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Twenty-six • Seduction
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Benjamin's Bride Twenty-seven • The Unexpected
•Benjamin• "What do you think?" The Duke asked as he stood a few feet behind me. I stood up from the squatting position that I was in and said, "It's more than I expected." "I figure that it was worth the cumbersome journey?" "Don't get smart with me, Sir Percy," I said as I reached out my hand to a maid who escorted us to the site in Wilsur. She handed a small towel to me and I used it to wipe my hands from the dirt that coated them. "How is the security here?" "I doubled it last week and the attacks reduced." "That's not good enough." "It isn't. The number of traders has reduced drastically since the attacks started and if we don't completely stop this, Wilsur will be abandoned." I hummed and drank in the sight in front of me. Wilsur was right at the border. Not only was it a popular tourist attraction but it was one of Reechidre's top five trading locations. What was once a beautiful city that was filled with culture was now barely standing. The tall buildings were broken w
Benjamin's Bride Twenty-eight • What is love?
•Heather• I stared at the canvas in front of me and hummed at the butterfly that I was almost done painting. This morning, I decided to add the books that my parents had brought to the shelf in my office. Although most of them were not in my top ten best reads, I liked them a fair bit. During that moment, I came across the notebook where I had drawn that unique butterfly on the day of Diane's - well, my - wedding. Seeing it made me so nostalgic that I had to redraw it on a bigger surface. The drawing was incomplete so, I had to fill most of it with my imagination. It has been almost five months since my marriage to Benjamin and I couldn't believe that I actually lasted this long. Not only did I marry a man who was rumoured to be a barbarian but that barbarian wasn't even as crude as I expected. I got myself trusty ladies in waiting and experienced, for the first time in my life, being protected from my parents. In the manor, nobody could stand up to them but right now, they were n
Benjamin's Bride Twenty-nine • Two Vulnerable Souls
•Heather•The day that Benjamin said he would arrive finally came. I was already dressed up and saying that I was impatient was an understatement.I concentrated on listening on when the bell by the gate would ring. The more I waited, the more I felt like time was moving excruciatingly slow. What was taking them so long?Currently, I was in my quarters and my ladies waited with me. Seeing that I wasn't in the mood for a chat, they only talked amongst themselves and I did not bother to join in."How far do you think they are?" Annie asked Bridgette and I looked at them, the question piquing my interest."That only depends on what time they started off and which route they have used. Being impatient will not help," Bridgette said before looking at me. "That goes to you too." "I can't help it," I said as I avoided her gaze.She sighed fondly before approaching me and she stopped when she was behind my chair. "Rest assured, my Queen. His Majesty is well.""How can you be so sure? He doesn
Benjamin's Bride Thirty • Broken Pieces
•Heather•Soft streams of sunlight entered the room through the spaces on the curtains and brought a little brightness into the room. Benjamin and I have been awake for a while now, but we spent our time cuddling in blissful silence.I couldn't stop myself from grinning and I wondered if it was okay to feel this happy. My head rested on Benjamin's chest while he softly ran his hand on my arm.I hummed in content as I rubbed my face against him. I didn't want to be separated from him at all, but I knew that that time would soon come due to our differing schedules."Uhm...." I began, "what are you going to do at the Council?""Duke Percy and I are having a bit of a fallout," he answered, making my brows furrow in doubt."Is it really considered a 'small fallout' if the Council gets involved?""Well, he tried to kill me so, I had every right to hit him."I sat up as I looked at him in shock. "You hit the Duke!?"He rolled his eyes and pulled me back to rest on him. "I thought that you wou
Benjamin's Bride Thirty-one • Frustrations
•Annie•I quietly read my book as I sank even further into the sofa that sat next to the large bookshelf in my Queen's study. This piece of furniture had no business being this soft and if it was up to me, I would literally live on it.The afternoon sun shone brightly and it was a hot day. I made sure to wear light garments and they really helped to cool me down. Queen Heather is usually dressed in extravagant clothing but it must be an inferno under all that material.Speaking about the Queen, she has been down for the past few days. Of course, I have experienced her bad days but this one was more severe. I slowly lowered the book that I was reading and discreetly glanced that her Majesty.She was seated behind her desk as she went through some documents. Her beautiful blonde hair was up in a messy bun and the dark circles under her eyes were unsightly. Anybody in the palace could tell that the relationship between the King and Queen was strained right now. On that day, she was so de
Benjamin's Bride Thirty-two • More Mixed Feelings
•Benjamin•"Thank you for visiting, my King," the librarian said with a low bow."That's okay. I'm sorry for disturbing the silence," I said as I briefly glanced at the crowd that gathered around the Kingdom's main library in excitement.Today, Scott was making his usual visit to the library and even though there wasn't any need for me to tag along, I didn't want to remain in the castle any longer. The two servants that we brought along already took the other books into the carriage after taking the new ones into the library.It was an important exchange that was deemed essential because an educated Kingdom was a mighty one. Even though everything went well, I should have announced my visit in advance and told Scott to prepare stronger security.I did not expect such a large crowd to come and see me. Even though I was with the six knights that I always moved around with when I was outside the castle walls, they weren't enough to keep the crowd at a distance. No. The main reason why I
Benjamin's Bride Thirty-three • Start Again
•Heather•My heart thudded in my chest as I squeezed my eyes shut. My body was trembling and it took me a moment to realize that I wasn't hurt. I hesitantly opened my eyes and noticed that Benjamin had caught me in time.My heart failed to calm down as my ears heated up at his tight embrace that surrounded me. When was the last time that he held me like this? "Benjamin," I began softly as I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his waist, "uhm.... I'm fine now.""Yeah. I know," he said with a sigh as his hold on me tightened.I closed my eyes, realizing that he was trembling as well. It was barely noticeable but with how tight our bodies were pressed together, I could feel it. I slowly raised my hand to stroke his back so that he could be assured that I was fine but before I could do so, he moved away from me."Are you crazy!?" He suddenly yelled as his brows knitted together in irritation. "What the heck were you thinking?" I stared at him in shock for a moment. "Me? You're the one who
Benjamin's Bride Thirty-four • A Strange Sweetness
•Benjamin•I nervously stood in front of a large wooden door that led to Heather's office as I debated on whether I should knock on it or not. This morning began with me receiving a letter from my father's wife that held a strange request. It completely soured up my morning, but after seeing the details of the letter, I saw it as an opportunity.I could have just send a servant to give Heather the letter together with another that expressed my thoughts about it. And Heather was smart, so she would probably grasp the meaning behind it without much explanation. I could have done that but I didn't.I wanted to talk to her myself. Not only about the letter but about yesterday as well. Part of me was embarrassed that I allowed her see such a pathetic side of me while the other was liberated because of all the assurances that she gave me.A king wasn't supposed to show weakness. I had more than enough memories of where I was constantly punished when I was younger for being vulnerable and my
Pinakabagong kabanata
- Benjamin's Bride Epilogue • A Year Later
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-eight • A Close
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-seven • Another Mess
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-six • Chaos and Confusion
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-five • An old wound
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-four • Raw Confessions
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-three • Hopeless Romance
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-two • Something Brewing
- Benjamin's Bride Forty-one • A Mess
