The next morning, Prince Randal found the Princess walking the garden. He knew it was time to talk to her about what he had seen.
"Prince Randal." The guard announced.
"I wish to speak with my sister alone." He said to her bodyguard and ladies.
"Yes, Your Highness." The ladies said curtsying and walking away.
"Sir." Prince Randal said to Sir Jonathan.
"Of course Your Highness." He bowed and headed to the edge of the garden as he was never to be far away from the Princess.
"What did you want to talk about?" Katarina asked him as they walked.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to risk your life?" He asked bluntly.
"What are you talking about, brother?" She asked confused.
"Kate, do not play dumb. I asked you if you had joined with Sir Jonathan and you told me no. Why did you lie to me?"
"I did not lie."
"I saw you last night." He said low so no one would hear him.
"What?" She asked shocked.
"I came to see you last night. I used the tunnels. I came into the sitting room and heard the noises from your bed chamber. I opened the door a little and I saw you. I saw you being with him. What were you thinking?"
"I did not lie to you when I said I had not laid with him like that. I had not yet."
"When did you?"
"A few days ago."
"Kate, what were you thinking? Do you not know of the risk?"
"I know the risk, I do." She said sitting on the bench nearby. "But I love him and I wanted to be with him. It is different for you. You can lay with anyone you wish and no one says anything. You can marry Princess Maryse and still have mistresses."
"Kate, I know you love him but a princess is supposed to be pure when they marry. This could ruin the alliance if it comes out. Not to mention that Sir Jonathan will be put to death." He saw the confusion in her eyes over everything. "Did he force you to be with him? Did he somehow make you?"
"No. It was my idea. He turned me down at first. I was the one who wanted to."
"Kate, you will be married soon. You can not continue this."
"I will not give him up yet. We only have a week before the wedding. What does it matter if I am with him?"
"Kate, the pass ways are accessible to father, mother, all the bodyguards, the servants. Do you want to take the risk that someone will come and see what I saw? Something I never thought I would see."
"What did you see?"
"I so do not want to have this conversation with you." He said getting up. "But let me say this, what I saw was not what I thought you would do. I figured my true romantic sister would be more him on top. That is not what I saw."
"Oh you only saw for a minute, I hope. Otherwise this is awkward."
"Only a minute and that is all I want to see. I do not want to see my little sister doing that and I want to stop this conversation."
"Wait, you will not tell right? Promise me, Randal."
"I would never tell. I will always protect you from everything." He said hugging her. "Just be careful. You never know who you can trust."
"I will. I promise."
"Good. I will leave you now." He quickly left and headed in the castle.
Once her brother had left, she joined her ladies and her bodyguard and headed back to the castle. Once she was there, she was summoned to the meeting room of her father.
"Daughter, please sit." The Emperor said when she entered.
"Yes father?" She asked as she sat down.
"I have spoken with King Theodore and we have agreed that you and Theodore will be married right away. In fact in a few days."
"You moved up the wedding?" She asked shocked.
"Yes." He said. He had requested the wedding moved up because he was afraid that what Lady Michelle said was true that his daughter had in fact laid with Sir Jonathan. He worried that his daughter might be pregnant and he wanted to make sure that it would seem that it was Prince Theodore's child if she was pregnant. "Katarina, you will marry the Prince in three days."
"Yes father." She said as she got up and left. She was shocked that he moved up the wedding.
Prince Theodore had been told that the wedding had been moved up and he would marry in three days. He knew he needed to get away and relax before that so he made arrangements to go to Monte Carro Castle. He arrived and headed in to her waiting.
"I was not sure you would come this time." He said as he walked over to her.
"I figured we would have this time and probably no more once we are married." Princess Maryse said before kissing him. "You to Katarina and me to Randal. Unless you want to find a way for us to continue."
"Maryse, you know I do not love you."
"I do not love you either. We come together because we need to. We both are unhappy that we must marry people we do not love and we will be unhappy in our marriages so why should not find comfort with each other."
"You do have a point. But how can we meet if you are in Beaverton Castle and I am in Hunting Castle."
"We will meet here every chance we can. I know Randal will come to visit Katarina and she will come to visit him. We can be together then also." She kissed him and then removed her dress. "You know you want me."
He did not say anything he just kissed her and they soon made their way over to the bed chamber of the castle. He and Princess Maryse had been seeing each other for months. It started at a party her parents threw that his family attended. She had caught his eye and she soon led him into a private room of her family castle. That one secret tryst began their secret affair.
He had not thought about continuing with her once she was married and he was too. He wanted to be only with his wife but Maryse brought up a good point. They both would be unhappy in their marriages so why not find the comfort in each other.
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