“Oliver…”

Suddenly I was moved to be on Jorne’s lap, making me let out a small yelp!

“Oliver, I have been so nervous…You must compensate me!”

His words shocked me, and I turned to face him. “Why?”

“Your Father is smart and would probably come up with a way of taking you away from me. I even knew that, and you saw me just now, acting my emotions to the idea of you not trusting me.”

Putting a hand to Jorne’s face, I could still see that it had hurt him, “I…Don’t think it was distrust. Well, not completely. I just didn’t want to be abandoned, especially in the palace, but mostly by you! I guess, I just needed you to know that I wouldn’t let it happen!”

“So, you do trust me?” Jorne asked and I could both see and feel his hope.

I smiled, “I want to trust you. I…”

He cuddled me to him then, “I need you.”

He needs me?

Well…Dam…

Leaning forward, I kissed him, to see him quickly kiss me back.

He needed me!

For some reason, it felt so utterly great to hear him say that!

Was it because I felt like I needed him too?

That…He’ll stay by myside, like I can stay by his?

I must be dreaming!

How can such a person like him need me?

I…Became a maid, I was a commoner.

Me…

“Jorne…”

“Oliver, I know you are independent and all. I know you probably will act if something goes wrong but…Can we always just try and work things out first? Don’t act first, talk first. I won’t always know if I’ve done something wrong and you’ll have to tell me or threaten me! Just…Don’t just…Disappear, please!”

Jorne grabbed my hand, holding it tightly in his, and I nodded at him.

We were adults after all, we could maturely speak about whatever is troubling us.

“I promise.” I said, not needing him to demand it off me.

We both loved and needed each other, so if anything does go wrong, we will have to speak about it first!

Which meant, we can’t act out our emotions…Which was probably a good thing.

Of course, it might be hard while in the process, as now there was nothing to be emotional about, unless you added in happiness…

Finally, our marriage felt complete.

I didn’t know if this was what it was like with others but now, I felt like we were equals and desired the same thing.

We both wanted our relationship to work and knew that we might have some work ahead of us but…This was like putting in the last stone into a building to make it work…Or something like that…

“Me too. I might be a Prince, but I can make mistakes and if you don’t tell me what they are, I may never know what comes between us.”

With that, we smiled at each other and once again kissed.

Jorne deepened the kiss this time and I gladly accepted his offering.

But…A knock sounded at the door, which brought us apart.

“Your Highness, the gardenia’s have finally arrived!”

Gardenia’s?

“Dammit, it was supposed to be a surprise!” Jorne stated angrily.

I bit my lip and smiled at him, “They are for me?”

Seeing him sigh defeatedly, I let out a larger smile…

Getting off his lap, I walk towards the door and didn’t expect to see so many gardenia’s!

There were boxes and boxes of them! This place wasn’t that big to begin with but now…Now it felt smaller!

With a small shriek I looked up at Jorne and gave him a smile, then looked back at all the pretty flowers!

Most of them look pretty good, but there was an odd one or two that had started to wilt but it didn’t stop me from smiling…It was truly…Beautiful!

Feeling arms around my waist, I then heard Jorne speak softly into my ear, making me slightly squirm, “I had to get them sent here from Setchra.”

Picking one up and handing it to me, he then said, “Do you know what gardenia’s mean, my love?”

Smelling the flower, I nodded, “Pure and sweet! They match me perfectly.”

Turning, to see Jorne smile, I smiled too.

He went to my ear then and whispered, “Not just pure and sweet, they also mean ‘secret love’.”

I looked at him and remembered when I had received them in the past and already so long ago.

I guess it was true then, that Jorne had already liked me for quite some time now.

“And that you are lovely.” Jorne added, pulling her in and shutting the door.

With that, I was then in his arms and taken to the bed.

“So lovely!” Jorne stated, leaning in once again for a kiss.

Still holding the gardenia in my fingers, I automatically place my hands around his neck, already feeling a hand down my side.

Rolling sideways, I had to applaud him because, my dress was removed from me in no time.

Really, he was getting so good and quick at this!

And so, I did my bit too, putting my hands into his top, wanting to help take it off.

“Oliver…”

Ah…And there was that tone of voice, where her name had never sounded so sexy!

Jorne didn’t hold me too long after we’d finished, before he was called away.

He kissed me a few times but before I knew it, he was gone…

I knew that this was still new, but I also knew him leaving was something that would probably happen quite often.

He was a Prince, someone that traveled and someone that will become King, he had so many responsibilities!

I nodded then, I wasn’t going to be upset if he needed to go somewhere or do something!

As much as I wanted to be the center of his universe, I came to think that him doing his duties was probably a good thing.

We could…Miss each other!

Right!

With a small laugh, I got up and cleaned myself, getting dressed afterwards.

It was about time that I left the room now and found something to do!

***

Icklish took two months to finally state that it was Icklish no more.

Wedge had indeed done a miraculous job upon getting as many people uninvolved as possible and the innocent people that may have been killed in a small or large skirmish, was kept to a minimum.

In this time, I spent a lot of time with Malory and had even been there to help for the birth of her baby boy.

They had thought she would deliver two weeks later but the boy seemed ready to pop out!

The delivery did take a while, and all I did was let Malory break my hand, but it seemed terribly hard!

So hard that…It scared the hell out of me!

After she gave birth, still seeing the past of screaming, tears and pain of Malory, I couldn’t help but be taken a little bit by the little boy that I held only once.

I couldn’t believe that such a big thing came out of such a little girl!

Honestly, I thought she would have died!

Apparently though, because Malory was somewhat fit, it seemed to help her give birth and so…I was thinking of taking up some type of Martial Arts.

But…Honestly, seeing what I had, I wasn’t ready!

I was far from ready!

I just couldn’t get Malory being in such pain out of my head and I went to tell Jorne that I didn’t want a child just yet!

“What do you mean?” Jorne asked and I could tell he was a little shocked and a bit upset by my sudden decision.

“I just…When Malory was giving birth, it scared me! I just…” I looked away, seeing the image of Malory at some point and shook my head. If I hadn’t have gone in, I’d probably have no idea how painful it is! Why…Why had I pushed and shoved and let Malory hold my hand like that? Why!?

“A lot of women give birth, Oliver…”

I interrupted him, “I’m not ready!”

He sighed and took me into his arms then, “Alright. Calm down.”

Noticing that I was indeed looking scared, I loosened his clothes from my grasp and tried to calm my breathing.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“Don’t apologize.” Jorne stated, not sure on what to do. He had been excited, more excited now that there was a baby so close to him, but…It seemed that his excitement meant very little to Oliver at the moment.

Was giving birth so very hard?

He and Kael had not been there when Malory gave birth, they just knew when it had been happening but…

As far as they were aware, everything went fine! Remembering that day, it was when they had caught the last of the remaining loyal people to Icklish…It was a good day because they had not known where the people had hidden until that day.

The problem for Jorne…Was that Oliver was scared.

He sorta wished he knew what she was scared about, considering that it was normal for a woman to give birth, but it seemed the subject of her giving birth was no longer something that they could talk about at the moment, which was a bit frustrating to him!

Jorne did not want to force Oliver, and Oliver did not show any extra affection…But he did see that it wasn’t because she didn’t love him anymore, which was good. At least there was something that he could see as something good because…As the days went by…It seems their intimacy had gone down to a near zero amount!

Upon the trip back to the capital of Setchra, the most that they did was kiss, hug and sleep…And because of this, Jorne was not happy!

Considering Kael was a part of Icklish previously, he had been asked to stay behind but Malory would not have a bar of that. She seemed to be in some other world now, one that demanded a lot more of Kael being by her side. A doctor had stated that Malory might be going through some sensitive issues, and so Jorne had to get someone else to stay behind, while he reported back to the King, his royal father.

He was bound to return quite soon, to the new area included now in the country of Setchra, He would do as he did to Gelmain and make sure that there would be no rioting and make sure that it was governed properly.

Wedge was also on the trip back to the capital, ready to take some leave from the front lines, which, it seems a lot of people were upset about.

For so long, their leader had been with them and he was quite a good leader at that.

A lot of people were loyal to him because of his goals and how he achieves them. Due to someone like him, a lot of people weren’t hurt, there weren’t schemes taking place and he knew what to say to get someone to change sides. Wedge was to be missed by many who stayed to keep the new area from any kind of rebellion or rioting!

***

A crying baby woke me up and I groggily looked over at Malory, who looked less panicked then the last time I had seen her.

She clumsily led the child to her bosom and looked at Kael, who was outside on a horse.

I think I heard him say ‘Good girl’, or something like that, but I closed my eyes again and turned over.

“Is she awake?”

Hearing Jorne’s voice, I didn’t move. I just…Didn’t want to.

Going back to the palace reminded me of the vixen, the weasel…Of my new but old status and I just felt like I had no energy…Or maybe I was saving the energy that I did have for returning!

“Stop the carriage!”

Oh…Malory must have nodded or something.

Hearing someone get in, I lazily sit up and I was moved onto his lap.

“Oliver…”

What?

“Are you sleeping again!?” He suddenly said loudly.

Why is he so mad!?

“I’m bored.” I said, then snuggled up to him. We hadn’t been too close lately, but I couldn’t help myself cling to his clothed body.

“Little brat!” He said, holding me tighter.

I giggled then and opened my eyes. “How long until we get there?”

Seeing him frown, I widened my eyes in curiosity, “What?”

“We are just half a day away.” He said.

Oh…

I get it now! I slept for ages…Again!

I smiled, “Ok, that was a short trip!”

Putting out my arms, I stretched them and let out a groan. Actually, it really had been quite an easy trip!

Jorne just stared at me then, looking like he was questioning something, which made me raise my eyebrows in question back at him.

I let out a sigh and sat up straight, “I’m saving myself for the vixen!”

With me saying that, I heard a quick intake of breath from Malory, who now looked at me.

I nodded at her and said, “Don’t be afraid, Malory. I’ll beat her up!”

Yeah, I could feel it! I was ready! I pictured her and told myself that it’ll be fine, and that there’ll be nothing to worry about!

I already knew that Elijah didn’t care for her, I also knew that Jorne wished to probably kill her for what she did to me and, with Malory by my side who wanted her own righteous type of justice as well…What could go wrong!?

It’s not like she could cage both of us up and whip us! It wasn’t like she could make us do slave work and become slaves! I was a Crowned Princess and Malory was a General’s wife!

She was nothing!

I wanted to laugh!

I wanted to show the world that she didn’t scare me and that I was coming!

Vixen! I’m coming for you!

Upon coming into the capital there were loud cheers coming from everywhere!

I think my father was like a hero now…

There were people even on rooftops, because the side of the pathway was full!

The people swarmed the area like insects and loudly cheered, which sort of hurt my ears.

“Oliver?”

Jorne should have been on his horse outside but he had stayed with me for the rest of the way inside the carriage.

Letting the curtain down, I turned back, and he looked down at me.

Shrugging, I said, “There’s so many people.”

He laughed and held me tighter, “Of course, this is the capital!”

I knew that! It was just, I hadn’t seen all the people in one area before!

Honestly, I didn’t know what the big drama was about!

Did they really not know about my father until now at all!? Did they really think I had not been here and was not dead?

It just seemed…Unbelievable!

All the people that were here celebrating must be here for Jorne!

Crossing my hands over my chest, I humphed out and shook my head.

“Listen, if you don’t believe…”

Jorne’s voice interrupted my silent rant and I opened up the curtain again and listened. It was hard to make out certain words being yelled out but ‘Wedge!’ was really there! Even ‘Princess’ was heard but I swear ‘Wedge’ was louder!

And there he was, my father…He was on his horse and lightly waving his hand like royalty!

Stupid!

Letting the curtain back down, I humphed once again…

I wouldn’t have known until now if I had just been a ‘good girl’ and sat on my ‘seat’!

I would have been waiting at my chambers like a good daughter, no…I’d probably be dead!

Even though I had not been a ‘good girl’ and been the Crowned Princess that I was supposed to be, I felt no regret and even felt lucky.

I knew about my father earlier this way, I also grew to know more about my brother in law. I was able to finally leave the palace and Jorne and I probably have become closer too…

Right…I suppose it was time to mature up. I was Crowned Princess once again after all!

I couldn’t complain so much anymore and I should act my status! Especially if…Especially if I really do become his Queen one day!

I felt like a new me at this moment, like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon.

I wanted Jorne to be proud of me, I wanted to show him that he wasn’t choosing wrong, that I was going to work hard!

Right, I suppose I should open my bed to him again too…

Even though giving birth was still scary to me, I knew…I saw how Jorne wanted a child and…Wasn’t it something I should do anyway? And…And it is something I want too! I’d like a daughter, one like me!

Looking at Jorne, letting my arms lose, I really did go to say something but stopped myself at the last second.

An idea formed and I just couldn’t help myself from being sneaky…Yes, I’ll wait until night and pop out of nowhere!

With the idea of being somewhat a seductress, I even wondered if there might be something that I could learn as well, to make Jorne even happier. Isn’t that what wives did too? They danced and stuff? Maybe there’s some secret technique?

Yes…I’ll put some thought to how to seduce him and make sure I do it right!

Closing my eyes and snuggling into my husband again, I let out a small smile. I guess I should take advantage of this while I could. Jorne will probably be busy soon and might even go away for a couple of months…So I held onto his clothes…

Maybe I should get another stand in and follow after my husband!

To do it secretly or should I demand it before he leaves?

…Uh? Why am I already worried about when he is to leave already!?

I took a deep breath to calm myself down…

Take advantage of the times he’s with me now, so that I don’t regret it later!