Cherry On Top (The Hollens Book 4)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Emily's POV

"I can't believe the Queen is coming tomorrow," Sebastian stated as he ran his hand down his face.

"What does she have to do with anything?" I asked and he looked at me as if I had asked him the world's dumbest question.

"We're still governed by her laws so, basically, she has everything to do with everything," he answered in a technical way and I picked up on it. 

He walked out of the room, leaving me feeling dumb.

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Sebastian's POV

I walked into my bathroom and took a rather long shower. I allowed the water to run over my hair to my toes and my father's words echoed in the back of my mind again. I had no plans on getting married again, and I was not about to shake in my boots because the Queen was coming.

Turning the shower off, I got dressed and went to join the world's most stubborn father in the grand hall room and, to my utmost surprise, the Queen was already present, sitting at the other head of the table.

I bowed to her politely before reaching out my right hand to hers.

"My pardons for not greeting you earlier, Your Majesty," I addressed, telling her that I wasn't aware of her presence would have been extremely rude.

"Prince Sebastian, how does it feel to take in your father's footstep?" she kindly asked, unaware of the personal war between my father and me and having two women caught in the crossfire. 

I looked at my father and he looked back at me with narrowed eyes.

"Well, Your Majesty, I'm very honored to take my place as King." 

My father smiled at me but my expression remained serious.

"Your mother would be so proud. I believe I speak for everyone when I say she's greatly miss."

I nodded.

"King Fabian, though I'll say that the ceremony tomorrow is rather sudden, it's a pleasure to be in your palace again."

"Thank you very much. I'm very humbled to have you," my father said back.

I twisted the cap to the bottle of water in front of me and brought the lid to my lips for a drink.

"Princess Naomi, it's also nice to see you again. How are you feeling about the wedding?" the Queen asked.

"Very excited, Your Highness. I love him so much." She beamed. 

I slightly shook my head but, with the sharp eyes of the Queen, she caught it.

"Is something wrong, Sebastian?" the Queen, causing my father's eyes to flare at me with rage, like they were daring me to keep my mouth shut and not make a scene.

"Yes, something is very wrong. Matter of fact, a lot of things are wrong," I aired.

"Oh?" She looked to my father and he instantly try to play everything off with awful laughter.

"I assure you that nothing is wrong. My son, here, just enjoys blowing the smallest of things out of proposition."

"Do I?" I asked. "Planning a marriage behind my back, TWICE, forcing me to get married to someone who I don't love, is the smallest of things?"

"Sebastian, for the last time, please don't make a scene. We have a guest, and it's the Queen. Why can't you just understand that everything I'm doing is for your own benefit?" He tried to control the rising of his voice, but I knew he wanted to scream at me. That was all he had been doing lately. Screaming.

"I sense there's tension, not usually my taste, but as the person with the approval of royal weddings by the Kingdoms, Naomi, I'd like to start with you, what's wrong dear?" the Queen asked her.

"You see, Your Highness, I'm trying my all to show Prince Sebastian how much I love him and care about him, but he won't allow it. Since my presence, we've been on one date— only one. His father wants him to get married to me, I want that as well, but he won't. He doesn't want to merge my country with his."

I chuckled lightly.

"Sebastian, your turn."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. She's right. I don't want to get married to he,r but she's wrong about the reason why I don't want to. I love someone else. I'm in love with someone else. I know how this bond with marriage is important to the Kingdoms, but I can't go against my heart and my happiness for a merger.

"Naomi, you seem like a nice person. I tried to love you, I really did, but there's no connection, no spark, nothing. You should be with someone who loves you back. You deserve that.

"Dad, I love you. You know that I do, but we can't continue down this path. I can pledge for Scots, but I cannot married the Princess. I need you to understand me. Please just understand me. Emily means a lot to me. I love her, Dad," I pleaded to my father.

My father nodded.

Is he agreeing with me?

"Okay son," his voice came and I burst into happy tears. 

You have no idea how much those two simple words meant to me.

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Princess Naomi's POV

I looked at Fabian as if he had two heads. Agreeing with Sebastian was not a part of the plan. After the meeting, and the Queen had retired to her guest bedroom, I went to find the King in his office.

"What was that in there? You're agreeing to let Sebastian not marry me? Have you forgotten about my father?"

"Naomi, I love you like my own daughter. Your father and I have been the best of friends, I guess I feel like I owe him, and having you marry my son was a debt being repaid, but Sebastian is his own person. He doesn't want to marry you, and I've forced him enough. I don't want to lose my only son like how I lost his mother."

"THIS IS UNFAIR! You can't do this to me."

"Naomi, it's over! The wedding, the plots of killing Emily, it's all over. What kind of man plots to kill a pregnant woman because she's in love with his son?"

He had melted. He had melted in favor of Emily instead of me, but you know what they say: If you want something done right then do it yourself.

I'll just have to get rid of Emily by myself, and then, when Sebastian has no one to love, he'll have to settle for marrying me.