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The silence around us is deafening, the weight of a thousand unspoken judgments pressing down on me like a vise. I can feel their gazes, drifting between Henry and me, mouths agape and eyes wide with disbelief. The air is thick with tension, every breath heavy with the unimaginable implications of what has just transpired.
And then Henry suddenly drops to one knee before me, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. My breath catches in my throat as he opens it, revealing the most exquisite diamond ring I've ever seen.
"Jane Pinkerton," he murmurs, his voice trembling with emotion, "will you do me the great honor of becoming my queen?"
I’m silent for a long moment. A queen? “I don’t know anything about being a queen, Henry,” I admit, my voice trembling with my fear.
“All you need to know is that my love will guide you, baby. Be mine, and we’ll do this together.”
I look into his eyes, and it’s like something inside me slides into place.
"Okay," I whisper, my voice barely audible through my sobs. "Yes, Henry. I just want to be with you, and if this is what it takes, then yes, I’ll be your queen."
The cacophony of gasps and whispers erupts around us, shattering the silence like glass. My heart races as I watch their faces, a sea of shock transforming into awe and admiration for what Henry and I share. Their applause begins to swell, filling my ears and drowning out the pounding of my own pulse.
"Fuck, Jane," Henry murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. "You have no idea how much you mean to me."
My tears continue to stream down my cheeks, blurring the faces of the kingdom officials witnessing this moment. The intensity of it all is overwhelming, suffocating me with the weight of our love and the realization that we're defying society's expectations together.
My love for him shines through my eyes, even as they threaten to spill over once more.
Henry slides the ring onto my trembling finger, sealing his commitment to me in front of everyone. He stands and pulls me into a fierce embrace, his lips devouring mine with a hunger that sends shivers down my spine. The taste of him, sweet and intoxicating, is like a drug, and I find myself craving more.
"Mine," he growls against my ear, his possessiveness sending a thrill of desire coursing through my veins. "You're fucking mine, Jane."
I can't help but smile through my tears, knowing that I belong to him just as much as he belongs to me.
"Yours," I breathe, pressing my body against his as if trying to meld our souls together. "Always yours, Henry."
We stand there, locked in our passionate embrace, as the crowd continues to cheer and applaud.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
Jane
The world falls away. It's just Henry and me, standing at the altar. My heart thunders against my ribs like it wants to escape, a wild thing trapped in the cage of my chest. I can barely breathe. The weight of his gaze pins me in place—those piercing blue eyes that strip me bare and see all the secrets I've never voiced.
"Jane," he murmurs, and God, the way my name drips from his lips is a sinful prayer that heats my blood.
"Ready?" His voice is a tender growl, dark chocolate velvet that wraps around me, and I nod, unable to speak, because if I do, I might just scream with the intensity of what I'm feeling.
The officiant starts speaking, and his words are a thick syrup pouring over us, sweet and heavy with the promise of forever. "Love is an act of endless forgiveness," he intones, and something feral in me wants to laugh because Henry and I, we've forgiven more than anyone will ever know.
Our hands are clasped together, fingers tangled tight, like we're holding on for dear life. Which isn't far from the truth. My skin buzzes where he touches me, alive with the current that always leaps between us, electric and dangerous.
"Two souls, coming together as one," continues the officiant, his voice a distant echo against the pounding of my heart. Henry's thumb strokes the back of my hand, a silent message that sends shivers down my spine.
"Look at me," Henry commands softly, and it's not a request. It's a demand—one I gladly obey, because looking into those stormy depths offers me a glimpse into the chaos that matches my own.
In his eyes, I see the king, the man weighted by a crown of duty, but also the lover whose touch scorches me, whose dark desires mirror the ones I hide. When he looks at me, there’s no judgment, only raw understanding—a craving as profound as it is forbidden.
"Jane," he breathes again, and this time there's an edge to it, a possessive lilt that says I am his, just as he is mine. In this moment, it doesn't matter that I was nothing more than a maid in his grand castle. That's the past. Now, I'm the queen of his heart, the center of his world.
My pulse is a drumbeat, frantic and loud in the cavernous silence of the altar. Henry's hands, strong and sure, clasp mine, anchoring me to the moment, to the precipice of forever. His eyes, those orbs of piercing blue, are oceans I'm ready to drown in. They hold promises deeper than the sea, and I am adrift, willingly lost in their depths.
"Jane," he begins, his voice a low rumble that reverberates through my bones, "I take you as my queen, my partner in life and in rule." Every word is a brushstroke painting our future, vibrant and unapologetic. "To cherish your heart," he continues, the vow wrapping around me like a shroud, "to stand by your side through the darkest nights and brightest days."
