Chapter 11: Confessions

While the rest of the princess gang desperately tried to calm the chaos at the coronation scene, Nick and Blair took a walk in the palace garden, far enough from the scene to enjoy some privacy.

Silence. It seemed like Nick lost all of his confidence now that they were alone. Blair waited. If he doesn't want to say anything, maybe she should. What should she say? "I'm sorry for what happened."?

"So… Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Blair stopped. "I really need to get back over there. You know, to see if everything is all right."

"All right, Nicholas. She wants to leave. It's now or never."

"I just want to say… I'm sorry about... you know, what happened between us at Princess Charm School. I know I shouldn't have overreacted." He finally said.

"It's all right. I mean, I understand. And I'm sorry too." Blair smiled.

They continued to walk, but after a few moments Blair abruptly turned around and walked to the opposite direction.

"Well, if that's all, I'm going to check on Audrey and Melody… I'm sure they need my help right now." Blair walked away, but Nick was faster. He grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him.

"I'm not done yet" He said. "Please… just 5 minutes?"

Blair was surprised by his sudden change of attitude, but agreed.

"Sure… Nick, you can let go of me now."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nick quickly let go of Blair's wrist. Then he took a deep breath, afraid what he was going to say would ruin everything.

"Blair" He began with the calmest voice possible. "I know this may sound strange to you… It took me a long time to realize, but now I know one thing for sure… I'm in love with you, Blair."

Blair didn't believe her ears. "Did he just say…?"

"What did you say?" She asked, still skeptical that what she just heard might have been a hallucination.

"I said that I'm in love with you." Nick said and held her hands. "I'm sure she heard what I said. She just wants to hear it again."

Without doubt, in that moment, Blair felt like she was the happiest person alive. Her wish… Her wish finally came true. And she never expected it to happen like this.

"Wait, what about Tessa? What about your wedding?" Blair's happiness ceased when she recalled the engagement ring she saw on Tessa's finger every day.

"I will talk to my father. I can get Melody to help me if I must. Because I know exactly who I want to spend the rest of my life with." Nick promised.

"I hope your father will approve of this." Blair said, still a bit worried.

"Don't worry. I know he will." A loud noise interrupted their conversation. It sounded like someone just dropped something.

"Audrey" Blair sighed.

"It's all right, you can go now." Nick said with a mischievous smile. "I'll talk to you later."

But as Nick turned around, Blair stopped him.

"Wait" She said. "You forgot something."

Nick wanted to ask "what?" but Blair threw her hands around his neck and kissed him.

It was a beautiful afternoon at the Buckinghurst palace, and the King was taking a nap on the throne when he was woken up by the sound of his son entering the room.

"Nicholas?" He yawned. "Not now. I'm tired."

Nick decided to take advantage of his father's sleepy condition and went straight to the point.

"Father, I'm in love with her" He declared.

"Of course you are" The King already went back to sleep. "You're marrying her in a week."

"Does that mean you agree? Oh, thank you father, I will go and tell Blair about this. Then we'll plan our wedding." Nick quickly left the room, but he didn't expect one thing.

His father was conscious enough to realize what he was trying to do.

"Nicholas!" He called before Nick could leave. "Tell me, who is that 'Blair' girl you were referring to? You'd better not do what I think you are doing."

"Father, I'll be honest with you. I don't want to marry Tessa anymore." Nick had a feeling this wouldn't end well.

"What's that? Not marrying her? Nicholas, you're betrothed to her! What changed your mind all of a sudden? That 'Blair' girl, I suppose?" Oh no. Nick's father guessed the whole thing right in 5 minutes.

"Father, I love Blair and I want to marry her. It would be unfair to me and Blair if I marry Tessa."

"Unfair to you and that girl, huh? What about Tessa? Have you ever cared about her feelings?" The King was on Tessa's side.

Things were getting hard. Nick decided to call for help from his sister.

"Father" Melody entered the room after seeing Nick's signal. "I'm not saying he should marry Blair, but you've seen what happened. Cassandra and Tessa have been lying to us all the time. I think they're not worth our trust for a lifetime commitment."

Melody's argument seemed eloquent, but not enough to convince their father.

"Let me tell you both something, because it seemed like you both lost your minds" The King stood up and walked toward the door. "You're marrying Tessa, Nicholas. In a week's time. Breaking engagements is against our tradition. That's why if you disobey me again, you'll both be exiled from this country. And believe me, that 'Blair' girl won't be around with impunity."

Tessa checked herself in the mirror. She was preparing for the wedding, yet neither of her friends were present to help her.

"What do you think?" She asked herself, imagining she was asking Diana, when she saw Victor's reflection in the mirror. He was standing behind her.

"You look magnificent as always, your highness" He answered her. "I'm sure you'll be the most beautiful bride the kingdom has ever seen."

Tessa turned around.

"Don't fawn on me. What are you doing here? Oh, by the way, have you seen Lara and Diana?" She asked coldly.

"I guess they're not your friends after all." Victor sighed.

"What do you mean?" She asked, but in her mind, she knew exactly what he meant: Her 'friends' left her! They left her after finding out the truth at the coronation.

"Stupid Blair! It's all her fault!" She thought bitterly. "Now I realized that I don't have any friends."

"Your friends may have left you, but remember, I'm always here for you. I'm not good at giving girl advices, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll be there to listen." Victor comforted her.

Those words touched her conscience. Somehow Victor could realize that deep within this spoiled girl, there is a soft and vulnerable heart. He knew how to bring out the best of Tessa when no one else could.

Tessa felt guilty. She couldn't believe that after all the sneering, all the pushing away and sometimes even insulting, he was still nice to her. He could be her guide to start a better life.

"Thank you, Victor." She murmured. "After how I treated you… Why are you still nice to me?"

Victor took a deep breath. "It wouldn't change anything now that she's getting married. At least she should know how I feel."

"Because… I love you, Tessa." Victor confessed. "Now that it's all meaningless, I think I can tell you."

Tessa was speechless. She blushed and quickly turned away.

"I just want to ask you something, Tessa. Are you sure you want to marry Nick? He's made it clear that he loves another girl. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a man, whose heart belongs to another?"

For the first time, Tessa felt afraid. Afraid of the lonely life awaiting for her the moment they were done exchanging vows. She could imagine him pushing her away everytime she wanted to hug him, imaginine him about a woman other than his wife all the time. No, she didn't want to live like this.

"His father doesn't allow him to break off the engagement."

"He can't, but you can. If you cancel the wedding, there's nothing they can do. It's your choice, Tessa. Think about it." Victor said and left.

Tessa sat down and thought about what Victor told her. His words kept reverberating in her head.

"Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with a man, whose heart belongs to another?"