𝕭𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖙 (𝕬 𝕽𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖙𝖔𝖓 𝕷𝖊𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝕱𝖆𝖓𝖋𝖎𝖈)

Part 7

Dahlia's POV

I went to bed that night in my room playing the scene over and over in my head when Prince Remington pulled me close to him and almost kissed me. Why did he do that? What in God's name does he see in me? Why won't he notice Rose? I wasn't just giving her away because she's my sister. If she saw him display his affections for me, it would be much worse for me than having a wild dog almost tear my face off. I needed to give him the idea that Rose was a better girl for him than me.

Still, what did he see in me? I'm broken, insecure, my face will always look damaged, and I was unworthy of his attention. The way he looked at me at the dinner table was as if he couldn't get enough of me and it intimidated me more than I could handle. He was a Prince born of royal blood and able to get everything he wants, and I was just a plain girl born into a wealthy family who doesn't even appreciate me. I eventually put these thoughts to rest as I drifted off to sleep and relieved old memories from my childhood.

"Hello? Rose? Flora? Lavender?" I cried out in the middle of the forest where my sisters asked me to meet them to tell me something so important, they couldn't have Mom knowing. "Where are you guys? It's dark and cold out here and I wanna go home!" Then I heard rustling behind me and I turned to see four of my sisters standing there and looking at me. "Oh, there you guys are! Why are we here?" Then I saw Iris push a big box that was shaking violently, making me scared of what was inside. "W-What's in there?", I asked in fear, and then Rose spoke up, "This is a lesson to teach you never to steal what doesn't belong to you, Dahlia." Then they opened the box and ran away as a large, unstable dog lunged toward me and forever make me afraid of dogs.

I woke up and sat up in my bed covered in sweat and and full of fear. I touched my face to find that I was crying. I cried a little more as I hugged my knees to my chest and hated myself. I haven't had that dream in forever and it felt even more vivid than the last time. I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep easily after this, so I got out of bed and put on a robe before stepping out of my room and trying to find a place to clear my head.

Somewhere in the castle, there was an entrance to a path outside, and so I followed it and ended up in the royal gardens. It looked like a wonderland here with so many flowers and plants, it was amazing to see with my eyes. Looking at the flowers, I thought about how my mother named each of her daughters after a flower, the oldest and prettiest being named Rose and me, the youngest and most inferior, named Dahlia. I didn't think much of my name until I realized how many people wanted roses rather than dahlias. It made me feel less wanted in the world compared to my sisters.

I stopped walking the path when I looked up and found someone sitting on a bench in the middle of the gardens, and I stepped back once only to accidentally step on a branch and make a sound. They raised their head and turned to look at me, and I felt my veins grow cold to see Prince Remington staring at me standing away a couple of feet away from him.

I turned and was about to walk away when I heard him say, "Wait!", and I stopped and turned back to him. "Um", he seemed nervous while he was talking, "Do you mind just giving me some company for a minute?" I didn't think it was a good idea,but then I was curious as to what he was doing out here all alone, so I nodded and walked to the bench to sit next to him.

We sat in silence just looking at the pond in front of us and I watched the small fish swimming around in the water filled with small flowers and lily pads. Finally I broke the silence, "May I ask you a question, Remington?" He looked at me and nodded, "Of course, Dahlia." I looked back at him and asked, "What were you doing out here all alone and so late at night?" He looked down at his hands and played with his rings as he searched for his answer, "Well...I was thinking about my brother, Emerson. He seemed like he was okay when you met him, but he's actually been feeling down lately and I'm worried about him. I don't want anything bad to happen since we're really close."

I started to feel bad for asking him, "I'm sorry for prying, Remington", he shook his head and reassured me, "It's okay, Dahlia. I needed to tell someone and I trust you more than anyone, to be honest." After he said that, I decided to be honest with him about something else I only told one other person about. "Remington, there's something else about me you should know", he seemed confused and then I brushed away the hair on my face and let my scar show, "I need to tell you how I got this scar."

After I explained to him my story and my nightmare from earlier-leaving out the part that my sisters caused it-he looked at me like he was horrified and there was sadness for me in his eyes. "I-I'm so sorry, Dahlia", he said to me with a hint of pity, I shrugged and replied with, "Don't be. I've lived with this all my life and will have to continue living with this so it's impossible to forget about." Then he scooted closer to me in my seat and slowly, he raised his hand and gently placed it on the side of my face, causing me to freeze in my place.

I watched anxiously as he held my head carefully and them he whispered, "Close your eyes", and so I did. The next thing I felt were lips pressing on the scar over my eye and causing me to feel shivers course through my skeleton. When I opened them again, he looked at me so intently as I felt his other hand take mine. He rested his forehead onto mine and I felt his breath fan on my face, making my heart beat faster and my cheeks to burn so hot, I thought I would pass out.

"Of all the beautiful porcelain dolls in this world, why pick an broken rag doll like me?", I ask as he squeezes my hand and glances at my lips. To my surprise, he simply answers with a grin as if it were clear as glass, "Broken things have beautiful stories. Why not you?" Then he slowly leaned into my face, and this time, I didn't pull away. When I felt his lips press against mine, my heart stopped and I melted like butter on toast as I closed my eyes and relaxed into his gentle touch. I lightly kissed him back and felt him smile which broke the kiss and we both giggled a little.

"I've been in love with you for almost all my life since you saved my life that day", he confessed as he held me close to him with his arm around my body, "And now that I've finally found you again, I don't intend to let you go." I smiled brightly at him and he flashed his beautiful grin at me, making me blush. I've never felt so beautiful in all my life, and I never want this feeling in my heart to go away. Ever.

I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him, and he held me tightly to him and planted kisses on my head. This had to be a dream: to be in the arms of a handsome prince and hear him confess he's been in love with me since forever, and I surprise myself with the realization that...I'm in love with him too. Maybe I always have been since I met him a a little boy, but I never believed true love would feel so nice. I read about it all my life in the books I read, but the feeling in real life could never compare to what I read in stories.

"Remington?", I whispered softly, "Yes, my little rag doll?", I smiled at the pet name, "I think I've been in love with you, too. I just didn't realize it until I saw you again." He looked at me and smiled as he proceeded to kiss almost every part of my face and then kiss my lips again. I kissed him back and held his face gently as he slightly deepened the kiss and made me feel so much more loved than I ever have since I'm not sure when. "You're so beautiful, Dahlia", he told me while still kissing me, "I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove that to you until you believe it." That was the moment I was sure I loved Prince Remington more than anything and my life would change forever.