“How was the prince?” Lord Grey asked when they were reunited outside the castle.
Edward sighed. He had just spent an hour in what could only be described as social hell. Prince Sebastian had been mostly silent and irritable whilst Camilla kept making cutting remarks that were indirectly or directly aimed at him. For some reason the royal advisor hated his guts and he felt the exact same way about her.
“Unsociable,” he told his father.
Lord Grey rolled his eyes.
“Unsociable git more like,” he muttered and pulled on his jacket. “Let’s leave this place.”
They got in the car and he drove off immediately. It was faster to get through all the security this time. Edward only managed to relax when the car was on the main road. It had been a very mixed day.
Prince Sebastian was a mystery so far.
He was definitely nothing like the image he showed in public. Instead of being a charming young man with a nice smile, he came across as more of a sulky teenager. Admittedly he was actually a teenager and had only just turned 18 so it was partially understandable, but he was the heir to the throne, not an average teenager.
Edward tried to give him some credit and considered how things were from the prince’s perspective rather than his own.
Prince Sebastian probably didn’t want to marry him either. They were living in a modern era, the time of old fashioned arranged marriages should be over.
Additionally, for all he knew Prince Sebastian might have even had a girlfriend or boyfriend that he had been forced to break up with so he could marry him.
Edward decided he didn’t want to think about it anymore and turned his focus to looking out of the window. He watched the fields and trees roll by and by the time they reached home, he was almost ready to sleep.
“Are we home already?” he asked with a yawn.
“We are home,” Lord Grey confirmed. “Just in time for dinner. I know what’s being served and it’s one of your favourites.”
Edward’s stomach rumbled on cue and his father laughed.
“They didn’t feed me at the castle,” he griped. “We could have had a royal afternoon tea, but no, I had to sit there feeling worthless with nothing to eat.”
Lord Grey waved his hand dismissively.
“I’ve had afternoon tea at the royal palace in my time, it’s nothing special. The one we have at home is much better,” he said and got out of the car.
Edward released his seatbelt and stepped out of the car before stretching his arms widely. It had been a long car ride to and from the castle. He was glad that his father had taken him there rather than the family driver. He didn’t want everyone to know how depressed he felt after an hour at the castle.
***
Sebastian felt the same way Edward did about their meeting. It had been his chance to get to know him and they could have grown closer, instead Camilla had just sat there and insulted his future husband in subtle and unsubtle ways.
It had been quickly obvious that Camilla was nastier to Edward when he was nice to Edward so the easiest thing had been to sit there in silence. The likely result of that was probably Edward hating him even more.
He needed to do something or there would be no chance of getting to Edward’s heart or even becoming friends with him.
There was something he could do. There was one person in the royal family who could overturn Camilla’s position as the head royal advisor of all things related to his marriage. He just had to approach the subject in the right way.
Sebastian was determined to win over Edward no matter how many obstacles were in his path.
***
Another invitation arrived the week after the first.
It had been a fun week that now felt too short. As the planned holiday to France had been cancelled, Edward had been free to meet up with his school friends. He was also training for a charity football match.
“I take it that you are ‘cordially invited’ somewhere again,” his mother said at the breakfast table when he started opening the heavy envelope.
“You guessed right,” he replied after reading the invitation.
This invitation was the same as the first, the only difference was the date. His stomach turned over at the thought of a repeat of the previous meeting. He didn’t feel like his patience could take another hour of Camilla treating him like dirt under her shoe.
“I’ll take you there again,” his father said quickly.
His stern expression showed that he wouldn’t take a refusal. He had given his parents a brief summary of how the previous meeting had gone and they had both been ready to fight Camilla. Whilst Edward would love for that to happen, they couldn’t beat up a royal advisor without repercussions.
***
The day of the next meeting bloomed bright and clear. It was an unexpectedly warm day and the sky was a vivid blue with no clouds to cloak it.
Edward scowled up at the sky when they arrived at the castle. It was a shame to waste the good weather on a day where he was mostly in a car and spending time with a sulking prince and a contemptuous royal advisor.
Hayden had asked if he wanted to go to the beach and Edward knew the weather would have been perfect for a beach trip. Instead of being at the beach, he was stuck having a chaperoned meeting with his future husband who he hadn't chosen to marry.
“That’s interesting,” Lord Grey commented. “It’s someone different this time.”
Edward looked out the window to see a man coming towards them instead of Camilla in her neatly pressed suit. Edward got out of the car just as the man came to a stop in front of him. He was tall and had a beaming smile.
“Edward Grey, I’m delighted to meet you,” he said warmly.
“I am as well,” Edward replied politely. “We were expecting to be greeted by Camilla.”
“I am Ryan Thomas and I am filling in for her at the moment,” he said. “You can call me Ryan. I am actually Prince Sebastian’s personal secretary.”
Edward was pleased with the news to say the least. No Camilla was his idea of heaven. There was sulky Prince Sebastian to consider, but that seemed bearable in comparison to Camilla.
“I am fine with the change,” he answered in a neutral tone.
He looked at his father who looked more at ease now he knew Camilla wasn’t going to pop up.
“Edward Grey, I will take you to Prince Sebastian now to start the meeting,” Ryan said. “Lord Grey, if you go to the kitchen, they will serve you some freshly made cake and tea.”
His father visibly perked up and they all walked to the kitchen together. Edward was much happier to see his father taken care of in the kitchen. Lord Grey gave him a cheerful wave as they walked away.
“Where am I meeting the prince today?” Edward asked when they returned to the part of the castle he recognised from his previous visit.
“In the gardens again,” Ryan answered. “The prince said it would be a waste of the good weather if you didn’t meet outside.”
Prince Sebastian rose ever so slightly in his estimation when he heard that. Edward would have been annoyed if their meeting took place inside the dingy castle on such a sunny day.
Ryan took him further into the gardens this time and he was able to understand the scale of them more this time. The gardens seemed to go on for miles and probably did. Eventually they came across a pair of deckchairs on the grass. Prince Sebastian was lying on one of them with his eyes closed.
He opened his eyes as Ryan came to a stop.
“Good afternoon, Edward,” Prince Sebastian said pleasantly and stood up.
“I will leave you two in peace,” Ryan said. “If anyone asks, I was here the entire time.”
It didn’t take long for Edward to process his meaning. They were going to have an unchaperoned meeting. He had come expecting an hour of hell and now it had taken a drastic turn for the better.
The prince waited until Ryanhad walked out of sight before kissing his hand. Edward drew his hand back instinctively and Prince Sebastian grinned at him. Now he looked more like a fun loving teenager than a sulky one.
“I know we didn’t start off well, but now that the bitch isn’t here, we can have fun today,” he said.
Edward blinked in surprise. He had definitely said ‘bitch’ in reference to Camilla. That wasn’t very princely language for the heir to the throne to use.
The prince gestured for him to sit down and he sat down in the other deckchair. He smiled gently at him and pulled over the parasol. Edward watched quietly as the prince spent a few minutes adjusting it so he was in the shade.
It was admittedly too hot for the smart shirt he was wearing so he was glad for the shade on such a hot day.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Anytime,” Sebastian said and sat down again. “Anyway, in case you were wondering, Camilla is a pain in the neck and I arranged to have her job changed so we could have some peace.”
Edward’s admiration for the prince rose dramatically. He had made sure he wouldn’t have to meet Camilla again.
“I cannot say she has been the most pleasant company,” he told him diplomatically.
“No, you mean she’s a bitch,” the prince replied in a very casual manner. “She seems to be nastier to you when I try to be friendly to you and that’s very unfair for you. You were definitely uncomfortable with her behaviour. That’s mainly why I arranged for her not to be here and persuaded Ryan that we could be left alone together.”
The prince bent down and passed him a popsicle from the coolbox under his deckchair. Edward was pleased to see it was his favourite lemonade flavour. He wasn’t sure if Prince Sebastian somehow knew it was his favourite flavour or if it was a coincidence.
It was the perfect weather for a popsicle.
“Thank you,” he replied and put it into his mouth.
“It’s the least I can do after those meetings we’ve had,” the prince explained. “Let’s pretend those times didn’t happen and today is the first time we’ve met.”
Edward approved of that idea. Forgetting all the discomfort and awkwardness was fine with him.
“I’m Edward Grey,” he said. “Please call me Edward.”
“I’m Prince Sebastian Hallowswift,” he replied. “You can call me Sebastian for now.”
That took a moment to process. He had permission to call the prince by his first name and Sebastian seemed to be indicating he could call him something else in the future.
Sebastian held his hand out to him and Edward shook it.“Nice to meet you,” he said. “You look a lot like Prince Sebastian, do you know him?”
Sebastian snorted at his joke.
“I’m just a normal teenager,” he said. “Let’s get to know each other better now.”
Sebastian kissed his hand again and looked at him in the eyes with a smouldering gaze. Edward felt his heart skip a beat.
The smile was very infectious. Edward found himself smiling as well. Sebastian was quite the charmer when there wasn’t anyone else present. “What do you think about our marriage?” he asked the prince. It was best to be upfront and honest about the elephant in the room. He had also been wondering about Sebastian’s personal feelings on the subject since he had first met him. The prince had been impossible to read. “I don’t like that neither of us were asked for permission,” Sebastian told him. “I didn’t get a choice, I had to get a government match on my 18th birthday and you don’t have a choice either; you can’t refuse to marry me. It’s not a fair situation for either of us.” Edward saw his honesty as an opportunity to ask something he had been wanting to know. “Are you even gay?” Sebastian choked on his popsicle and Edward wasn’t sure how to interpret that reaction. He patted the prince on the back and waited for his reply. “I
Edward drew his hand back in surprise. This kiss felt different to the other hand kiss, this one felt more intimate. He didn’t quite know how to react to it. “It’s nice to see you not acting like a sulky teenager,” he commented to lighten the tone. Sebastian fluffed his blond hair and laughed loudly. “That is certainly one way to say it. I am hoping the act won’t be necessary anymore.” Edward didn’t want to see Sebastian act like a sulky teenager again either. It would be even more annoying to see the act now that he knew Sebastian was actually a comfortable person to be around. “I feel the same way.” Sebastian frowned suddenly and Edward heard the sound of footsteps approaching them. He turned to see Ryan approaching them and knew it was time to leave. This time he wasn’t as happy to leave. Getting to leave had been the highlight of his previous visit. “Our time together has come to an end,” Sebastian said softly. “I would wal
Edward was taken aback by that announcement. It was quite a thing to promise. The obvious benefit of that statement was that it visibly impressed his parents. His father looked significantly less foreboding as he stepped forward and laid his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.“Your majesty, you’d better keep to that,” he said sternly.“I would say that we should hope there’s never a situation where Edward needs saving,” Lady Grey spoke up.The prince smiled dazzlingly and Edward wanted to hide his face. That smile was lethal.“Let’s have some afternoon tea,” he said. “I’ve set it up in the garden.”This time the castle appeared less cold and foreboding as they walked through the hallways and out into the gardens. By now Edward knew the route and was more inclined to look around at the interior instead of focusing on following Sebastian. All the furnishings looked like th
“The prince is such a nice young man,” Lady Grey commented on the journey home.Edward waited for his father’s response. At the castle he had appeared more open to accepting Sebastian as his future son-in-law. Now he would find out if that was true or if it had been an act.“He was pleasant this time and seemed to have our son’s interests at heart,” was his father’s reply.That didn’t quite sound like approval. It was a very neutral answer. Given what he had said about Sebastian in the past, it was quite an improvement.“You can just say that you like him,” his mother sighed. “He was much better this time in every way. I have become fond of him.”“You’re very easily swayed,” Lord Grey pointed out with a judging glance at her.He turned the car onto the motorway and Edward knew he wouldn’t respond to anything for a while. His father was always very
Sebastian was caught off guard by the question. It caused him to realise that he hadn’t been clear about his feelings. To Edward he must have seemed like a playboy who constantly flirted and threw out pick up lines. He cleared his throat. “I know things haven’t been clear cut between us and there’s been plenty of room for misunderstandings,” he said. “I do like you and that’s not just because of the arranged marriage.” Edward’s face was hard to read again, but he continued on regardless. “I don’t just mean as a friend before you assume that. I mean that I like you in a romantic way, I want to date you.” That should make his intentions clear enough to Edward. He really should have chucked Camilla out from the very beginning to avoid the roadblocks she had caused in their relationship. His future husband blinked and then his cheeks flushed pink. It was a very cute sight to see. Sebastian wanted to poke his cheeks, but he knew it wasn’t t
It was a soft and gentle kiss. Sebastian’s brain short circuited and all he could do was press against Edward’s lips. Some part of his brain kicked in to tell him to draw back to see if Edward was liking the kiss. Edward looked as blank as he did, but he didn’t look like he had hated the kiss. That was good. He didn’t want Edward to regret anything and he didn’t want to make Edward unhappy either. “...Can we talk about some things?” Edward asked hesitantly. Sebastian was keen to kiss him again, but he knew there were some important things to talk about between them. Edward’s feelings towards him must have changed if he had been willing to kiss him. The crown prince led him over to the bench in the centre of the rose garden. It felt proper to have the conversation sitting down. “I’m surprised you wanted to kiss me,” he commented to begin the conversation. Edward’s face was still red and he looked positively adora
“What did you do today?” Lady Grey asked when he arrived at home.Edward had already planned his act on the car journey home. He was not ready to tell his parents about his feelings for Sebastian. It would lead to too many questions he wasn’t ready to answer yet.“We had afternoon tea and took a walk around the gardens. We went to some of the areas I haven’t seen before. I’ve got some ideas for Dad to use,” he answered in what he hoped was a casual tone.It wasn’t like he could say that they had confessed to each other and kissed each other. That was something he wanted to keep a secret.“Your hair looks different,” his mother observed sharply. “It was very tidy when you left. Did you get your hair stuck in a bush?”It seemed like he couldn’t get anything past his mother. That fact had never changed and probably never would.“I did. It was rather embarrassing
It was a Grey family tradition to agree on a prize for the winner of board game evenings. When he was younger Edward would make his parents agree to do his homework or let him off tidying his room. Now he just asked for cake. “If I win, the person with the least money has to buy me a bag of mint humbugs,” Lord Grey said immediately as he usually did. “I think the worst loser has to alphabetise the library,” Lady Grey suggested. “The books are out of order again.” “If I win, you all owe me a cupcake,” Edward announced. These evening Monopoly sessions had allowed him to have a cupboard in the kitchen dedicated to cake. He was keen to add to it today. He was fortunate to have a lifestyle and metabolism that allowed him not to worry about eating a lot of cake. The three of them looked at Sebastian who had been watching them announce their pledges with keen interest. “If I win, Edward owes me a favour,” he paused for emphasis. “For life.”