Chapter Four

"Lady Melani, thank you for finally joining us," William spoke, causing my cheeks to burn in shame as I took my seat next to him.

"I apologize. I-I was bathing."

William raised a brow. "I can see that-"

"William, son, leave the poor woman alone," chided an older woman, and judging by her similar looks to the prince, it didn't take a genius to know that this was Queen Beth. Her eyes, similar in shade to William's, darted towards me. "You will be excused for your tardiness this time, Lady Melani. But do take note that breakfast is at eight, not eight-twenty."

"O-Of course, Your Majesty. I will endeavor to make sure I am here on time in the future." I nervously twirled my fingers together, not liking all the attention that was put on me.

Queen Beth merely smiled at me, nothing but kindness on her beautiful face. "Wonderful, I do hope you like iced rolls. The ones we have here are filled with raspberry jelly."

The nervous weight in my gut eased up, and I felt more relaxed as I nodded my head, placing a small, shy smile on my face. "Yes, I absolutely love iced rolls. I used to eat them every day until..." I trailed off, averting my eyes as I nibbled at my bottom lip.

"Until what, dear?" Queen Beth pressed, raising a delicate brow.

I cleared my throat, placing a fake smile on my face. "Ah...well, my mother thought it best if I began eating a healthier diet, since I was too overweight for her liking. S-So I began eating salads and fruits for breakfast, while my brothers got to eat whatever they wanted."

"How absurd! And your own mother did this to you?" I glanced up, meeting the steeled gaze of Queen Beth. "Dear girl, such harshness will not be tolerated here. If you want to eat iced rolls, you are free to have as many as you wish. You are a beautiful young woman no matter what others say.

I felt my cheeks warm as I shyly smiled and averted my eyes, happiness bubbling within me. "I-I thank you for your kind gesture, Your Majesty. It really does warm my heart at your acceptance of me."

Queen Beth smiled widely. "Well, you are to be married to my only son soon, it is only appropriate that I treat you as my own daughter."

I blushed darkly, so unused to all of these compliments. Not even my own flesh and blood treated me so kindly, which was sad, but I grew used to it. So this was a pleasant change indeed.

After breakfast, I found myself back at the library, lounged comfortably on one of the couches as I read my latest favorite book. As my eyes skimmed over the page, I gingerly reached out and grabbed my cup of tea, taking a small sip. My company, only Anthony this time, stood by, keeping on guard as he sat in his own chair, one long leg over the other. His beautiful teal eyes were clouded over, as if he were thinking deeply about something important.

Sighing, I marked my place in the book and placed it aside, nibbling at my bottom lip as Anthony snapped his gaze towards me.

"Are you finished reading, my Lady?" He wondered out loud, leaning forward in his seat.

I shook my head. "Actually, may I ask you something?"

Anthony blinked, a thick black brow raising. "Of course, my Lady. What do you wish to know?"

I tore my gaze from the man in front of me, staring down at my perfectly manicured nails. "If it is alright for me to ask...do you know Prince William well?"

Anthony shifted a bit in his seat, looking a bit uncomfortable as he began drumming his fingers against his clothed thigh. "Ah, yes, I do know him pretty well. We practically grew up together." He bit his plush bottom lip, glancing up at me through his lashes. "Why do you ask, my Lady?"

I blushed, shyly looking up at him. "I was just...you know, wondering if His Highness will ever open up to me. I know I'm not his first choice when it comes to being his wife...I just..." I sighed and looked down at my fingers, feeling my blush darken over my cheeks. "Even if he never grows to love me...I do at least want us to be friends.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, my gaze clashing with a teal one as I stared at Anthony, a reassuring smile on his handsome face.

"Lady Melani, despite the way he may seem now, Will is a very caring man. You are a beautiful and intelligent woman, and I've no doubt in my mind he will recognize that and love you in his own way. I've known him my entire life and it takes him a while to open up to people. So do not be discouraged if he does not immediately begin telling you his life's stories."

I felt my heart clench tightly in my chest, my eyes tearing up from the sincerity of his words. "T-Thank you, Anthony. I really needed to hear that."

Anthony smiled kindly at me, and for some reason, butterflies began fluttering around in my stomach. Surely....surely I couldn't be crushing on him already, could I? I was to be married soon. I couldn't be crushing on anyone other than my soon-to-be husband. You know what? No. No, I wasn't crushing on my guard. I was just...happy at the notion of William eventually opening up to me. Yeah...that's it.

Tearing my gaze away from the man in question, I cleared my throat and stood up, tucking my book under my arm as I kept my gaze averted. "A-Anthony...do you perhaps know where William is at now?" I asked before biting my bottom lip and glancing at him.

Anthony blinked, running a tanned hand through his hair. "Well my Lady, I believe he's in his training room."

"King Henry says he trains a lot."

Anthony snorted. "Yes he does. And this does not reach Will's ears, but I really wish he did not overexert himself and put so much stress on his body...but then again he was never really one to listen to reason."

If I didn't know any better, I would say there was this look of...fondness on his face, his tanned cheeks flushed. Was...was he in love with William? Was I completely reading this wrong? Or wasn't I? I mean, Anthony said he knew William since they were kids, and surely twenty five years was more than enough time to develop feelings for someone. Did William care for him too? In the same level of fondness that Anthony seemed to have for him?

I bit my bottom lip as the man in question cleared his throat, gesturing for me to follow him. Would William ever feel the same way about me eventually? I mentally sighed. If you keep worrying about whether or not the man will fall for you, nothing will ever get accomplished, now will it? I thought to myself, my eyes on Anthony's broad back as he led me to where my soon-to-be husband was.

I really wish Mother betrothed me with a different man, because William was just so...complicated. For one, he didn't even fancy women, and two, it would be near impossible to woo him if he was already infatuated with someone else.

I quickly gathered my thoughts as we approached those familiar oak doors, my heart pounding in my chest as Anthony reached out and opened the door, revealing those padded floors and decorated walls. And sure enough there he was, sweat dripping down his face as he did push up after push up, his breathing so loud that I was sure everyone in the castle could hear it.

Upon our entrance, William groaned, in what I could only assume was annoyance, and pulled himself to his feet, eyes immediately darting towards me. "Lady Melani, is there any reason why you've interrupted me? Surely because of the last time, you know that I'm off limits when I'm training."

I blushed hotly, immediately tearing my gaze away from the blond man. "I-I'm sorry. I-It's just...I am your bride to be and yet we've only spent one night getting to know each other. I just thought that...ah, maybe you would like to accompany me into town. I am in need of some things and I figured it would be beneficial to the both of us if we went together." I refused to look at the other man, too embarrassed over the fact that I stumbled over my words.

I bit my bottom lip, eyes closing tightly before I heard Anthony speak, surprising me. "I think that is a wonderful idea," he said, staring intently towards William. "You two are betrothed, surely you should learn more about each other."

I let my eyes fall into William, the man's sage eyes firmly on Anthony, an emotion I couldn't quite place swirling within those light depths. He stared at him for what seemed like forever, until his gaze softened and he turned to face me. "If that is what you wish, Lady Melani, then I will call for a carriage." That light gaze flickered back towards Anthony, that indescribable spark lighting back up, before he looked away and went to grab his shirt.

I tried not to look too deeply into it...but the way William looked at the other man, I don't know, it was the look that lovers would give each other. That soft look...the one that shared silent secrets...it had my heart clenching pitifully. And I couldn't help but wonder...was my fiancé in love with my guard?