Gwen slowly opened her eyes when she felt the sun shine through the window's sill. Another morning has arrived. She took a deep breath slowly before deciding to fully wake up.
She looked down and touched a big-sized t-shirt hugging her body and then she remembered what she did last night with…
"Arthur…"
"Huh?"
"Call me Arthur."
"Arthur?" Gwen got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Her eyes scanned the whole place but she could not find Arthur in that house until she saw a note stuck on the fridge:
I went outside to buy some milk
for breakfast. I'll be back soon. Do not panic
ㅡ Arthur <3 ㅡ
Click!
Gwen got startled when she heard the door was being unlocked. She was about to welcome him but then, The person who just came turned out it was not Arthur but a woman.
Gwen was frozen on the spot when she realized who just came to visit; She was Queen Wilhelmina. She did not wear her Queen attributes–just a simple white shirt and jeans plus a small purse. She looked so much younger without her Queen robes.
"W-Who are you?" The Queen asked her–looking as confused as Gwen.
The memory from last night was slowly coming to her. She remembered Arthur told him that his mom often comes to visit to take care of his plants.
"I-I–"
Click!
The door was unlocked again and this time Arthur came in. He was surprised to see his mom was standing face-to-face with Gwen who just woke up in his shirt.
He quickly walked towards Gwen and stood right in front of her as a sign to defend her, "I–I can explain! Mom…"
Gwen glanced at him in surprise. Her heart raced so fast when she found out that Arthur was the hidden Prince the whole town has been looking for the past days.
"As you should?"
"We–We had a date last night…" said Arthur looking nervous as ever because his mom was still waiting for more explanation from him and he did not know what to say, "I Love her!"
Both Gwen and Queen Wilhelmina raised their eyebrows and looked at Arthur in disbelief.
"So, Do I have to tell your father to end The Finding–"
"No! Just let it be."
"But–"
"I love her but I don't know about her. Give us time to talk about this matter and I will inform you soon. Please, Mom…"
Queen Wilhelmina took a deep breath and nodded slowly, "Alright."
"Please do not tell anyone yet about this. Let it be a secret between us until I tell you everything. I beg you."
"Okay. I'm sorry for ruining your morning–"
"No! Not at all! I–I apologized–" Gwen bent down to bow but Arthur and The Queen quickly stopped her.
"You don't have to bow. I'm not working as a Queen right now. I am just mom who found out that my youngest son is not a kid anymore. I hope to hear a good news. Your Father can't wait to see you walking down the isle–" Queen Wilhelmina turned to Gwen and sent her a wink before walked out of the house.
She was standing in front of Arthur's house for awhile before giving a signal to her guard and whispered something to him, "I just want to make sure my son fall in love with the right woman…and, She looks familiar…did she remind me of someone?" Said Queen Wilhelmina before entering the car.
—
Silence emerged in that small cozy room after The Queen closed the door. Arthur slowly turned around to check how everything was going for Gwen after the truth revelation about his identity. She was looking down, trying to grasp what was happening before.
Arthur reached her hands and brought her to sit together on the couch, "I'm sorry. I–I didn't expect my mom would come today…"
"So…you're the prince?"
"Eum…I am," Arthur felt guilty for covering the truth from her, "You know, I can't reveal my identity just like that to everyone…but you've guessed it correctly since day 1 and it was quite surprising to me though I still couldn't tell you the truth about who I am…"
"And…You would avoid me if you know that I'm the prince…"
"But–"
"Gwen, please…" Arthur knows what she was going to say, "If you want to tell me that I deserve better than you, just–shut it. I'm not a kid and I know what's best for me. I wouldn't be on the street and live among you guys if the purpose of this royal marriage is me only marrying the aristocrat! I have the privilege to marry everyone I want and I want you!"
Gwen took a deep breath, "Give me some time to think…I need to grasp all of this–It's too much for me!" She got up and went into the room to exchange her clothes and prepare to go home.
"Gwen, Please–" Arthur came forward and blocked her way out.
"Give me some time…"
"Until when?"
"I–I don't know."
"Are you just going to leave me hanging like this after what we did last night??"
"THIS ISN'T JUST AN ORDINARY RELATIONSHIP, ARTHUR!" Gwen shouted right in front of his face out of frustration.
Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He really does not want to let her go, "A week. How about a week? I'm going to see you again for your answer in a week…"
"But–"
"If the time limit has passed and you don't give me any answers, I'm going to reveal myself to the public–"
"Are you crazy?!"
"I don't care." He moved closer to her, "What's the point of inheriting the throne if I have to marry the wrong person? I prefer not to get married for the rest of my life," Arthur moved to the side and finally let her walk past him.
"I'm not asking this as the Prince of Astoria." Gwen paused shortly and turned to Arthur. He lifted his face and looked back at Gwen.
"I'm asking this as myself, Arthur, The man who falls for you since the first time I stepped into your cafe. Please think about this carefully…I beg you."