CHAPTER 6
Just before noon.
When Darren knelt down Heidi just froze. His proposal was so unexpected, but not entirely undesired. She wanted so desperately to say
'YES'
but her mouth wasn't able to create the words. She was just frozen.
A million thoughts surged through Heidi's mind,
"You can't say yes, you know you can't say yes,"
she repeatedly told herself. An innate gut feeling pushed heavily towards saying yes, but a tiny nagging in the back of her mind, a more practical mind, countered those feelings.
Darren continued to kneel, awaiting her response. The longer she took to answer, the more the moment and the awkwardness dragged on.
"I can't," Heidi struggled to say, instantly regretting her decision.
She cupped Darren's hands sympathetically, closing his fists around themselves resting her palms on his hands.
"We can't get married," Heidi continued, "Not like this, It doesn't work like that."
He looked shocked, he seemed incredibly surprised that Heidi didn't say yes.
Heidi pulled the stunned Lord up to his feet and kissed him on the forehead before pulling him in for a hug. As she squeezed him tears began streaming from her face.
"Oh Goddess, what have I done?!"
Heidi was panicking. Her eyes continued to drip and she sniffled loudly.
"He probably hates me now! Now that I've denied him, he's never going to ask me again,"
she thought to herself.
"I'm so sorry," the Princess apologized, "I want to say yes so, so badly- but... I can't. The coronation, the whole arrangement, it's not up to me."
Heidi felt defeated.
She felt their embrace tighten, Darren was hugging her back. He spoke softly, "I'm sorry too. It's just, I couldn't imagine my life without you. After everything that you were saying I just panicked. The thought that after today, with some other guy-"
Heidi pulled their hug apart, meeting Darren's eyes.
"Look," she said, "I like you too, like a lot."
Heidi had to look away as she said it, saying it out loud stung. She couldn't stand looking at Darren right now, crushing his heart made her feel terrible.
"This is so unfair,"
Heidi complained to herself,
"I finally found someone who I have a connection with and what do you know, he's not a Prince."
The injustice of the situation made her angry at her whole life, and worst of all angry at her parents for leaving her, leaving her with these dumb marriage clauses.
"Why did Vishal even introduce us, It would've been easier to just chase after Herod, or hell, any other Prince if I didn't have to have met Darren."
Heidi perked up, "Wait, Darren. I've got an idea," the Princess grinned as she pulled Darren's face upwards, "Vishal is your uncle, I'm sure he would approve of you. And he's my advisor, so if anyone could help make us work it would be him!"
"Fuck these traditions and clauses. I'm the Princess of my own Kingdom, I should be allowed to marry whoever I want to marry!" She yelled out.
Heidi was giddy with anticipation as Darren's eyes brightened, "We need to talk to Vishal," Darren added.
With their half-baked plan in the forefront of their minds, the pair ran out of the bedroom to find Vishal.
In the grand hall.
Vishal sat silently in the regent's chair adjacent to the Throne. As the young pair entered the hall the elder advisor immediately perked up as he spotted them, their giggling disrupting the idle whispers and soft conversations.
Heidi gulped as she met his eyes, the advisor looked partially confused but mostly just tired, with a weary look on his face. As they approached him his posture changed, he leaned forward in his chair anticipating them, his hand quickly dismissing another royal subject.
The Princess looked at some of the others in the room. There were guards, various servants and small groups of nobles. Everyone was staring at them as they made their way down the hall. She briefly squeezed Darren's hand before realizing how inappropriate hand holding would appear, instead dropping her hands to her sides. Heidi could see that many of them were whispering to each other, very likely gossiping quietly to each other.
Heidi quickened their pace as the awkwardness mounted. She suddenly became aware that she wasn't exactly fully presentable and the dress she was wearing wasn't even done up all the way. Her breasts showed a remarkable amount of cleavage, and they jiggled enticingly as she shuffled towards the rise of her throne and Vishal's chair. Her cheeks were starting to blush, only moments prior she was oblivious, but now Heidi was immensely aware of her appearance.
Neither of them had spent much time at all cleaning up after their earlier session. Heidi could feel a few errant globules of jizz working their way out of her pussy and traveling down her legs as she shuffled. Droplets of sweat clung to her breasts, glistening in the torch light as her heavy chest heaved in her strained dress. She wasn't even wearing proper shoes as her bare feet lightly pitter-pattered their way towards her advisor.
Vishal stood up as they arrived and he offered Heidi a low bow. Darren gave his uncle a quick bow in response and was first to speak, "Good morning uncle. We have a proposition we would like to share with you."
"-Not now Darren, I have some distressing news to share with Heidi," Vishal interrupted, "Follow me please." The advisor made his way towards a side corridor, expecting both of them to follow him.
As they reached a room the advisor ushered everyone through before closing the door behind himself.
"Now Heidi," Vishal has a somber look on his face, "I regrettably, have some bad news with our latest batch suitors." Vishal paced himself slowly as he spoke, trying to keep his words as delicate as possible, "After our rigorous vetting process, none of last night's suitors have extended their offers to full proposals as well as managing to meet all our criteria."
Vishal continued, "Unfortunately that means we'll have no choice but to postpone your crowning."