She can only be mine

Although Elinor wants to refuse, she looks at his expression and decides to suppress the thought for now, nodding obediently.

Arthur tilts his head, observing the two, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger, but the more he looks, the more something seems off.

Noticing Arthur's actions, Elinor curves her lips slightly. Arthur's appearance is quite handsome, embodying classic royal charisma. His face is handsome with distinct features. He has deep blue eyes that appear both wise and profound. His eyebrows are thick, naturally arched.

Arthur's hair is dark brown, well-kept, slightly wavy, usually neatly styled but still relaxed and natural.

Honestly speaking, Arthur is a person with a naturally good temperament. In her memory, she rarely sees him angry. After marrying him, they never argued.

The reasons are simple: first, because of Arthur's good nature; second, because the one he truly loves isn't her; third, because she doesn't love him either, she only likes the title and power of being the queen, so romantic love doesn't affect her heart.

To those unaware of the truth, her marriage with Arthur seems like a match made in heaven, a chance given by God to two loving people.

Elinor looks at Arthur apologetically, thinking it was her impolite behavior that led to William's misunderstanding. So she says, "I am very sorry, Prince Arthur, not only did I fail to thank you for saving my life, but I also hurt you. If there's a chance, I hope to host a banquet to apologize."

Arthur stands up straighter and awkwardly adjusts his clothes after hearing Elinor's words. Being slapped for no reason, it's false to say he isn't upset. And William is acting like he stands on her side for some reason, not giving a damn about the friendship they'd grown up with.

But when he hears Elinor's soft voice, looking at her eyes as if soaked in spring water, the delicate youth's face, as radiant and fair as a newly revealed pearl, with red lips and white teeth, perhaps due to his young age, his facial contours still very soft, making his features look delicate, an ambiguous beauty.

For no reason, Arthur can't bring himself to be angry. He's not one to make others uncomfortable, so he smiles and says, "Your slap wasn't that hard. But since you say so, I won't be polite, I'll wait for your invitation to drink."

William scrunches his nose, suddenly wanting to beat him up.

On the way back to the palace, Arthur's thoughts drift back to the scene by the shoreside. Riding his horse, shaking his head, the more he thinks, the more something seems off. Especially the way William protected that youth, putting him behind himself at the first instance, drawing a sword against a prince. And why is William so anxious about what he might do to that youth? What could he do?

Thinking further, that youth's delicate face, slender figure... Arthur's expression changes drastically. He tightens the reins, thinking William, being several years younger, might not fully understand certain things. It's time for him, the adult, to give some advice. So he clears his throat and says to William, "William, while it's true that some people are curious about the same gender, such curiosity doesn't mean anything. Some men are handsome, but that's not a big deal. There are many beautiful women in the world. The most important thing is you'll be the next head of the Mortfort family, so..."

Riding side by side, William, hearing Arthur's words and before he can finish, immediately interrupts with a dark expression, "Prince Arthur, I'm not interested in men."

Arthur turns his head, looking at William's stern profile skeptically, "Then why were you so concerned about that youth earlier, rushing to show your attentiveness?"

William also recalls the incident, his mind flashing back to Arthur's final words, and the way Elinor looked at Arthur, which made him feel uncomfortable. William's eyes flicker with thought, then he says, "She's not just some youth; she's the young lady of the Clare family."

Arthur's eyebrows rise and his eyes widen in in disbelief at what he was hearing.

Seeing Arthur's shocked expression, William immediately drops his concerns, sitting proudly on his horse, his smile returning.

Suddenly, he says formally to Arthur, "She's a kind and cheerful girl who loves wandering the bustling streets freely, and I accompany her. Prince Arthur, you are like a older brother to me. I'm informing you of her identity today so that you know that she's a girl. In the past, you didn't know, which is understandable; but now that you know, it's good to be mindful and avoid the shock of earlier time."

Arthur nods subconsciously, but then realizes the true implication of William's words, "You mean to say, she might be your wife?"

William gazes into the distance, lifting his chin proudly, his eyes and mouth full of smiles, "Not might be, but definitely! The girl I dote on can only be my wife."