☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

I stand in front of the mirror while the servant girl fits the final few flowers into my hair. To contrast against my dark brown waves, she has chosen bright pink hyacinths that fill my nose with their sweet scent. My make-up is done to perfection, light, but carefully applied to enhance all of my features. High cheekbones, full lips, pale grey eyes.

The servant finishes and gently guides me downstairs, where the car waits. My brothers and sisters hug me goodbye and wish me luck. My parents fawn over my appearance and I feel my cheeks warm at the compliments.

I get into the car with them and we are all silent as we make the drive to the Royal Kingdom. It passes quickly, it is only about thirty minutes from our house.

We stop only to show identification at the gates. When we next pull to a stop, we are at the palace. A valet takes the car and my parents walk in front of me going inside the palatial building. We are led by a guard down long hallways, turning many corners until I'm completely disorientated.

Finally, he stops outside two huge doors and the standing guards push them open for us. We enter the great hall, with ceilings three floors tall, decorated with beautiful murals. Seated upon a dais at the end of the hall are the Royal family.

I stay behind my father, using his broad build as a barrier, blocking me from the Royals.

We are told to wait to one side as the guard approaches the Royals and informs them of my parents' visit.

The king gestures my father forwards and I duck behind my mother instead, feeling extremely nervous about what is about to go down. I've known about this since I was a child, I've been educated and schooled for this very reason, but now that it is happening. It is both surreal and very intense.

"Your Majesties, your Highness," my father greets the king, queen and crown prince. "I would like to offer you a gift; my eldest daughter, Salea."

My father turns and looks over his shoulder, he gestures me forward with his hand. I swallow hard and step out from behind my mother. I smooth down my dress and slowly approach the Royal family with my gaze lowered out of respect.

I stop next to my father, but keep my eyes on the raised dais.

"She is a gift for the crown prince. She is eighteen summers, fully educated, fluent in three languages and can play the piano beautifully."

I force my hands not to shake as I clasp them at my front, I can feel their gazes on me.

"My son, would you like to accept the gift?" The queen asks and I wait with bated breath for an answer.

Instead, the prince rises from his throne and steps down from the dais. Large thighs come into my view and I jump when he reaches out and grasps my chin. He gently lifts my face, so that my eyes meet his.

Oh, my stars...

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Sixteen hours earlier...

"Remember, Salea, only two glasses of wine. I want you fresh-faced tomorrow," my mother reminds me as we are escorted to the gardens.

"Yes, Mother," I reply dutifully.

There are lots of important people milling about, making idle conversation and pretending to be interested in each other's lives. I don't want to talk to any of them. They're all going to ask when I'm getting married, which will prompt my parents to gush about how I'm being gifted to the prince tomorrow.

I don't want to be reminded of the duty I must follow. I want to forget about it all, even if it is just for a few hours. I excuse myself from my parents whilst they are catching up with some aristocratic friend.

I take a few turns, choosing paths that are empty and free from guests. I find myself in the hedge maze and become immersed in the winding pattern. It takes a couple of tries and dead-ends, but I make it to the centre.

A bench awaits me and I sit down with a flourish, proud of myself for solving it. The only problem now will be getting out of it when the time comes.

I lift my legs up onto the bench and make sure that my dress isn't tucked under my feet or getting dirty. Mother would kill me. I lay back on the bench with my knees bent and look up at the sky. It's summer, meaning the sun hasn't set even though it's late in the evening. The sky is a pale orange as the sun sets, moving closer to the horizon.

"Good evening." A deep, charming voice makes my head whip to one side in alarm. "I didn't expect to have to share my secret place with someone else."

I sit up and look at the young man who is stood in the entrance to the alcove I am in. He is wearing an expensive-looking suit. His golden hair is slicked back from his handsome face and his green-hazel eyes are swirling with warmth.

"I'm sorry," I reply quickly and get to my feet. I smooth down my dress. "I will leave you to it."

I go to walk past him and he gently grasps my upper arm. I look at his large hand, wrapped around my bare arm, and then up at his warm eyes.

"Please, don't leave on my account," he says softly. "Stay?"

I glance at the exit, wondering whether I should go or not. It isn't proper for me to be alone with this man the night before I am being gifted to the prince. But to go back means joining that awful party.

I turn back to the bench and sit close to the arm rest. The man smiles and sits at the opposite end. He turns so that his body is angled towards me, I mirror his actions and he smiles.

"I am Oliver," he says, holding out his hand to me.

I shake it politely. "Salea."

"How come you are at this party, Salea?" He asks me.

"My parents insisted I join them." My contempt must show on my face because he chuckles.

"You don't seem too happy about that."

I meet his eyes and shake my head with amusement. "I'm not."

"Well, hopefully I can make this a little less dull for you. Tell me about yourself."

My parents never let me make male friends growing up. At the most, I had my younger brother's friends to talk to, but that was the closest I got to have conversations with men that were not my family.

Speaking to Oliver is a novel experience for me, but one that I really enjoy. He is incredibly smart, but is very modest about it. He doesn't try and show off and impress me, but he makes me laugh with his witty comments and insights.

I lose track of time as we talk in the hedges. I realise too late that the sun has set. My parents are no doubt wondering where I am. I get to my feet suddenly, startling Oliver.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be getting back. It was lovely to meet you, Oliver."

I don't wait for his response. He rushes after me and blocks my path. It is narrow between the hedges but I am not worried, I trust him after hours of finding out about him and his life.

"Please, don't go yet. I don't even know when I'll see you again," he says, making my heart hurt.

I want to see him again. I'll admit, what started off as me finding him handsome has turned into a crush over the last two hours. But I can't.

"I'm sorry, but I can't see you again. Please let me past."

He holds my shoulders gently and I look up to meet his conflicted eyes. "Why can't you?"

"I'm promised to another," I confess to him. "I am meeting him tomorrow."

His shoulders drop and he looks crushed. "My parents are making me marry this year," he admits. "I have rejected all of their suggestions."

My heart flutters as his eyes land on my lips.

One kiss couldn't hurt, right? No one would know...

"May I have a kiss before we part?"

I don't reply because my breath is caught in my throat. My eyes fall to his full lips, they look so tempting, so kissable. He leans down and captures my lips with his, taking my breath away. I lean into his touch and my hands come up to rest against his chest. I can feel his heart thumping quickly under the fabric.

He is taller than me, I tilt my head back to allow him to kiss me more fully. His lips seal over mine and everything in my body comes alive in that moment. Excitement and desire pulse through me, one feeling more foreign than the other.

When he pulls away, my lips are throbbing from his kiss. He looks down at me with lustful eyes and I feel so wanted in this moment. He gives me a sad smile and runs his thumb over my lips.

"I'm so glad that I met you, Salea."

I leave the hedge maze first. I press my hands to my cheeks and feel how hot they are. I try not to catch anyone's eyes as I weave through the party in search of my parents. As expected, my mother is ensconced when she spots me.

I'm pushed into the car within minutes and taken home. She rants about me wandering off and missing the party but I'm too busy thinking about Oliver and our kiss.

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The crown prince, Alastair Oliver Warbrook.

Better known as Oliver, to me.

Shock is on both our faces. We look at each other in obvious surprise. The queen is the first to comment on it.

"Is something the matter, darling?" She asks her son from her throne.

Oliver, or rather, Alastair, snaps out of it and smiles. He glances over his shoulder at her. "No, mother."

He turns back to me. "I can't believe it's you," he murmurs, quietly enough so that only I hear it. "Do you want to do this? I can say no if you want to be free of all this."

I had wanted him to say no up until I found it was Oliver. I don't know what my parents' back up plan is if the prince rejects me. I don't want to find out, either. I'm grateful that the prince is someone I know.

"I'm glad it is you," I whisper back. "I'm happy."

He beams widely at me and turns to my parents.

"Thank you, I accept your gift."

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Two weeks later...

"The prince is on his way up, your highness. Is there anything you want me to do before I go?"

I look over at the lady-in-waiting and smile warmly. "No, thank you. Have a good evening."

She curtsies for me. "You too, your highness."

As she escorts herself out of our chambers, I look back at my reflection in the mirror. My wedding dress is hung up in the wardrobe after a full day's use. I am now only in a white slip-dress. My husband is on his way up. It's our wedding night, I've been taught what that means. Fortunately, this will be a completely new experience for both of us.

I can't believe that I am now Princess Salea. I am part of the royal family. The king and queen insisted on us getting married immediately. In two weeks, they managed to plan everything down to the white doves that were released as I stepped out of the bridal carriage.

The door opens and my husband strides across the room. Alastair wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face into my neck.

"Mm, you smell divine," he murmurs against my skin.

It's so crazy that we met two weeks ago and now we are husband and wife. He takes my hand and leads me over to the bed. I lay down and he strips out of his clothes at the end of the bed, between my legs. I gulp as his broad chest is revealed to me.

When he starts to take off his trousers, my heart races. I'm tempted to cover my face with my hands, but my eyes are locked onto his crotch. A gasp escapes my lips as his naked body is revealed to me. I had no idea what to expect, but I really wasn't expecting this.

Alastair looks a little nervous as he gets onto the bed and holds himself over me. I feel his nerves, too. He kisses me to try and calm us both down, I think. It works. Kissing me is the perfect distraction and I get caught up in the feeling of his soft lips on mine.

I jump when his hand starts caressing my body. Unfazed by my reaction, he feels my curves through my slip. My heart starts thumping erratically again when his hand moves under my dress and brushes over my stomach. He moves a bit lower, between my legs. I part my thighs on instinct, it isn't a conscious thought.

He strokes the most intimate place in my body and I let out an embarrassing moan into his mouth. I did not expect that to feel good either. I'm not sure what he does down there, but the good feeling increases to the point where I clench my lower stomach and the most powerful sense of bliss overcomes me.

As I'm recovering, Alastair moves himself between my legs and replaces his hand with his member. I don't think it will fit. After a couple of slow thrusts, he is fully seated inside me and we are both breathing heavily.

He kisses my lips and murmurs sweet words of affection and devotion into my ear. I draw my knees up to his sides and he slides a little deeper. Now that we have both adjusted, he moves faster, sliding in and out. My toes curl against his backside and that blissful feeling starts to build again.

"Alastair," his name is a breathless plea from my lips.

"I know," he reassures me and kisses along my jaw. "I won't stop, I promise."

With his targeted thrusts and rocking hips, he takes us both to that blissful place.

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