Chapter 4: A Matter Of Honour
Erik stretched as he stirred before turning his head to the side and gave a soft smile at the sight of Amelia sleeping peacefully at his side and he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek before hearing her sigh blissfully as she slowly smiled up at him,
"Hello" she whispered causing him to smile brightly,
"Hello" he whispered back before both beginning to chuckle and giggle as they shared a soft kiss and Amelia brushed he thumb gently against Erik's disfigurement as he rested his forehead against her own,
"Today I shall be free" Erik whispered,
"The Royal lawyer shall arrive this afternoon, Myself and Christine will sign the divorce papers and any vow I ever make from then on will be to you" Erik whispered making Amelia smiled softly as she gazed up into his eyes,
"I love you" she whispered making Erik smile,
"Just as I love you" he replied before sharing another passionate kiss with his beloved.
Erik applied his signature to the document as Raoul and Christine shared an shameless kiss,
"I am proud of you" Raoul told her and Christine smiled,
"After today. It will be just you, me and our baby" she told him gently causing the royal lawyer to look up,
"You... You are with child?" he asked and watched Christine nod and the lawyer sighed,
"It is believed by the people, Princess Christine that the only relationship you have is with Prince Erik... Your affair with Count Raoul has placed the royal family in a very difficult place but this pregnancy puts us in an even more difficult place" he explained causing Erik to look confused,
"How so?" he pressed causing Charles to look down sadly,
"Erik... Son... With Christine pregnant... The people will think... That baby was conceived in the royal bed" he explained,
"With this being so... A divorce would be a scandal" he said and Erik turned his gaze towards Christine and Raoul, looking upon them with a glare,
"What have you both done?" he demanded firmly before leaving the room and Charles sighed as he picked up the divorce documents and threw them into the flames of the fireplace.
Amelia felt a tear spill down her cheek as Erik told her the situation and he hugged her close,
"Everything will be fine" he told her and she looked at him,
"How?" she asked sadly,
"Christine will give birth in nine months or less depending on how far along she is... This child will be your heir and your child in the eyes of the people just as Christine will continue to be your wife in their eyes" she finished sadly, looking down,
"All that matters is how we see things. You are the woman I love. Damn what the people think to be the truth" he said firmly,
"And what will I be should the people find out the 'real' truth?... Your mistress?" she demanded, standing and looked out the window whilst Erik sighed, standing and came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek,
"Never" he whispered, pressing another kiss to her shoulder,
"Do you remember what I told you this morning?" he asked her gently,
"I Must of forgotten after you kissed me. You know how your kisses distract me" she teased and Erik chuckled, pressing a kiss to her cheek,
"I told you that after today, any future vow I make will be made to you... Even without the divorce. This will be so" he told gently as he turned her towards him, lifting her chin gently,
"I love you, Amelia" he told her firmly,
"Nothing will change that" he assured her and she smiled softly before sighing gently,
"I love you too, Erik... You better get going to your fitting" she told him and he nodded as she fixed his collar,
"I'll tell Nadir to lower the quantity of desserts served to you" she teased and Erik smirked,
"Oh you will. Will you?" he demanded, lifting her over his shoulder and she squealed in happiness,
"I think you'll find my darling Amelia that I am not fat. It is muscle" he joked and she laughed brightly,
"I am very much aware of your muscles Erik" she flirted,
"I have seen you shirtless remember?" she teased and Erik chuckled but a knock on the door interrupted their happy moment,
"ERIK! YOUR FITTING!" Nadir yelled causing the happy couple to share laughter.
~ 9 Months Later ~
Screams rang throughout the corridor of the castle and one of the maids burst into the kitchen,
"Madame Giry?... It's time" she said breathlessly causing the head of household to quickly follow her out of the room.
Erik and Amelia were sharing afternoon tea when Nadir entered the room,
"Christine has gone into labour" he said gently and Amelia sighed, looking towards Erik,
"It's time" she murmured gently.
The bells rang as a royal messenger stepped up onto a platform,
"It is with great pride and honour! That I hereby announce that Princess Christine has given birth upon this day to a son!" he announced,
"Prince Erik and Princess Christine have names their heir. Gustave. Long live Prince Gustave!" he proclaimed causing the crowd to repeat the chant.
Amelia closed her eyes at the sound of the crowds chanting for the new born prince and she sighed sadly, Could she and Erik truly be happy when the kingdom believed her love was happily married to another woman?
Oh dear! Christine and Erik have to remain married in order to prevent scandal and now the people believe the couple have bore a child together. Will Amelia and Erik ever have a happy ending?
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996