"Get going?", Charles asked as she gave him a confused look. "Well, aren't you heading back home after this morning?", Ella asked as Charles cleared his throat as he quickly realized what she was saying there.
"Oh, yes... well, um, there might be a change of plans I've discovered...", Charles replied. Ella looked at him in surprise, "Change of plans?".
Charles nodded, exhaling, "I don't know how, maybe a miraculous gift from my mother, but I and my father talked together in a common dream.".
Ella could guess that it had something to do with magic then if that was the case, but she wasn't going to say anything about that to him. "So, what did you say to each other if that's the case?".
"Well, I guess it's probably better for us to stay here for a time... maybe a few weeks or a month, perhaps.", Charles explained.
Ella smiled, "If that's the case, I would be glad to show you around...", as she rested the tray on the little table on the balcony.
Charles nervously bit his lip inwardly, and replied, "I'm honored...May I ask you to share this meal, if it's not too much trouble?".
"I had a feeling you might have said that.", Ella smirked as she took off the lid to some of the food to reveal that there was more than enough for two people.
Charles smiled warmly, "You truly have a kind heart, and still witty as I remember. I am glad that you haven't changed too much, yet I admit that you are even more beautiful than ever before.".
Ella glanced at him before averting her eyes shyly, blushing as she whispered, "Thank you, your highness.". Charles reached over, cautiously touching her hand, "No need of that, Ella...I missed your familiarity of that fond nickname besides using my casual name.", smiling reassuringly at her.
"Sorry, it's been too long, to be honest...", Ella told him as he nodded, "I agree... but you weren't really much for formality with me when we were children.".
"I grew up, Charles, same as you.", Ella spoke softly. Charles looked at her, "I understand, but wouldn't it be enough for you to be familiar with me, to have that friendship back between us, when I am to stay for at least a month?".
Ella was speechless for a moment before smiling softly, "I forgot how persistent you can be. Very well, if that's what you want...Charming.".
Charles smiled widely, "Yes, that's what I want, Ella.", inwardly overjoyed to have a good start on this. He'll figure out the courtship situation sooner or later. Ella then blushed, "Can I have my hand back?".
"Oh, sorry...", Charles apologized as he released it. "Now then, shall we enjoy breakfast?", Ella smiled. Charles nodded with a chuckle, "Yes, we must eat before it gets cold.".
And so, the couple went to eat, snippets of laughter and conversation about them, and afterward, Charles told Adam of his decision upon informing his men.
Adam understood warmly and gave him and his men permission to be around the castle at their free will, and to be able in helping the castle to pay for room and food in a way. Charles then went with Ella as she gave the tour of her home.
"I'm honestly surprised how big this place is at times; to be so well isolated too.", Charles admitted as Ella smiled, "Indeed, it's certainly helped us through the years for sure.".
Ella herself was relieved that Charles is staying, and to hear his voice laugh and see his smile as he talked and listened during the tour, she is feeling a new emotion, something vaguely similar to that moment she kissed him on the cheek on the day she gave Bruno to him and said goodbye.
She swore that the emotion started when Charles took her hand in his hand back on the balcony during that conversation, and strangely, she isn't scared of it, as it feels like it's really nice.
Charles smiled, "I bet that it's great for birthday parties and such.", and Ella giggled softly, "Oh, the ballroom is quite lively and beautiful when celebrating ceremonies and parties, next to formal dancing, of course.".
"Honestly surprised there's much for celebration. I mean, the things really needed for a party and all...", Charles blushed as he clearly misspoke. "Oh, don't worry, we have our own special ways of getting everything that we need.", Ella chuckled.
Charles smiled, "I'll take your word for it.", as he strolled next to Ella in the gardens, as the sun is warm on this late autumn day, and exhaled, "I bet you couldn't explore the whole castle in a full day.".
Ella laughed, "Oh, trust me, hide and seek is quite the challenge in the castle, but it's quite interesting, and besides, trying to trick them into thinking that they are missing out on dessert or at least story time, it makes the game go faster, even if it's technically cheating, but it's fun either way.".
"Sounds like you all settled in quite nicely since moving...", Charles sighed. "I'm deeply sad though that you all moved... it hurt for the first few years...".
Ella exhaled, "Charles, you got to understand. Mama was quite bothered about fitting in the high-class society, and then the whole thing of being poisoned...God, I was really scared...I never got mad at Papa for renouncing his titles and all as he wanted Mama to be happy, and nearly losing her like Momma...even though the situation was different, it was still traumatic...", sighing deeply as she sat down on a bench.
"I know.", Charles sighed as he sat beside her. "I understand why your father did what he did... last thing anyone would want is someone else to try to go to Tremaine's lengths to get to his wealth.".
Ella whispered, "I knew I had a feeling about Tremaine, but I thought she just didn't like how I behaved, next to Anastasia and Drizella...For her to frame Mama by poisoning me...Papa told me that she was jealous of me and Mama for keeping him distracted and all, not that she cared that I was just being there for Papa by being myself and such, when he was grieving for Momma...".
Charles whispered, "When I heard your mama's screams, it was something I never expected on my birthday...and then seeing your face, crying and all, comforted by the others while Miss Perla and your papa went with your mama in his arms...It was like a nightmare, and I thought I could wake up, you know?".
"I did too...I wanted to wake up...I wanted to run into Papa's bed, to hear his voice tell me that it was a bad dream...", Ella choked up.
Charles replied softly, "When I was a little older, Dad told me of how poison is made...and how it would've been you...Sure, it would have been quick and painless for you, but I...I imagined how life would be without you, and even when those thoughts have lessened over the years...the thoughts became that night, but instead of your mama, it was you...Even if I didn't know how you looked like at different ages, it was still terrifying when I had the nightmare, especially when I became more available for courtship and such.".
Ella closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, "Charles, please, let's not think about what could've happened and all that... what's done is done... Mama saved me from death at the near cost of herself, but it all led up to where we are today... and call me crazy, I'm happy that it happened this way.".
Charles took a deep breath, "You're right...You're alive, thriving, and having siblings to boot, you're the same old Ella that I became friends with so long ago...and maybe my one chance to find love in this world that's coming apart with the revolutions...", gently tilting her chin as he plucked a lily from a bush, both nervous and scared...
Is he going too fast, or did he mistake her glances and all for just noticing the changes he had physically? "Charming...", Ella whispered as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Sorry, spur of the moment idea and all, but I thought you might want a flower...", Charles said as she blushed and chuckled before taking it from him, "Thank you, Charming... I accept your gift.".
Charles looked at her with a smile, whispering, "I hope I'm not going too fast about this...It's just...seeing you again yesterday after so many years...and...your brother might have hinted that you haven't been spoken for...I don't want to have a misunderstanding...I will respect your decision if you don't want to be courted...".
Ella found her tongue caught in her throat for a second in a matter of speaking when she heard that. "Co-Courting?", she finally choked out a word as she was still flabbergasted from what she had heard.
Charles bit his lip, "Yeah...If you want to think about this, I won't stop you...And you might want to ask your mama as she went through courtship with your papa, and all...And if the flower is just a gift, that's okay for me.".
Ella then whispered, "In royalty, the flower is the first courtship gift, isn't it?", and Charles blushed, "I apologize...I knew I should have listened to Dad...'Don't be too formal', and I was too formal...", with a sigh before getting up from the bench, "I'll give you space...", smiling gently.
Ella was stunned to see that he's being a gentleman, and she exhaled, shocked to being literally proposed to be courted by a prince...she looked at the lily in her hands...She took a deep breath, and got up from the bench, seeing Charles asked by Louis to teach him some rapier-dueling, and Charles smiling with a nod.
Charles glanced at her fleetingly for a moment, patience, understanding, and that little emotion she recognized as affection, in his eyes before he left with Louis, and Ella then went another way, into the castle, asking one of the staff members the location of her parents.
After thanking the member for the information, Ella headed to one of the greenhouses behind the castle, as there's a gazebo nearby, used for having scones and tea while reading, and that's where her parents are.
"Talk about good luck...", Ella whispered to herself as she walked over to them. "Hey...", she spoke up to get their attention.
Leila looked over, smiling, "Ella. Has the tour gone well? Where has young Charles gone to?", and Jules glanced up at Ella from reading his book, noticing the flower in her hand, and smiling softly.
Ella replied, "Pretty much well...", and Leila raised an eyebrow, "But?". Ella bit her lip before looking at her parents and got to the point, "How was your courtship in the eyes of society?".
Leila widened her eyes in surprise as Jules replied gently yet firmly, "I think you'd have to explain what has brought this question to us, my daughter.", putting his book down as he bookmarked it.
Ella exhaled as she sat down in the free seat across from her parents at the table, "We got into a personal conversation in the gardens, and then before I knew it, he was tilting my chin up, and I was thinking that he was gonna make a joke or something to cheer me up, and then he gave me this flower...he told me that he wanted to court me, and gave me space to think when I was stunned upon realizing that this flower was a royal gesture of asking to be courted...He said that he would understand if I don't want to be courted and all...And he was embarrassed, saying that he was going too formal, something that his father advised him against...".
"Against you being you or just how he was doing it?", Jules asked as Ella sighed, "I think it was more of just how he was doing it. He mentioned that he fears that he may have misread the situation...".
Leila smiled softly, reaching over to pat her hand warmly, "And how do you feel about it, Ella?", and Ella replied, "Conflicted...I never expected to be...asked to be courted by a prince, and I'm nervous if I let him court the formal way, it would...feel too slow...Yet if I ask him about being more carefree in a casual way of courting, would he go along with it if it might feel too fast for him? How did you two do it?".
Jules chuckled as he took a deep breath, "Well, to be honest... I didn't think too much about it when it came to that. I, more or less, was just thinking with the moment.".
Leila giggled softly, "It also helped with the fact that the manor was high up on the outskirts of the village and has privacy within the trees and the well-grown gardens and such. When the staff or visitors was around, we had to behave, and such, but when we're out of sight by them, we took chances to be scandalous without being too obvious about it...I still remember those kisses in the secret alcoves...", with a wry smile.
Ella blushed at the thought as she chuckled, "Probably another reason why Tremaine was so worried she would fail...". Ella closed her eyes and mentally slapped herself for even bring that dead bitch back up.
Jules took a deep breath, "There's always a fleeting moment when I wake up, and I look immediately for Leila, and when I see her in my arms or by my side, breathing and sleeping, I always thank the heavens for bringing me one more day with her.", intertwining his hand with Leila's hand tenderly.
Leila replied, "I do the same as well, and Ella, I would do it all over again that night to save you, my daughter...There was moments that I dared to think about, and one of them was barely manageable...Even if Tremaine was still found out to be the culprit and you gone from the world, you would have never known the pain I was in, and Amelie, your mother, she would have been there to be with you, and even if it hurts, I would have still comforted your father if I could, and if he asked for space, or even me to leave him permanently, I would be conflicted, and I wouldn't perhaps had your siblings, yet I would have still Juliet, Jiminy, Perla, and Carlo.".
"The future would have been different...", Ella whispered, as Jules took Leila's hand, kissing it lovingly to his lips, "I wouldn't imagine the grief I would be in, if it would be worse than how I grieved for Amelie, but I would have searched for comfort, as I wasn't that suicidal, I think.".
"So, in a way, strangely enough, even if she was a bitch and all, Tremaine brought me and your father together, before and after the poison crime, and if it wasn't for us with our decisions to renounce his titles, and have a whole new lifestyle, well, I don't know if we would still have been here today, as we might have stayed a bit longer in a different town until the winter snows had melted away, and well, things would have been perhaps different with Perla and Adam, and all that followed...", Leila said.
Ella nodded, "I understand...And your point being?", and Jules replied, "Don't waste time and live life when you can...If Charles is truly staying for a month let less or more, depending on the situation in the outside world, you best get going if you want to be courted, or doing something entirely different in your own way, and that starts with a deep conversation with him, compromise if you must.".
Ella closed her eyes before she gave one more nod and started to walk away; keeping her mind focused on what she planned to do about the situation. "Think they'll be alright?", Leila asked Jules as he nodded, "I think they'll be just fine."
Leila chuckled softly, "I'm proud of you, Jules, and I have the feeling that Amelie is as well. You truly are a good father.", and Jules smiled warmly, "Charles is lucky that he's not a stranger to me, and I appreciate Jacques being protective of Ella for me when Charles was a stranger to him in a way.".
Nodding, Leila smiled, and went back to nibble upon a scone as Jules resumed his place on his book, relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere.
Ella headed into the castle, heading towards the large room which is like an exercise room combined with an arena of rapier-dueling, and sword fighting duels, seeing Charles teaching Louis a couple of techniques with practice rapiers.
She leaned against the wall to watch, and bit her lip in awe as Charles was quick on his feet, agile around Louis, smiling brightly as he approved of Louis's attempts, correcting him slightly here and there, and then with a flair and quick reflexes, Louis lost to him, losing his rapier when Charles took it away with his rapier.
Charles then caught Ella's eyes, and he exhaled, glancing at Louis as he panted, "That was a good round, Louis. I'll teach you some more tomorrow, alright?".