Note: Whilst playing I made the choice to call my prince Alexander and not Liam. Hope this doesn't put anyone off!
Drake sat on the wall of the manor's gardens, alone and clutching his third glass of whiskey, doing his best to avoid small talk with any of the other guests. Something caught his attention from the corner of his eye; and he turned to see India, as stunning as he'd ever seen her, in a floor-length sparkling red gown, making her way gracefully towards him.
"I didn't think you were one for parties." India said, grinning at the sight of Drake in his grey suit. "You clean up well, though."
She perched carefully on the wall next to him, seeming to relax slightly in his presence.
"Thanks, Waters. So do you." He replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He wanted to look at her; to take in the full extent of her beauty, but he didn't want to be caught staring.
"Thank you." She said with a smile. India looked down at the glass of whiskey in Drake's hand, and then at the half-empty bottle that sat on the wall next to him. She laughed as she turned back to him.
"You just got them to give you the whole bottle?"
"Mhm. So much more convenient." He smirked.
"Are you at least going to share?" India reached over, grabbing the bottle and undoing the lid. Drake quickly snatched the bottle from her, instead offering the mostly full glass he held in his hand.
"Trust me, you don't want anyone snapping a photo of you drinking whiskey straight from the bottle." He said, taking a swig from the bottle as he spoke. "The press would have a field day."
"That... is actually pretty good advice." India said, drinking from the glass Drake had given her. "So, do you ever go inside? Or do you just spend the night out here?" She asked.
"Mostly just sit out here. The company is normally much worse, though."
He saw her grin from the corner of his eye. He felt the butterflies in his stomach that he had been feeling for weeks, every time he saw her. Every time he made her smile or laugh the butterflies would fill his stomach and make him feel sober if he was drunk, and drunk if he was sober. But after the butterflies came the regret - the instant guilt at allowing himself to fall for the girl his best friend loved. Even if India and Alexander didn't end up together, Drake knew that Alexander loved her and wanted to be with her. He didn't know if she felt the same way about either of them, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting to try and win her over.
"Thanks, Drake. You're good company too." She said, playfully nudging him with her elbow. "If we're not going to go inside, do you at least want to explore the gardens a little bit?" India smiled at him mischievously, looking around at the beautiful gardens behind them, lit by dozens of strings of glowing fairy lights.
"Won't they be wondering where you are?" He asked nervously, thinking of Alexander and how he would probably come looking for her eventually.
"Maybe they will at some point, but I'm sure Maxwell will cover for me." She saw the indecision on his face and smiled reassuringly. "Okay, well, I'm going to go for a walk in the gardens, and if anyone happens to join me then so be it."
India grinned as she stood, topping up her glass of whiskey before taking off toward the perfectly tended hedges that lined the garden paths. Drake sat alone for a second; he knew he would never be able to resist spending time alone with India, no matter how guilty he felt. He stood and jogged after her, forgetting the bottle that sat on the wall, and was back by her side in a matter of seconds.
"Oh, hello Drake! What a coincidence, I was just going for a walk too. Care to join me?" India grinned up at him as they walked together.
Drake laughed. "Of course, seeing as we're both out here."
India linked her arm with Drake's, causing his heart to miss a beat. He couldn't find any words to say, and the more he tried the more nervous he became, so they walked in silence until they reached the center of a small network of hedges. In a clearing stood an elegant white gazebo, surrounded by blooming flowers and romantic lighting. India walked up the stairs to the center of the gazebo, leaving Drake standing on the grass, gazing up at her.
"I think we should probably be getting back now." He said, nervously running his hand through his hair.
"You're not scared, are you?" India faced him, the skirt of her dress spinning elegantly as she turned, and beckoned him to join her in the gazebo. "Don't worry, I'll fight off Bastien if we get caught."
"You don't understand," He said as he approached her. "I don't think I should be out here with you."
"Why?" She replied, a confused frown spreading across her face.
"You really don't know?" Drake's heart pounded in his chest as he climbed the top stair and turned to look down at her. He could see in her face that she knew what he meant - that he was hopelessly in love with her, but couldn't act on it because they couldn't be together. He couldn't do that to his best friend, as much as he wanted to.
"I..." India paused for a moment, and Drake was sure she would be able to hear his beating heart as they looked into each other's eyes.
"I don't know." She said, practically whispering.
As soon as the words left her mouth Drake leaned forward, one hand sliding around her waist and the other resting gently on her cheek, and kissed her. He pulled her close and grinned as she kissed him back, leaning gently against the pillar of the gazebo. Drake felt the butterflies - not just in his stomach but in his whole body, sending waves of euphoria through him as he held the girl he loved in his arms. After a few brief moments they parted, a look of shock spreading across India's face as she contemplated what had just happened.
"Now you know." Drake said breathlessly.
"Drake..." India started, but was interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps approaching.
"India?" They both heard Maxwell call out. Drake instinctively took a step back from her as they saw Maxwell emerge from the hedges, sighing with relief as he spotted them.
"Oh, India! People have started to ask where you've gone - I told them that you were feeling unwell and needed to lie down a while."
"Thank you, Maxwell." India said with a polite smile as she made her way down the stairs. "I needed some fresh air and ran into Drake in the gardens." She said innocently.
Drake stood awkwardly at the edge of the gazebo, his cheeks still flush from the kiss they had shared.
"Well, you'd better get back. I can't cover for you much longer." Maxwell said, glancing suspiciously at Drake from the corner of his eye. India nodded and quickly turned back to Drake, handing him the glass of whiskey that she had barely touched.
"Thanks for the whiskey, Drake." She smiled politely at him and then turned to leave, making her way past Maxwell then walking out of sight, into the maze of shrubbery beyond the clearing.
As soon as she was sure neither man could see her, India crouched to the floor and listened to hear what they would say next.
"What aren't you telling me?" Maxwell asked as he blocked the exit, placing his hands confidently on his hips in his best attempt to be intimidating. Drake stood in silence, taking a sip of his whiskey and refusing to meet Maxwell's accusing stare.
"Something happened between you two, didn't it?" Maxwell said. "Did you kiss her?"
Drake glanced over at Maxwell, unable to hide his remorseful expression, and nodded slowly.
"I'm in love with her, Maxwell." Drake sighed. "Every time I see her, speak to her - hell, even think about her, my heart gets stuck in my throat and I know that she's it. I can't keep trying to hide it."
"Damn it, Drake. You have to." Maxwell said in a hushed yet stern voice, "You really think I haven't noticed the way you two look at each other? You think I haven't seen her standing up Alexander to sneak off with you in the middle of the night? I'd be surprised if the whole country doesn't know by now."
"Well what am I supposed to do, Maxwell? What would you have done?" Drake's guilt and frustration was obvious as he spoke.
He sat on the stairs of the gazebo and hung his head shamefully.
"I know how amazing India is, Drake. You're not the only one who's become close to her these last few months, but she came here for Alexander. She came here to be Queen of Cordonia."
"No, you dragged her out here because you needed a suitor to save you from going broke! India came here to find love, and did you ever consider that I might be what she was looking for?"
Drake saw Maxwell's stunned expression and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Maxwell. I know you were just trying to help Alexander... and I know that I'm probably the world's worst friend right now, but I just... I can't help how I feel."
"No one said that you can't have feelings for India. Lord knows you're not alone," Maxwell replied with a sigh, "but she's here for Alexander, and you have to respect that."
Drake nodded before rising to his feet, the frustrated silence hanging in the air between them.
"Fine, I won't make any more moves on her. But if we get to the end of all this madness and for some miracle she decides she wants to be with me, I'm going to take the opportunity." He said after a few moments, brushing past Maxwell and making his way out of the clearing.
India held her breath as she heard footsteps approaching, tucking herself as far into the bushes as possible to avoid being seen. Tears stung at her eyes as she recounted the last few minutes in her head. In the back of her mind she knew that Drake had feelings for her, and she wrestled with the idea that she might feel the same way.
"India?" Maxwell's surprised voice caught her off guard, and she looked up to see the brown-haired man standing over her, glancing down disapprovingly.
India quickly rose to her feet, brushing down her dress and looking around as if nothing had happened.
"Your dress was sticking out." Maxwell said, frowning. His expression softened as he saw tears spilling from India's eyes and rolling down her cheeks. He stepped forward and wrapped her up in a comforting hug.
"I'm sorry, Maxwell." She sighed after a few moments before taking a step back. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I don't know what to do."
"Do you have feelings for Drake?" Maxwell asked nervously. He was scared of what the answer would be, mostly because he was fairly certain he knew it already.
For the last few weeks India had spent most of her free time with Drake, oblivious to the fact that Maxwell had been watching how close they'd become.
"When I first came here, I thought he was an ass." India said, laughing through her tears. "And I'm pretty sure he hated me a little. But the more I got to know him, the more I understood why he's the way he is... and then that night in Applewood Manor, when Tariq came into my room..."
India paused to carefully wipe the tears from her eyes.
"He saved me, Maxwell. He showed me that he really cared about me, and I think I started to fall for him."
Maxwell closed his eyes and sighed. He had never considered that India might fall for anyone other than Alexander, and it scared him. He wanted India to be happy no matter what, but she was the Beaumonts' last hope to save their house from ruin, and to do that she needed to marry Prince Alexander. Maxwell took a moment to compose his thoughts before taking India's arm in his, and beginning to make their way back to the manor.
"I can't tell you how to live your life, India." Maxwell sighed. "If you choose that you want to be with Drake then that's your decision, and I hope you know that I just want you to be happy."
"What would Bertrand say?" India replied, shuddering at the thought of how the older Beaumont brother would react.
"Oh, you don't even want to know. But we'll deal with that, if we have to." Maxwell squeezed India's hand reassuringly as they climbed the stairs leading back to the patio outside the manor.
"Now," Maxwell's tone was suddenly perkier as he spoke. He turned and held India by her shoulders, catching her gaze before wiping away the remainder of her tears with his sleeve.
"We're going to go back into that party, and we're going to dance the night away and pretend like nothing happened. So give me a smile."
India grinned up at Maxwell, always surprised by how easily he could make her feel better.
Maxwell once again linked his arm with India's, the two of them elegantly poising themselves in front of the ballroom's double doors, ready to re-enter the world of Cordonian nobility.
"Perfect." He said, "And now, it's showtime."