"Liam you should have told me that you planned to go out at noon" said Mero in a semi scolding tone as Liam was sitting in his office.
"I know, and I apologize, it slipped my mind" said Liam.
"Should I be worried that things seem to be slipping your mind often lately?" asked Mero.
"No you should not, is it a crime for me to spend quality time with my wife?" asked Liam.
"No it is not, but you cannot just leave without telling me, you have many pending issues that need your approval before they can go out, you still have not given your final say on my journey to check the harvest" said Mero.
"Well you can leave in two days, do not inform anyone of your arrival, I want you to make sure you appear there while they are doing their rightful duties or not" replied Liam.
"Alright, and we are in need of more stone, the materials we have are not enough for all the rebuilding" said Mero.
"Expenses, expenses" said Liam with a sigh as Mero sat down across him.
"Well I will have a look at the numbers tonight after dinner" replied Liam with a smile, it seemed that there was only work and more work for him, no rest at all.
"I do understand that it is overwhelming and I am sorry if I do sound demanding and annoying, but I want you to rest as much as you want to" said Mero.
"I know you do Mero, and you are right" replied Liam with a soft smile.
"But enough about that, tell me, you seem happier than usual, and that means a lot for you, so what happened?" asked Liam as he smiled, of course he could notice the change in countenance of his friend.
"I asked Nora to marry me" said Mero as he smiled softly.
"Oh you did?? Congratulations what did she say??" asked Liam as he smiled in happy astonishment for his friend, to be honest, he was truly surprised when Wura told him that Nora and Mero were courting, he would have never guessed that it would be the two of them out of everyone.
And when he had asked Mero why he was in a relationship with Nora, he only said that he cared for her, of course he was just looking out for Mero.
He just did not want either of them making any mistakes, but of course his beloved wife was more than happy with the relationship after all Nora was her most trusted confidant.
"Well she was speechless at first, but then she said yes" said Mero.
"I really am happy for you Mero" said Liam with a smile.
"But?" asked Mero as he could sense a but hitching in Liam's sentence.
"But… are you really sure that you want to take such an important step?" asked Liam.
"I am" replied Mero.
"Do you love her?" asked Liam.
"I do" replied Mero I certainty.
"Does she love you?" asked Liam.
"Would she have said yes if she did not?" asked Mero.
"I know that sounds sensible, but you never know, anyway I am just looking out for you like you look out for me" said Liam.
"I know you are, but you did not end up taking my advice anyway" said Mero as Liam laughed.
"That is true, but I am sure you are sure of this decision and I respect your wishes" said Liam.
"Thank you" replied Mero with a smile, he really appreciated that.
"When is the wedding?" asked Liam.
"Before winter starts" replied Mero as Liam laughed.
"You are bent on not following in my footsteps" said Liam as he laughed.
"Well your footsteps led to very questionable circumstances" replied Mero.
"Oh not you too Mero, you believe the hoax about winter?" asked Liam as he laughed.
"I have a living example on what may or may not happen, hoax or not" replied Mero as Liam laughed.
"Whatever you say, regardless when you return from checking the harvest you will get married am I right?" asked Liam as he smiled and Mero nodded.
"Alright I suppose that Nora already told Wura about this, and knowing my lovely wife, she is going to want to plan that wedding, so you have everything under control, all you have to do is show up" said Liam as he laughed.
"I do trust in the Queen's capabilities" replied Mero.
"As you should, she is the Queen after all, anyway enough talking we should get back to work" said Liam as Mero nodded in agreement.
…
"There my Queen you look perfectly ready for dinner" said Nora with a smile.
"Thank you Nora, you did a wonderful job as always" said Wura as she looked at her reflection while smiling, her hair was wonderfully brushed and let down and she had chosen a darker blue colour to wear to dinner tonight.
"Thank you my Queen" replied Nora with a smile as Wura got up.
"Now it is your turn, and do not dare say no, you always do things for me, so let me do something little for you" said Wura as she pushed Nora's shoulders down to make her sit in her place.
"But my Queen it is my duty" replied Nora as Wura brushed her hair.
"I know, but you choose to do it exceptionally well" replied Wura as she smiled, she knew the difference between a job and a job well done, Nora could have chosen to do her duties with a bad attitude but she did not, she always did everything well.
"Thank you my Queen" replied Nora with a smile as Wura smiled at her.
…
Dinner was going along quite well, the food was delicious everyone was enjoying being a part of the conversation.
Wura and Liam of course sat next to each other while Nigel sat on Wura's right, Mero and Nora sat next to each other while Luc, Zuph, Elihu and Zechariah all sat together and Lady Marli sat down next to Nigel.
As the end of dinner was approaching Liam decided to say the speech he had prepared for this occasion, he wanted everyone he cared about present here, it would be their first official meal together since his return and the end of the war.
Liam cleared his throat softly as he picked up his wine glass and stood up.
"I would just love to thank everyone for attending this dinner, it means so much to me to have you all here, especially you uncle" said Liam as he smiled at Nigel who smiled at him.
"Before I make my final announcement, I would like to congratulate Mero and Nora, who will soon have a wedding, congratulations and I wish you all the best and the greatest happiness" said Liam with a smile as he raised his glass and Nora looked at Mero as if asking with her eyes if he knew that Liam was going to do this to which Mero shook his head.
"Thank you your Majesty" said Nora as she smiled.
"I honestly cannot imagine Mero getting down on one knee though" said Liam as he laughed and everyone laughed, except for Mero who did not get what was so funny.
"But on a serious note, you two are good together, I pray that your lives will be filled with peace and love" said Liam with a genuine smile as Mero thanked him.
"And thank you to everyone, for your loyalty and support during difficult times, I know that during my absence It would have been easier to give up on the thought of me ever returning but you did not" said Liam as Wura smiled.
"And to my every faithful men, thank you for your undying loyalty to me" said Liam as he smiled.
"And to my lovely wife, thank you for never giving up on me" said Liam as he glanced at Wura and smiled as she smiled at him.
"To hope and a fruitful beginning" said Liam as he raised his glass and the others did the same.
"To hope" they replied as they cheered and drank their wine.
"I apologize but I have to go now, I have a lot of work pending, but you all can continue to enjoy" said Liam with a smile.
"See you later my love" said Liam as he smiled and gave Wura a quick kiss before leaving.
"Mero you sly fox, you did not tell us that you planned to propose" said Elihu as he turned to look at Mero who remained quiet.
"Did you know that he would Nora?" asked Elihu as he looked at Nora who shook her head.
"Not at all, I was surprised" said Nora as she laughed.
"He should have told us we could have helped" said Elihu.
"I would rather not have the help of someone who almost accidentally cut off his own arm" said Mero as everyone laughed and Wura shook her head in laughter.
"It was only one time" replied Elihu.
"Right, an incident like that should only be one time" said Zuph as Elihu scoffed and Wura could sense a funny argument coming along.
…
Wura yawned as she got into bed, she was just so tired from all of today's activities, all she wanted to do was go to sleep.
But she couldn't do that yet, she needed to urgently talk to Liam about a matter that had been troubling her for a long while now, and yes she knew he was extremely busy and she did not want to disturb him so she would wait for him to come to bed.
Wura yawned once more as she tried to stay awake, she considered maybe reading to keep her eyes opened, but with how tired she was right now, she was sure that would have the opposite effect and she would end up dozing faster.
Wura yawned once again as she blinked, her eyelids getting heavier with every drop until eventually she dozed off.
Wura's eyes shot wide open when she heard the sound of footsteps and she felt the bed dip as Liam joined her and he noticed that she was awake.
"Did I wake you up? I am sorry I should have been more careful" said Liam as he spoke gently as she blinked and looked at him and shook her head.
"No you did not wake me up, in fact I was waiting for you, I want to discuss something with you" replied Wura in a sleepy voice as Liam nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead and held her close to him.
"I am all ears what do you want to discuss?" asked Liam as he rubbed her back and Wura felt even more sleepy so she decided to sit up straight in bed.
"It is something very important" said Wura as Liam nodded waiting patiently for her to continue.
"I was speaking to uncle Nigel earlier, and I asked about the harvest and he said that everything was fine, but there was a problem with the prices being doubled" said Wura.
"And he told me just how expensive everything is due to the increase in tax and how those who struggled to provide for their families before now find it next to impossible to do so" said Wura.
"And hearing him say that broke my heart, because there truly are people who are struggling" said Wura as Liam sighed.
"I know that, and it makes me feel like increasing the taxes was not a good decision, but it was the only one" said Liam as Wura looked at him.
"I know you feel bad, but do not think like that, we both know that was the best option you could come up with for the sake of the kingdom's welfare" said Wura as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"It does have grave consequences though, and most times not everything goes in the right direction that we want it to, which is why I came up with an idea of how to better manage the situation" said Wura as Liam looked at her wondering what her idea was.
"I was thinking of starting an account that its sole purpose is to raise money for those that are less privilege" said Wura.
"Every month they will get a certain amount to at least cater for most of their needs" said Wura.
"That does sound like a great idea Wura" said Liam as he smiled thinking about it, he had never thought about something like that before.
"I am glad you think so, and before you worry about funding, this account will have nothing to do with the Kingdom's official account" said Wura.
"I have my monthly allowance as Queen that is for my own personal use, I really do not need anything, I have more than enough, and you take care of me well" said Wura as she smiled and Liam smiled.
"So I decided that all the allowance that I have been saving can go into that account to start it off" said Wura as Liam pulled her down without warning and she laughed landing in his arms.
"My wonderful, lovely wife, that idea of yours is golden" said Liam as Wura giggled.
"Thank you" said Wura with a smile.
"It makes me so happy that you care for our people like that" said Liam as he smiled.
"Of course I do, why would I not? There is no difference between us, we are just people, and we that are in the position to help should not hesitate to help at all" replied Wura with a smile.
"You do not know how much I want you as I hear you speak so selflessly" said Liam in a low tone as Wura laughed and smacked him on his chest.
"Now is not the time Liam, I am being serious here" she said as she laughed.
"I know and so am I" replied Liam cheekily as Wura laughed.
"But seriously, I doubt your allowance would be enough, tomorrow I will check on the budget and see if there are some extra amounts anywhere that could go into your account" said Liam.
"Thank you my love" replied Wura as she gave him a kiss.
"You do not need to thank me, what else can I do except support my wife?" asked Liam as Wura giggled.
"So do you have a name for the account yet?" asked Liam.
"No, not yet, I am too tired to think of one, I will do it tomorrow" said Wura.
"Alright, I can see that you are very tired goodnight and rest well" said Liam as he gave her a kiss on the forehead and she got comfortable In his arms and closed her eyes and Liam smiled at her and caressed her hair, he loved this woman so much, she was made for him and no one could compare to her.
"I love you Wura" he whispered gently into her ear as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
|||
Wohoooo hello my beautiful readers, we have sadly come to an end with BTTP. It has been such a journey, 405 chapters and now it has finally ended, I feel so sad, but I love the happy ending. (I hope it was happy for you as well.)
Thank you all for reading this far, and hopefully Wura and Liam will continue to have an happily ever after ending… 👀(or maybe not… I am just joking)
It's been such a long while, and I will miss all their bickering and loving haha. But I do have some extra news as well.
You know how in real life we have choices? And when you read a book you wonder what the outcome would have been if the character chose another path? Well I am happy to say that I am not done with BTTP yet.
There is going to be an alternate ending of BTTP that will be wayyy different from this ending, in which Wura takes some decisions that end up in a different outcome than what happened here.
If that piques your interest you are more than welcome to continue reading, but if this ending is perfect for you then great.
However this will still remain the official ending of BTTP, the sweet happy ending (in my opinion, if you think otherwise let me know hahha)
Well it's been a fun ride and I enjoyed every moment of it thank you all for reading!
Oh and also keep an eye out for my two new books The Duke Loves Me and Mommy I Love You! Which will be coming out very soon! And the Duke Loves Me ties into BTTP in a very interesting way, you just have to wait and see hehe.
Thank you once again and Byeee!!!