Postponed the Wedding

Duke Kensington panicked when he saw Melissa crying. He thought she had somehow felt regret for not being able to fulfil her dream and had to marry him instead. He felt depressed. 'Probably Xavier was right, she felt forced to marry me.'

"Melissa, I apologize if you feel that you're forced to accept this marriage." Duke Kensington took his handkerchief and handed it to her. 

After she had calmed down, he continued speaking, "Do you want to fulfil that dream of yours?" 

"What do you mean? Can I?" Melissa asked while looking at him suspiciously, doubtful of what he had just said.

"Yes, of course. When I asked you about your future, I feel that we should not rush into marriage just yet. I know that you're capable of much more rather than just being married and raise a child. I'm not saying it's not honorable to do so, but that would probably suit others, but not you. At least, not for now. Do you want to pursue your dream?" Duke Kensington said with a smile on his face.

"Yes! So, does this mean, I don't have to marry you?" Duke Kensington's face turned rigid at this question, clearly he didn't like what she said. 'Did she truly not want to wed me?'

Melissa knew the way she had spoken could be misunderstood, so she quickly explained. "I mean, it's not that I refuse this marriage, but could the wedding really be postponed until I am ready?" She asked, all the while looking intently at the Duke's face, smiling sweetly at him.

"You silly goose!" Duke Kensington instinctively pulled her into his embrace, unable to resist this innocent young girl.

She felt so good in his arms, he felt her warmth and he could smell her subtle floral fragrance. She didn't resist his embrace, which prompted Duke Kensington to take a deep breath and slowly released her. He looked into her bright eyes and slowly leaned forward to kiss her. 

Their lips met in a gentle caress, the warmth of their breath mingling. Electricity sparked as their lips brushed lightly, sending a shiver down their spine. Not sensing any reluctance from her, Duke Kensington became bolder and kissed her harder, forcing her to catch her breath. However, the moment her lips parted slightly, the Duke immediately seized the chance and inserted his tongue in her mouth. His tongue seemed to dance with hers, each moving melodiously together.

Melissa started to kiss him back, with her hands grabbing his jacket and drew him nearer, eliciting a moan from the man. Her hands began tracing upwards and soon they were in his hair, grabbing it, all the while she kissed him fervently. 

Duke Kensington groaned at her unexpected reaction and began to feel his manhood started to erect. He eased the kiss and eventually pulled away from her lips, but instead of distancing himself from her, he rested his forehead on hers, and both of them catch their breath while the Duke tried to calm himself. After a few moments, Duke Kensington slowly pinch Melissa's chin and looked deep into her beautiful violet eyes. It was obvious that she was new to all this, her eyes were looking eagerly at him. 

"Have you kissed anyone like this before?" Duke Kensington asked for confirmation. 

Melissa smiled shyly and said, "No." 

"Melissa, you melt my heart. Promise me, don't ever do that with anyone else, alright?" Duke Kensington implored.

She nodded in agreement. Looking at her docile expression, Duke Kensington was relieved. 'Sorry Xavier, I won't let you steal her from me."

"Your Grace? Are you alright?" Melissa's voice sounded from afar.

Duke Kensington's head immediately looked up and saw Melissa sitting not far from him.

"I said, I have no objection to this marriage, but could the wedding really be postponed until I'm ready?" She asked again, looking puzzled at the Duke's unresponsive attitude.

'What the hell? You were the one who said I can pursue my dreams. Now you're keeping quiet. What's the meaning of this?' Melissa grumbled in her heart.

Waves of shock ran through the Duke's whole being, unable to fathom what the hell just happened. Did he just fantasize about kissing her? How is that possible?? This was completely out of his character.

"Your Grace??" Melissa couldn't take it anymore, her voice went up a notch higher. 'This man is seriously infuriating! He must be thinking of ways to take back what he just said!'

"Cough, cough! I apologize, I was side-tracked for a moment. Yes, we can postpone the wedding. Don't worry." He assured her, causing her to grin from ear to ear, obviously pleased with the outcome.

Duke Kensington sighed and eventually led her back to her room. On the way back, Duke Kensington also informed Melissa that he would discuss with her about the art gallery project soon.

Melissa was somewhat relieved at the progress of this 'story' so far. However, she had decided not to accept any more generosity from the Duke. Postponing the marriage was already the biggest gesture of generosity from this hard-hearted man, she simply couldn't accept more. She didn't want to owe him anything, in case something happened in the future. Who doesn't have money? From her basic understanding of the Knights' family fortune, the Duke of Hurrey is a wealthy man. And there's also her brother, Lord Melvin. He has money to buy lands for his horses, he could definitely sponsor her dreams too, right? So, in short, she could simply get the capital from her own family, heh!

Melissa laughed out loud that night, she had never laughed so much in her life, this one and the last! The palace maids who passed by her room that night were scared out of their wits when they heard the ear-piercing laugh coming from the Lady's chamber. 'Has the Lady gone mad suddenly? Should they report it to the Queen?' Finally the laughter subsided, so the palace maids decided not to dwell on it. She's probably happy that she's finally able to go home.

Yes, Melissa was definitely happy! First, she managed to eat her favourite dumplings in the afternoon, then there's the postponement of the wedding, and she's now able to continue her career in arts, finally news came that her family would fetch her home tomorrow. This is simply amazing! Since the main plot of the story hasn't really started, does this mean she can rewrite the story on her own from this point onward? That's interesting.

As she lie down on the bed, Melissa thought of a few points to ponder:

One, she's now able to concentrate on her career one more time. She would start by painting again. She needed paintings to showcase to the public in the gallery, so this should be her first step. She had already purchased ample art materials, so she now needed a space to set up her workplace. There's a reading space in her personal garden. She could convert it into an art room. 

Second, she doesn't need to deal with Lady Sophia anytime soon. This lady better don't show up in front of her yet. As far as she knows, William said that his 'Aunt Sophia' liked to take care of his home and rarely left the Estates. In other words, she's just obsessed with the Duke and guarded the Estates as if it's hers. Shameless woman.

Thirdly, she could focus more on that scheming Lady Anastasia. Knowing her, she would not sit still and Melissa could feel more sinister plots coming her way. Especially now that she knew Melissa is staying in the palace, how could she not care? She's so obsessed with the Prince, she would already plan Melissa's death by now. 

Lastly and the most important, she could slowly figure out her feelings for both Duke Kensington and Prince Xavier. As she had decided earlier, marriage is a lifelong commitment so she need to evaluate properly. Time would be able to help her. In fact, she might not even choose either of them, nor get married at all! It would be only her and her art gallery. No matter what, she needed to keep an open mind.