COMPETITION IS STARTING

Annabelle walked down the halls of the castle, her mind somewhere else. His eyes stared at the beautiful ornaments and paintings that were installed, lined up along the hallway. Not to admire her beauty, because only a blank look can be seen from her eyes.

Her silk dress fluttered in the wind, her hair fell beautifully like golden threads growing on her head. Everyone admired her beauty, but Annabelle doubted her if she had to compete with a royal princess. Only one hold, if she had to trust her husband.

Her feet stepped up the stairs of the tower, her favorite place. From there she could gaze at everything he wanted. The beautiful scenery, the forest that stretched out, the river that coiled like a snake and the appearance of the castle where she lived, she could see. It was there that he seemed powerful, able to keep an eye on everything from above.

Just as she was enjoying all its beauty, her eyes fell on the luxurious horse carriage that was coming towards the gate of his castle. Annabelle had already guessed who was in the carriage. Her hands intertwined looking anxious, her thoughts getting worse.

"Calm down, Annabelle! She's just visiting. Let's just say, this is an annual visit that the rest of the royal family is used to," Annabelle said to herself, but even the thought didn't seem to be able to calm her heart.

Annabelle turned around and started down the stairs. There was still time to prepare for Princess Catherine's arrival. She ran back down the hall to her room. A stout hand suddenly grabbed her, without her noticing when the owner was already there.

"What is wrong with you? Your attitude has changed since you found out about Princess Catherine's arrival plan," Albert asked looking into his wife's eyes.

"I'm worried about your heart," Annabelle answered honestly.

"What's wrong with my heart? My heart is fine."

"What if she comes to seduce you? Trapping you so you don't disturb her family. What about me?"

"You are thinking too far, My Lady. You know for sure if my heart is only for you, I love you. Hold and believe in it, then your heart will be calm again. I am yours, Annabelle."

Annabelle's eyes met her husband's. Seen if her husband said it with sincerity. Albert framed his wife's beautiful face and lifted his chin. His lips gently kissed Annabelle's sweet lips. The kiss turned into a crush, when Annabelle touched Albert's lips.

They stopped their activities when they heard the sound of someone approaching them.

"My Lord, Princess Catherine has entered the castle gate, she will soon stop at the main door," said Simon, announcing the arrival of their guest.

"We will welcome her soon, Simon. Go!" said Albert, having received the information from Simon. Albert's hands were still around Annabelle's waist as Simon withdrew from before them.

"Let's welcome Princess Catherine, we have to do it or not," Albert said to Annabelle. Annabelle nodded and freed herself from her husband's arms. Albert took Annebelle's hand and placed it on her bent arm. They walked to the main door, Louis castle.

Albert and Annabelle stood side by side as they greeted Princess Catherine. The horse carriage they had been waiting for, finally stopped right in front of them. When the carriage door opened, a beautiful woman got off the train. Her appearance was very graceful, with a beautiful dress that bulged at the bottom. Even the woman looked tormented with her corset pressing against her waist and stomach.

Her steps were very orderly, like a shy but alluring swan, her smile was charming, it was obvious that she was no ordinary noble. Annabelle also glanced at her husband, would her husband be amazed by a beautiful woman in front of him?

Albert's eyes stared at Princess Catherine without blinking. A faint smile appeared on Albert's lips. Annabelle's heart ached when she saw her husband's gaze aimed at Princess Catherine. A heavy sigh escaped her mouth. Unexpectedly, Albert's warm fingers slid into between his fingers. Holding her tightly as if to say, "I'm not in awe of Princess Catherine."

Albert's treatment warmed Annabelle's heart, and a smile appeared on her lips. Convinced that Albert had not forgotten her existence, Annabelle refocused her thoughts on the arrival of Princess Catherine.

"My Princess"

Greeted Albert and Annabelle together, when Princess Catherine was already in front of them. Albert and Annabelle, bowed their bodies to greet one of the royal members.

Catherine's eyes began to scan the two people in front of her. She realized that, Annabelle was not a woman she could easily beat. When her mother said she was a poor lady who didn't count. In fact, the Lady was very charming with her natural beauty. No wonder Albert wanted to marry her, even though her status was a tainted noble. Any man would want to marry her.

While the man in front of him, had made his breath catch. Those golden brown eyes were crystal clear and drowned him out. His face is very handsome with its own charm. His body was perfect, it was obvious that he wasn't a duke who just sat behind a desk calculating the taxes that came in as a source of income. Makes their heads bald and their bellies bulge. Meanwhile, Albert's body shows that he moves a lot. Catherine was sure that Albert would like horse riding. There wasn't a single noble in the kingdom as handsome as Albert.

Had Albert not been married, she would have easily conquered the man's heart with her beauty, position and power. Unfortunately at this time, she had to fight the woman who was standing beside the man.

"The Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, thank you for accepting me to visit you," Catherine greeted them.

"We are honored by your coming to our old castle. In our lives, we never thought that a member of the royal family would come to our place," said Albert humbly.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Lord Louis. Your position is very important in his kingdom. From the outside you look calm, as if you are nothing, but I know if you have a lot of followers, what more so for those who are still loyal to the late Queen Anne and still don't recognize my mother's power," said Catherine frankly.

"You are too prejudiced, Princess. Your mother is the rightful Queen of this kingdom. We can't possibly dare not to admit it, because we obey all the rules of the kingdom," said Albert.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you. We can continue this conversation inside, because the cold will make our bodies sick. Let's go in and warm up," said Annabelle, interrupting Catherine's conversation with her husband.

"Thank you, Lady Louis, you really care about my health," Catherine said in a tone that wasn't very sincere, but seemed sarcastic. For some reason the air around Annabelle and Catherine suddenly became hot. There was an aura of competition between them. Those clear blue eyes stared at the moss green eyes that looked confident.

Instead of lowering her head and feeling intimidated, Annabelle looked at Catherine equally domineeringly. There was something between them that Albert couldn't read. Knowing that things were heating up, Albert stepped up and stood between the two women.

"My wife's words are right, let's get inside before the cold air freezes us," said Albert breaking the murderous stares of the two women.

The three of them finally walked side by side and entered the castle. Simon, who walked down behind them, stared at the back of the three with a puzzled look. It looks like the long history that he closed for decades, will repeat itself. History between a member of the royal family with a Louis.

Simon sighed, his chest tight. He didn't want what happened to Albert's dad to happen to his son too. So far, Simon doesn't believe in destiny, everything can change when people try to change it, but what he sees now, forces him to believe that destiny does exist.

***