Kapitel 419: Chapter 419
"Christian, the palace is unbelievable. This is all unbelievable." Nora said as Christian lead her into a living room in his wing. It was the only room he had remodeled when he became king. A soft, comfy couch and loveseat along with a large flat screen and shag rug filled the room. Soft lighting and a down stuffed ottoman added to the comfortable ambiance. He wanted a place that he could feel normal, where he could relax. A video game system and billiard table added a man's touch.
"Wow, this room is so comfortable feeling. I wasn't expecting anything like this in a palace." Nora said, turning around and taking it all in. She walked over to a built in bookshelf and looked over his private collection of novels.
"I told you I liked your home." Christian said, smiling and plopping down on the large couch.
"I can see why now. You're kind of girl, you know." Nora joked.
"A man can appreciate comfort. Especially when the majority of his life is spent feeling stuffy and official." Christian said.
"I can completely understand that." Nora said, sitting down next to him.
"Are you prepared for dinner with the rest of my family?" Christian asked.
"I have to be." Nora said. Christian took her hand in his and kissed it.
"You do, but you're not alone. I have your back, always." He said. She smiled and looked into his eyes.
"I love you. I really do. For you. For what you are, inside. All of this is just.. what you do." Nora said.
He smiled and looked away. "But it is real, it is very much a part of loving me. You will have an entirely different life. Auggie was right." Christian said. He continued, "And I want you to make sure you can do that because the last thing I want to do is make you unhappy."
She took his face and turned it towards her. "I want to be with you. Anywhere with you and I am happy. It's truly as simple and as complicated as that. I don't care. I'll do it. I don't know if I will do a good job, if I will fail, but I promise you, I will be happy trying, happier than I could ever imagine." She said.
He smiled and kissed her, pulling her into his arms. "Christian!" Nora protested. "We have dinner in an hour."
"This couch most definitely needs a good breaking in. Let's do that right quick and work up an appetite, shall we?" He kissed her again and moved on top of her.
"That sounds like a perfectly terrible idea." She said, wrapping her legs around him.
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Christian straightened his tie as he watched Nora fix her dress for the tenth time.
"Nora, are you ready?" He asked.
"Yep." She said, nodding and standing as tall as she could. He smiled and offered her his arm.
"Let's go and make a complete mess of it then, shall we?" He asked.
"We shall." She said with a smile. They walked downstairs and to the main dining room where everyone was already gathering. Dylan walked up right away.
"Hey. I'm Dylan." He said, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Nora, right?" He asked.
"Yes. It's wonderful to meet you." She said. Pearl watched them from across the room as she sat up the tea cart.
"It's great to meet you! I hear you are from Michigan, too. That's crazy! Pearl and I are from Grand Rapids. You're Kalamazoo, right?" He asked.
"Yes. Born and raised." She said with a smile.
"Unreal, so awesome." Dylan said. Pearl walked over and shook her hand.
"Your highness." Nora said, bowing.
"Nonsense. I'm Pearl." She said. She looked at Nora with what Christian knew to be her way of reading someone, figuring them out. She was good at it, quite.
"Mother, Dylan, everyone, this is Nora, my fiancée. Nora, this is my family." Christian said.
"Thank you for having me here, in this beautiful place. And thank you for… Christian." Nora said, sincerely and sweetly. Christian smiled and felt his heart fill with pride.
"Nora, it's lovely to meet you." Pearl said, with a smile.
"Holy crap! Christian!! Is it true??!" Isla exclaimed as she ran into the dining room, Gilley not far behind her. She had on a white lace, off the shoulder dress with no shoes. Her thick, auburn hair pulled up into a messy updo. She ran up to Nora and hugged her, hard. "We are going to be sisters! Oh my goodness! I've always wanted a sister! These boys are absolutely detestable and boring. I'm so happy to meet you!" Isla said, kissing her cheek. Gilley tried to hand her a pair of shoes.
"Isla, your shoes." He said.
"Oh not now, Gilley. You're so tedious sometimes." Isla said, shooing him away.
"Wow! I wasn't expecting that. I'm so happy to meet you, Isla." Nora said.
They all sat down at the table. Auggie and Maggie came in and sat down after greeting them.
They passed around bottles of wine and chatted small talk.
"I see you have started without me. How surprised I am." Alexander said sarcastically as he walked in. He was wearing dark, ripped jeans and a black button up shirt, his hair longer than the last time Christian saw him, pulled back into a man bun. A dark red scarf hung from his conch belt and he had a stone pendant around his neck and several leather and silver bracelets around his wrists. He was tall and lean, not as stocky as Christian. He favored Pearl's side very much with her striking features and jawline, brooding gaze, large, deep set grey eyes and perfect, full lipped smile. He could have been a young Paul Newman's twin. The only resemblance he and Christian had was their dark, wavy hair and their voice. They had a similar sounding voice. Christian was stronger and more stout. He resembled Tom Hardy in his facial features. Full lips, rounded face and soft, focused eyes. He had Sebastian's looks. Isla was all Sebastian's mother. Scottish auburn hair and green eyes, beautiful, soft features and always a bit of a wild mess.
"I see you dressed for the occasion, brother." Christian said, looking at Alexander's outfit.
Alexander ignored him and kissed Pearl's cheek, then patted Dylan on the shoulder.
"Mum, Dyl." He said, grabbing a dinner roll, breaking a piece off and eating it. He looked over and noticed Nora, giving her a half smile.
"Nora, this is my brother, Alexander." Christian said.
"Nice to meet you." Nora said.
"Charmed." Alexander said, not even looking in her direction.
An awkward silence fell. "Will Louis be home soon? I'd love my uncle to meet Nora." Christian asked.
"You know Louis. He's on some sabbatical in Tibet. Who knows when he will be home." Pearl said. "So, Christian. Tell me how the two of you met." Pearl asked.
Nora looked at Christian. He sighed and proceeded to tell her the entire story, Isla following along with her hand over her heart and Alexander barely paying attention.
"I helped, I gave him my identification in the beginning for his travels." Gilley said quietly to Isla, hoping to impress her. She ignored him completely and seemed bothered that he spoke at all.
"How sweet, Christian. All of it." Isla said.
"Well, I'm not necessary happy with the fact that you put yourself at risk being without security." Pearl said. "But I'm happy it worked out."
"It certainly did. I've asked Nora to marry me and we are so excited to begin planning her move here." Christian said. They all seemed happy about it. No one said anything negative. No one seemed angry with him. It was going well, too well. Too well, indeed. He looked around and noticed it. How could he not have? They were all putting on a front in Nora's presence. Everyone except Alexander and Isla, that is. Alex was incapable of lying, it would be beneath him and Isla was too into her own world to bother with a facade. He looked over at his mother and saw it in her face. Dylan seemed genuinely happy to meet her but he was also loyal to Pearl. And Auggie and Maggie had the fakest smiles he had ever seen. He decided to call their bluff.
"And we are so happy together and happy you are thrilled for us, that we are thinking about maybe even eloping. Maybe sooner rather than later. Maybe even this month." Christian said. He looked over at Nora, whose jaw was just as much on the floor as everyone else's.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein