The duo stared at each other, daring the other to speak first. Her heart hammered unsteadily in her chest, her eyebrows shooting up in question as time slowly ticked. Enzo cleared his throat, his fingers reaching up to dust his curls from his forehead. Tilting her head, the pregnant pause held heavy tension in the air.

"I would like to inform you that just because this is an arranged marriage does not mean I will forsaken the bond that was placed before me. I will not be dishonest or deceitful. Nor will I make you look like a fool with infidelity. I will be loyal to you and you alone and if you give me a chance maybe we can truly become... enamored with one another." He stated, his gaze never moving from her face.

From all the things she thought he would say — that was not one of them. But the words seeped into her skin and wrapped its way around her heart. The words settled there, creating a warmth in her. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, as she bows her head in respect to his words.

"I do appreciate your words and promises. But how can I be certain of your words to be truthful?" She asked, not ready to drop her walls around the man. A rumble came from deep from his chest as he laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he stared at the woman. "You, Florence do not trust easily do you?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

A sheepish smile tugged on her lips as the tip of her ears warmed with embarrassment. She shook her head slightly. "Unfortunately I'm a child of a loveless arranged marriage, words do not pacify me easily. I've witness both my parents' infidelity. So no, Enzo, I do not trust easily." She says easily, her head held high as she spoke.

Enzo did not move nor blinked. A small, sad small tugged on his lips as he nod in understanding. "The ring I will present to you at the nuptials, the ring is a family heirloom. Princess Florence, I do not take family lightly and giving you this heirloom I'm declaring to you and my family that I am taking you serious." He finally spoke, his gaze unwavering. He stepped away from the railing, bowing his head respectfully. "Florence." He says in goodbye, bowing slightly before disappearing back into the room leaving the woman speechless.

Florence retreated back into her room, her heart settling with an even thud. The sun rose, spreading the light onto the kingdom. She plopped into her chair, staring blankly ahead of her as she digested what Prince Enzo just declared to her. A small smile tugged on her lips, bowing her head as excitement for today suddenly flooded her mind. That nightmare no longer forefront in her mind. He wanted to have a real marriage. He wanted to be fated to her for the rest of his life, no one but her. The realization set and suddenly she wanted to give the marriage a real try, which means saving his life if the scene was to happen.

The lady in waiting knocked once then twice before pushing open the door. Her posture straighten at the sight of the princess sitting in her chair, waiting for her. "My lady! Apologies I did not know you would be up so early. You should have rang for me, I could have had tea prepared while your bath was drawn." She says quickly, moving to open the curtains in the room. The sun bathed the room in an orangey yellow tint, the sun slowly climbing the once night sky. "Please do not fret, I was okay. Thank you, Ms. Campbell." Florence said coolly, straightening her spine as the woman came towards her.

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Ms. Campbell sent a maid down to the kitchen, requesting Princess Florence's breakfast as the chamber maids filled the tub attached to her room with warm water. They sprinkled lavender and orange slices into the bath, hoping to scent the woman as soon as she slips into the tub. "Alright my lady, let's get you in your bath and by time you are finish, your breakfast should be finished." She said, ushering Princess Florence towards the bathroom.

The Princess began to disrobe herself, handing bedchamber maid her silk robe and nightgown before her lead lady in waiting helped her into the tub. Florence sunk into the water, allowing the warm water to slosh against her skin as she settled into tub. The lady in waiting came over with a pitcher, scooping water out of her bath to pour over her curls. The water weighed her hair down, plastering it to her cheeks.

"Ms. Campbell, how long have you worked here in the kingdom?" Florence asked curiously, eyeing the white bar in her bedchamber maid's hand. "Well, My lady, the way one becomes a Lady in waiting is having former relationship with the queen. My mother's mother was a Lady in waiting until she had my mother and died and the title was passed to my mother and when my mother died, it was passed to me. Once I die, my beautiful daughter Julienne will inherit this role and it will move down that way. So to answer your question, My Lady, is all my life." She concluded her small speech, removing the white bar from the bedchamber maid's hand and dipped into the water. She moved the bar across the back of her skin, cleaning at the grime at her skin.

"What is that?" Florence asked, peeking over as she watched her water become murky. "This is what the Spaniards call soap. Made to clean any impurities and sins from the skin." Ms. Campbell answered easily, dragging the bar down her arms then her legs. Once her lady in waiting deemed her clean enough, she was wrapped in a towel and ushered back into the bedchamber.

Once the young woman stepped into her room, three things caught her eye. A mirror situated in front of her vanity chair, a bouquet of assorted flowers and a note. Florence picked up the bouquet, holding the flowers to her nose. Her eyes bounced from the red tulips to the white gardenias. Her heart felt as if it stuttered out her rib cage, she knew the meaning of the flowers. She remembered having the conversation with him when they walked through her garden back at the kingdom of Kitaran.

"I spend time in the garden a lot. It's where I feel most connected to nature. My mother and I have taken time to plant these together." Princess Florence explained as she clung onto Prince Enzo's arm. "We usually sit near Azaleas, they signal family bonds. My mother believes it'll strengthen us as a family unit." She rambled on, peeking up towards Enzo. The man was already staring at the woman, in awe as if every word that came from her mouth was magic. A pink tint covered her cheeks as she moved on to the next row of flowers. "The Calla lily represent modesty, Canterbury Bells represent gratitude."

"What do these represent?" Enzo questioned, gesturing towards the Alstroemeria springing from the ground and reaching for the sky. "Well this section of flowers are my personal favorite, I planted these." She says softly as she stared at the flowers. Her eyes skimming over the flowers. "That flower is known as Alstroemeria, it represents strong bonds between two people." She says softly, smiling at the flowers adoringly.

"What is your favorite flowers? And what do they represent?" Prince Enzo questioned, causing Florence to look towards him. "Red tulips and Gardenias are my favorite." She says, pointing towards the flowers as she spoke.

"Gardenias represent purity while the red tulips symbolizes a deep connection — a soulmate connection."