Prince Louis and Macee returned to the palace. Macee’s belongings had been moved into the prince’s quarters and this was the first time Macee would see them. Set off from the rest of the palace, Macee was surprised at how large they were as her parent’s home could easily fit inside.
“We will have all the privacy we need,” Prince Louis joked as Macee rolled her eyes. The prince laughed. He found that he enjoyed her reactions when he teased her.
“Oh my life!” Macee gasped when they walked into his quarters. She thought her quarters were beautiful but the prince’s was amazing. Macee looked around the living space, which was a mix of antiques and modern pieces. The room was a unifying mix of white, cream and gold tones with splashes of darker colours thrown in. She had learned from her history lessons with Charles that many of the family’s possessions had been stolen during the various wars and they’d been slowly retrieving many of them from museums and private collections over the past sixty years.
As they sat down, his maid provided them with refreshments. Macee turned and caught his gaze. “What are you looking at so intently?” she asked him.
“Just wondering what our wedding night will be like,” he replied. Macee's eyes flew open. The prince could not help but laugh at her reaction.
“You're not funny.” She stood up and explored his quarters. She no longer wanted to sit there with him if he was going to say such things and look at her like that.
When the prince went to his bedroom, he found Macee lying on the bed in her wedding dress. “Are you waiting for me to help you remove your dress?” he asked, as he walked into the room.
“I am not even listening to you,” Macee said. “I will change in the bathroom.” She stood up and left the room. She came back and stood in front her new husband. She cleared her throat. “Could you help me with the zipper?” she asked awkwardly. The prince sat up with a smirk on his face as Macee rolled her eyes. As soon as he unzipped her, she quickly returned to the bathroom to change into a nightgown.
She returned to the bedroom to find Prince Louis undressing in the middle of the room. “You can go and change in the bathroom,” Macee said to him avoiding eye contact. He had just taken his shirt off and Macee was doing her best not to look.
“I would have preferred it if it was my wife undressing me.”
Macee laughed. There was no way she was doing that. She knew it was their wedding night and this was what was expected, but she wasn’t ready. In fact, she was terrified. She stared at him half expecting him to jump into bed and take her like a hungry lion that hasn't eaten for a while.
Prince Louis unzipped his trousers and dropped them to his ankles. Macee gasped and looked away immediately. “Impressive isn't it,” he said.
“What is impressive? I did not see anything significant.”
“Look again.”
“No.”
Prince Louis got into bed while Macee stood in the room unsure what to do next. She finally walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, clutching the side as if she were on a life raft. She thought the prince was going to grab her and get on top of her. Instead, he said, “I won't touch you if you do not want me to.”
Macee turned over slowly to face him. Was he serious? “What? I am not attractive enough for you to lie with?” she asked. She didn’t know why she said it as he was offering an out, but part of her was hurt that he didn’t try. He narrowed his gaze at her. In one swoop, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
“I can take you if I want but you have to want me to,” he told her. Macee's breathing suddenly increased as her pulse raced. She was too close to him. She had pressed her hand against his chest for support. It felt as hard as stone.
“Huh,” that was all she could manage to say. He leaned closer to her and planted soft kisses on her face before brushing her lips. Then he let her go.
“Relax,” he said. “I won’t take you against your will. When I do take you, it’s because you want it.” Macee quickly shifted back to her side of the bed as she swallowed nervously. She was having a hard time understanding how she felt about him. While she still felt like she didn’t know him well enough to have sex with him, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive and when he touched her, he did strange things to her insides.
“Goodnight, Louis.”
“I like you calling me Louis. Goodnight, ma cherie.”
“Try not to snore,” she intentionally ignored what he had just said to her. He laughed and picked up the small remote to turn the lights were off.