Thank you, reader, for your amazing support.

And thanks to Mackenzie for using her magic-beta-powers in this final chapter.

Chapter IV

The Grand Engagement Ball

Two Months Later

Edward left without Esme, and how much she would have wanted to go with him was indescribable. Overwhelmed, Esme's heart shrunk every day it passed at the thought of not being able to even see him one final time. She felt they had lost their chance to build the most beautiful future together. She would never be able to see him again.

The things he must have thought when she didn't arrive that next day tortured her immensely. Esme felt disheartened whenever she imagined him alone, waiting for her on the beach for hours to then realize she would never arrive. Her dear Edward never deserved that.

Tired, Esme buried her face in the pillow, breathing in heavily and trying to suppress the frustration that had taken over her every day for the past few weeks. She had been confined to her own bedroom; forbid to even look out the window. Escaping was futile when new guards had been assigned to look after her. Esme suddenly found herself sick of life and everything that went with it.

The doors of the room opened, and Jane walked in followed by a maid who held a tray in her hands. Esme didn't shift in the bed.

"Leave it there." Jane told the maid, pointing towards the night table. The servant did as told, and after giving a curtsy she left the room.

Jane sat next to Esme, nudging her shoulder. "You need to eat."

But her sister snuggled even more against the pillow. "I'm not hungry."

"If you don't eat, mother will come to see you." Jane said with her immutable face. "Heidi and Corin have already told her you are refusing to eat."

Esme turned to look at her with begging eyes, as if Jane could bring her lost love back.

"Oh Esme, you look lame." Jane shook her head in a pitiful manner. "You have to look your best before tomorrow. We are leaving for England."

Esme's eyes opened wide as she immediately propped herself up against the pillows. "England?"

"For Renata's engagement ball." Jane placed the tray on Esme's lap, lifting the silver cover from the dish as she continued, "The Prince is going to ask for her hand in the middle of that magnificent ball Renata, Heidi, and Corin have been blabbering about."

Esme looked down at the dish, thinking. It could be her opportunity to sneak away and look for Edward.

"Therefore," Jane stood. "You must eat, recover your strength and stop grieving for that man."

"Jane, I…"

"Don't say anything." Jane lifted her palm to prevent Esme from speaking, and then went to stand by the window, looking away into the distance towards the cluster of rocks. "England might have a few surprises hidden for you, who knows?" She turned to look at Esme, who was already shoving a spoon into her mouth, eating for the first time in days.

o)O(o

The long list of royal guests invited to the royal engagement ball included not only the most prominent royal families from Europe, but also monarchies from all over the world.

The Royal courts had been arriving aboard their pompous yachts and ships to Great Britain the previous week. Among them were the Austrian-Hungarian Empress and her five daughters. It was already said that the eldest daughter, Archduchess Renata, would be named wife to the future king.

It was a very sought after union, since both countries were two of the most influential of the epoch. The engagement was also something that held great expectations due to the splendid celebrations it would bring to both nations. From London to Vienna, paperboys in the streets informed the ears of the loyal subjects, spreading the much desired rumors and expectations: "The future king of England has chosen a bride, an archduchess from Austria."

It was going to be the most fabulous and splendid ball in ages. The golden room at Buckingham Palace had been sumptuously decorated for the occasion. Hundreds of chamberlains and maids dressed in their best uniforms were going to serve a magnificent banquet for almost four hundred notable guests. The royal orchestra had been set on the traditional balcony just outside ballroom where they would execute the most extraordinary waltzes and cotillions.

Everything was more than perfect, but even under this pressure Carlisle couldn't stop thinking about her.

Esme.

His feelings toward her had grown stronger every day, and her memory filled him with melancholy. How could he ask Renata to marry him if his heart and his mind belonged to another woman? Was this the way it was supposed to be? How unfair…

The idea of going back to Corfu had been haunting him for weeks.

He waited for her that day - the day he would take her along with him to build the most perfect future together. He waited for hours, but Esme never arrived.

Carlisle was completely sure that something had happened to her. Something must have prevented Esme from meeting him that day.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget the sad moment when he had to leave without her.

It broke his heart.

The doors of his bedchamber were suddenly opened in that moment, pulling him out of his thoughts, and Queen Didyme walked into the room wearing her finest gala dress. Her gleaming hair was beautifully pinned up and crowned with a stunning tiara.

"You look so handsome, my dear." A deep pride grew inside her. Her hands inevitably went to arrange the medals pinned on her son's chest, to then quickly brush the sleeves of the black uniform Carlisle was wearing for the occasion.

"Renata is ready, too, and she looks extremely beautiful." His mother gave him the warmest smile, and he responded with a forced one, distant from the happiness she was experiencing. Didyme instantly knew her son was disengaged from the event. "What is wrong, Carlisle? Tell me."

He looked down at the floor. Carlisle wanted to tell her that he loved another woman - a farm girl from Corfu - but he simply couldn't. He couldn't disregard his duty towards his parents; towards the entire nation. He was doing it because he had to, not because he wanted to, and that was the way it should be.

"Nothing." He looked away.

Didyme knew her son was lying. But as a mother, she knew it wasn't wise to pressure Carlisle to answer something he didn't feel compelled to say. Softly, she reached up to cup his face with a hand. "I'm so proud of you."

Carlisle looked down at the floor, his soul begging to speak, thinking she would understand. His mother always did, but his words failed to come. "Thank you, Mother."

Didyme looked at him in concern, the way only a mother would look at her beloved son, but then she didn't want to insist. "Your father wants to speak to you in private." She changed the subject. "You know how much he dislikes parties, so be sure to convince him to stay at least for an hour. It's terrible whenever the king breaks the protocol." Didyme shook her head in disapproval.

Carlisle smiled a little; his father was quite unique.

o)O(o

"Are you sure you want to marry her?" The good-humored and eccentric King leaned on his seat behind the enormous mahogany desk, while pointing at the black and white photograph of the Archduchess of Austria: Renata.

Even though he was the son of Queen Victoria, Marcus was extremely different from his late mother. He didn't want to choose a wife for his son; he wanted Carlisle to choose her and to choose wisely.

Carlisle looked away from the photograph and with that, he had spoken enough for the King.

"I see." Marcus frowned. "Everybody knows the Habsburg Empire is breaking apart, and Sulpicia is practically giving away her daughters. I don't like her. Half of Europe can't stand her; I don't know how your mother built a friendship with her."

"In the name of England, Father."

"Of course," Marcus nodded. "We do many things in the name of England. We sacrifice many things in the name of England, and you are going to ask Renata's hand in front of four hundred guests in the name of England."

The King tapped his fingers on the desk. "You do know the expectations build upon this union, don't you, son?"

Carlisle nodded affirmatively. "It will join our nations."

"No." Marcus stared at his son. "It will join you with a woman you are going to have to live with for the rest of your life. She is going to be the mother of your children and an influence on them; on the sons and daughters of England."

Carlisle's gaze focused on the painting behind his father's seat. "I'm aware." He replied.

The king rose from his seat. "Your mother and I have been married for 24 years and never in all this time, not even before the moment I asked for her hand, did I doubt or regret my decision to make her my wife." Marcus walked round his desk to touch his son's shoulder. "I see doubt in your eyes."

Carlisle remained silent for a moment. "I have no doubts."

"You have them, but you don't want to admit them." Marcus smiled as he stood next to his son. "And in matters of marriage there should be no doubts."

Carlisle rubbed his eyes. "The entire world is expecting me to…"

"Well, the hell with the entire world!" The King interrupted. "You only have one life, son."

Carlisle nodded. He understood, but unlike his father, it was impossible for him to send everyone to… hell, and leave the Empress and her daughter in the most dishonorable position. What would the world say?

It was late now, and he had to fulfill his duty. But perhaps later, he would look for Esme.

Before his father could speak more, Carlisle changed the topic. "Mother asked me to tell you that you shouldn't leave the ball at least before an hour has passed."

King Marcus groaned as he walked back to his seat. "With Sulpicia present I'm going to leave during the first five minutes."

Carlisle smiled a little. Somehow his father always knew how to humor him a bit, even during the most problematic times.

o)O(o

The high ceilinged, grand ballroom shone that evening, a breathtaking sight to every guest that walked in. The antique chandeliers had all been lit, and the romantic lights reflected the enormous gilded mirrors on the marble walls. The orchestra was already performing on the balcony that looked into the room, filling it with the loveliest music, while hundreds of guests gathered in the midst of champagne bubbles and the most exquisite hors d'oeuvres that were being served by the chamberlains on silver trays.

The grand double staircase crowned the impressive entry to the ballroom, under which an elaborated pair of gold and crimson thrones were located. The parade of notable guests that were arriving through the staircase would pass in front of those particular seats, and as etiquette dictated, they had to bow and curtsy before the King, Queen, and their son who were standing before the thrones, welcoming their guests.

It was indeed one of the most anticipated gala balls of the year. Carlisle looked at the crowded room, seeking out distraction, and he found his fellow friends, Eleazar, the heir to the Spanish throne with his new wife, Carmen. They looked so happy together. He whispered something in her ear and she laughed… How much Carlisle wished he could be in his friend's place - but instead of Carmen, he would be whispering into Esme's ear...

Where could she be?

The footman on the top of the staircase hit his staff twice against the floor, announcing one more time the arrival of a new royal family as they entered the room down the magnificent staircase.

"Her imperial highness the Grand Duchess of Russia, Katrina." The man declared out loud, finally introducing to the room the last member of the Imperial Russian family who had just arrived.

Seconds later, Carlisle found Kate curtsying before him. She and her sisters, Tanya and Irina were his cousins and had been friends ever since they were children.

"I wish his highness good luck tonight," Kate teased him, knowing well that his cousin had a different taste when it came to women.

Carlisle gave her a nervous smile. "Thank you, Kate. I appreciate your support."

The Russian Grand Duchess giggled before taking a few steps forward to greet the Queen.

Again, the footman hit his staff twice.

"Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Sulpicia of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia." He announced.

Suddenly the voices in the ballroom lowered as Sulpicia walked down the stairs to the room. The Empress arrived in all her glory, followed by her eldest daughter.

"Her Imperial Serene Highness Archduchess Renata of Austria, princess of Hungary and Bohemia." The footman continued announcing the names of the guests in the order of their arrival.

"Her Imperial Highness Archduchess Heidi of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia."

He hit the staff twice before he pronounced every name.

"Her Imperial Highness Archduchess Corin of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia,"

The Archduchesses were dressed in the most stunning gowns, made of luxurious fabrics and cut off shoulders with décolleté necklines, exposing the skin of their necks and chests, which carried the most delicate jewelry. The beauty of Sulpicia's daughters was well known among the royals and many had the young girls in mind as potential matches for their sons.

"Her Imperial Highness Archduchess Esme Anne of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia,"

Although the Archduchesses were announced in rapid manner and Carlisle wasn't paying too much attention to it, the name Esme made his stomach flip, and out of curiosity, his eyes searched for the princess who shared her name. But then Renata covered his view by curtsying before him, offering her hand for him to kiss, and awaiting his royal greeting. As Carlisle faced the sight of his impending future, he suddenly knew it was going to be disheartening.

"Her Imperial Highness Archduchess Jane of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia."

After bowing before Renata, Carlisle took her hand and quickly brushed his lips on it, under the satisfied looks of Queen Didyme and the Empress, who were standing right next to them. Fortunately, the line advanced and Renata went to greet the Queen while her sister, Heidi, was now standing before Carlisle, introducing herself with a curtsy too.

Archduchess Esme Anne of Austria though, was lost in her idea of escaping that night to look for her Edward. The idea was foolish and impractical, but she was in London and not doing it would be something for which she'd never forgive herself. She knew where to start, because she knew that he liked horses.

Distracted, she looked away towards the large crowd of guests, and instead of acting with regal manner, one of her hands went to involuntarily play with her long hair. She wasn't as interested as Heidi and Corin were in meeting Renata's fiancé; all she wanted to do was to run away from the ballroom and do as she wished. It wasn't until one of the small diamond encrusted stars that adorned Esme's hair fell onto the floor, that everything happened. Breaking all protocol, she leaned down to pick it up…

After greeting Corin, Carlisle looked forward to greet the next sister but to his surprise, the next one was squatted on the floor, picking up what it seemed to be a piece of jewelry.

The sight was rather amusing.

But it wasn't until she rose that his amusement changed into a state of petrified shock.

The princess looked exactly like Esme. He had probably reached a high state of madness after thinking so much about her.

But then, Esme's eyes involuntarily met him and her features changed into a look of pure disbelief.

It couldn't be possible…

Softly, Jane nudged her sister to stand before Carlisle and just then, their gazes locked. The bond was instantaneously acknowledged as they stood before each other. They were both in shock; terrified, confused, questioning...

"Dear…" Queen Didyme suddenly spoke to Carlisle, noticing the sudden interruption of the greeting. "This is Princess Esme, one of Renata's youngest sisters."

Carlisle swallowed hard, but his deep blue gaze never left Esme's caramel eyes as he offered his hand to her in order to give her the Royal greeting.

It was his Esme! But how and why? A turmoil of emotions and questions began to invade Carlisle's soul.

Esme's arm didn't move; she was feeling exactly the same. It was him, but he wasn't Edward…He lied.

She didn't move until Jane nudged her again. Slowly, Esme placed her hand on Carlisle's palm, and the rush of familiar emotions flowing through them sent them to the verge of bewilderment. Their hearts pounded intensely in their chests.

They had found each other, but nothing could be said. Not there; not in that moment.

Carlisle leaned down to leave a kiss on her hand, and she stared at him with tears forming in her eyes as he did. This was her sister's fiancé and he was courting her sister, while they were sleeping together. It was so wrong for them to be secretly in love...

As soon as he let her hand go, feeling deceived, Esme immediately left him behind to stand before the Queen and allow Jane to greet the Prince. But his eyes were still glued on Esme.

"You look quite pale, my dear." Didyme said worriedly to Esme.

Esme brought her fingers to her eyes, trying to conceal the tears that were already coming out. Carlisle only watched her; he knew what she was thinking, but he loved her - he loved her more than anything, and she had to know.

"I'm fine, your majesty." She told the Queen, giving a curtsy. Then she presented herself to King Marcus, who had witnessed the entire scene with the eyes of someone who knew his son and this princess were hiding something.

After the royal family greeted Jane, the orchestra began to play a waltz. As it was custom, King Marcus offered his hand to his Queen, to invite her to open the ball. The Royal couple gave a few graceful steps before the rest of the guests joined them on the dance floor. It was expected from Carlisle to invite Renata, but he didn't move. He didn't ask her. His eyes were travelling across the room, following Esme as she disappeared amid the crowd of dancers.

She was overwhelmed. Edward wasn't Edward; he was Carlisle, the son of the King of England - and he had slept with her while he pretended her sister, Renata. Breathless and brokenhearted to the brink of tears, Esme walked out into a balcony, covering her face with her palms as tears dampened her face.

Carlisle tried desperately to run after her, but then the Empress stood in front of him and pressured him to dance with Renata, as royal protocol dictated.

After dancing with Renata, he was also compelled to dance with Heidi and later Corin. He would have danced with Esme if she hadn't disappeared from his sight. But right after almost an hour of not seeing her, his despair grew. Carlisle began to move among the guests, looking for her. He needed to talk to her, but how could he do that in private? It was impossible to make himself invisible in his own palace during a celebration that revolved around him.

Suddenly the orchestra stopped playing, and Didyme approached her son. "It's time, Carlisle."

Carlisle froze in his place. He knew what she meant by that. It was time for him to ask for Renata's hand.

It was a Hungarian custom to present a bouquet of tulips to the bride-to-be, and that was the way it had been planned by his mother and the Empress.

The splendid tulip arrangement was placed in a silver knitted basket which sat on a marble table on one side of the room. The arrangement had a presence of its own. One of the chamberlains approached the table with regal manner and took the basket in his white gloved hands, to then walk towards the place where Carlisle was standing.

Carlisle felt like he was in a circus, as if he were about to perform the main act. He was standing in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by all his guests who stood in an open circle around him. The chamberlain bowed before giving the basket to Carlisle, who took it with hesitation.

The task was easy; he had to give the flower arrangement to Renata and everything would be over…but he couldn't. He simply couldn't do it.

He raised his eyes to look at the woman in question. Renata looked utterly excited and was being flanked by her two other sisters. The Empress had appeared in to the picture, bringing Jane and Esme along with her.

Esme!

His entire being suddenly focused on her. She didn't look like someone who wanted to be there, but as with everything else, the Royal protocol demanded it. She gave him a heartbroken stare, then looked away.

Esme looked so hurt, and to know he was causing her that pain saddened Carlisle terribly, too.

With the basket of tulips in his hands, he moved slowly toward Renata, as if walking to his own death. Four hundred excited guests believed they already knew who was going to receive the flowers… But what no one had noticed, was that Carlisle's eyes weren't on Renata, but on another girl.

It wasn't until he stood before Esme, under the astounded eyes of Europe, that everyone fell silent.

The entire room was frozen in a state of shock when he simply offered the arrangement to her.

"Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and queen?" He asked out loud, no sign of doubt or fear in his voice.

Esme just stood there not only in pure shock, but under the dumbfounded gazes of her mother, her sisters, the Queen, the smiling King and the hundreds of guests around her. She didn't have the courage to look around her at their faces. She was too overwhelmed by what the Prince had just requested of her.

Carlisle's eyes looked at her as if she were the only girl in the room, and Esme was trying hard to suppress the tears that were again threatening to come out. He had a lot of things to explain to her, but she also had to explain a lot to him. They both had hidden their identities from each other, but one thing that couldn't be hidden was the potently immeasurable love they had for each other.

Esme graciously took the flower arrangement from the hands of the future king of England.

Renata gasped, but no one turned to look at her. Heidi and Corin simply managed to hold her steady before she passed out.

Carlisle and Esme stood there for a moment, looking at each other in their own little bubble, until a pageboy came closer to Esme, extending his hand to her and inviting her to leave the flower arrangement with him.

As she left the tulips in the boy's hands, she caught a glimpse of the guests around her. Some were gossiping, others had pleasant smiles drawn on their faces, and others - like Renata, her mother, and the Queen - looked as pale as ghosts.

All of a sudden, the violins of the orchestra filled the room with the most extraordinary melody. One of Carlisle's hands unexpectedly enfolded one of her hands, while the other one rested on her waist, gently bringing her closer to him to welcome her into a dance. He moved them elegantly, gliding over the polished marbled floor amid the quiet gazes of the nobility and aristocracy.

It seemed that no time at all had passed before the music ended.

Time had stopped.

She was engaged to him…

King Marcus began to applaud enthusiastically, breaking the etiquette he abhorred so much but delighted to see the conviction in his son's decision. The rest of the guests applauded too, and encouraged by the animated King, the orchestra began to perform again, inviting the guests to dance.

In a swift movement, Esme felt Carlisle suddenly taking her arm to pull her across the ballroom. He made her enter a small library on the side of the ballroom, and as she stood in the middle of the room in confusion, he closed the doors behind them to turn around to look at her.

They stared at each other for mere seconds before he dashed towards her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her in the most desperate way.

Esme didn't pushed him away, but she kissed him back in the same manner - ardently, lovingly, not wanting to let him go ever again.

They pulled apart, breathless and stunned to be together…then they laughed softly at themselveswhile he ran his fingers along her face, the way he had done by the sea.

"Why? Why you didn't tell me?" Carlisle whispered.

"Probably for the same reason you didn't." Esme spoke softly, her features suddenly hardened. "You were courting my sister while you and I…"

Carlisle shook his head. "It was a diplomatic visit with my mother. I can't deny that Renata was my mother's prospect, but it wasn't mine... not until I met you." He lifted his hand to touch her face again.

"Oh, Carlisle." She wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same.

"I'm so sorry, Esme." Carlisle buried his face in her hair. "It could've been so different."

"I thought I lost you forever." She whispered against his chest, breathing in his fragrance before she pulled away to look at him. "I behaved so inappropriately before my family. I should've never acted the way I did,but I only did it all because I love you."

He was so very touched by her words. "Esme, every minute I spend with you, I love you even more. I can't imagine how it will be when we are old."

She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, just knowing that he loved her. He always did. "I must tell you something," she breathed in before confessing. "I'm..." She paused, terrified at what he would have to say about it. "I'm bearing your child."

Carlisle only enfolded her in the warmest of all embraces. To think he could've lost her, lost them. "It'll be the most loved child in the world." He kissed her forehead, trying to avoid thinking what could've happened if they hadn't met each other again.

The doors were suddenly opened,and the Queen, the Empress, the King, and two counselors walked into the library.

"I demand an explanation!" Sulpicia spoke.

"Carlisle?" Didyme's expression was of pure embarrassment and shock.

"Well it's obvious, Sulpicia." The King suddenly spoke for his son. He sounded relaxed and overjoyed to see Sulpicia hysterical. "My son prefers your other daughter before the eldest. And I must say that he has the finest taste." He gave a big smile to Esme.

"You…" Sulpicia clenched her teeth.

"Your majesty." One of her counselors suddenly spoke. "All of her majesty's daughters hold the same status. The Prince's decision has been made and cannot be undone. England and Austria will be, nevertheless, joined."

"I must apologize to you for the distress I have caused," Carlisle spoke to the Empress. "I offer her Majesty my most sincere apology, but not without assuring you that as expected I will marry one of your daughters." He smiled at Esme with tenderness, giving his hand to her.

Sulpicia shook her head irritably, but it was clear that Carlisle was determined to marry Esme. "Esme is not ready." She looked at Esme from head to toe. To Sulpicia, the most preoccupying part was that Esme was carrying a bastard child. How would this impact the imperial family if she married him and they noticed she was bearing an illegitimate child? Sulpicia's plan to find Esme a dumb match was better for both the family and for Esme. "She has not been prepared to fulfill the role, the position in which you want to put her." Sulpicia insisted.

"Carlisle, are you sure?" Didyme asked, seeing Sulpicia's distress.

"I will not marry any other woman that isn't Esme." He looked at his mother. "We became acquainted while I spent the summer in Corfu." Carlisle looked down to the floor before confessing the next part. "And…I made her my woman while we were there."

Shocked, Queen Didyme dropped herself down onto the closest chair.

"Oh dear Lord..." Sulpicia had to sit to avoid losing her balance as well. The man Esme had been frequenting had been Carlisle...

"I didn't know he was your prospect for Renata, Mother." Esme's voice was filled with shame. "We simply…fell for each other."

A a strong sense of embarrassment and tension came over the room.

"Well." The King walked to stand before Carlisle and Esme. "Now that the children have unveiled the family affair of the century, who wants cupcakes and tea?"

Seeing that a new heir to the throne had been conceived, Esme wasn't allowed to go back to with her family that night. Instead, a group of maids and ladies in waiting were assigned to her, and new bedchambers were prepared for the future Princess of Wales under King Marcus' orders.

The affair remained a jealously hidden secret, though the rushed wedding brought comments from the suspicious part of the European aristocracy, and it was going to be a story that both Carlisle and Esme were going to hear over and over again for centuries to come.

I know you might be thinking this is the most absurd story ever, and I think it is. That's why I thank you for keep reading this insanity of my imagination.

Stay tunned for the Overture-to-Twilight Epilogue. Thank you guys for reading :)