Gwen woke up by the touch of some kisses on her nape. She felt a pair of arms warmly hug her from behind so she turned around and found Arthur's sweetest smile welcoming her the first thing in the morning.
"Good morning, Princess."
"Tch–" Gwen chuckled in disbelief but quickly responded to Arthur's morning kiss.. She turned and lied down under him, "I thought you left already…"
"Even though this is your house, I am still traumatized by what happened a week ago. I'm afraid my mom will come again. So, I decided to stay until you wake up."
Gwen laughed at what he said. She reached his hand and stared deeply into Arthur's sparkly eyes, "Your mom is kind."
"I know. I'm just afraid you'd leave me again."
Gwen chuckled, "I've talked to her while thinking about everything. Until I agree to choose this path…with you."
"Guess I have to thank her later."
Gwen smiled and responded to Arthur's kiss before she got up after Arthur, "Don't you have to go to work?"
"The architect firm was just my disguise place," Arthur took his shirt and put it on his body. "Max agreed to end it once The Finding is over before I'm going back to the Palace."
He went back and sat on the edge of the bed, "What are you going to do in the Palace?"
"I'll be joining My Dad while learning everything about this country."
"How about me?"
"You can go to work as usual. Things might have changed a bit after the announcement. All eyes on you, but there is nothing to be afraid of since you don't make any mistakes. So if you want to go to work, just work normally."
"I'm planning to let Diane manage the cafe and hire some more staff. Since I might not be able to do it ... .once things get official, Am I right?"
A bittersweet smile formed on Arthur's lips. He felt bad for taking a lot of things from Gwen but he does not have any choices since she is the only one he wants to be with, "Yeah, because you will be with me most of the time….I'm sorry."
Gwen touched his cheek and pecked him on the lips, "Stop saying sorry. We both agree to this, don't We?"
"Eum…I have to leave now. Might be a bit busy for a couple of days until the gathering day. You can go to work as usual…be careful with your surroundings–just in case… something bad happens. But I hope not…"
"Eum…" Gwen smiled and kissed Arthur's back.
"Bye, I can't wait to see you at dinner next week," said Arthur before bid goodbye to his lover.
—
"Isn't this too luxurious?" Gwen sat on the chair while looking around the restaurant. After finishing her duty at the cafe, She hung out with Helena in a restaurant.
Helena chuckled seeing her best friend's reaction, "It's on me. Take it as a congratulatory gift for your engagement with Arthur."
"Stop it–"
"Haha! What's your reaction?? Is it burdensome?"
"Kind of…I decided to go to work normally this morning. Everyone approached and congratulated me. Some of my customers even asked how to snatch the heart of the royal family?? That was so weird! I didn't even know that he was the Prince??" Gwen looked around, afraid some people might have heard her complaints.
"I've booked this for us only…no worries." Helena noticed the anxiety in Gwen's face, "I also didn't expect that Max's best friend is my in-law."
"How are you doing with him?"
"We're doing good. But, ever since the news of Arthur broke out, My parents asked me to be more careful so we only date back to back in my apartment and his…We couldn't date freely since all eyes are on us."
"Don't you want to get married?"
"I'm not you, Gwen. I mean…I'm not as mature as you, you know that right? I'm not in the phase where I am able to picture myself as a wife…and a mom…I still want to have fun with my life. I guess marriage is not for everyone."
"How about Max?"
"We've talked about this and he agrees with me. We still don't know what the future brings, but for now, We just want to have fun. I'm curious what led you to agree to marry Arthur?"
"Definitely not because he's the prince. I have always been alone since I was born. I don't have siblings…my dad passed away, and I have to live with a mom who suffered from depression and anxiety ...."
"That's tough….how is she now?"
"Eum…she fell in love with her therapist and they just got married like a year ago? She's happily taking care of her new family. That's why I moved here. I've always taken care of other people so I never really paid attention to myself until I met Arthur…It feels nice when someone pays attention to every little detail of yourself…Looks for you when you're not around…I feel safe with him."
"That's also how I feel whenever Max is with me. But, Did your mom know about this?"
"Eum…I called her right after The Finding was over. She congratulated me and promised to come here with her new family."
"So You'll go through this process alone?"
"I have Arthur and I have you," said Gwen smiling while holding Helena's hand.
She was touched by what Gwen said, "This is why I love being friends with you! We came from totally different backgrounds. You know who I am but you never use my title as the Prime Minister's daughter for your own good even when you have the chance to do it."
"I want to be friends with you because you're fun to be with. My life is boring and I need someone like you in my life. You introduced me to this city when I was still unfamiliar with this place…."
"Are we still friends when you get married to Arthur?"
"Of course. I have no other friends than you,"said Gwen, smiling brightly to Helena.