IN ANOTHER LIFE // Harry Styles

The Assistant

The young Prince hurried his feet down the corridor to his father's meeting room. Though the guards tried to stop him from disturbing the King, he was not affected by their warnings.

"Stop me and I'd have you all beheaded," he growled and the men in armors immediately backed away.

Knowing the Prince their whole lives, all the servants of the royal court knew that he would always put his words into actions. So of course, for fear of losing their heads, these men had to let him through.

"Father, may I speak with you?" The Prince spoke when he barged into the room. Still, his entrance didn't steal the King's attention away from the open book in front of him.

"Edward, did I just hear you threaten to have my guards' heads?" The old monarch shifted a bit in his chair, making the young man flinch in anxiety.

The King was the only person in the world who could have the Prince shaking in his boots, which was why Edward had never failed to follow his father's every wish since the day he was born. This time, however, would be an exception.

"Father, I was informed about the Princess' visit."

"Good." The King lifted his face and gave his son a firm stare. "You should be getting ready, she'd be here soon."

"With all due respect, father, I can't marry a girl I don't know."

"She's the Princess of France."

"I don't care who she is. I don't love her." Edward could not believe he dared to say that himself, still he stood tall with no sign of weakness, exactly like his father had taught him.

But instead of showing his concern, the King appeared a bit too calm in reaction to his son's objection to the marriage arrangement.

"Spending too much time with your mother, I see." He shook his head side to side slowly. "Edward, royalties do not marry for love, we marry for duty. And your duty to the kingdom is having that French girl as your wife, for the French are one of our strongest allies."

"So you don't love my mother?"

"I love the Queen because I am married to her, not the other way around," the King asserted as he closed the book in front of him and intertwined his fingers on the table, not a single smile displayed upon his thin lips.

"You are going to marry this Princess, then you will learn to love her."

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For the past fifteen minutes, Harry had been pacing back and forth in the studio with his phone clutched in his hand. His girlfriend hadn't replied to his latest text or called him back and he knew all too well that meant nothing but trouble. It wasn't the first time they fought. In fact, they hadn't gone through one month in their two years together without at least one big argument. It always began with her getting mad at something he did or said, and ended with him begging on his knees for her to stay.

Jeff had been watching Harry from the couch for a while now, and even though it wasn't him who's in hot water, he still got pretty frustrated.

"Harold, could you please just sit down?"

"Lillie, she-"

"Enough with Lillie! You have more important things to take care of over here." Jeff exhales, patting on the pile of folders in front of him to get Harry's attention.