Bab 25: Chapter 24.

Charlotte stared at him, adrenaline coursing in her veins. Her heart hammered in her chest, pumping frantically.

"I feel like I'm doing something wrong." She said.

"You're not."

"Anyone could see us."

"You're not engaged to him yet, Charlotte." he moved closer to her. Charlotte closed her eyes in anticipation. He missed her lips by a very small margin and whispered in her ear. "And you don't have to be."

She opened her eyes and stared at him. There was no humor in his eyes. He held her gaze.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'll help you escape if you want."

"Where would I go?"

"Anywhere? Everywhere."

"Why would you help me?"

"I told you. I want to get to know you." he seemed to debate about something, decide against it, then he sat back, creating a distance between them.

Charlotte suddenly felt cold at the distance between them.

"I would," she said, "but I don't know what the king would do to the people I leave behind."

"The king would never hurt your father."

"I have friends. People I care about."

"The prince?" there was jealousy in his voice.

"No," she said, almost too fast. Almost too defensive. What was she doing?

She took in a deep breath.

"Would you really help me?" she asked.

His eyes were sincere, a painful smile on his face as he said, "I know this doesn't make any sense to you, but I would do anything you wanted me to."

Charlotte was surprised by the look in his eyes. Suddenly guilty, she looked away. She felt as if she had manipulated him somehow, though she did not knowhow. She wanted to apologize for something she had not done.

she wondered what the odds were that she'd been looking for someone to help her sneak into the convoy when she had met him. It seemed God was on her side this time. She decided not to let the opportunity pass.

"I was thinking of sneaking into the convoy when you leave. I don't even know why," she rambled. "I think I just want to see something outside the castle before I'm locked behind it forever."

"So you will say yes when he asks?" Edward's voice was hard.

"Probably."

He nodded as if he understood, but didn't say anything.

"My father always says the best way to deal with something you cannot run from is to face it," she said.

"A wise man, he is. Does he know of your plans?"

"No, I just thought about it, will you help me?"

"Of course, I'll do anything you say."

Charlotte looked away, "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

She refused to answer him, staring at a bird that pecked at its feet a few feet away. The bird caught her staring and looked at her curiously before suddenly fling away.

Edward moved even closer, taking her hands in his.

"Are you okay being part of the monarchy?" he asked.

She looked at him, "Do I have a choice?"

"Run away, with me. My father has vast lands and many men, no one would dare follow you there. Even the king is afraid of making my father angry."

Charlotte smiled painfully at yet another sense of Deja Vu. Only days ago, her friend Adam had made her the same offer.

"I don't even know you, Sir Edward."

"And yet, I get the feeling that I'm the only person you trust in this palace right now."

"Trust is not enough, Edward, I have made my peace with the situation I'm in."

He let go of her hands, and the look on his face reminded her of the one Oliver had given her a year ago, before cutting her off completely from his life. Would she lose him too, before she had a chance to know him better?

At that moment, Charlotte hated herself. It seemed to her that all she ever did was hurt the people she cared about. Her heart broke for him.

"Do you hate me?" her voice was small.

"I would never," he answered, his voice firm. She believed him, unsure where that left them.

They sat in silence for a while.

"I'll tell you the escape plan by tomorrow."

"Thank you," her voice was sincere. "I don't know how to repay you."

"Just don't die," the humor in his voice was back. She smiled.

"I told you I'm a better fighter than you are, if I die, you will be long gone."

"I would schedule a spar with you if you weren't a princess to confirm this."

"You still can…"

He put up a hand to stop her.

"I will leave you now, someone is coming."

"How can you tell?" Charlotte asked, hearing nothing, but he was already standing up to leave.

He planted a kiss on her cheek, "Ciao, Madame, I will see you later."

He disappeared into the bushes, and almost two seconds later, her guard appeared before her, surprised to find her alone.

"The prince calls for you, My Lady," he said, bowing.

"What for? I was just with him." Charlotte asked, her mood turning sour.

"I wouldn't dare assume His Highness's intentions," he bowed again.

"I wanted you with me as we view my brother's body in the chapel." Oliver comes out from behind the guard, dressed in his royal purple robes.

He dismissed the guard with a flick of his wrist.

"I was told you weren't alone in the gardens," he said, looking around.

"I didn't know my friends needed your approval, Your Highness." Charlotte's voice came out colder than she had intended.

'Maybe I should have taken Edward's offer to run away.' She thought.

"You don't," Oliver said, hating his choice of words.

He sighed.

"We are going to view my brother's body with the rest of the castle, he will be buried tomorrow, my father wants the people to move on as fast as they can. He thought it would be better if you were introduced to the public today before I ask for your hand tomorrow."

"Of course." Charlotte stood up and took his hand. "I'll need to stop by my chambers and change my clothes and bandages."

She wondered at how he spoke of his brother. Did no one in the palace care that Fredrick was dead?

The chapel was filled to the brim when Charlotte and the royal family walked in. The king led the procession to the altar where the coffin containing Fredrick's body was placed. His son followed closely behind him, with Charlotte at his arm. The others followed behind them.

People stared curiously at Charlotte.

'What is she doing here?' they whispered.

'I hear she is to marry the prince.'

'Her father secured her place, how smart.'

'I hear she seduced him as he grieved for his dead brother.'

'Oh, yes, men are very vulnerable when they are grieving.'

'How selfish,'

'I heard she is being forced to marry him.'

'Who would dare force Sir Sebastian to do anything?'

'I knew her when she was a child, who knew she would grow up to be like this?'

'I cannot see her as a queen, she is so improper.'

The women and gossiping girls did not try to be subtle with their opinions. Charlotte tried to block them out but found it difficult as the king kept stopping to shake his people's hands, and so she too had to stop and smile at the sneering faces.

The girls would look adoringly at the prince, who would smile charmingly at them, then they would turn their eyes to her and if looks could kill, Charlotte would have died the minute she stepped foot into the palace.

"You couldn't have chosen one of these beautiful girls?" she whispered to Oliver. "You know they would worship you with their love."

"I don't wish to be worshipped. And I didn't choose you, my father did," he whispered back, sending her a look that told her she was not supposed to be speaking.

They continued up the aisle, and with every step they took, Charlotte's grief weighed heavier on her. Her friend was in the golden box at the end of the aisle. She was not ready to see him, let alone say farewell.

She began to drag back, walking slower. Afraid of what lay ahead.

She tugged at Oliver's arm.

"I don't want to see the body," she said pleadingly, tears stinging her eyes.

"You have to, the king insisted. I don't either and you don't hear me whining about it." His voice was cold. He did not look at her.

Charlotte's heart was pumping blood too fast, her breath was coming short, and the room began to spin.

The king was at the opened box. He shook his head, planted a kiss on his dead son's forehead, and moved on.

Then it was their turn.

Charlotte let Oliver lead her up the stairs to the box numbly, her heart beating in her ear.

The minute she laid her eyes on her dear friend, her breath grew shallow, and she felt herself lose her balance and drop to the floor as her head became lightheaded, and then the world turned black.