|🌴| Shipwrecked Princess |🌺| A Novel |🌺| Complete |🌴|

🌴 Chapter Fifty 🌴

William reluctantly walked down the aisle and up to the priest, standing in front of him. He swallowed harshly as his eyes swept all those who had attended. Last-minute they had moved into the ballroom since the sky began to grow gray.

The dark sky was a mirror of his feelings right now. Any moment Rosalya would walk down that aisle and they'd have to begin the ceremony. He chewed the inside of his cheek to keep himself from showing any other anxious emotion.

He glanced over at the corner of the room where Essa was watching, or was being forced to watch with guards surrounding her. He felt so guilty he couldn't stop it and seeing her look down at her feet hurt his heart.

His eyes glanced over at his father who had a smug expression, feeling rather happy with himself for forcing Essa to watch the wedding. He didn't understand why his father was so cruel and went out to his lengths to make his life a living hell.

He looked toward his mother, who was too ashamed to meet his eyes. He couldn't blame her and felt pity for her. He knew she felt awful about how things turned out and were second-guessing herself. She had always done that when it came to butting heads with Raymond, who got the last say.

He sucked in a deep breath, anxiously looking at the doors. Any moment the doors would open, the music would begin, and Rosalya would walk down that aisle towards him. Vows would be exchanged, they'd kiss then have the ceremony of taking the throne. That was enough to make a person sick, and William was doing his best to not show a single emotion.

Kalirene looked up at her husband, seeing his smug smile hurt. She didn't understand what could cause her husband to be like this. Has he always been this selfish? Had she missed the signs before they married and choose to ignore the red flags? She inwardly sighed, looking towards her son and then towards the doors.

Rosalya stood on the other side of the hedge, her father on one arm and her mother on her other. Her stomach tightened into a knot as she knew this was it. Chandler hadn't found anything to stop the wedding. She was going to marry William and she was crushed. "I can't do this -" She began, only to be cut off by her mother.

Leshay glanced at her daughter. "You will and we will make sure of it." She indifferently said, putting on a smile as the music had begun to play. "Put on a smile and do what you've been trained your whole life to do. Exchange vows, say I do, and kiss William. After that, you can rest easy knowing the hard part is fine then take the crown as queen!" She whispered through her smile.

Rosalya's heart pounded against her ribcage as the doors opened and her parents led her down the aisle. Thank goodness her veil was covering her expression or else everyone would see how terrified she was.

With every step she could, it was as if someone was putting another nail in her coffin, making it impossible for her to break free and slowly suffocating. Her hands trembled but no one could notice due to the bouquet in her hand.

Ezekiel glanced over at his daughter, feeling her tremble. "Stop shaking," He whispered through his smile. "People will take notice. A bride shouldn't be this nervous on her wedding day, especially one who knows where her duties lie."

Rosalya inhaled sharply and let it out slowly. "Sorry," She apologized, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. The only thing she could tell herself to calm down was at any moment Chandler would come bursting in with the documents that were needed.

Leshay was bubbling over with delight at all the happy faces they were passing towards the podium. "Just don't let it happen again. Simply focus on remembering your vows like we practiced and don't mess up." She told Rosalya with a bright smile.

Rosalya's eyes never looked away from William. He was the only one who was keeping her nerves at bay. "I won't." She vowed, knowing they had been ingrained into her since she was a child. Her mother had written them up and had her read them three times a day.