"My daughter!" Fidelis couldn’t contain his joy. Taking a step further into the room, he gently pushed his son aside and held Oriana’s hand. "Thank you!" the man said with a happy smile on his face.
Oriana smiled. "Thank you, Father, for accepting me." Her voice was low as she tried to control the tears in her eyes. Oriana couldn’t believe how time had passed. A few moons ago, she had been looking to escape Adric; she didn’t want anything to do with him. But now, she couldn’t imagine living if he wasn’t by her side.
"Charlotte will be so happy, wherever she is," the man said as he turned to look at his son. "It took you time, but you finally understood. And I’m glad you did it by yourself. Losing a loved one shouldn’t make you push others away," Fidelis said, his eyes on Adric.
"Love can be healing too, and what matters are the moments you shared with your loved ones and how you treasure them."
Adric nodded. "I finally understand that now." He turned to look at Oriana and then at their newborn. He sighed, thinking about what might have happened if he had refused to let Oriana in, or if he had continued to doubt her feelings for him just because he was scared. It was even scarier to think of living a life without her. He wanted to be the one she could rely on, and most importantly, he wanted to be the father of her children.
It had started out slow, with numerous bumps on the road, but in the end, they had found each other, even if it was in the most unconventional way, like taking her as a debt. Was he really after the debt that day? Adric thought to himself. He wasn’t. The truth was that after seeing Oriana that day at the inn, he couldn’t get his eyes and mind off her. He wanted to know what she was doing at every moment. And in her moment of weakness, she had been vulnerable before him. Adric had loved her from the start, but he was too scared to accept his feelings. His only happiness was that it wasn’t too late.
"Argh!" A scream outside caught everyone’s attention. A shocked-looking Walter stood by the door, his hand over his mouth. "Auntie Oriana... you finally brought my sister!" The boy screamed in delight.
Kai shook his head. "Shh, Walter, you’re going to wake her." Before he could stop his brother, the boy was already at the bed, kneeling in front of the child.
The door opened, and more people walked into the room. It was Princess Jasmine, followed by Freya and Madame Rosalie.
"Alright! Everyone leave, let’s get them ready." Madame Rosalie announced, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention.
Fidelis nodded, heading toward the bed to pick up the newborn, but Jasmine was quick to stop him. "Father, we need to dress her up too. You have all the time to stay with your granddaughter. She’s not running... yet," the princess said, shooing her father and sons out of the room.
Adric chuckled, leaning forward to peck Oriana on the forehead before leaving the room for the women.
"Aw... I didn’t know my brother had this sweet side of him," Princess Jasmine shook her head. "He used to be so mean to everyone except Kai and Walter." She stopped in front of Oriana, leaning closer. They both pulled each other into a warm embrace.
Oriana closed her eyes and patted the princess gently on the back. She had thought Jasmine would hate her after everything that had happened in the palace, but it was different. It was as if Jasmine had lost the most; her husband, mother, and sister were all gone. After a few days of mourning her sister and mother, the princess slowly opened up and became cheerful again. It had been rough for everyone to move on after the incident with Nicholas and Adelaide. It wasn’t easy, even for Oriana. The recurring nightmares and fear, but slowly, the pain eased with time for all of them. And they were still on the road to healing.
"Congratulations, sister, you did great!" Princess Jasmine whispered before moving back. She gently used her hand to remove a strand of hair from Oriana’s face.
Oriana pouted. "I asked you to return to the palace so the maids could help you take care of Kai and Walter. You can’t do it all alone."
"I thought so too," Jasmine replied. "But to my greatest surprise, life outside the palace is easier. All I need is just a man to love me, not one who was forced to." She sighed, remembering the story behind her marriage to Caspar. "And the one man I love..." She turned to look at Freya, who was getting Oriana’s dress ready.
"...loves another," Jasmine shook her head. "Freya! We should be enemies," the princess chuckled.
Oriana smiled, knowing it was a joke since the princess had already moved past all of that. Though she never tried to hide how much she truly loved Rowan. Turning to Freya and Madame Rosalie, Oriana frowned.
"That reminds me, both of you didn’t return last night. Freya, did you find someone?"
Princess Jasmine’s eyes lit up. "You left Rowan?" she asked curiously, ready to laugh at Rowan for being left behind.
Freya waved her hand. "Not like that- Yes, I did find someone... and he is Rowan."
Oriana furrowed her brows, confused. "You found someone called Rowan- wait! You found Rowan... you two must really be meant for each other." She nodded, not looking surprised.
"What about you, Madame Rosalie? You said you’d leave after seeing Freya settle." Oriana was helped to stand by Jasmine as she got ready to put on her dress.
Madame Rosalie cleared her throat. "Let’s not talk about the past. We should get you ready; the guests must be waiting."
"What past? It happened last night." Freya narrowed her eyes, moving closer to help Oriana put on her dress.
Oriana slipped her hand through and turned to Freya. "What happened last night?"
"About last night," Freya whispered, this time even Jasmine leaned closer to catch the gossip. "Madame Rosalie left in a carriage with—"
The newborn’s sharp cry erupted, breaking the tension in the room. Madame Rosalie grinned, rushing to pick the child up.
"That’s my little sweet bun, protecting your godmother’s pride, are we?" the woman smiled brightly, cradling the child.
Freya stomped her feet. "I’m the godmother! Not you!" She ran over to where Madame Rosalie was standing.
"And it begins again," Oriana sighed as she turned to Jasmine. "If you’re not going to join in the battle of godmother, help me tie this up. We should get ready to meet our guests."
Jasmine nodded, watching from the corner of her eye as the two women argued. "Who is the actual godmother?"
Oriana pressed her lips together, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Sophie," she whispered.
"Your sister?" Jasmine gasped, seeing Oriana nod. She continued, "Do they know?"
Oriana shook her head. "They don’t, and I intend to keep it that way." Done with her dress, she waved. "Ladies, let’s get ready!"
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