Mother Knows Best

"Mother, this is more complicated than you think, you don't understand," the prince retorted.

"What? Are you trying to say you don't love her? Sadly, I'll never believe you again if you say that. I wasn't born yesterday," the queen replied, a touch of sarcasm in her tone. "I know why you haven't proposed to Lady Helena all this time, aside from not being able to marry her because I asked you to wait for your destined woman. You want to let her become a duchess as she's dreamed, right? You don't want to bind her to be a puppet in this palace, do you?"

Prince Maximilian heard all his mother's guesses, which were true, with tightly pursed lips and a tensed jaw. It was all true. "I do want her, I'm honest. I've harbored feelings for her since we were kids. How could I not want her as my wife?"

The queen didn't expect her son to admit so openly. "Then what's holding you back from all this? You should be elated because you'll have my one hundred percent approval."