20 The Wish
The next morning, Maria woke up before the sun and decided she was ready to get out of bed and tackle the day.
She was so grateful that throughout this process, she had Alexandria and Jason there to calm her nerves in what was becoming a nightly freak-out routine, it seemed.
Maria walked to her dresser and pulled out her most comfortable dress to put on and once she was fully clothed, she went over to her vanity to see if her face was still puffy from crying.
She looked in the mirror and noticed that she looked a lot better than she did last night, even if she still was carrying some of the stress from the previous day.
Since she still had not decided if she was willing to go to have breakfast with everyone, she decided she would go to the gardens to help clear her head and relax.
The gardens had always been Maria's place of sanctuary.
No one else in the family enjoyed them as much as she did, so she frequented them more than anyone else.
In fact, before she started sneaking out to go to the local villages and marketplace, the gardens were one of her escapes, so they held a special place in her heart.
They provided her with a comfort and peace of mind that she just could not find inside the palace walls.
She tip-toed through the palace on the cold, marble flooring in order to not wake anyone since the sun was just now barely rising, and she made her way outside.
Her shoulders immediately dropped in relaxation when she felt her bare feet on the grass, and she closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the summer sun to feel it warm her skin.
She felt a smile form on her face and a soft sigh caught in her throat before she opened her eyes and made her way towards the fountain.
The familiar sounds of birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves, and the water in the fountain splashing filled her ears and helped her body to further relax.
When she made it to the fountain, she saw the back of a familiar tall man with wild blonde hair standing at the edge of the water, with his elbows leaning on the marble railing of the gazebo.
She smiled to herself and stood behind him for a moment because not only did she not want to startle him, but she wanted to look at him before he noticed her.
He was quiet and seemed at ease, and Maria felt her heart tug remembering the time they shared here just days ago.
Unlike the feelings she had for Arthur, she did not question the feelings she had for the man in front of her.
He was pure-hearted, unselfish, and had the type of loving smile that could make you melt faster than ice thrown into a crackling fire.
He made Maria feel like she was the only woman in the world with the way he looked lovingly at her, and she had no doubt that he would love and cherish her if they were destined to get married.
The thought of marrying someone like him brought her peace of mind and heart; hell, it even made her excited.
After a moment, she walked up and stood next to Henri as she said through a smile, "Fancy meeting you here," just as he had done to her when he snuck up behind her in the wine room.
He jumped slightly and whipped his head around before happiness filled his eyes and he laughed.
"Good morning, princess," he said as he turned his body towards her, "What are you doing up this early?" he questioned.
"I could ask you the same thing," she playfully teased with a giggle.
Henri turned shy and looked down but quickly looked back up towards her with softer eyes before he said, "Actually, I came here because I missed you".
Maria's smile dropped slightly just from shock at his honesty, and she felt her heart skip a beat or two.
Before she could reply, he continued, "I woke up and found myself walking towards your room, but then I remembered it was early in the morning and that probably would be more scandalous than I was intending," he said with a laugh, "So I did the next best thing and came here instead".
Maria bit her bottom lip to prevent her mouth from turning into a smile that would reflect just how happy his confession made her, and instead she grabbed his hand with both of hers.
"I missed you too, Henri," she said sincerely as she turned her face back towards him.
"Looks like my wish came true," he said, smiling down at her.
This confused Maria, and she tilted her head sideways in hopes that he would explain.
"When I was little, mother told me that if I had a coin, I could toss it into a fountain as an offering for a deity, and in return they would grant a single wish," he started and Maria found herself engrossed in his story. "So whenever I come across a fountain like this one," he said with a gesture toward the fountain with the hand Maria wasn't holding, "I pull out a coin, make a wish, and throw it in. This morning I brought a coin with me and I wished for you."
Maria was awe-stuck and did not understand how one man could be so perfect and kind.
She also realized that he was right about his wish coming true.
She had promised herself that she would give her all to this experience, and while she thought it would take her a while to decide how she felt about everyone, she was so sure about the fact that she had strong feelings for Henri.
There was definitely a part of her that already felt like it belonged to him.
Butterflies filled her stomach and she closed the space between them, tilted her head up, and closed her eyes, waiting.
Henri barely waited a moment before he grabbed her face with his free hand and bent down to kiss her.
Warmth filled Maria's body and she let go of his hand so that she could wrap her arms around his waist.
He took the opportunity to take his now free hand and place it at the nape of her neck.
The kiss that started sweetly took a turn and Maria could feel Henri's desire for her start to take over as he leaned in closer to her.
As their lips parted in a new kiss, Henri's tongue entered her mouth and grazed across hers.
The sensation awakened Maria too, and she pushed her tongue back on his and pulled her arms even tighter around him.
His hands dropped to her waist, and a quiet moan escaped her lips as he pulled his mouth from hers, and bent down further to kiss the crook of her neck.
Maria's whole body tingled in response to his kisses, and she felt like she was on fire.
She let her head drop to the side to give him better access to her, and he took his time kissing and sucking at her neck, his tongue occasionally running across her sensitive skin.
He started to slow down before he brought his face back to the same level as hers, and rested his forehead on her forehead.
She let out a soft sigh and he leaned in to give her one more kiss that had returned to the gentle state they had started with, before he pulled away just enough to look at her.
"That coin I threw into the fountain must have had magical powers, I should fish it out of the water and save it in case I need to make another wish," he said, totally serious, after they had caught their breath.
With that, Maria laughed harder than she had in a while, and she leaned forward to kiss him one last time before she pulled away to say, "I think it's time for breakfast".
Henri smiled at her as he took her hand in his so they could walk back through the gardens into the palace together.
