The Prince's Choice ✔

Chapter Thirty Three • Explanations

-William-

The words that had just come out of her mouth hurt him so much. It felt like his heart was breaking and it screamed inside of his chest. At the same time he understood why Jade was demanding an explanation. Elizabeth had told him several times about how confused he had made Jade by not telling her why she was here, or why he had chosen her... But he needed more time, than what was left of their walk, to explain all of those things to her. At least to make sure that she completely understood him...

"You're going to get cold..." he said and offered her his arm again.

She did not take it. Instead she stood fast and locked eyes with him. Daring him to walk away from her. Those wonderfully blue eyes made him feel like nothing else mattered. He would truly do anything for her... but how was he going to tell her that?

"Tell me." She demanded again and the decisive tone in her voice amused him while it also made him uneasy. He wanted to tell her all of those things, but he did not want to start chaos by telling her in a way that she could misunderstand. The fear of making any more mistakes with her had him almost terrified.

How do you tell someone that you love them without actually telling them those exact words? Isn't that what she wants to know? If I actually do love her? She wants to know why I chose and if it was because I love her or not... He thought. I can't tell her that... What if she... He pushed away the thought of her rejecting him in a way he wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle. Obliviousness would be better... I still want to tell her how much she means to me though...

"I chose you because from the first time I heard your voice and your laughter, I couldn't focus on anything else. I couldn't take my eyes off of you." He hoped that he said it in the right way.

It was crucial that she understood just how much he wanted her. Needed her here.

"After I first saw you it was too late..." he continued but couldn't muster the last words. What if she did not feel the same way?

Jade's eyes turned soft which could only mean that she wasn't going to push him... yet. That much he knew about her already... She had a finite amount of patience, but at least she tried...

William stepped closer until their foreheads grazed each other and the edges of their hoods almost shielded their faces completely from the daylight around them. Enclosing them to a sphere of their own. He placed his right hand around her cheek and inhaled her scent while he tried to get his thoughts in order. While he tried to muster up the courage to speak the words she wanted to hear.

The memory from the night at the inn was playing in his mind. The way Jade had leaned in over the counter of the bar to steal some ale.

It felt like someone had set his heart on fire when he remembered the image of her glistening eyes keeping a look out for the barkeep while her hands sneaked over the edge and then grasped the two tankards. He had fallen instantly in love with her without even speaking to her. And it had scared him... it still scared him how much he wanted her to be his, and only his. No one else's. In the beginning the fear had been a very unpleasant side effect of his affection for her. However, the only thing that scared him now was the thought of Jade leaving or not reciprocating his feelings.

He had even chased after her to her home just to get a chance to speak to her for God's sake! It was all so overwhelming since he had never felt this way about any girl he had ever met before. God! He hadn't even talked or so much as wanted to look at other girls before. They simply hadn't caught his attention... He used to think that there was something wrong with him. He knew that it wasn't quite normal to not even find one single girl interesting when the castle had plenty of them.