Arranged To Him #Wattys2017

Sixteen

Sorry for the long break. I had to take some time off, mainly for mental reasons, but also because I wasn't feeling as inspired to write anymore. My grades were bad and I had a lot of bad things going on in my life so it was a bit crazy. But now, I'm slowly feeling better and up for writing. 

I'll be updating this, and my other book Trial and Error when I can. Please be patient with me :3 I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things hehe. 

Enjoy this chapter. 

Harry's POV 

Bridgette sat in front of me in my lounge. She twirled her fingers and looked down at her lap as we sat near the fireplace. I pursed my lips as I observed her.

Her brown hair fell down around her face, covering each side as though it was a curtain. Her head was turned down and she had sit so her ankles crossed each other. Her posture was slouched a bit and the low neckline of her dress allowed me to see the collarbones and even the outline of her sternum. This concerned me.

"Have you been eating properly?" I asked. She looked up at me, fear and intimidation in her face.

"Your majesty?"

"Your body," I said, "it looks weaker. You look weaker."

She took in a deep breath and blinked rapidly before darting her eyes to the fire. 

"I've fallen ill, it seems," she said, looking back at me.

"That's not the complete truth is it," I replied, "what is going on? And how is my father involved?"

She bit her lip and looked at me, "I mustn't say." 

"Rubbish," I scoffed, "tell me. I need to know to be able to make sure you don't fall worse."

She quirked her eyebrow, "why would you care?"

I looked at her, "what?"

"I'm simply a servant," she said, "if I were to pass, your family would just replace me with someone else so what makes this any concern of yours? It shouldn't have to be."

"You're a subject in the kingdom that will soon be mine," I replied, "not to mention I can see this happening to you, and you have indirectly, if at all but confirmed my father's involvement in this plight of yours. Should you pass, it will remain on my guilty conscience."

She shook her head, "still. I don't think it's best if you concern yourself with this, your majesty."

She stood up then, clasping her hands in front of her and bowed to me before she quickly turned and headed towards my bedroom door. 

I stood up. 

"Bridgette, stop!" I said. She halted and turned around.

"If I can know what is happening, I can help you and Philip."

At the mention of Philip's name, her eyes widened slightly. Her hands began to tremble and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I'm sure neither of you want to go to bed every night wondering if you'll wake to see tomorrow," I began, "so tell me."

Her face showed sorrow and pain but most of all fear. Her eyes held a certain uncertainty that I had never seen before in all the time I've known her. The expression on her face and the way her eyebrows furrowed showed me just how weak and vulnerable she had become. She was a doll, only made to be played with by my father and then tossed away when she is of no use to her. It made me mad. She was still a human being, Philip as well.

It made me even disgusted with my old ways when I realized that I used to treat her and countless other women with this same attitude as well. 

"Let me help you." I asked. She looked at me and nodded, before slowly making her way back over to where she sat. She took her seat back on the small couch and looked at me this time. She took in a deep breath, clasping her hands as she exhaled. Her slim fingers reached up to tuck her brown hair behind her ears and she licked her lips before beginning to speak.

"Your father has been poisoning us," she murmured. I furrowed my eyebrows. 

"What? How?" I asked, "and why?"

"He has this plan," she explained, "to diminish the population or something of the sort. We didn't really know what he was going on about but he said it was to-"

"Balance out the population?" I guessed. She looked at me surprised.

"Yes, how did you know?" 

"He talked to me about this and I declined." I cursed, standing up and pacing around, "I can't believe he would do this behind my back. He's not even going to be ruler anymore, if this is what he's doing then imagine the mess he'll leave me. I wouldn't be able to repair anything or apologize enough for me to even be satisfied."

"What are you going to do?" she asked. 

"I don't know," I said, "but in the meantime I will do whatever it takes for you and Philip to be safe."

She nodded and stood up to go but I placed my hand on her arm and stopped her.

"How is he poisoning you?" I asked her. 

"I am uncertain," she said, frowning, "he hasn't touched either of us. The bruises on our bodies are from the poison but he, himself, has never administered it to us personally."

"Then it must be entering your systems through some other means. Perhaps the water." I guessed, "or maybe through your food."

"But if that's the case, wouldn't the other members of the help need to have fallen ill as well, your majesty? We all eat together."

I bit my lip and nodded at her words, "there has to be something. I'll figure it out. But until then, be on your guard. I don't know how you can watch out for this poison, but if anything tastes weird, feels weird or looks strange, stay away from it. Tell Philip too."

She nodded. 

I smiled and nodded, "it'll be okay. You're a part of my kingdom, not his. And I'll be damned if he tries to do anything else."

She smiles softly and nods, weakly bowing her head before leaving my chambers. I run a hand through my hair and look to the door that connects Eliana's bedroom to mine. I walk towards it, pulling it open before walking through the small brick tunnel. A torch lined the wall so it allowed for us to have light as we passed, although the tunnel was only about 6 feet long. 

I crossed to the other side and pushed the door open to find Eliana sitting by the fireplace, a book in her lap. She seemed to be quite engrossed in her novel, her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes darted across the pages left and right, and her lips moved slowly as she sounded out the words in her head. 

I smiled and observed her for a while. Enjoying the way that the sight of her was enough to distract my chaotic mind with a sense of serenity. I had almost forgotten about why I had even come in here in the first place.

I knocked lightly on the wall beside me, causing her head to spring up and her eyes fixated on me. She smiled before closing her book, and stood up. She walked towards me and I met her halfway so we were standing in the middle of her bedroom. There was silence between us as we said nothing but simply gazed at each other. 

Her face was calm but questioning. I could see it in her eyes that she was doing everything she could to not ask me, but instead let me tell her what Bridgette had told me. Her eyes held a slight concern but relief to see me. Her hair was kept down in a messy braid that fell over her left shoulder and she wore her nightgown and jacket. 

"Well?" she said, "aren't you going to tell me?"

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This was a completely new chapter lol. I had to rewrite it because the old one somehow got deleted. 

Hope you enjoyed though!

S.