Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 341: Epilogue: The Day Finally Arrives

The banquet hall was heavy with the scent of roses and honeysuckle, wreaths of flowers decorating the walls and tables. William bowed to the king and queen already seated at the high table, before pulling out a chair for his own wife to sit down.

He then asked Camilla if she thought there were any flowers left behind in the actual gardens, or if every single plant had been stripped bare of its blooms to decorate the hall.

Camilla elbowed his side and whispered to him to be on his best behaviour and to avoid looking bored if he could help it.

"I’ll try but I can promise you nothing." he grinned at her.

It was the night of the farewell banquet for Leo’s eldest daughter, Princess Celia Devon. She was being escorted by a royal guard the following day to Havietten, where she’d finally meet her young husband-to-be.

Both of the princess’s parents sat in their seats with pained expressions, and the bride’s mother had eyes rimmed in red.

Everyone agreed if Leo’s daughter eventually became Queen of Havietten, it would be a great outcome.

Great for Islia, at least. Perhaps less so for the young woman herself, William thought.

It was well known that Leo had tried to delay her departure. He’d invited Prince Tobin and his royal retinue to Islia, offering to arrange a grand celebration and a tour of the kingdom before the wedding.

The generous offer had been respectfully declined.

The official line from the Haviettenese court was that it would be unseemly for a groom to travel across a kingdom to fetch his bride. It was proper custom for her to come to him instead.

No one dared say the unspoken truth out loud. That a youth as fat and bloated as Tobin would never be able to endure travelling such long distances on horseback. His heart might give out partway through the journey. Maybe that’s what Leo was secretly hoping for?

William had once jested if Celia didn’t want to consummate the union on her wedding night, she wouldn’t struggle to outrun her lumpish husband.

And Leo had looked ready to murder him for it.

"Sweet lord, husband. Why are you like this?" Camilla had sighed that day when she’d heard him say that, then pinched the back of his hand rather hard.

Jesting aside, William knew his cousin would be grieving his child’s departure, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. Leo’s arms were now folded across his broadening middle as he aimed an encouraging smile at the jittery young bride.

Next to Leo sat his cold blooded wife, all elaborate braids and stiff posture. William had never cared for Violet but had to admit the woman hadn’t been a wholly terrible influence on her husband. She’d at least always be the blade at Leo’s back to temper his inherent laziness.

"That bitch with ice in her veins will at least spur Leo on to be a harder working king than he’d be without her." King Edward had said one or twice. William tended to mostly agree.

A sweet voice lilted in William’s ear. "What are you so deep in thought about?"

He sighed. "I’m realising that in a decade or so, our own daughter will likely be betrothed. There’s no way in hell I’m letting her marry a foreigner. She stays in Islia."

Camilla gave him a pointed smirk. "On the other hand, if Annika departs it could mean I’ll finally get a look in again with you, after so many years of neglect."

William flashed her another smile. Camilla was always teasing him that he’d never really been in love until he’d met their daughter. He was happy to admit he worshipped their little girl. "Honestly, wife. I can’t believe you’re jealous of a girl who makes me check under her bed every night for monsters."

Camilla leaned forward to kiss his mouth fondly, causing little sparks to crackle under his skin.

"I pity the bride." she murmured. "Poor girl looks terrified and I don’t blame her. She has to start a future in a country full of strangers."

"Isn’t that what you had to do?" William tickled her waist. "And yet, you survived. It didn’t work out so terribly for you, did it?"

"I don’t know. Didn’t it?" Camilla tried to squirm away from his touch, laughing.

"Well at least you didn’t end up wedded to a man who could crush the life out of you just by lying on you." William said bluntly, then chuckled. "I hope Violet taught her daughter that the only way she’ll survive trying to conceive a child with the Haviettenese chunk of lard, is if she’s on top."

"Husband!" Camilla gave an outraged little scream, then clapped her hand over her mouth to stop her giggles. "You’re a complete disaster."

William laughed as well, gratified he could still make his spectacularly lovely wife blush after so many years. The rubies woven through her loose hair gleamed under the candlelight.

They were both startled by a sharp bellow. Looking around, William could see his cousin Tom a short distance away, lecturing his little son sternly. Robin was an active, restless boy, always getting into scrapes despite his father’s efforts at discipline.

Tom and Eleanor had led separate lives almost since the day of Robin’s birth. Eleanor preferred to stay in the countryside, much to Tom’s relief. It wasn’t an easy task for him to raise a boy alone at court though, so Camilla would often step in and offer to keep Robin alongside her own brood.

With a sigh, William waved a hand until both Tom and Robin saw him. He beckoned the young boy over, who beamed his freckle faced smile and ran to his side.

"Sit here with us and behave." Camilla said to Robin, pointing to an empty chair nearby. "If you’re a good boy, I’ll share this bowl of sugared plums with you."

"That’s Uncle Rufus’s chair!" the boy piped up, trying to sound serious as he plunged a hand into the bowl of sweetened fruit.

William snorted, having seen Rufus busy dancing with a pretty redhead who was one of the queen’s new ladies-in-waiting. "Your rake of an uncle is off dancing. I don’t expect him back anytime soon, so he won’t mind you sitting in his spot for a little while."

"Am I a rake?" Robin asked as he bit into a plum.

"I should hope not, my boy." Camilla shot William a quick glare. He tried to keep a straight face.

"Little Will!" Robin shrieked with delight a few moments later as his friend bounded over to them. With a smile, Camilla helped lift her second son into the same chair as Robin so the two could sit together. The two small boys grinned at each other.

Camilla arched her brows. "The two of you lads need to avoid causing any mischief tonight, understood? This is a very important event for your cousin Celia."

Both children nodded solemnly, then Robin started wiping his hands on the front of his tunic. Little Will grabbed the empty bowl on the table in front of him. "Goddamn, Robin. You ate everything up again before sharing?"

"Little Will!" Camilla shrieked in dismay. "Am I going to have to wash your mouth out with soap again?"

The boy blanched, clearly not wanting a repeat of the punishment. "Sorry, Mama!" He scrunched up his face in childish confusion. "But Papa says goddamn a lot. And even worse words. Will you wash his mouth out too?"

The elder William had to turn away in that moment, trying to stifle a laugh by disguising it as a cough.

"I wish I could wash your father’s mouth out but I doubt it would do much good."

Little Will blinked his big dark eyes, then said, "Is it because the two of you are always too busy kissing for you to find the soap, Mama?"

William saw Camilla’s face immediately flush red. He threw his head back and laughed at his son’s innocent question.

She glared at him again and gritted her teeth. "I’m not answering that. Where’s Malcolm?"

Little Will gestured across the hall to the older brother he idolised and was always trying to copy. Malcolm could be seen with a couple of boys his age, practicing parrying with unlit tapers and pretending they were swords.

"And your sister?" Camilla asked. A few moments later, William spotted their daughter. She was laughing and dancing with James and Blanche’s youngest son.

William gave a narrow eyed growl at the young pair. "Wife, do you think young Henry likes Annika’s company a little too much? I may need to have words with James to tell his boy to back off."

"Oh lord, William. Just stop it. They’re children."

William couldn’t put aside his suspicions. He knew better than most that the connections you made in childhood, for better or worse, could last a lifetime.

When the music paused, William called Annika over. The little girl ran to him and threw herself into his lap as William enfolded her in his embrace.

"Tell me, my precious darling. You like your old Papa better than your cousin Henry, don’t you?" He flashed his daughter his most winning smile as he combed loose strands of hair back from her cheeks.

Camilla heard him and snorted in amusement. "What a cheap shot. You’re so embarrassingly smitten."

Annika cupped William’s face between her little palms and pulled his face down to kiss him on the nose. "I always love you the bestest, Papa."