Evelyn's POV

I succeeded in avoiding Ash for the rest of the day, assuming that he needed some time to calm down. Well, as calm as Ashton could be anyway, which was not very calm at all. I couldn't bring myself to confront him over the issue. In fact, I barely knew him as a person. We bickered at every opportunity in the past. I always avoided him like the plague, much like now. Instead, I decided to consult the people closest to him.

"What?! He's thinking about what?" Adele asked me again, astonished.

"You heard me the first time." I responded, sighing.

"He can't be serious. Mother will never let him jump into something so serious without her approval."

"He seems very serious to me. And that old man, I can hardly make myself disrespect the elderly, but he is the most sexist, biased, one-sided, pretentious prune I have ever met. He annoys me more than your brother! It's ridiculous!" I ranted.

She thoughtfully cocked her head to the side, as if contemplating something.

"Oh, you mean Marcellus?"

I nodded, "You're familiar with him?"

She smiled, "My mother is less than fond of him, very much for the same reasons. I've personally never met him though."

I sighed while grabbing a nearby pillow and stuffing it under my head. We were sprawled across the bed in my personal chambers. Ash's living quarters were in a separate wing of the castle. There was another set arranged for the both us, but of course neither of us took interest in sharing that space together. How uncomfortable would that be? Sleeping on the same bed. Hmph. It was a comfortable bed though, very grand with four posters and complete with a canopy. I managed to sneak in and take a look yesterday, not that I was going to admit to what a spectacle it was.

"Adele, what am I to do?" I whined.

"Nothing." She retorted.

I immediately sat up and shot her a puzzled look.

"What do you mean nothing?"

"You're not in the position to be worrying about these issues anyway. You're newly married! Can't you focus a little bit more on the romantic aspect of the situation? Wars can come later." She mused nonchalantly.

I snorted, "Your brother? Romantic? How can you even use those two words in the same sentence?"

"You'd be surprised by what he's capable of." She said.

I grew curious.

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen him arrange thoughtful surprises for girls he took interest in, in the past. For one girl, he even dabbled in painting."

I was astonished, but immediately disappointed.

"For girls he likes." I muttered, slumping back down on the pillow.

"He likes you, you even said he confessed his feelings during the honeymoon. Besides, I thought you two stood on better terms now?"

"I thought we did. But after what happened today..."

"Evelyn, he's stubborn. If you would pardon my language, I admit he's an ass. But he can be really sweet when he wants to be. You must push past his pride, because you'll never be able to change that." She told me, suddenly taking on a serious tone.

I looked at her, not entirely convinced. Adele loved her brother, that much was true. However, I always believed that true love meant carrying the responsibility of correcting their wrongs, not excusing their poor behavior. Although I didn't like to admit it, I do feel that the former king and queen failed to parent properly- otherwise, Ashton wouldn't have turned out this way.

"But that's exactly what I need to change! I can't even approach him because of his pride! And because of his meaningless pride, he might destroy this entire kingdom by going to war! Now is not the time to be contemplating my relationship with him." I countered, returning to the topic at hand.

"But Ev, your relationship could be the answer to stopping this war! What I'm trying to say is... if a mere woman can cause wars between kingdoms, like Helen of Troy in mythology, why can't she stop one? My brother is dense, but he's still a man. Any man would fall for beauty, and that's something you possess. Instead of only relying on your intelligence, you should use your assets too!"

I considered her thoughts. They surprisingly made sense, but the more I thought them over, the more flustered I became.

"Can your brother fall that easily for good looks and charms? Surely he's not that dense." I asked, not believing it.

"You've seen how he acts during balls. Ev, trust me on this one. He's as flirtatious as a privileged, cocky young man can be."

"Won't it be strange for me to approach him in that manner, though?"

She thought about it for a second.

"Perhaps. But once you latch onto his weakness for pretty girls, it is not with his brain that he will be forming thoughts, but rather with nether regions. All men are the same, dear, he won't realize a thing. And besides, you want him to support you, and this is the least stressful way for you to achieve that. Make him fall for you. What a spectacle that will be!" She added with a wink.

My cheeks grew warm, and I had no doubt that they matched the color of the red pillow I was laying on. Maybe she had a point, men routinely make irrational decisions based on their vice. If I could use that same vice against him, so that he could think rationally for once, it would be worth a try.

"But, isn't it vulgar?" I asked.

"How is that vulgar? You're his wife, you have the right to sway him. Are you two going to stay like this forever? Living in separate rooms? Purposely avoiding each other?" Adele's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I nodded. She spoke the truth. The utmost purpose of the union was to secure the lineage.

"My mother and father made a wonderful pair, you know that just as well as I do. Of course, they argued at times, but at least each was open to the other's ideas. I sincerely hope you and Ashton learn to do the same, but a relationship like that doesn't simply happen. Someone has to take the initiative, and it would be favorable if that someone was you."

"Fine, no more hesitation." I relented, accepting Adele's plan.

To be honest, the thought of swaying him excited me. Ash has always been handsome, but he was just as charming and that was a side of him that I never had the pleasure of experiencing. He can be a real gentleman when he desires.

Key word being desires.

"Fabulous! The Coronation Ball tonight is the perfect opportunity." She clapped her hands with a smug smile.

I gasped. I had been so distracted by the actual coronation, the ball completely slipped my mind. I suppose my priorities were different at the time.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" She read my thoughts.

"Mind you, that meeting was stressful." I laughed.

She laughed along, "Well, we have some work to do, but give your thoughts some rest- you won't be needing them tonight. Use this chance to get as close to Ash as possible! It would also create wonderful publicity and put the skeptics in their place."

"You," I said, getting up and hugging her, "are an absolute genius!"

"Oh, I know." She answered, hugging me back.