Joseph barged into the office that Clarisse was working in and tossed an envelope on her desk.
She looked up as he started walking away, "What's this?"
"My letter of resignation."
"You're leaving? Why?"
"I think you know why."
"Because I broke up with you?"
He rolled his eyes, "Yes, because you broke up with me."
"But that doesn't mean you have to go."
"Clar…Your Majesty, may I ask you something? If you were in my position, would you want to spend every single day working side by side with the one person you want and can't have? To spend every hour thinking about how much that person broke your heart? Knowing what that person looks like with no clothes on?"
She smiled slightly, but immediately put on a straight face when she realised it wasn't intended as a joke.
"What I'm trying to say is that unless you agree to spend the rest of your life with me and only me, I can no longer be anywhere near you. My only chance of getting over you is by getting away. You understand, don't you?"
He stared her in the eye then walked towards the door. He turned around when he heard her voice, "Joseph, I am so sorry that I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, but it's just impossible."
He nodded his head and swallowed, "It says in the letter that I will be leaving on the 25th of December, precisely after the Christmas Ball. It is up to you whether you decide to come with me," he lowered his voice, "or not."
She was left with a million thoughts stuck in her mind.
Rupert and the boys came home a few days later. Clarisse was happy that they were back because she and Joseph hadn't been speaking at all and she was beginning to feel very bored and lonely.
"Oh, Pierre, Philippe, I'm so happy you've come back home. How was your trip?"
"It was fun, Mother," Philippe replied.
"I'm glad to hear it. Did you catch many fish?"
"Plenty."
She hugged him, "I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you."
Rupert stood beside her and told the boys to run inside and unpack.
"And how are you?"
"Oh, just fine."
"Did you miss us?"
"Only during the last week."
"I'm sorry we didn't invite you. It's just…"
"It's perfectly alright. I had plenty to do here."
"Good, good. So what did you get up to while I was away?"
"Oh…nothing much."
"Not getting into trouble, I hope?"
"Eh…he…"
Rupert's personal assistant suddenly appeared on the front steps and called out to him, "Your Majesty, have you've got a moment? I need to discuss some business with you."
Rupert nodded his head and apologized to Clarisse. She decided to immediately put stage 2 of her plan into action.
"Rupert, before you go, I was just wondering if you're doing anything later this evening?"
"I'm not sure, why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering if you would like some company."
"Company?"
She seductively raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, company. I think I can reschedule some things and meet you in my suite sometime later on."
"I'll see you there then."
Clarisse was feeling very nervous and guilty about what she was about to do and was already regretting it. They hadn't been together for years; since the Philippe was born. She walked up to the door and knocked gently.
"Come in."
Rupert was sitting on a chair by the fire, reading a book. He was wearing nothing but a velvety red robe, "Good evening."
She closed the door and walked over to him, "Good evening. What are you reading?"
"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."
She forced herself to let out a giggle and was pulled onto his lap, "You're smile is unique."
He pressed his lips to hers and started massaging her back, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to do this all of a sudden? You've been avoiding my advances for years, so why now?"
"I…have been very lonely. I just needed to experience the…joy of love making once more."
"I don't believe a word of that, but if it's what you want to do, I won't stand in your way."
He kissed her again and she kept her eyes open, staring around the room, 'I can't believe I'm going to do this…"
Later on, she woke up and looked at the time; it was 12am. It was hard work trying to break free from Rupert's embrace, but she managed to do so and gathered up her clothes before returning to her own suite. She ran straight for her bed and put her head in the pillow, "Stage 2…complete."
Trying to sleep was hard. All she could think about was Joseph. She wondered if going through with her plan was really the best idea. It would have been fine if he hadn't decided that he was going to leave. Confused by her thoughts, she decided to go for a walk in the garden.
She sat in the gazebo and naturally saw Joseph walking. He noticed her noticing him and walked right past without even saying hello. Clarisse stood up and called his name. He stopped and turned around. She motioned for him to sit with her, so he walked back to and sat down.
She started off the conversation, "Couldn't you sleep either?"
"No. I can't get my mind off this woman."
"Ah, I see. I have the very same problem. Except it's a man, not a woman."
"No shi…"
"Joseph…"
She stared at him, "So why can't you get your mind off this woman?"
"It's not really something I want to talk about. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, getting up.
She pulled him back down and he continued talking, "I'm in love with her and I'm pretty sure she's still in love with me, but because of her status and the fact that she's married, things aren't working out. I've been wondering around all night wondering if there's even the slightest chance of her running away with me, or if I should just give up on love altogether."
"You can't just give up on love. I'm sure she wants to come away with you, but maybe she's having problems at the moment and can't tell you what's going on and perhaps her duty to her country seems more important than her duty to herself."
"What kind of problems could she be having? And why can't she tell me so I can at least try to solve them?"
She didn't reply.
"So anyway, I think the odds of her leaving her husband for me are slim to nil."
"I'd say they're bigger than that."
"Are you saying that there's a chance?"
"At least 2 percent. You'll have to wait and see. I'm sure that not even she knows what she's going to do. After all, it is a difficult decision to make."
