"Is it true? Do I have to get married? Cecelia said it's my responsibility. I don't want to let my kingdom down."

Mother shook her head. "No, no. You could never do such a thing. She shouldn't have said that. "

"I would like to marry Eugene someday… But I don't think he wants that. He said marriage is a pain."

"He doesn't want you with someone else." she corrected me "Cecelia was talking about arranging you with another man. I would be worried if Eugene didn't react that way."

"But… what if he never wants to marry me? What if I'm the pain he was talking about?"

"How could you possibly think that? He loves you."

That didn't mean he wanted to marry me. "…Mother? Did you want an arranged marriage? You were so young."

"I was quite young. And I was a teenager, much like you. I had other interests." she admitted "However, I was the oldest so naturally, I was expected to marry and become Queen. I felt I had no choice. When I first married your father, I knew absolutely nothing about him. I thought I would never be happy with this… stranger. As days passed, we got to know each other more and more. We would talk and laugh for hours and still do today. I soon realized he wasn't a stranger anymore. He was my husband and I had fallen in love with him."

I smiled.

"I realize how lucky I am to have married your father. Not all arranged marriages turn out as well as ours. You've been through so much and we wouldn't want to put you through any more. Never mind my sister. You may marry whom you choose, when you choose."

"Oh, I've already chosen! I… just don't know if he'll choose me back."

"Give him time, Darling. He'll propose when he's ready."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

I hugged her but pulled away when I thought of something "What about these princess lessons? Do I have to go through with them?"

"I'm afraid so… My sister can be stubborn. She won't take no for an answer."

"That's okay. I want to learn my responsibilities."

Mother slightly smiled "She told me to tell you your first lesson is tomorrow morning. 8 o' clock in the garden."

"Oh… already?"

"I know. She's quite serious about all this."

"But why can't you teach me instead?"

"She insists."

I nodded "Don't worry, Mother. I can do this. I'll be the best princess ever."

I couldn't fall asleep that night. My mind wouldn't rest. I kept thinking about how Eugene reacted at dinner. You know what I think! Marriage is a pain! You marry and that's it! You're stuck with that same person your whole life. Is that really what he thought? I didn't want him to feel stuck with me. I needed advice from a guy's point of view.

I kicked off my covers and sat up. Pascal was asleep, making little noises as he breathed in and out. I darted out my room and across the hall, sneaking past any guards. I made it to the stables without anyone noticing. Max was asleep. I was going to wake him but I knew he wouldn't take me anywhere at this hour. All of the other horses were sleeping too… all but one.

"Dakota!" I shouted in a whisper. She bowed her head and nudged my hand, in case I was mad at her. I could see she felt bad about the whole fountain incident. I stroked her head. "It's okay, girl. I forgot all about this morning. I think I've got a bigger problem. Can you take me somewhere?"

Dakota nodded and turned around so I could strap on a saddle. Then I hopped on and rode her to The Snuggly Duckling.

Everyone was really excited to see me and they always made me feel welcome. I didn't have to worry about messing up or saying something stupid. I could just relax. "Sneaking out past your bedtime, huh?" Hook Hand joked

I smirked "I'm not a baby. I don't have a bedtime. And I didn't sneak out. I'm here because I need advice. It's about Eugene."

"Where is he anyway? Surprised to see you here by yourself."

"That's the thing. He drank a lot tonight because he was nervous and he said some things…"

"What kind of things? Hurtful things?" Big Nose asked

"Well, not exactly…" I trailed off.

"C'mon, spit it out. We're all ears!" Hook hand said

I took a deep breath, starting from the beginning. I told them how nervous I was and how horrible of a day it turned out to be. I especially mentioned the discussion at dinner.

"She says I have to marry because it's my responsibility and if I don't, I'll let down my whole kingdom." I explained "I wanted to marry Eugene but now I'm not so sure. Cecelia wants me to marry a more suitable husband. Someone other than Eugene. But that's not going to happen. Then Eugene completely lost it. He hates the idea of marriage. He thinks it's a pain! It was so bad."

"I should've seen that coming" Hook Hand said "Here's the thing with marriage. For guys, it's usually fear of commitment-"

"He died for me." I reminded him

"Must be something else then."

"Maybe! He's got another girl on the side." Shorty said

My face fell. It hurt to even think that.

"I'm sure that's not it. I don't think he'd do that to you. I would never do that to my girl!" Big nose said

Everyone groaned "Don't get him started!"

"You're all just jealous!"

I smiled "Would you like to marry her?"

His face lit up "Some day for sure!"

"That's so sweet." I sighed "I'm just afraid Eugene will never propose…"

"Here's my advice! Don't make him feel pressured into it. That's the worst you could do. Wait it out. He will eventually, once he gets over himself." Hook Hand said

Big nose agreed "He does love you, there's no doubt in my mind. Just you wait, he'll realize how lucky he is to have you and he'll never want to lose you."

I grinned "Thanks you guys."

I glanced out the window and noticed my cousin peaking in at us. "Diana!" My voice squeaked. I was shocked to see her. She ducked so I rushed outside to confront her. "What are you doing here?"

"I… followed you… on that horse." She pointed to Max who shook his head at me. "You shouldn't be sneaking out! It's dangerous out here!"

"I'm fine though. I'm with my friends! I think you should meet them! They're the best!" Before she could argue I pulled her inside. "Everyone! This is my cousin, Diana!"

A/N: Sorry to cut you off short! I know everyone hates cliffhangers, including myself. Wonder how Diana will react entering the Snuggly Duckling for the first time? Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated so you know what to do :D