Wow! Well, this feels weird. So much has happened in my life since the last update that I'm now struggling to get back to this writing zone. Anyway, long story short, it's work that's been keeping me busy. Thankfully, I have a few chapters written beforehand so hopefully, you won't have to wait too long between updates :)

This chapter is more of a filler but necessary to get back into the groove :p

Enjoy :)


Rose

"So that's what happened." Neal leaned back on his seat, blue eyes thoughtful as they rested on me.

"Yup." I nodded and sipped my tea.

We were at the Nakshatra, sitting at a table beside the brook in my backyard and catching up with all the drama of the past few days.

Despite it being fairly early in the morning, I know that my mother and her minions would descend on the place any minute now and drag me away, despite the fact that the ceremony was scheduled for twelve in the afternoon.

Until then, I was determined to enjoy the peace and quiet with my most favorite person in the world.

Well, as peaceful as it could be when discussing the huge blowout that had happened between me and Dimitri. I'd only just finished telling Neal everything. To my shock and horror, Neal wasn't the least bit surprised with the way I'd behaved.

I hadn't yet told him about my fit of jealously. Would that surprise him when nothing else had?

"Are they coming today?" My brother asked suddenly.

"Who?" I asked, biting into a crumpet.

"The Ranshams." Neal answered. "Are they coming?"

"Nope. She's not allowed to travel. They apologized a million times, though."

Neal nodded, his gaze still thoughtful as he rubbed the light stubble that he was sporting.

"You should shave," I told him, waving my crumpet in the air as I gestured to his face. "Rugged look doesn't suit you."

"Ladies find it sexy," he said with a rogue grin.

I grimaced. "You sound like Adrian."

It was Neal's turn to grimace.

He never did like Adrian much, mostly because he was Madhri's brother. But something about Adrian rubbed Neal the wrong way.

On a superficial level, both of them seemed quite similar to each other, in the way that they were both were big shot painters and were quite fond of womanly company.

But that's where the similarities ended.

Adrian was aggressive in flirting with women, often not even understanding that a woman may not be interested in him. He was a manifestation of the word 'playboy' and a raging alcoholic. While I didn't know for sure, I'd heard rumors that he dabbled with drugs too.

Neal was the opposite.

He was suave where Adrian was roguish, stylish and smooth without a hair out of place while Adrian was messy without a care in the world. Neal's flirting was subtle and understated, a wink here and a smirk there. He was all silky words and charm and it worked for him. I'd seen women go crazy when Neal so much as looked at them while Adrian's appeal was more restricted to the women who preferred such rakish anti-thesis of a gentleman.

Dimitri was something else entirely. He, of course, belonged in the famous 'tall, dark and handsome' category. I'd never seen him woo women so I couldn't really comment but I doubt he'd have any trouble whatsoever. He was hot, stop walking and get hit by traffic kind of hot and a perfect mix of dapper and disheveled; his wrinkle free suits contradicting nicely with his slightly unruly hair and-

"What are you thinking about?" Neal's comment broke through my cloud of contemplation.

I grinned at my brother impishly. "Just wondering what sort of men are more appealing, you know-"

Neal spread his arms and looked around with a sardonic smile as if we had an audience. "My baby sister, ladies and gentlemen."

"I'm twenty," I pointed out unnecessarily.

Neal's expression softened. "I know. How did you grow up so soon?"

I shrugged lightly, deciding to make a joke before he could make me cry. "I had to grow up. Or you'd have continued to pick on me and drag me to those horrid art classes."

Neal didn't take the bait though. With a small smile to acknowledge my comment, he diverted the topic to the original one: the tenuous relationship between Dimitri and I. "What next, Rose? How are you planning to resolve this issue?"

"I don't know," I confessed. "I'm kinda waiting for him to open it."

"That's fair," Neal nodded. "He was the one who got angry before hearing you out. But Rose-" Neal leaned forward earnestly "-you do know it was you who started it, don't you?"

"Yes but he didn't have to-"

"No, he didn't have to," Neal interrupted, understanding my point. "That was his mistake. Your mistake was not trusting him enough to tell him the truth in the first place."

"I trust him!" I burst out. I knew I was to blame partly but why was he saying that I didn't trust Dimitri?

"Not fully." Neal stated firmly. "You trust him at a basic level, yes, but you didn't trust that he would have a solution to your dilemma. You didn't trust that he'd let you go. You were convinced that your way was the only right way and that he'd try to stop you."

"He would have!" I argued. "You should have heard him, Neal. He didn't want me to go out."

"Yes but only because of the threat to your life," Neal pointed out. "He was doing what he thought was best for you. Who's to say that he wouldn't have found some way for you to meet the Ransham couple? Who's to say that he would have opposed you at all? He might even have offered to go with you."

I exhaled shakily and drew my fingers through my hair.

Neal was right.

He was so right and I-

"Hey," Neal cupped my chin and made me look up at him. "Things like this happen, kiddo. You can't prevent them. All you can do is learn the lesson and move on."

"But it's all my fault-"

"No," Neal said sternly. "You are both to blame for what happened. You did what you thought was right and so did he. More often than not, emotions overshadow logic. You know that."

Hr dragged his chair over to put his arm around me. I lay my head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling small and overwhelmed. Where was the mighty princess of Loha now? There was only a little girl who understood that she was still learning about life. People often said that their fathers were larger than life, their guiding force but for me, it was my brother.

He was my superman.

"What would I do without you?" I whispered into Neal's shirt.

"You'd be fine," Neal soothed, squeezing my shoulder. "I'm just pointing out things that you already know."

I shook my head, quietly disagreeing. So far, I'd done a spectacular job of blocking out any thoughts of the future. I couldn't bear to think about leaving Loha, leaving Neal…

But I knew that the dam would break one day.

And it would be messy.

For now, I was content in the knowledge that Neal was close by…

"Rose!" My mother's voice penetrated my conscious. "Wake up."

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the light.

I was in my bed and my mother was looming above me. "Get up, Rose."

"Where's Neal?" I asked her, rubbing my eyes.

"He left a minute ago," my mother said briskly, helping me to my feet. "Take a bath and come into the parlor room. Quick now."

"Yes, ma'am."

On my way to the bathroom, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text.

To Dimitri.

After my conversation with Neal, I knew I had to take the first step forward. Even if it meant swallowing my pride.

I'm sorry -R

I could only type those two words, hoping that he would understand how much this took from me.

Less than a minute later, I got his reply.

I should be the one apologizing -D

I smirked and typed,

What's stopping you? :p

-R

As I got into the tub and washed my hair, my phone pinged again. Not caring about my wet hands, I pulled the phone towards me to look at his text.

I'd much rather do it face to face, he'd written. Can we talk after the ceremony? -D

I huffed as I thought about last night.

Hope it's not about Adrian again -R

His reply took three full minutes: No. I'm sorry about that -D

I typed, We're full of apologies, aren't we? -R

Isn't that better than arguing? -D

It is -R

After hitting send, I quickly typed another message and sent it before I could change my mind.

I don't like Adrian that way either. Just FYI -R

He had reassured me about Tasha, after all. It was only fair that I do the same.

Not wanting things to get awkward, I send another message before he could reply.

Mom's here to help me get ready. Got to go -R

I could almost sense his amusement on receiving three back to back messages. And at the thought of me being at my mother's mercy.

He proved that right in his next message.

Try to refrain from ripping your hair out. Or hers. See you at the ceremony -D


Traasa

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Avasha Kekudha!"

Traasa soldiers rarely ever indulged in celebration but the occasion demanded it. They'd come a long way; each day, each mission taking them a step closer to their goal of freeing Russovia from the clutches of monarchy.

Gregory smiled as he listened to the hundredth recital of the incident of Gayodha blast; how their brave comrades had successfully sneaked into Loha and succeeded in terrorizing the village of Gayodha. They'd made it clear that Loha would be in danger by associating itself with Russovia.

With Belikov.

Traasa knew that Loha wouldn't sever ties with Russovia over the Gayodha blast but the impact was enough. Loha had to know that they weren't safe anymore. Traasa had successfully registered itself as a threat to the Belikov family and anyone close to them.

So yes, Gregory was very happy and slightly jealous that he had not yet been given such an opportunity yet. He wanted nothing more than to die for his country but as his superiors often reminded them, they'd all get a chance to serve the country and attain martyrdom. They would die for their country but they had to live for their country first.

They had to fight.


Rose.

"Are you done yet?" I asked for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

"Not yet, Rose." Mia said from somewhere above me. I've had my eyes closed for the past half hour as Mia and her group of beauticians worked on my makeup. I was getting impatient and antsy, worried about a hundred different things and imagining a hundred different scenarios of how the engagement ceremony would play out. Forcing me to sit still with my eyes closed was not helping.

"Another one?" I asked irritably as I felt the cool metal of a chain being slid into place around my neck.

"Yes," came Lissa's voice followed by a light slap on my hand that had automatically come up to touch the chain. "Quit fiddling with it!"

"It's heavy," I whined.

"But it looks good," Mia insisted.

"Don't complain, Rose." Mom said from my right. "It's unbecoming."

"Besides," Lissa said hastily, sensing that I was about to snap at my mother, "It's necessary for you to look the part of a Queen-in-waiting."

"Precisely," Mom's voice sounded closer now. "After today, you represent both Loha and Russovia. You must dress like a queen, not as a mere princess."

I scoffed outwardly but suppressed a shudder.

She was right.

After today's ceremony, I wouldn't just be King Ibrahim Mazur's daughter anymore.

I would be Emperor Dimitri Belikov's fiancee too.

My responsibilities would be multiplied by a hundred with none of the freedom a princess enjoys. If I messed up, my father wouldn't be there to fix it anymore. I'd be answerable to no one but my husband, with an entire country to suffer if we ever took a wrong decision. So much power, more than I've ever known before but it came at a very high price of responsibility.

"I don't think I'm ready to be a queen," I blurted out.

Surprisingly, no harsh rebuke came from my mother. Instead, her voice was gentler than I'd ever heard before when she said, "No one's ever ready for something like that, Rose. You learn it gradually."

"I think you'll be an excellent queen," came Sydney's soft voice unexpectedly.

"Of course she will." Lissa's tone was a little sharp when she addressed Sydney. She was still not over the whole 'running away to meet the Ranshams' incident.

"You can open your eyes now, Rose." Mia said as if to avoid any confrontation between the two.

"Finally!" Jumping to my feet, I strode over to the full length mirror to examine my reflection.

I was wearing a lehenga choli, typical for formal and ceremonial occasions in Loha; Lehenga being the long skirt and choli being the tight-fit crop top with a low neck and short sleeves.

My choli was dark green with thick red borders, embroidered with golden thread work. The neckline was low but respectable enough, highlighting the long gold earrings and matching heavy gold necklace with emeralds surrounding the huge ruby pendant. A long and thin golden chain that Lissa had slipped on had the royal Lohan symbol of the majestic eagle emblazoned on the pendant.

The lehenga or skirt was golden, ankle-length and embellished by heavy thread work in green and red. Tiny rubies and emeralds emblazoned the lehenga, forming beautiful patterns in green and red to match the top.

My mid-riff was bare as was most of my back, displaying my toned physique and lending a seductive edge to the outfit. The dupatta or the shawl, was more of a accessory accompanying the lehenga choli. Mine was red and translucent, with the same thick embroidery at the ends. It was folded into pleats and hung from the right shoulder. One of the stylists had decided to bring the end of the shawl which was at the back, up from behind to be wound around my left elbow.

My mother had insisted on adding a maang tika to complete the ensemble. It was not something I'd ever worn before because it was usually meant for brides.

The maang tika is a long, single-threaded chain with a hook at one end and a pendant at the other. It's to be worn at the hair partition taken from the center of the head. The hook holds the tika at the hair end, while the pendant falls on the exact center of the forehead. The pendant I wore was round, made of gold with a ruby set at the center of the round structure. An emerald drop dangled from the round part, resting against my forehead.

My hair were free, almost reaching mid-back. The ends of my hair were curled and styled nicely. While my hair was one of my best features on a regular day, it looked especially thick and shiny today.

My make-up was neutral, nothing over the top. My lips were cherry red, looking quite good against my tan skin. Red and gold bangles tinkled together as I raised my hand to brush back a tendril of hair, noticing how prominent the designs on my hands looked today.

I'd applied Mehendi: a temporary tattoo type henna designs applied on the hands, yesterday night so that I'd get a good dark red color for the ceremony. The patterns were bold and beautiful but they'd fade away quickly. Nonetheless, my hands should look good today, what with the ring exchanging ceremony.

It was Lissa's quiet sniffle that brought me back from my self admiration.

"You look good," Lissa sniffed when I looked at her enquiringly.

Sydney and Mia nodded in agreement.

"Beautiful," Mom corrected her quietly. "You look beautiful, Rose."

Wow.

That's never happened before.

My mother was actually complimenting me?

I was fully aware about my looks, make no mistake. I've always taken pride in my appearance. My skin color was like the inside of an almond, a shade darker than typical tan skin of the Lohans, and that gave me a somewhat exotic look. With dark brown eyes I'd inherited from my father and facial structure that I'd inherited from my mother, I knew exactly how attractive I was perceived to be.

Moreover, I looked better today, all dressed up and dolled up. However, despite being vain about my appearance, my mother's always been there to knock me down a peg. But not today.

I turned back to the mirror and smirked, my ego fully inflated now.

"Dimitri won't know what hit him," Lissa joked but her tears ruined the effect.

Lissa's tears were to be expected but my mother too had suspiciously bright eyes.

Double wow.

"Save the waterworks for my marriage," I joked, a little uncomfortable with Mom's behavior. "Is it time to go yet?"

It was a valid question. All of them were dressed up already, wearing lehenga choli in various shades far less grand than mine except for mom who was wearing a beautiful saree. Now that I was dressed up, we had nothing to do.

"I didn't know you were so eager to get engaged, Rose." Mia teased and Lissa laughed. I ignored them as I turned to Sydney who consulted her watch and made a quick call before nodding. "It's time."

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed my nervousness. Things between Dimitri and I were not yet resolved and here I was, pledging to marry him.

Was I ready? No way.

This was far from being an ideal situation but there was nothing I could do until I talked to Dimitri.

It was just strange twist of circumstance that we had to get engaged first before resolving our issues. But hey, it could have been worse.


AN: Okay, I know the chapter wasn't good but because it's a filler, I'm hoping you guys can forgive me :)

If things go according to my plan, you may have a new chapter as soon as next week. Keep your fingers crossed :p