King’s kiss

Belle's eyes widened as her heart pounded furiously, her lips sealed in stunned silence. The moment overwhelmed her, and without thinking, she pushed Hezekiah away, startled by her own reaction. 

"I…I am sorry, I…oh no!" She stammered, her words tumbling over themselves in a panic. Unable to face him or explain her abrupt action, she turned and fled, leaving Hezekiah behind. 

He watched her retreating figure with an amused smile, his confidence unshaken. He knew she didn't mean to reject him but had simply been too shocked. At times, he wondered if her past experiences had left her unprepared for even the smallest gestures of affection. For someone who had once carried a child and been married, her innocence when it came to romance was amusing, almost as though she had never truly experienced it. 

Did Quinn even love her properly? 

"Your Majesty, there is an emergency!" Steve's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the present.