

"Of course." (Sorry guys, but you already know the story, so I don't think I have to explain again. I hope you understand)

"So... yeah, that's how I met him."

"That's nice. So... are you in love with him...?"

I was taken aback by the sudden question. "W-Why do you ask?"

He smirked, "Because you blushed throughout your entire story. It was hard not to miss."

I sighed and said, "Yeah, I do love him, a lot. He's so kind, and sweet, it's hard for me not to fall in love with him. I'm just happy that he loves me too. But I'd like to know if you love Lacey."

He blushed lightly and nodded slowly, "It's true. I love her, so much that it hurts. She loves me too, and we're secretly together, in fear of what would happen if anyone found out..."

Well, doesn't that sound vaguely familiar...

"Yeah, us too... I'm scared. Who knows what would happen if anyone caught us..."

"...It's getting quite dark... Maybe we should go inside."

"Yeah... Maybe we can go to Shadow's room"

He agreed and we walked back into the castle, walking towards Shadow's room. I knocked on the door and he gave us permission to enter. We walked in and saw the two of them seated on the bed. Declan walked over to Lacey and embraced her tightly, and she did the same. Shadow beckoned for me to come over and when I did, he hugged me tightly, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. I'm guessing Shadow and Lacey were talking about our secret relationships too... Lacey looked so upset as she sadly looked up at Declan. I buried my head in Shadow's furry chest.

"What do we do...?" No one had an answer to my lingering question.

Suddenly, we heard a knock on the door. We all slipped from each other's grasp and Shadow gave permission for them to come in. The door opened hurriedly and abruptly and we saw a distressed looking Sir Gawain.

"Gawain, what's wrong?" Shadow asked in worry. Oh no...

Sir Gawain looked at me, "It's about your mother..."

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Hi... Now, you guys are probably thinking, 'What the hell?! It takes you this long to update a damn chapter and you leave it here?!" I know, I'm an idiot. Things have just been really busy lately and life is just hard. So, please understand that I'm trying my best to update more of this story. Thanks everyone!