Charlotte Bourbon, a 19-year-old widow, was happy in her life after she got married to the man of her dreams. However, because of a sudden illness, her husband died within a month, and Charlotte's life came to a sudden halt. ‘She became the curse for her husband that he died young.’ ‘She is the one, who killed her husband.’ ‘She should have died with her husband.’ Numerous such things Charlotte would hear from the people around her in the palace when she decided to take her life. However, was it that easy to die? Édouard Bourdillon was the eldest son of King Christian Bourdillon of the Kingdom of Escana. He decided to marry the widow of his late younger brother so that he could take over the Beromont territory which his brother possessed. But was this the only reason he wanted to marry Charlotte? ~~~~~~~~ "What are you doing?" Terrified Charlotte asked as she saw Édouard unbuttoning his shirt. "I am hot, so I am taking off the shirt," Édouard said and reached for the last button. "But it's cold weather," Charlotte said and knitted her brows. "Not here, Charlotte. Your mere presence around me makes me hot," Édouard said and took off the shirt. "Ahhh!" Charlotte quickly brought her hands in front of her eyes and covered them. From the gaps between her fingers, she peeked out of curiosity. A lump formed in her throat as she saw his perfectly carved body with a few scars on the chest and near the abdomen. Charlotte saw him approaching her and she tightly shut her eyes. A few seconds later, when she realized everything was so quiet, she opened her eyes again and found him before her. She promptly moved back and hit the wall behind her. She thought to leave the room when Édouard caged her petite body between his arms. "Are you going to—" "Yes. I want to be wild with you tonight, Little Cherry," Édouard said with a smirk, and the next second, he lifted her in his arms. ~~~~~ *Cover art is mine. Made by "HS AONARAN" available on FB* Follow me on Instagram: rayoflight_pcy
Zoe helped Charlotte with getting ready. It was a plain dark blue gown with not many plates on it. She asked Zoe when her things would arrive from Beromont Palace.
"By the morning, Your Highness," Zoe answered, and brushed Charlotte's hair. Earlier, she had seen the photos of Mathieu with Charlotte in the bedroom and was curious to know why she had kept them.
"Your Highness, since you are entering into a new life by marrying the Duke of Wexnon, should you not leave your past behind?" Zoe humbly asked. "Forgive me, if I crossed my limits," she added.
"I am not willingly marrying Prince Édouard. He is the one who forced me." But it was for her father's happiness too. She didn't know exactly. She only wanted to blame Édouard and ran away from this marriage.
Zoe used the hair clip to pin down some of Charlotte's hair strands. It had a flower pattern with diamond studs over them. Charlotte was astonished to find the dresses that she was wearing were in her size. How was it possible? How did Édouard get her measurements taken?
Charlotte rose to her feet after she dressed up and asked Zoe to show him where Édouard's room was.
It was not far from Charlotte's room, only two minutes away.
"Her Highness shall go in," Zoe said, halting at the main door.
Charlotte stepped inside and found it was empty. Her first gaze fell on the portrait of Édouard that was on the wall. She looked around and found some papers on the sofa table. She became curious and chose one of the folded papers. She unfolded it and saw it was related to the treasury of Wexnon. She put it down and ended up seeing some photo frames above the fireplace.
She walked up to the fireplace and picked one of the photo frames. It was the Queen's pictures with Édouard. She found it weird that his pictures were only with his mother. Why did he have no pictures of his father?
She put it back and turned when her eyes fell on Édouard. He had the towel in his hand to dry his hair when he also stopped to see her. He hadn't buttoned his shirt completely, so his bare chest was naked to Charlotte's eyes.
She averted her gaze from him and apologized to him.
Édouard lowered his hand and put the towel over the sofa. He asked Charlotte to follow him.
"To where?" She quickly asked and again looked into his eyes.
"To the room where the wedding dress is put," Édouard answered, and turned to walk ahead. Charlotte walked after him and they entered the dressing room. She looked at the wedding gown.
It was off the shoulder with a Bertha collar designed using lace and had a basque waist. The sleeves would cover the entire length of the arms with long sleeves, which were again made of lace. The gown was embellished with silver embroidery and thousands of seed pearls.
Every woman would be happy to see her wedding dress, but she wasn't. This was a well-thought-out dress and might have taken a lot of time for its preparation. Édouard studied her facial expressions, wondering if she would say anything or not.
Charlotte moved forward and stopped in front of the dress. She stroked her hand above it and found the fabric was as soft as a feather. "I don't need to check it because it appears to be my fit," she presumed.
"You should check once, in my opinion," Édouard stated.
Charlotte looked at the dress that she had put on at the moment. "It has also fit me. So, I believe that this wedding gown will also fit me," she lifted her eyes and looked at him.
"Sure." Édouard didn't force her and took her to the living room.
"Prince Édouard has kept her pictures with only his mother. May I know why that is?" Charlotte asked out of curiosity as they both settled on the sofa.
"I am glad that you are interested in learning about me." He passed a smile to her. She wasn't interested in him, but she was interested in knowing why he was so cold to the other family members.
"I am not affectionate towards anyone in my family except my mother," Édouard answered with a straight face. "And you," he said in his mind.
Charlotte chuckled because this was the answer she expected from him. However, she didn't restrain to say, "Prince Édouard got everything thanks to his father, the King of Escana. Even this marriage is happening because the King wants it. If His Majesty hadn't given such an order, I would not be here," she stated.
"You are here for your father, not because of the King's order. You were ready to end your life even after the King's order came," Édouard corrected her. "As the firstborn, I have the right to get the territory. I think if I had not been the firstborn, then the King would have always deprived me of my rights," he stated.
Charlotte was perplexed upon hearing his statement. "Prince Édouard must be cold and rude to his father. A humble and obedient son always gets the wealth of his father without being discriminated against," she proclaimed.
"Then, I am not a humble and obedient son," asserted Édouard while smiling at her.
Charlotte was not surprised to learn of his thoughts. She decided to leave, but before she could speak about it, Charles came inside.
"Pardon me for intruding, Your Royal Highness. Rainard wants to see you. He has an important message for the Prince," Charles informed him.
"Ask him to wait in the study room," Édouard instructed Charles. He bowed and walked out.
"I shall take my leave," Charlotte replied.
"Stay here. I will be back soon. I want to talk with you about more things," Édouard told her, and rose to his feet. "I will send tea and snacks for you. Enjoy them," he stated and left the room.