Chapter 7
Cecile's POV

(A/N: ~!~ means POV change between Cecile and Mathew)

Over the next few days I was unable to see much of my beloved Anthony. I was so busy helping mother and father prepare for our soon arriving visitors that my days were packed with nothing but plans and menus and choosing linens and other things I doubt they'll even notice we took the time to choose.

Like bed sheets. Who cares what color they are? I sure don't and I doubt they will either. And which glass sets we put in their rooms for them to drink out of in the morning and evening. They probably won't notice half the things we do for them so why do we bother doing them?

I saw Anthony once after dinner while I was on my way to bed. I had been one of the most tiring days as I had been made to run back and forth from the kitchens to the bedrooms constantly. But all my tiredness simply vanished at the sound of his voice as he found me in the hallway.

"My princess?" he called quietly from the shadows in the hallway. He stepped out into the light of the candle I was carrying and we were soon caught in a loving embrace. I had to hold the candle away from us or we would have been caught on fire.

"Oh Anthony how I have missed seeing you these past few days." I whispered up to him. He bent his face down to kiss me and all other words disappeared from my thoughts.

"I have missed you too Cecile. It's been horrendous without you these past few nights. I waited in the garden for you but you never came." He had been waiting for me? Oh dear me! I had been so tired I had forgotten about meeting him in the garden! And I could have seen him all that time.

"Oh if only I'd remembered I would have come to you! But with all the preparations for the visitors mother has kept me on my toes with this and that and I was so tired I simply forgot. I didn't forget about you, heavens no! I forgot about meeting you is all." I explained as he loosened his embrace so I could stand on my own.

"It's all right I understand completely." He assured me before giving me another heart warming kiss.

"Thank you for finding me, I don't know how long I could have gone without seeing you again." I said leaning my head against his chest. He rubbed my back lovingly and spoke to me in a whisper.

"I think I would have died first." He said. Then he stopped suddenly and looked down the hallway. I looked too and realized what was wrong. There were footsteps coming up the stairs, possible my parents. We quickly broke apart and he vanished into the shadows as I hurried to get down the hall to my rooms.

~!~

"Thank you again Theo for all your help, I appreciate it tremendously." I said as we finished getting the last carriage finished and ready.

"Oh it was no problem, I was happy to get away from my sister for a bit. Speaking of sister's where's yours? I thought she was going to come down." He looked around to see if she was coming but I didn't see her anywhere.

"I'm not sure, mother probably wouldn't let her leave. She doesn't approve of Lidi's reluctance to being a proper lady."

"Oh we have enough proper ladies to last us centuries! One girl who can be herself is a welcome change I must say." I must say I was definitely starting to like this man.

"I've been saying that for years. I want a woman who actually ahs her own brain rather than something that every other lady has. I'm sure you and plenty of men would agree with me on that." I stated starting out of the building where all the carriages were kept. It was attached to the stables so we had to go through the hundreds of stalls filled with my father's prized horses to exit the building.

"Oh yes I am completely with you on that one. In fact I hear the princess of Glennet is rather like that. Being the ambassador's son I'm expected to know as much about the place as I can."

"Yes I understand that. All I've heard of her is that she's an old maid that some prince turned down cause all other marriage proposals to fall through. Perhaps you would enlighten me with you knowledge of her." I suggested.

"I'd be happy to. Well she's twenty seven and the oldest of five daughters. Her parents were very unlucky with their lack of sons because they're tradition is that the husband of the eldest daughter should take the throne if no heir was born to them. So of course they tried to marry her to a powerful king's nephew when she was seventeen. But the man didn't want her saying she was not nearly as beautiful or desirable as some other women he had vying for his love. So the marriage was cancelled and after that whenever the new lined up suitor came around he was never pleased enough with her beauty or something and it would be cancelled. And so men just stopped wanting her." Theo was quite knowledgeable on the subject I must say.

"Hmmm, so she's ugly or deformed? Is that why? I know Glennet isn't the richest country but still it's not poor." I wondered out loud.

"No she's just not exceptionally beautiful like some women are. And because there are always other, more beautiful, women available out there she was always over-looked."

"Interesting, I can't wait to meet her. My father received a letter from the king that they are hoping that I will marry her, and that information is private as I hope it will stay." I warned him with a stern look.

"Don't worry I won't say a word." He assured me.

"Good, well I really don't care about what she looks like but if I find her smart enough I'd be plenty willing to marry her."

"As I'm sure she'd be happy to marry such a wonderful man as you highness. And I don't say that only because if I don't you might kill me, I really do mean you are an exceptional person."

"Thank you Theo and you too are a very exceptional man. Now if you'd like we can go rescue my sister from the powers that be." He said clapping him on the shoulder. He nodded and we left the stables and headed back inside to go find Lidi.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

A/N: hey! Long time no write huh? Well I promise to try harder not to do that okay? But right now I'm splurging and let's see how many things I can update before my mom catches me. Hope you like this chapter. I'm sorry it's so short but we're not yet to anything that I think I should take a long time on yet. So review peoples I love reviews!