Ever After | Book 2 of the Selected Series

7.

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Day four

Leaving his fourth meeting of the day, Harry loosened his tie to try and ease his breaths. He somehow managed to go through the conferences smoothly, pushing aside any worries to focus on the political issues. But now that he had a little moment to rest before his next meeting with King Rupert, he felt his problems crash back on him like a tsunami. He had no news from Katie since this morning and she didn't follow him all day, only telling him what to do and where to go through emails. He took his phone out, still seeing no notifications from her but a cheering message from Louis.

He let out a deep sigh as he stared at his lockscreen portraying a picture of him and Madison lounging at their beach house, sun kissed and smiles so big and happy. He felt his heart tighten in pain, guilt dripping in his stomach. Harry missed her so fucking much, it was making it hard to breathe, but he just couldn't face her. He trusted Katie when it came to reassuring his girlfriend, but he knew Mady will grow suspicious with time. But he wasn't ready to talk to her yet, smile and tell her 'I love you' knowing the awful things he did. He made the decision to contact Madison only after his assistant took care of things and he was anxiously waiting for Katie's messages. What was taking her so long?

After sending a quick reply to Louis, he placed his phone back inside his pocket and headed outside the parliament building, stepping inside his waiting car. They reached the King of England's Cambridge domain in half an hour and he was greeted by King Rupert's oldest daughter, Dorothy, who was walking her dog outside.

"Good Afternoon, Miss Dorothy." He smiled at her, the young teen blushing up at him, blue eyes twinkling and curly brown locks falling loosely around her head. She wasn't Kimberly's daughter, her mother was the King's previous wife who passed away many years ago, but Kim treated her like her own.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." She nodded at him, picking up her baby English Cocker and caressing his brown fur.

"Finally a nice day out" Harry exclaimed with a wide smile as she fell in step with him, the dog wiggling in her arms and looking up at Harry with glistening eyes. He really wanted a dog, Madison and him talked of getting one eventually. The thought of her made his smile waver but he tried to maintain composure and kept grinning at the young princess as she told him about her summer days now that school was over.

"Prince Harry! Good Afternoon dear friend." He recognized Rupert's voice immediately upon entering the castle, the tall, dark haired man reaching for a handshake. "Hopefully your trip was delightful," He smiled and Harry nodded. His eyes diverted to his daughter, his grin growing wider. "I hope Dorothy didn't annoy you too much, did she?"

"Miss Dorothy was lovely; I could never get tired of her amazing tales." Harry winked at the young girl who turned crimson, hiding her smile behind her dog's fur. The King laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair before indicating Harry to follow him to his office.

King Rupert sighed upon entering the massive and luxurious office, bookshelves took up most of the walls except for one dedicated to paintings of the past monarchs. Gold decorations fit nicely with the heavy, dark wood and a magnificent Persian carpet covered the floor. "I'm glad I can finally reassure Kimberly" The King chuckled, taking a seat on his office chair. "These delayed meetings had her worrying too much and she gets upset easily while pregnant."

"My deepest apologies for the delays. I haven't been feeling...well lately." Harry cleared his throat, sitting across from the King. "I didn't want my poor health to infer with the discussions."

"Fair enough." The King nodded. "I believe this must be more of a hassle for you, given the wedding in a few weeks." Harry could feel his hands sweating and he rubbed them on his thighs. "But I'm certain Miss Madison is taking care of things well."