After an incognito trip back to the palace, my father, Louis, and I went secretly to the king's study. If we had openly left the prison, the crowd might have rioted, seeing Louis alive and it would have been dangerous for all of us. So here we were with the world still in the dark about the status of Louis' canceled execution. Soon though, they would find out and the riots would undoubtedly start.
Louis held my hand while we stood in front of my father's desk as the old man slumped down into his chair with a great sigh. I hadn't known what to say for the past thirty minutes, I was still in shock. Louis' hand in mine felt warm and reassuring and my shoulder instinctively leaned into him.
"I have conditions if you want to keep him alive. Two options for you to choose from." The king began, speaking to me.
"What are they?" I murmured, barely able to speak. I kept my gaze on the Verdelle insignia, a mask and two cinnamon sticks, adorning a golden medallion that hung around his neck, because the expression on his face made me nervous.
My father looked very serious as he leaned forward over his desk. "There is no way that I will allow Louis Tomlinson to be king of this land, or even a prince after everything he's done to my kingdom. Therefore, if your priority is to remain married to him, you both must leave the country and forfeit the crown to Finn."
Distraught, I glanced at Louis. The gravity of this news didn't quite hit me all at once, but I understood it. If we wanted to stay married, we'd have to leave and not come back. The king didn't look pleased telling me this. His eyes were sad. Obviously, he would be heartbroken if I chose to leave him, but he cared about me so much that he was still giving me the option.
"And the second option?" I hesitantly asked.
"If your priority is to remain in Verdelle and one day be queen, you must divorce Louis. He would either leave the country forever, or he would be allowed to stay here if you wish, but only as a servant, more specifically, a slave." He explained solemnly.
My head was reeling at the undesirable options we had. Give up my entire future as queen to stay married to Louis, or keep my claim to the throne but with Louis a slave and not my husband. When I looked to Louis for his thoughts, he avoided my gaze. I knew he wanted me to claim the throne one day. I wanted that too, but I also wanted him.
"I can't be queen and be married to him?" I frowned.
"I'm afraid not. He will never have a position of authority over anyone in this kingdom, ever again." My father said.
"You need to stay." Louis spoke up, turning to me. I didn't like his tone.
"But you'll be forced to be a slave." I replied.
"No, you have to stay here, Aria. Verdelle needs you and I'm not going to let you throw away the crown... But I'm going to go. I'll leave the kingdom and you'll stay here and carry out your destiny. You'll be better off without me." Louis said, glancing at the king who nodded in approval.
"What? No, that's not going to happen. Five seconds ago I thought I was going to lose you forever, don't make me go through the again." I stepped away from him, upset that he would even consider that.
"I'll be alive, just not with you. Listen, sweetheart. I don't deserve you. I'm a bad man and I've done terrible things worthy of death. Don't you see? This is best." Louis tried to make me understand and I did, but I didn't want to. Once again, he was making all the decisions.
I couldn't stop the tears that began to fill my eyes. I wanted to yell at him to stop telling me what was best, but he was right this time. I knew he was right and yet I had fallen in love with him. Not the lying thieving criminal he once was, but the new beautiful caring man I watched bloom over the past year. He was a crucial piece of my future that I needed in my life, even if we had to keep our distance as a royal and a slave.
"I'm going to go, alright?" Louis said softly.
Nothing I could think of would convince him to stay. He thought he knew what was best for me and was only trying to help. I loved him even more for doing so, but I just wouldn't let this happen. I had just lost my mother, I would not lose him too. Then the answer suddenly came to me.
"Give me your hand." I whispered, reaching out.
Sadly, he held his hand out and I grasped it, pulling him toward me. He probably expected me to kiss him, but instead, I placed his palm over my slightly swollen stomach. He was confused for a second, peering down at his hand. But then I watched realization flicker over his features and his gaze darted up to my face.
"What?"
"I only found out this morning. You needed to know before making a final decision." I said quietly.
"You're pregnant?" He gaped, touching my stomach with both hands now and softly feeling me.
Nodding with a tearful smile, I said, "Yes, Louis. That typically happens when you have..." Suddenly remembering my father was in the room, I closed my mouth in embarrassment.
"This changes things." Louis said, still clearly shocked over the news.
"So you'll stay?" I asked.
He nodded, pulling me into a hug as he rested his nose against my neck. "No way am I leaving you now."
Squeezing him tighter, I couldn't help crying against his solid chest. The relief I felt was overwhelming. The realization of everything that had happened finally hit me all at once and I was flooded with all sorts of emotions. I thought Louis was going to die today, I found out I was pregnant, my father cancelled the execution, and now by some miracle we could still be close to each other. Louis held me and gently stroked my hair.
"So it's decided then? You'll both remain in the palace unmarried." The king spoke up after a moment.
Struggling to get control of myself, I wiped my swollen eyes and nodded. "That's what we've decided."
The king stood to his feet, grunting with the effort as he leaned on his cane. "Then let's take care of the formalities before anything else."
• Louis' POV •
Some time later, Aria and I stood side by side in the magnificent palace throne room. I had only been here once pretending to be a guard, but the grandeur of the room still took my breath away. It seemed like a hundred years ago when I had once dreamed of sitting on that throne. That dream seemed silly to me now. How did I once care so much about becoming king, when now all I cared about was Aria? King Bellamy sat on his throne and guards lined the surrounding walls. Prince Finn and Princess Flora stood beside the king. A table was in front of us with a few papers and a feathered pen.
After this day, Aria and I wouldn't be married anymore and I would become a slave. While the thought of being the lowest of the low was horrifying, I was ready to submit to it if it meant being near Aria and our child. I could be close to her without jeopardizing her future as queen. Aria had changed into a different dress, making her look like the royal she was and her jeweled tiara rested atop her red hair.
All too soon, it was time to sign the papers. Aria was clearly reluctant to do this, but I knew it was best for her. She could learn how to live separate from me again without me making all of the decisions for her. It might take time, but she would eventually realize this step would be beneficial for the both of us in the long run. Of course I was unhappy too, but this was a good idea. I hadn't been feeling good about the marriage for a long while now.
I went first, sighing my name and then I handed her the fancy feathered pen. She took it with a shaky hand and signed after me, ending our marriage just like that. When she stepped back, she fiddled with her mother's ring on her finger, but didn't take it off.
"Now, for the second matter at hand. Louis Tomlinson, you've agreed to become a servant here at the palace. While Verdelle doesn't normally accept any form of slavery, I'm making an exception for you. You will remain here at the palace per Princess Aria's request and work without pay. No one will be lower than you. Anyone has the authority to give you orders. You will wear an ankle tracker at all times. If you agree to these terms, sign the contract before you."
My heart sank a little at the gravity of what I had agreed to. I would be the lowest of the low with no freedom whatsoever. Even the servants who shoveled horse shît out of the stables could order me around. I hesitated for a second, but when I glanced over at Aria standing there looking beautiful and perfect, I picked up the pen and signed my name. She was worth it.
The King stood to his feet. "It is final. To ensure the safety of my kingdom after my inevitable passing, I hereby decree that Louis Tomlinson legally cannot be king of Verdelle. This new law cannot be changed."
King Bellamy signed another paper that someone brought to him and verified it with his royal seal. Trumpets began playing, signaling that everything was final. I looked at Aria who seemed sad, but she had a smile on her face. At least we were together. Before we could speak, a guard came over and strapped a device onto my ankle and it beeped.
"If you try to remove this, it will inject you with a tranquilizer. So don't try anything funny. Now come with me." The guard said.
I had no choice but to follow since I had just signed all of my rights away. I was at the bottom of the food chain and Aria was at the top. We'd completely switched places from where we were in the beginning. Aria moved to follow, but then the double doors at the end of the room opened, revealing that dîckhead prince.
When she noticed who was entering the throne room, she whispered to me, "I'll find you later."
I didn't want to leave her there with the băstard who hurt her. The sight of the prince filled me with fury and all I wanted to do was go over there and beat him to death, but I couldn't exactly disobey the very first order I was given as a slave. I had no choice but to leave with the guard. Fûck. I already hated this shît.
• Aria's POV •
After Louis had to leave, I joined my father from Mother's throne. The king banished Silas from Verdelle and commanded that he never return. I could tell Silas was burning with rage that his plan had failed and he would never marry me or become king of my kingdom. I made sure to mock him with a pleased smile when he looked back at me while he was being escorted out of the throne room. A reporter had been allowed to witness the event so Silas would be disgraced on national television. Now the world would finally learn how wicked the arrogant prince really was. Hopefully no woman would fall prey to his evilness ever again.
By then, the world had discovered that Louis' execution had been cancelled indefinitely and riots had begun outside the palace gates. You could hear them from practically every window in the palace. The people wanted him to die for his crimes. For hours they shouted and yelled, waving signs with things he had done and things that Mason had done while posing as Louis. Most of the worst crimes were committed by Mason but they didn't know that.
When I explained this to my father, he decided to execute Mason to hopefully appease the thirst for justice from the citizens of Verdelle. Mason had been sentenced to die anyway for murdering the queen, but had only been kept alive for the information he had concerning Louis. So it was that very evening when Mason was executed with the hope that it would calm the people down some.
It was late that night when I managed to get away to find Louis. Felix lead me to the servant's quarters to a room that was locked. He unlocked it for me and let me inside, saying he would wait in the hallway. When I went in I saw Louis leaning against the wall on his bed. The room was very small and drab, probably the worst place to sleep in the entire palace besides the dungeon. There weren't even any windows! His ankle not only had the tracker locked around it, but there was also a cuff with a long chain which was bolted to the wall so he couldn't leave the room even if the door was unlocked.
"Baby girl." His face instantly lit up as he got off the bed and came to me.
The length of chain forced him to stop part way and I could see the frustration on his face. As I reached him we embraced, just standing their in each other's arms for a long time before either of us spoke.
"Are you going to be alright here?" I asked him doubtfully.
"I'll be fine. The dungeon was worse." He joked, but I could sense he wasn't thrilled with his new living situation. "At least I'll be forced to learn humility."
"Humility is more attractive than pride anyway." I tried to make him feel better.
We went and sat on the uncomfortable bed and I took his hand. "I'm sure they'll loosen the reigns a little once they see how well behaved you're going to be. Then maybe you can stay with me some nights."
"I'd like that." He smiled.
When I caught him staring at the chain on his ankle, I said softly, "I'll change things when I'm queen. It won't always be like this."
"I'm just happy that I can still see you." He assured me, leaning toward me.
We shared a gentle kiss, but I pulled away. "Louis..."
He touched my chin tenderly. "What is it?"
"We're not married anymore. I think...I think we shouldn't be intimate during this time." I said tentatively.
"Oh..." He stopped touching me. He looked quite disappointed with my request.
"But..." I added, lifting my hand to tip his face up again so he would look at me. "I'm not opposed to heavy kissing."
His eye twinkled at that and his eyebrow raised. "Oh?"
"Stop saying oh." I laughed.
He grinned widely and moved in, kissing me hard. My body was filled with excitement at the feeling of his mouth on me again. I eagerly wrapped my arms around him, returning his kisses with fervor. We became so lost in each other that I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I found myself on my back with Louis on top, hungrily kissing my neck. I wanted nothing more than to just keep going, but I knew we shouldn't.
Thankfully, Felix knocked on the door, saying that it was time to leave Louis for the night. If he hadn't interrupted, I would have thrown away all rational thoughts and let Louis have his way with me. As I reluctantly made my way to the door, I looked back at Louis whose hair was all messed up and his lips were swollen. He definitely didn't want me to go. The bulge in his trousers was evidence enough of that.
"Don't worry, we can do this whenever we want now." I gave him a sly smile, which was rewarded with a longingly lustful look from him.
"See you tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.
"See you tomorrow." I smiled.
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One chapter left guys!! I have it mostly written already. But before I post it, it would be super helpful if you all would give me any questions that you want answered by the end so I can be sure I don't forget anything.
I'll probably post the last chapter in the next couple days. 😱