ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʜ.

She gripped on her fan tightly while looking down. She tried to calm herself but she received another slap from the Baroness. Of course, she is mad at her. Everyone already knows that she was a courtesan. The Baroness' daughter was one of the possible candidates to be the Prince's spouse. Who would not get mad at her when she's just a mere Lady? She is sure that they are assuming that she seduced the Prince. She hated him before, so how could she even seduce him? Do they even know that the Prince confessed to her and rejected him? 

"Are you done, Milady?" She asked the Baroness with a blank face. This made the older woman infuriated. She was about to receive another slap but her twin brother's personal servant stopped her from doing so. 

"With all due respect, our Lady is not doing anything harmful against you." He said and the Baroness shoved his hand away from her wrist. 

"So, pretending to be innocent is your special skill. Is that how you seduced the Prince? You basically stole him away from my daughter!" The Baroness roared in anger and people around them started whispering. 

There is nothing wrong with being a courtesan. She is educated. She is not even seducing any men. That's what she thought when she signed the contract with the Viscount of the Suzuki family. She should have stayed away from the Prince instead. If she did, she might have been in a relationship with the Viscount already. She didn't bat an eye anymore and just left the Baroness with her closest friends. She doesn't care what they think about her. She just needs to have faith in the Prince. He will protect her, right? He will protect her. 

She went straight to the bedchamber the moment she arrived at the castle. She sat on the bed and waited for the Prince. She asked her personal servant to pack her things up. She will be back to the manor completely. She is contradicting herself. She just told herself that she needs to have faith in the Prince but what is she doing now? Her cheeks were swollen because of the slaps earlier. The Prince finally arrived and quickly noticed her luggage. He asked why she packed up but she didn't answer. It was her personal servant who told him what happened earlier. 

"I want to take a trip to another country." She forced a smile and he knelt in front of her, holding her hands gently and leaving kisses on it. 

"I'll go with you. Let's have a trip together." She wanted to say no but she nodded instead. She hugged him tight while crying silently. She is weak and she needs the Prince to be her strength. 

"After the wedding, is that fine? Let's attend Gia's wedding first." He said softly and she nodded once more. The wedding will be tomorrow and she should think about it first before other things. 

Later that night, the Prince made sure that he will stay by her side all the time. He gave the utmost care that he thought she should have. She wore one of his tunics and rested her body on his while sitting on his lap and staring at the moon. He trailed her exposed shoulders with soft kisses. She chuckled lightly while holding his hands. It didn't take long for them to settle in the bed and make love. At the end of the day, he will make her feel how much he loves her. 

"Brother is sleeping in the next bedchamber." She mumbled with her arms wrapped around his body. She arched her back and moaned softly when he finally released his loads deep inside her. 

"I can tell the steward to bring him to another bedchamber, so that he will not be disturbed." He answered and she pinched his cheeks lightly. He continued on moving between her legs while kissing her lips deeply. 

The next day, everyone who was invited to the wedding prepared early. The Prince got one of the finest and most expensive yet the simplest and most delicate royal blue dress that the love of his life can have. He watched her wear it and when she was finally done, he smiled widely. One of the most important reminders about attending a wedding is to keep the bride as the main character of it. When they arrived at the wedding hall, some of their friends were already there and waiting for the ceremony to start. They didn't know what happened but the one who arrived as the groom is the General. 

The Prince stood up to talk to the General and he learned that the older Archduke gave up on marrying the Countess because of his son. He already knows who the mother is, so he didn't say anything anymore. The wedding ceremony proceeded and they sealed their marriage with a kiss. Everyone was happy congratulating them when the older Archduke walked in with his son and the mother of the toddler. They congratulated the newlywed couple and deep in the Countess' eyes, there was a hint of sadness. 

"I know you will make her the happiest, Riku." Reiki said and the younger Archduke nodded while smiling. When she thought the red string of fate she had with Riku in this lifetime was not really for them, she almost gave up. 

She gripped on her husband gently and he held her closer to him. Indeed, those who got the music boxes ended up having their happily ever after. She looked at him and a sweet smile formed on her lips. She closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead. He planted another kiss on her lips. It felt so right this time. It feels right because the man she married is the right person for her.