Chapter 19

Edward

This is the best day of my fucking life. Gwen and I are standing side by side on the palace steps, preparing to make the announcement that will forever change our destinies.

Cecil has officially called off our previous engagements. He says Ignora received the news with as much decorum as could be expected, which probably means her head made a 360-degree turn while he tried to fend her off with holy water.

I didn’t ask Cecil how de Roach reacted because I don’t give a shit what he thinks. He was so unforgivably rude to Gwen that even if I hadn’t intervened, someone else probably would have. She’s better off without him.

More specifically, she’s better off with me as her husband and king. And now no one will ever keep us apart. In just a few moments, we’re going to officially announce our plans to become husband and wife, king and queen, lover and most loved.

“Is it true that you’re getting married for real now?” a reporter shouts from the crowd.

The paparazzi are all around us, breathlessly waiting to confirm what the tabloids have been speculating about for days.

The royal party planners have balloons and streamers that are ready to be released as soon as I say the word. This is a celebration, and Gwen and I have agreed that everyone assembled here should be able to share in our happiness.

When it comes to the tabloids, the only thing my people love to read about more than gossip and scandal is true love. Everyone wants to believe that romance is alive and well. Now they’ll know it exists right here in our kingdom.

“Yes,” I confirm, and the balloons and streamers hit the sky in a riot of colors. “Gwen is my fiancée now and my one true queen.” I reach for my bride-to-be, take her in my arms, and pull her close to me, eager to claim her as my own and so grateful that I’ll never have to let her go.

I’m also holding her in front of me to hide my erection. It’s all I can do not to ravish her right here on the palace steps. I love the way her body fits so perfectly in my arms.

I wonder if I could tastefully squeeze one of her boobs right now...no, probably not. Oh, well. We are declaring our love once and for all, and that’s what’s important.

“What made you finally decide to change your mind?” another reporter asks, thrusting her microphone under my face to catch every word.

I smile at Gwen and gently take her hand. Then I lean into the microphone and say for the world to hear, “I couldn’t deceive my people by betraying my own heart. I’ve always loved Gwen, and I don’t see any reason to hide it. This country was founded on honesty and integrity, and I intend to honor that tradition throughout my reign, starting with this wedding.”

“But what about Ignora, your former fiancée? Aren’t you breaking your promise to her and her family?”

This reporter really knows how to kill the mood. She must be one of Ignora’s relatives.

“The promise I made to all of you was to marry the woman who will be best for the kingdom. Ignora is a...wonderful woman...” I stammer.

There’s a fine line between honesty and rudeness, and it’s one I must be careful not to cross with so many reporters in attendance.

“But Gwen is the best woman to serve as my wife and your new queen,” I continue. “She is genuine, enthusiastic, and most importantly, she is progressive.”

“Here’s to progress!” Cecil yells, and the crowd erupts into cheers for our nation, our future, and the royal wedding.

Gwen’s friends rush to the front of the steps to offer her their best wishes, which are long overdue, and I accept their handshakes as well.

When the noise dies down, Cecil calls on another reporter for one last interview before we’re released from our crowd-wrangling duties. She pushes her way to the front of the pack and adjusts the lens of her camera to focus on our faces, which by now must be glowing.

“Princess Gwen,” she says, “how did you know that King Edward was the man for you?”

“For me, it was love at first sight,” she says, blushing. “But as I’ve gotten to know him better, I realize that there’s so much more to him than meets the eye. He rules with his heart because he knows the difference between what is proper and what is right. He has always treated me like a queen, and I know he always will.”

My heart swells at her description of me as a noble bridegroom and ruler—who is also good-looking. But what does she think about me as a lover? I really wish one of these reporters would ask her this because I’m dying to hear her say it.

“How will you be spending your honeymoon?” the reporter asks instead.

It’s not as direct of a question as I’d hoped, but at least she’s getting warmer. In my country, the honeymoon begins in bed and ends when one or both partners are completely spent and simply must give up and rest.

The wedding guests make bets on how long that will be. Whatever the record is, I intend to beat it.

“Our honeymoon? Wow, that’s hard to say,” Gwen says, backing into me and rubbing up on the front of my pants, which are already bursting at the seams. “But we’ll definitely be traveling all around the kingdom so the king can show me how effectively he rules in every province and town.”

Oh my god. First, she helped me defile the throne room. Now, she’s offering to help me defile the entire kingdom.

This could take months. Years, even.

And I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly accept her challenge.

Because that is how much the progress of our nation means to me.

“Thank you all for sharing our special announcement with us!” I say in conclusion, backing away from the crowd. “I will look forward to celebrating with you once again on our royal wedding day!”

Taking Gwen’s hand, I retreat from the cheering crowd and duck inside the palace. “You were wonderful, my love,” I tell her after I shut the door behind us. “You handled those reporters like a true queen.”

“Thank you,” she says modestly. “Where are we off to now?”

It’ll take forever for us to make it all the way to the bedroom with so many staircases and doors in our way, so I settle for the royal coat closet in the foyer.

This will be my first official rendezvous with my betrothed, and I don’t care whose coat or hat knows it. “Now that we’re official, are you ready to make it even more official, my bride and queen-to-be?”

“Yes, my king and husband-to-be,” she replies.

I take her in my arms and lower her onto a cushioned bench. It’s both soft and sturdy, and I will have to thank the palace decorators later for their foresight and attention to detail.

But first, I kiss Gwen slowly and tenderly, savoring this first moment of pleasure since our big announcement. Exploring her body, I find it supple beneath my touch.

I run my finger between her legs until she is slick with desire. When I finally use two fingers to enter her, she closes her eyes and practically hums with joy.

I take my time, moving my hand at her command to give her what she needs in the place she needs it most—for as long as it takes. Because that, you see, is how to behave like a king.

All too soon, the moment arrives. While she moans in ecstasy, I fetch my little bell from my pocket and let it ring.

“Why, Gwen, thank you for coming so quickly. You really are going to make an excellent queen.”

“Long last the king!” she says, gasping for air. “You’ve really taken those words to heart. Well done.” We’ve been roleplaying as king and queen for a while now, but our sexy game has so much more weight to it now that we have the blessing of the entire kingdom.

I mean, they didn’t specifically give us their blessing to get dirty in the coat closet before we’ve even set a wedding date, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

At the end of the day, everything has worked out even better than I’d hoped. It was never my intent to rebel against our families’ or society’s expectations; all I wanted to do was to love Gwen and to be a good king at the same time.

Now, with all these coats and hats as my witnesses, I want to tell Gwen the words that have been on my lips since the moment I laid eyes on her.

“Gwen, I love you more than any king has ever loved his queen, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”

Gwen returns my profession of love with a sultry smile. “Good,” she says. “Because I see another bench in this closet that we haven’t tried yet. Why don’t we move over there now? You can show me how much you love me, and I’ll show you how much I love you, too.”

I may be the king, but from now on, Gwen’s wish is my command.