The Crown

Chapter Twenty One

*THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO @Mariam_Siddiqui0147*

"This looks hideous!" Beatrice complained, twirling around in the uncomfortable and unnecessarily huge dress Tobias wanted her to try on. "I look like a balloon!"

"Do not be so mean to the balloon family," Tobias teased as he stood from his bed. "What did they ever do to you?"

Beatrice crossed her arms and tried to keep a straight face. "They were the inspiration for this dress, that's what they did."

Tobias laughed and placed his hands on her waist, staring at her annoyed face. "You should start getting used to it."

Beatrice furrowed her brows. "Why would I ever?"

This time, it was he who furrowed his brows. "Beatrice, you do understand that our relationship has grown more steady now."

Her heart beat anxiously as she took a step back. "Oh, it's not as if you were courting me, Tobias. You have not even properly terminated your courtship to Princess Lauren!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means our relationship can't grow more serious if some of us are still tied to others," she explained slowly, nervous her words would come out wrong. "Besides, I do not yet know if I am prepared to enter a relationship of such sort with a prince just yet."

Tobias faltered, somewhat hurt by her words. "I am serious of my intention to be with you, Beatrice. I intend on marrying you one day."

"Marriage?!" she squealed incredulously, her head pounding. 

Beatrice, since she met Tobias, had always been afraid of committing into an exclusive relationship because of her fear he would reject her one day. 

But now, he was talking about marriage!

The idea of marriage was one she dreamed about since she was a little girl, but having it dangle in front of her left her almost dreading the idea. She longed to marry Tobias one day, but the stress of getting to that point with him and their respective family members was a lot to remember. Their relationship was moving fast, and truth be told, the idea of marriage now seemed foreign to her. 

It is not a marriage to another person from the village; it is a marriage to a Royal. How can he speak so nonchalantly? she wondered. 

To her defense, it was the first time they had ever really talked about a future together. There was always a part of her that believed their relationship could be nothing more than where it was now; she somewhat believed there would come a time that she would leave the castle and return to her life in the village.

Hell, Tobias was about to marry the princess before the attack intervened, she remembered.

"Think about it, Tobias," she continued. "Had the marriage happened between you and Princess Lauren, where would I be now?"

"You have been in my life as long as the princess. I would have never gone through with the marriage so long as you were by my side," he promised.

"And what of your parents?" she sighed. "I doubt incredibly that they would be so open as to accept a servant into the Royal family. You must think about the realities of our world!"

"Perhaps you need to cease from constantly thinking about them!" he countered. "I love you - you must trust me in doing right by you!"

"I do believe you love me, Tobias," she held his hands. "And, I do long to be with you."

Tobias reached for her dress, stroking her waist. "I want to give you all I can offer, Beatrice. And, if that means choosing you over anything material this castle could give me, I would continue to choose you."