Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 16. Royal Couple III

The carriage's door opened. In front of them, they could see everyone already lined up neatly, waiting for them. Without saying anything Angel got out of the carriage and held out his hand to Rose to help her.

"Thank you," said Rose with a smile. As her hand landed on him, her heart pounded even more. Swiftly, the servants helped Rose to tidy up her dress so she could walk more easily. Although there was a bit of awkwardness remaining between them, they still showed their affection. Their hands held each other. Their feet moved at a steady pace towards the meeting room to sign their marriage certificate. The letter should have been signed at the Blessing Hall, but he knew it wouldn't be possible to consider the battle that awaited them there. So he asked Chancellor Allan to prepare it in the meeting room.

As they walked, Rose tried to keep her composure even though it was difficult for her, since her heart kept beating fast especially after hearing Angel's confession. It felt like she wanted to bend her head out of embarrassment to avoid the gazes of those around her but as royalty, she couldn't do it.

"Did my confession shocked you that bad?" he whispered without shifting his eyes to her. He noticed Rose's nervousness even though she desperately tried to cover it up. His mind was trying to guess whether this was something good or bad. Or did he admit it too soon?

Although he was used to making war strategies, balancing political power and even predicting his enemy movements, guessing someone's feelings was out of his ability. He had always been cold to all the women before and never been in a romantic relationship with anyone. What had been in his head for the past few years was his duty, his country and his people, nothing else. Moreover, he rarely said what was in his mind and his heart to anyone unless it was related to his duties. Therefore this confession was also a new thing for him. He couldn't deny there was an undeniable fear in his heart since it was the first time he tried to open his heart after his family betrayed him. Still, he wanted to give himself a chance to escape the betrayal torment that lingered in his heart.

Rose took a glance at him before she returned her gaze to the front.

"What do you expect?" she said in a low voice as she held her heart that was beating fast. Her mind was in a mess. She couldn't deny her feelings for him. Still... To think that he harboured the same feelings as she was, it was beyond her expectations. Nor had she ever expected his feelings to turn out to be as great as hers. But no matter how big their feelings were, as he had said before, they had to get to know each other better first. Moreover, Rose still had doubts in herself, especially regarding his mysterious past, what happened five years ago and the origin of his dark power.

"I expect nothing. I just want you to know a bit about me," Angel replied. It was just his spontaneous confession, so he didn't expect anything from her. He just wanted to say how he felt since he already knew Rose's feelings. About their relationship... He knew the most important thing for them was to get to know each other first. He was a king and they were a royalty couple, they had to be a good example to his people and this country. So a forced relationship would obviously only give a bad impact and reduce people's trust in them.

Again, she glanced at him, staring at his cold face that didn't change even though he had just confessed his love to her.

"Indeed this is a shocking thing for me... But I'm glad you said it. I hope we'll have a better relationship in the future." After those words left her mouth, she couldn't help herself, but turned her face slightly the other way to cover her embarrassment. She was sure that her flushed face must be clearly visible now since she couldn't hide it anymore. She even noticed that some of the servants, maids and officials standing by their sides smiled sheepishly at her. Still, she couldn't bend her head so she couldn't help but let everyone see the obvious embarrassment on her face.

Meanwhile, hearing her words, Angel couldn't help himself but turn to her and a smile grew on his lips. A surge of happiness covered his heart. Who knew, even if fate reunited them as enemies and they had to start over from a misunderstanding that nearly led them to kill each other, he could finally get a chance to rebuild their relationship.