"It's me, Princess"
"What are you doing here, Chase"
"I thought that what the Prince did to you was terrible. It's not like you did anything wrong"
"I have little time to discuss the Prince of Drastos. If that's all you wanted to tell me then you can leave now"
"That's not why I came here, Princess. I wanted to ask you if you would marry me"
"That's a ridiculous request, as you clearly know, I've just gotten out of an engagement"
"Leonidas didn't appreciate you, Princess. We both need to marry soon in order to claim our respective thrones. It would be quite convenient, to say the least. I would be able to have a beautiful wife to go along with my kingdom"
"I suppose that sounds reasonable. When should we set a date"
"I was thinking that we actually set it for this month. I would have suggested an earlier time but I would like to use some time to get to know you"
"That seems very agreeable. I can show you to a room inside the castle"
While Leah maintained a content expression, deep down she couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in her heart. She couldn't help but replay the first time she saw Leonidas and how he had shown her to her room. It was a brief and fleeting memory but she couldn't help but hold back a single tear sling down her face.
She wiped it off quickly, trying not to draw any attention to it, and kept walking.
"Here's your room. It's right across from mine so you ever need anything, feel free to knock", she said, holding back another tear.
Out of nowhere, Chase leaned in to kiss Leah. In her vulnerable state, Leah gave in and kissed back. It felt nothing like the kiss with Leonidas. It was short and sweet as Leah couldn't help but delude herself into thinking that maybe Chase was different, that he wouldn't break her heart. It was as if she was trying to piece her heart back together with the wrong pieces.
Meanwhile, in Drastos, Leonidas was laying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He kept wondering if he had made a mistake. Leah had made him feel cared about, made him feel loved and he just pushed her away. Maybe he didn't know the whole story? Maybe he had judged her too quickly?
She had broken down so many of his barriers around her heart and yet she made it seem like he had broken her. He still couldn't wrap his head around the idea because from his perspective she had betrayed him. When he got out of bed and walked into the dining room he saw Flora crying at the dinner table.
"He's gone," Flora cried out
"Who?" Leonidas asked curiously.
"Chase, he left yesterday night. He said he was going to Alriya"
"If he went to Alriya then that must mean that he went there for Leah"
"Haven't you been informed yet? They're getting married"
"When? This cannot happen. Leah is mine"
"The date of their wedding is set at the end of the month. She's also not yours anymore. It seemed like she never was judging by the way you pushed her away so easily"
"You know exactly why I made her leave. She said she was falling in love with Chase after I opened up to her"
"My dear brother, she's only seemed to have committed one crime that I can think of and that was loving you"
"What could you possibly mean?"
"There are always two sides to a story, you of all people should understand. Well, I must be going now, I have to start getting over an evil prince who decides to leave me as soon as he sees another beautiful girl"
"Wait, what do you mean by evil?"
By the time Leonidas had asked his question, Flora had already disappeared to somewhere else in the palace. He certainly had a lot of thinking to do.
Meanwhile, in Alriya, Chase and Leah were sitting in the royal garden having a picnic.
"Do you know just how mesmerizing you look tonight, Princess"
"I surely don't look nearly as handsome as you do and feel free to call me Leah"
Leah seemed to still be deluding herself into thinking that Chase was perfect for her and as a result, he had snuck his way into her fractured heart.
"You know I can't resist you, Leah. You are flawless and I am glad that you will be my wife. It will be wonderful when we join our kingdoms, perhaps we can even unite all three of the kingdoms. I'm sure Drastos would agree. All I know is that I can't wait to get married to you, darling. I just can't resist you"
Unbeknownst to Leah, Chase had a plan. It was an evil plan thought up by his grandfather, Darius Wilder, and had been passed down to him. Throughout his life, Chase was taught that this plan was his sole purpose in life and it had been ingrained into his head that it was the only way to make his people happy.
"Chase, you know that I can't either"
They both leaned in for a kiss. It was nothing like their first one as it was slow and loving. Neither one wanted to stop. On the outside, it seemed normal but on the inside, there seemed to be an internal struggle from both of them. Chase knew that he had to focus on his mission but it seemed like he was actually developing feelings for the beautiful princess in front of him.
"Your Highness, there seems to be a visitor for you," a palace guard announced.
"Good evening, Your Highness. I have a letter for you"
"Thank you Kylo. It is nice to see you again. How are things faring in Drastos? How is Leonidas?"
"Things are going quite well although the prince doesn't seem to be the same after you've left"
"I'm sure he'll be fine now that I'm out of his way. I assume that he's also found a new fiance"
"Not exactly, he's been spending a lot of time out in the woods so he hasn't had much time to think over finding a future queen"
Leah couldn't help but think of the time Leonidas had taken her riding through the woods and to the cabin. It was the same place where he told her that he was dangerous. She didn't believe him then but now she knew that it was all too true. There wasn't a moment of the day where Leah didn't think of Leonidas but the happy and loving thoughts were replaced by sadness and anger.
"You mentioned a letter"
"Yes of course. Here it is"
"Who is it from"
"I suppose you'll have to open it up to find out. I hope you find your happily after, Princess"
When Kylo left, Leah looked carefully at the letter. It had a wax seal on it that was in the shape of a lion, the Drastonian royal crest. Leah opened it slowly, wondering what it could possibly say.
Dear Leah,
I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. I know that I've made a terrible mistake and I hope that you can forgive me one day. You are my future queen or at least you were and I still want you to be. Leah, come back. Please, come back. I've realized that I'm the one who was too quick to assume the worst and that's because I was jealous. Leah, I was jealous because I only want you to be in my arms, telling me that you're falling in love with me. I never realized that you were drunk and I should've been the one to take care of you. Leah, I need you. I have never met anyone quite like you and I regret sending you back to Alriya. I wasn't thinking right and I need you to know that even if you don't come back I won't marry anyone else. You are the one for me. Please, come back Leah. Please.
Yours Truly,
Leo