I Will Wait...

Ellsie lifted her head to see the setting in the distance, causing her to realise just how long she'd been there.

"I must get going!" She stood up heading for the door in a hurry, suddenly she was stopped by a familiar hand around her wrist, she looked back to see Lucian holding her.

"I think we need to talk first." He looked at her in way he'd never looked before, there was no coldness or arrogance, but a soft and gentle look of concern. Ellsie was stunned, she'd never seen this side of him, perhaps if she had, maybe she would have fallen for him earlier.

"We'll give you two a moment." Jonathan smiled hinting for everyone to follow him out the door. When everyone finally left either Ellsie nor Lucian said a thing, they just stood there is silence, finally Lucian pull Ellsie into his arms, she wrapped her arms around his waist and started to cry again.

"Ellsie I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." Lucian's heart broke as he recalled all the things she'd been through.

"But you're here now." She looked up at him with red eyes. "But I really should be going." The heiress pulled away from him, wiping her face from the tear stains. She found she couldn't cry anymore, all her tears seemed to have run dry.

"Before you go shouldn't we actually discuss what you came here to talk about?" Lucian asked with a half smile.

"Oh right," Ellsie stopped, she'd completely forgotten she'd proposed to him. "Look if you don't want to get involved..."

"I will." He interrupted her. "I went what I said at the church. That killed me, watching you in so much pain, so if I can protect you then I will. I know you are doing this for selfish reasons, so I won't force you, but I will do everything in my power."

"But Lucian I can't promise you the love you desire." In the past their relationship had always been very complicated, they fought, argued and disagreed on everything, they'd often acted ignorant and rude towards one another both privately and in public. In fact the aspects of their relationship was a popular topic amongst high ranking nobles within the empire.

"That's okay." He stepped in front of her pushing her scarlet hair behind her ear and caressing her face with the inside of his hand. "I've always been prepared to marry for political reasons, not for love. But still I will support, protect and love you in all the ways I know how. And I will wait for you to fall in love with me." He said it with such sweet confidences, like he was certain she would. "So what do you say milady?" He held her right hand and go down on one knee "Will you marry me?"

Ellsie couldn't help but smile "I will." She nodded as he kissed the back of her hand.

~ ~ ~

After she'd left Lucian stood in from of the floor-to-ceiling window outlooking the front of the castle, he was so entranced in what had just happened he didn't hear his brother and sister enter.

"So what did you reach a conclusion?" Jonathan stood on Lucian's left and Alissa on his right.

"Yes." Lucian didn't look at his brother, he observed the heiress being helped to the coach.

"You do love her, don't you?" Alissa was back to her usual wise and regal yet considerate attitude.

"With all my heart." Lucian had never understood why he felt so many pain when he fought with her over the years, but he'd always known fighting with her was still better than her ignoring him.

"Does she love you?" Jonathan watched the coach disappear into the distance.

"She will." He was surprise to hear a reply from Alissa and not Lucian, both princes peered down at their little sister.

"How can you be so sure?" Jonathan had little faith in Ellsie, but knew that at least if she married her brother, she would no longer be around Mara.

"Because that's what the fates have decided." Alissa turned and left without another word.

~ ~ ~

When she finally returned back to Rosewood Estate, the duchess and Clarissa were standing in the living room glaring at her.

"Why are you home so late?" Mara asked in apathetic manner.

"I was spending the day making arrangements." She simply smiled back.

"Is that you Ellsie?" The duke's deep voice echoed through the first floor of the house. Suddenly the middle-aged man appeared from out of the music room across the hall. "There you are my flower. How was your day with the prince? How's the family doing? How come you're home so late?" The man interrogated her in a fun loving, teasing manner.

"My day was lovely father, the family is doing well and Princess Alissa is doing so well with her magic training. I do apologise for being home so late, I was spending the day making wedding arrangements." Upon hearing that one different word, everyone froze, the maid included.

"Wedding?" Clarissa was the first to speak, but she didn't sound happy.

"Yes, Prince Lucian proposed in the most romantic way." She smiled in that naive innocent way, she always had.

"Oh congratulations my daughter." The Duke's proud voice filled the house as he hugged his daughter in joy.

"Yes I'm so happy for you." The duchess walked towards her, with a false look of pleasure in her grey eyes. "But dear I must ask, your relationship with the second prince has never been very stable. You argue over everything and it's often the talk of party. I have been to so many balls and overheard other nobles discussing how inappropriate you two have been." While they sounded like genuine concerns and this too made her father think, Ellsie knew it was her trying to gain control of what she'd been planning for years.

"Yes mother I understand your concerns, however the truth is Lucian and I have always fought because, we tried to deny our feelings towards one another. However the other night at his birthday, when we were speaking privately, I accidentally told him how I felt when he made me angry. Today when we were discussing the fundraiser for the orphanage and when I went to leave, he asked me to stay and talk about it. Then later he propose in such a romantic way."

"My sister is getting married?" Eric walked in from stables with a joyous look, he ran up and hugged his sister, now she won't get bullied by Mara, right? "Whom is the lucky man?"

"Prince Lucian." Duke Jacob announced proudly. "My daughter is going to marry the second prince of Creston. Isn't this such good luck Mara? The Goddess really is smiling upon our family."

"Yes, we truly are blessed." Mara faked her smile. Hmm, was there a way to convince the prince into joining them?