MARRY ME, ADELAIDE

Chapter 22: THE PRINCE'S CHAMBERS

When Adelaide's eyes open, she realizes she had fallen asleep in the prince's chambers. She sits up immediately, panicking. Her master will be looking for her! Grayson will kill her for sure after this.

"Addy, what is it?"

"Your highness, thank you for your hospitality but I need to go." She moves to uncover herself and get out of the bed, but Nicholas grabs her arm, dragging her back, climbing on top of her.

Her eyes dilate at his sudden actions. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Adelaide swallows hard, looking away from him, "I will get killed if-"

"I have already told you to trust me. No harm will come to you, I promise. I have taken care of everything. Grayson, your master, Candice or Claire, whatever her name is, I've taken care of all of it. Princess, I worked hard to ensure we can be together like this without any worries since you left at the stream, please don't let my efforts go to waste. I need you here with me."

She looks back at him, searching for the slightest sign of deceit but sees none. Nodding her head in acceptance, the prince gets off her pulling her against him.

"Food was brought up when you were asleep. Are you hungry?"

"No, thank you."

"...Why... were you crying?" he asks after a bit of hesitation. Addy's reminded of the incident and tries to wiggle her way out of his embrace, anything to make him avoid that topic.

"Addy." They both know she's moving in vain, he will not let her go. She looks anywhere but his face, scared of how he will react.

"...At the gate...when the guards were searching our bags...one of them started touching me," she says, a tear escaping her eyes.

"I tried to move to show how uncomfortable I was with his advances, but he told me to hold still, and lifted up my dress, touching my thighs," she explains through her sobs.

Prince Nicholas' blood is boiling when he hears this. "Do you know his face?"

She shakes her head, "I didn't look up because I was so scared," she sniffles.

Adelaide looks up at Nicholas when she sees him getting off the bed. "Where are you going?"

"To find that bastard...he will regret the day he was born," he says in anger heading for the door, but she runs after him, grabbing his arm before he can open the door.

"Please don't."

"Adelaide he will not know it's you. Those guards have the habit of talking about anything pleasure related and it was only two guards that were working that morning."

She hugs him from behind, her tears, wetting his shirt. "Please, just ignore it."

How does she expect him to ignore the fact that someone touched her? She's his woman! Even if the guard did not know, he should have the decency to keep his hands off her once she's made it clear that she's uncomfortable and not into it. Is this how women suffer, especially slaves? Of course as a prince he didn't know how bad it was but now he's more determined than ever to become king and treat Adelaide like the queen she is.

Nicholas turns around capturing her lips, the young maiden is startled but responds. She can tell he is very upset, he has never kissed her this way.

He cups her cheek with one hand, holding her body against his with the other. Her lips are for only him to kiss, her body, for only him to touch and caress. Nicholas grabs her hips, hoisting her off the ground, wrapping her legs around him, her hands around his neck, as he takes her to his bed.