The Harvest || h.s.

Chapter 29

XXIX. SHARDS OF A BROKEN CROWN

Harry

Silence overcame the room for quite a while. The once strong, happy Princess crumbling in front of her best friend did not a say a single word until her body was drained from all the tears and stress it was carrying on its back. She wiped her tears and her watery nose and sighed, laying down on Harry's mattress and stuffing her face in one of the soft, feather-stuffed silk pillows.

In a muffled, exhausted voice, she said, "My mother stripped me off my titles."

If Harry had learned one thing from her, was to never talk once a woman was explaining something. Let her do all the talking, ramble, complain, and then give your opinion. He waited for her to continue, lying down next to her.

"She manipulated one of her servants into sleeping with me." She sniffled.

"She couldn't have taken your titles for lying with a servant, could she? You are the heir to the throne of Monaco. Does not matter if your mother is Queen Regent or not; it is not her right. Did your father consent to this?"

"It was her handmaiden. I slept with her handmaiden, Harry. You know what that means."

"Oh." Oh. Homo, or bi, sexuality was punishable with time served in prison in Adwick. But in Monaco, it was sentenced by immediate decapitation.

"Exactly." Lou whispered. She remained quiet for a while, tears streaming down her puffed cheeks, before she spoke again with a broken voice, matching her broken heart. "I am not a Princess anymore, Haz. I won't inherit a throne; I won't inherit lands or titles or a crown. I know it's not the end of the world, but it is the end of my world as I knew it. What am I going to do now? My sloppy, rushed plan was to marry Niall and to live in Ireland with him. That way we both got what we want, but what now? I can't run to my grandparents anymore."

"Are your parents still in your summer castle here?" Harry asked, getting a confused nod in response. "Alright, then. I will send someone to collect all your stuff and bring it here. You will be moving in with us until I find you a husband, you do not have to worry about anything, alright? You will always be safe here with me."

Lou nodded, tightly embracing the Prince in a hug, "Thank you, Harry. But I can't stay here for free. Let me be of help, I could do anything you want me to."

"Nonsense, I won't charge you for living here, you know that."

"Does Lena have a court lady? The girl is really lonely and has no idea of her way around a castle, let me help her at least. If not for me do it for her. And I won't take a no for an answer, it's already a closed deal." Harry sighed, defeated, knowing there was no way he could talk her out of it. And besides, it would serve as a distraction for Lou, the further her mind was from her family and from Monaco, the better. "I guess I can finally be free, right? But I don't want to be free like this. Somehow, I'm still trapped inside. I'll never be completely out."

"You know, I thought you were carrying Niall's child at first, when you mentioned it was urgent for you and him to marry."

Lou chuckled, rubbing her eyes. "Being honest, I don't know which would be worse."

"I will help you choose the best suitor, you deserve nothing but the best. And if none fit you well, you could always just marry me. You'll be the Queen of Adwick, how does that sound?"

"No. Absolutely not. Never in a million years would I give that satisfaction to my parents. You know how much they want our union to happen, they want to own Adwick. And they'll force me to come back if it ever happened. So thank you, but no. And I'm very sorry but I don't think I could ever fall in love with you, Harry. And that's what you want, right? That's what you told me. I love you, but not in the way you want."