Evelyn's POV

I spent all day dawdling around my home to no avail. That loathsome prince invaded every crevice of my restless mind. His words stained my thoughts an infuriating shade of red.

In fact, I'm only agreeing to this for my mother's sake. It's not for the kingdom, it's not for the Crown, and it's most certainly not for you.

I cringed as his words picked at fresh scabs. Did he really mean them? Probably, being the absolute, repulsive jerk that he is. He had not a single redeeming quality to him. I sighed and fell back onto the chaise I presently paced around. A plain, white ceiling greeted me. Even that blank space looked more promising than my future. I was lost in deep mourning when a knock on the door startled me. I ignored it until a second series of knocks reminded me that the help was dismissed yesterday, so that details of the wedding didn't leak out to the public. Lazily, and a bit unwillingly, I surrendered and answered. A smile lit up my face when I saw Sky.

"Look who's going to be ruler of all the land in three days! When you ascend the throne, please remember who supported you with a matching bowl cut when you got tar in your hair at the age of seven." He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me for a chaste hug.

It was less than proper conduct, but with our history, no one would dare raise an eyebrow. Only a man of Sky's stature could give such wholesome bear hugs without the threat of being mauled to death by a real one. Some friendships never change, and with him, I never wanted it to.

"Oh, I'm so excited." I muttered sarcastically.

"You don't sound like it." He countered, frowning.

If Adele was akin to a sister, then Sky was like a brother to me. Being from the same social circle, we all practically grew up together.

"Well, you know how Ashton is. You are also well aware of the kind of relationship we've shared since birth."

He nodded in understanding.

"In all honesty, I was in disbelief when I received the announcement. I know he suffers from a great deal of pressure since his father's passing but... Do you genuinely want this for yourself?" He asked.

I sighed, "For matters beyond myself, I do. I refuse to go back on my word, but I just don't understand how we're going to make this work. Or pretend to, at least."

"I beg to differ. You two are more similar than either of you realize. You would be surprised by how many values the two of you share in common. The issue lies in expression, that's something he struggles with daily. I believe you could do much good for him in that sense, you've never had trouble opening up to others."

Unlike me, he was good friends with Ashton. As far as I was concerned, the only commonality we shared was Sky – a mutual friend.

"I suppose you would know that better than I, but I'm really not in the mood to hear someone defend him. What brings you here, anyway?"

He scratched the back of his neck— a nervous habit of his.

I raised an eyebrow, "What's the matter?"

"Actually, Ash is the one who sent me to check on you." He explained.

Baffled and astonished, I scoffed, "I'm not some child to be checked upon!"

The thought that he may be genuinely concerned about me had fleeted my mind, for obvious reasons.

"Yes, but he wanted to make sure that..." His voice trailed off at the end.

"Make sure of what?"

A few seconds of silence went by.

"Sky, spit it out!" I demanded.

"He wanted to make sure that you had no plans of bailing on him." He spoke quickly.

Anger boiled up inside of me.

"Me? Bail on him?! He thought of that simply because I left the castle for a little while? He doesn't even trust me enough to take leave on my own! Why does he even care if he hates me? I mean, wouldn't he be happy if I ran off with someone then? Who does he think—" Sky interrupted my rant.

"Ev, I think he was only worried, or at the very least, nervous." He attempted to calm me down.

Paranoia would settle as a better explanation. He always yearned for control, over objects and people. I refuse to fall prey to his tyranny, and under my rule, neither will the kingdom.

"If he was truly concerned, then he would have come here himself."

"I believe, for good reason, he thinks you're mad at him. Naturally, if he came here, he would've only upset you more."

"He makes me absolutely livid! But..." I groaned in frustration as I leaned my forehead against the doorframe.

Sky stood there, slightly amused by my pain.

"He hates me, too." I grumbled.

He smiled, "Even though he appears to, I really don't think he does."

I sighed in relief, not fully comprehending why. Why should I care what that imbecile thinks of me? It's not his acceptance that I crave. Rather, the tension brought on by our mutual distaste racked me with crippling anxiety. Perhaps Sky was the perfectly delusional, optimistic companion that I needed at the moment.

"Both of us have to try harder." I stated, regaining my composure.

"I think so too." He agreed. "You need to spend more time with him, with a fresh perspective. He needs to learn his lessons as well."

"Oh, trust me, I've tried and that attempt didn't end too well."

His careless words remained branded in my mind. I couldn't help but wonder how many more rudimentary remarks would hurt me in the future.

"If he sent me here to check on you, then I think he'd be quite relieved to see you again. As I've said before, he's poor at taming his emotions. He's not well versed in sharing his feelings because he's never had to. Since birth, everyone catered to his needs even before he could express them. Be tolerant, try your best to understand him, yes? Although, I must admit, it will take a lot of patience." He admitted.

I nodded, "Well, unfortunately for him, I'm not psychic. But I trust you. You're liable for this, Sky."

"Don't pen legal matters on me. I have a feeling that you'll thank me once you heed my advice." He winked.

I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind me.

"Lead the way." I announced, suddenly filled with impractical confidence.