Alexander tapped his fingers against his desk. He sighed with relief when he made it to the last document, which lay in the stack. It had been a painfully long day away from Corina. As he worked, his mind continuously wandered to her, his thoughts filled with images of her. He wanted to speak to her more and spend time with her. Any way he could be near her would be fine. He simply craved her presence.
It was nearly time for dinner. He stood, then looked in the mirror. He adjusted the collar of his long-sleeved shirt, then brushed his fingers through his hair to tidy it a bit.
As he walked through the long hallway, he passed by Nadine. He flashed her a smile as she stopped to greet him.
"Good afternoon," she smiled weakly. Her mind was still stuck on the things that happened earlier in the day.
"How was the outing?" He asked curiously.
Nadine shrugged her shoulders. "It... well, it could have gone better, but I'll personally deliver the measurements to Matilda tomorrow and pick a dress on Corina's behalf, if I have your permission.
Alexander raised a brow as she spoke. He couldn't understand what could have possibly happened. "Excuse me?" He inquired, wanting to know the details. "Is Corina feeling ill? Is something wrong?" He asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.
"Perhaps you should go see the princess," she suggested. The woman bowed, then continued past him down the hall.
Nadine's words made Alexander become overwhelmed with worry for Corina. His steps became urgent as he approached her bedchambers.
When he knocked, the sound carried loudly through the door, causing Corina to nearly jump out of her skin as she sat sulking on the bed.
"Corina?" He called, his voice shaky. "May I enter?"
"Y-Yes," she stammered as she felt unsure of herself, her nerves on edge as she thought of telling him the secret she recently discovered.
Alexander entered the room. His gaze fell on Corina. He noticed her face was red and puffy. "Corina," he whispered as he approached the bed. "Have you been crying?"
Corina looked down. She nodded. It was difficult for her to form any words in his presence. She didn't look up at him once as he stood there. There was no good way in her mind to reveal the truth.
Alexander sat beside her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her waist, then leaned back on the bed, pulling her close to his body. "Corina, do you need to talk about something? I'm here. I want to help you work through any worries you may have."
The duke instinctively thought it was about him or the wedding. He knew she was young and inexperienced, and the prospect of marrying on such short notice would have been difficult for even the strongest woman to cope with. Perhaps he had been too forward with what he felt were selfish desires.
"You probably should stop touching me," she whispered.
"Corina? Why? Did I do something wrong this morning?" His voice held a hint of sadness as he spoke.
"No," she breathed out, finally looking into his eyes. Corina shook her head. "That's not what I meant. It's not about you, it's just... I need to tell you something, and it might ruin our marriage."
Alexander furrowed his brows and sighed softly. "Please speak openly, Corina," he requested, wanting to help her through whatever she was dealing with. "There's no need to fear. I won't judge you or abandon you."
Corina shook her head. Her hands moved to rest on his leg. "No! You will! It's the worst!"
Alexander frowned, looking into Corina's eyes as tears began to spill out and run down her cheeks. "I will never leave you, Corina, and I can't imagine anything so terrible that would cause me to judge you. Please tell me," he urged gently.
"I can't even call you hubby anymore or let me kiss you," she sniffled. "I-I didn't even realize this thing about myself until today—you won't like me anymore! My parents lied to me about who I am."
Corina looked up at him, her eyes pleading for some type of reaction—for him to show even a sliver of understanding. Her chest ached, her heart throbbed, and her throat burned as the lump grew larger with each breath she took.
She continued, unable to keep it in any longer. "I don't want you to think I'm a dirty person!"
Corina closed her eyes tightly as her whole body shook with sobs. Her head fell on Alexander's chest.
The man's arms moved instinctively around the woman in his arms, embracing her and pulling her tightly against his chest as she cried uncontrollably into it. He gently placed one hand against the back of her head, and the other against her back, trying his best to calm her.
His heart sank when she said her parents lied to her about who she was. He couldn't imagine what the secret was. What could have caused Corina so much pain?
Alexander couldn't imagine her feeling as if he'd judge or leave her over a secret she discovered about herself. She had no way of knowing that, of course. He held her close to him as her body shook with sobs.
"I'm so sorry, Corina, that your parents lied to you about who you are, but you can't know that unless you tell me," he said softly, his hands stroking her hair, his fingertips tracing gently across her back as he held her to his chest. "Please tell me," he breathed out. "Please..."
"Will you kiss me once last time before I tell you?" She asked with a pleading gaze. "I know you'll hate me for it, but please," she begged. I'll never be able to kiss you again once you find out."
Corina wanted to savor the taste of his lips against her own, and to feel his arms around her just one more time before he was sure to shun her away. "Please?"
The request left the duke utterly baffled, but he couldn't deny the request of the woman he was going to marry, who was breaking his heart at that very moment.
He nodded, cupping her face in his palms, as his thumb wiped away some of the tears, that kept flowing out of her beautiful eyes.
"Okay," he said with a warm smile, as he leaned down and captured her lips. His mouth moved against hers slowly, as he felt her melt against his body. The taste of her tears lingered on his tongue.
Her arms snaked around his neck, holding on as her lips parted, and her tongue sought to explore his mouth. The kiss became passionate as the Duke gave her everything, trying his best to pour all of his love for her into that kiss.
Alexander pulled her down over his waist as he laid back on the bed. He heard a moan emanate from her lips as her body collided with his.
Corina climbed up onto him, straddling his waist as her mouth opened wide against his. She breathed out, panting hard as her fingers grasped his shirt. "T-That was my last kiss. Please hate me."
"Wait," he muttered, moving a hand to the back of her head to push it down and lock lips with her again. He knew it wouldn't last, but he didn't want it to end yet. "Not yet," he muttered, his tongue pushing past her lips, tangling with hers, exploring the depths of her mouth, wanting to remember it for as long as possible.
As it deepened, the princess melted into the kiss, her body shuddering from the touch. She moaned into the kiss. "Please don't make this harder for me!"
His actions sent sparks through her body. Her legs shifted to press against his sides, allowing her to rock her body against him.
Alexander pulled the back of her dress up with a newfound boldness. He traced his fingers across the top of her underwear in the back, then slid his hands back down to cup her backside, squeezing gently as he passionately kissed her.
As he squeezed and caressed her flesh, she trembled against him. Corina didn't understand why the duke was still so affectionate with her. She must have repulsed him by now.
"Alexander," she gasped out against his lips as she broke away. She looked at him through her watery gaze and pulled herself away, falling down at the edge of the bed. She placed her hand over her lips.
Alexander looked at her, his eyes wide with shock as he sat up, moving toward her, then kneeling down at the edge of the bed in front of her. "What is it, Corina? Why are you upset? What's going on?"
"I-I... I..." Corina paused, and looked up at him with pleading eyes, a fresh wave of tears running down her face as she began to stammer out her secret.
"I'm not a woman!"