Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 137: Tangled History

William pulled Camilla’s beautiful body against his and she faced him with her warm little hands folded over his chest and her chin resting on top of her hands, looking into his face. He smiled when he noticed she was still wearing her bridal flower crown, which was now sitting askew on her head.

"Don’t you think we should remove this?" he tapped the crown with a finger.

Camilla smiled back. "I’d forgotten all about it. But you’re probably right. Can you pull out the pins holding it in place?" She shimmied up his body slightly to give him a better view of the hairpins.

William almost moaned out loud as he felt her bare breasts slide up against his belly and chest. He had no doubt his hunger for the girl was going to kill him eventually.

With effort, he was able to slide out the silver hairpins, then tossed the jasmine crown to the floor. "Tell me a story." he managed to say to her. He needed a little distraction while he waited until his body was ready to enjoy hers again.

"What kind of story are you after?" Camilla looked at him, bemused.

"Something about your family. I had no idea there was so much scandal and betrayal in your esteemed royal line. It’s fascinating."

"Oh? Because everyone in the Devon family’s history has always behaved without a single spot of sin?" Camilla’s side eye was rather adorable. "I’m fairly sure my family isn’t even the worst."

"Of course they aren’t the worst! My uncle and father joined forces several times in their youth to rebel against their own father, to the point where the broken old man was forced to abdicate." William grinned at her shocked expression. "You’re not the only one descended from ruthless men. But I already know my family’s worst tales. I don’t know yours."

"Alright then. Is there anything in particular you’d like to know?"

William thought for a moment, then asked, "Why did your father and uncle hate each other so much? Surely it was more than a mere tussle over a woman? It sounded like their relationship was ugly even before your mother was in the picture."

Camilla shrugged. "Sometimes siblings don’t get along. It’s not that unusual, is it?"

"Yes but there’s quite a difference between not getting along, for example Leo and Rufus, and a hatred that makes you actively plot your sibling’s downfall." William’s hand traced the outline of her slim shoulder. "Did they not get along even as children?"

"Not really. My father was twelve years younger and raised by a different mother. The two brothers were kept quite far apart, from what I understand. Kenneth was the only son from my grandfather’s first marriage, who was a wife chosen for purely political reasons. When she eventually died, my grandfather announced he would marry his long term mistress, whom he had loved for years. My uncle was very opposed to this because he felt it betrayed his mother’s memory. The Council of Lords also told the king they wouldn’t accept such a marriage without a dispensation from the pope himself. Having mistresses as a king is very typical in Moraigth but marrying them isn’t."

William nodded. "And I take it this mistress was your father’s mother?"

"Yes. She and my grandfather had already had two daughters by the time the first queen died and my grandmother was expecting her third child. My grandfather wanted them to get married right away so that the new baby would be born in wedlock, especially if it was a boy. So he issued a request to the pope for an urgent dispensation to remarry, but the months passed and no reply came back."

"So what did the king do?" William bit his lip as Camilla started running her fingers absentmindedly through the sprinkling of hair on his chest and unknowingly stirring warm little sparks with her touch.

"When he realised he was running out of time, he married my grandmother anyway at the last possible moment and hoped that the dispensation could be chased up afterwards. Two days after the wedding, my father was born."

William frowned thoughtfully. "But without the pope’s approval, the marriage wouldn’t be accepted by the lords and your father would’ve been considered illegitimate."

Camilla smiled. "That’s true. But the dispensation arrived in Moraigth shortly after, much to everyone’s surprise. And by complete coincidence, it was noted as having been signed by the pope on the day before the king’s second wedding."

William burst out laughing. "That is unbelievable. Your father seems to have lived his life balanced on a string of happy coincidences and sheer good luck, didn’t he?"

"Hmmm. I suppose he did. He was a very fortunate man until my mother died and his luck ran out." Camilla pursed her full lips as she mused and William was agog at how kissable and desirable she looked. "Or I should say, after Mother died, his luck was diminished by his own actions and decisions. He used to always say that a wise man makes his own luck through his choices. And he made very reckless choices after she was gone."

"You realise I met your father, don’t you?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Camilla raised her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you said by the time you found him in Arlen Castle...he was already gone?"

"No, not then. Years before. Do you remember visiting Islia as a child with your father? This very castle, in fact." William had always been curious to find out how much she remembered of their first encounter.

"A little."

"Well, I remember your father from back then. He was a good looking man and he smiled a lot. That’s what struck me the most - that he seemed to actually enjoy the presence of children. It didn’t make any sense to me because I’d spent all of my childhood trying to stay out of my own father’s sight. But I liked being in Duke Robert’s company."

William could see Camilla’s look of concentration as she tried to cast her memory back. "All I remember was everything seeming so different to back home and I was a little scared of it all. I stuck to Malcolm’s side the whole time."

"Yes, I remember your brother as well. He seemed like a nice enough lad." William smiled wryly. "I didn’t like that he was a better archer than me, though."

"Malcolm did become a very good archer, yes. Daniel was spectacular at it." Camilla closed her eyes. "I don’t really remember you on that visit though, it was too long ago. Do you remember me?"

"A little bit, but I didn’t really pay you much attention." William admitted cheerfully. "You were just a small child and I didn’t find girls the least bit interesting."

Camilla’s eyes popped open. "As I live and breathe! Are you telling me there was a time in your life when you weren’t interested in girls? I find it very hard to imagine."

William huffed a laugh. "Don’t be so impertinent, wife. I was just a boy then."

"I’m sorry. I’m just having a hard time imagining you not chasing skirts." Camilla tickled his ribs and he laughed harder. "When did that phase start?"

"Uh, thirteen or fourteen perhaps? And I’d like to make it very clear, the skirts did most of the actual chasing." William tried to grab her rapidly moving hands to stop any further tickling.

Camilla rolled her eyes and smirked. "I see. You just went along with it, as a mere victim of circumstance?"

"Of course I did! I was no fool!" William laughed and then abruptly rolled them so he hovered over Camilla. She gave a surprised little shriek, then started to giggle. "For the last year or so, the only skirts I wanted to get my hands under were yours. And since you made me wait for so long, I’m determined to get my fill now."

Unable to hold back any longer, he brought his mouth down hard against hers, his hands sliding up her bare body and tracing each curve. William heard her laughter change to a moan and he felt the blood roaring in his ears again. There was something about the scent and taste and feel of her skin that made him want to forget all self control.

He cupped each round breast in his hands, slowly squeezing and watching as her nipples hardened under his gaze and touch. He then flicked one rigid peak lightly with his fingers while licking the other one. He could feel Camilla arching her back under him, her arousal driving his own.

Her gasps and whimpers of pleasure were scrambling William’s thoughts. All he could focus on was possessing her more, harder, deeper. He began to use his fingers to stroke gently between her thighs and growled in satisfaction when she opened her legs and wrapped her warm, eager hand around his shaft.

William rolled them both again until he was on his back and he’d lifted her to sit across his hips. The sight of her astride him with her hard nipples peeking out from the curtain of loose hair was one of the most delectable things he’d ever seen. Her wide eyed, shocked expression made him want to weep with lust.

"Oh!" Camilla breathed. "I had no idea...it could be done...this way."

William sucked in a harsh breath, feeling himself shake slightly. "There are many things you don’t yet know. And it’ll be my great pleasure to teach them all to you."