The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

61. Louis

*earlier that day*

     "What do you plan on doing today?" I ask Bella as she brushes her hair, and she shrugs. Last night, when we were strolling through the garden, we got to know each other a bit more. To my surprise, she said I could call her Bella, if I wanted to. She said her friends call her that sometimes. At first, I was disgusted at the idea that she thinks of me as her friend, considering we've been doing nothing but arguing ever since we met. Well, when I say arguing, I mean me listening to her scolding me.

     "I don't know yet," she responds. I sit up on the bed and rest my back on the headboard, recalling how relieved I was yesterday when she said I could sleep in my bed. God, I sound pathetic. "Maybe I'll spend some time with the Queen today, I haven't seen much of her since I first arrived."

     "That should be fun, Mother absolutely adores you," I comment, and it's true. I've often overheard Mother gushing about her favorite daughter-in-law, even though Bella and I haven't married yet. It's not surprising, though. Tadia is basically nonexistent now, she refuses to leave her room and is acting like a stuck up bitch, and I've heard that Vivienne, the girl Harry is to marry, is incredibly annoying. Out of the three of them, Bella would definitely be anyone's favorite.

     "Does she?" Bella asks with a smile. "That's good. I'd like to have a good relationship with my soon-to-be mother. Do you think she'll let me call her 'Mother' one day?"

     I shrug. "How should I know?" I ask in a snappy voice. It gets quiet between us, and I can tell she's in deep thought as she mindlessly strokes her hair.

     "Louis?" She calls out my name as I pick at my fingernails, and I hum in response. "I know we haven't really been getting along well but, if you're willing to be a bit nicer to me, I think I wouldn't mind being in this situation."

     "Well, I'm sorry you're in this situation to begin with. It must be the absolute worst to get to marry a handsome Prince and live in the biggest palace in all of Leria, where you'll have countless servants to do whatever you say," I retort. Then, I feel a sting of guilt when I see her face. Something's wrong with her, she'll usually respond with a witty comeback. "...Sorry."

     "It's alright," she quietly responds, turning back to the vanity. "I just want to make the best of this, because I know that neither of us really wants to marry the other."

     "Well, you've got a point there," I scratch the back of my head.

     "And you seemed really nice last night, in the garden," she comments. Then, she giggles. "Why can't you be like that all the time?"

     Honestly, I don't know what came over me last night. It was almost as if I felt a compulsive need to show her I'm not a complete asshole.

     "We really are going to marry each other..." I state my thoughts out loud, and she nods. "Holy shit."

     "What do you think is going to happen?" She asks. "To us, I mean."

     I furrow my brows. "What?" We've never really sat down and actually talked about our lives together.

     "Do you think we could actually learn to live with each other?" Bella asks, but I remain silent. I don't think she'd want to hear my answer. "And I don't mean to frighten you, but this must be addressed, as well: I've always wanted to have children, and I was wondering if maybe...we could possibly...some time in the future...have one ourselves."

     I gasp so hard that I begin choking on air. I lean forward, coughing my lungs out, and she widens her eyes and runs to me. She pats my back, and my coughs subside. I look at her worried face, and I throw the blanket off of me, rushing to my feet and stumbling away from her.