Harry was in the study; he had just finished going over a bit of paperwork for his upcoming coronation, and now he was going over the paperwork to prepare for their marriage with Eloise. They both got distracted with Harry telling her all about his night at Louis' party—keeping the details about the kiss to himself, to which he was also in denial about that part of the night.

"I'm so proud of you, Haz! You finally stepped out of your comfort zone, rebelled, and had fun for once in your life. Now you know how to let loose once in a while. It's healthy! Even if your parents are stuck up about where you party and who you party with," Ellie chuckled.

"Thank you, Ellie." Harry smiled. "I know." Harry sighed.

"Why do your parents hate King Louis?" Ellie asked.

Harry sighed. "They don't just hate Louis, they hate his entire family—even though he's the only Tomlinson left."

"Why?" She pushed.

"I have no idea. All I know is that ever since I was a little lad, they have told me how terrible the Tomlinsons are, and how the Tomlinsons thought the same about us. It's been like that since both families started their reign in Lincolnshire. To this day, I still don't know why there is a silent war between us." Harry explained.

"I see…" Ellie nodded.

Mary had been in the corridors just outside the study. She had been polishing the family portraits on the walls when she overheard the conversation between Harry and Eloise.

She stepped into the study and chimed in. "If you really want to know, you should ask King Louis himself. He of all people would know the reason for the bad blood between your families. After all, the Tomlinsons are the ones to blame." As soon as she said that, Mary knew she said too much.

Harry looked at her with a confused but intrigued look. So the Tomlinsons are the bad guys. His parents always told him they were the enemies, but why? Does Mary know? Why can't she just tell him?

Before he could ask her, she spoke up again. "Oh, that reminds me; he sent this for you." She pulls out a letter from the pouch in her apron and hands it to Harry.

Harry's eyes went wide as he took the letter from her hand. He looks to Mary and Eloise, as if for an answer as to whether or not he should open it. They gave him a reassuring look to tell him to open it. So he does.

Dear PrinceHarry,

I wanted to thank you for accepting my invitation the other night. To be honest, I was not completely confident you would. It made me very happy to see you enjoy yourself for once.I was glad you did and that we got to spend some time getting to know one another.

As I said the other night, I would answer your question as to why I was so insistent on inviting you to the party; unfortunately, you left before I could give you the answer. I want you to know that you do not have to feel embarrassed about what happened the other night. I do not regret a thing. However, if you want to pretend nothing happened, we can do that.

As for answering your question, if you still want the answer, I will be at the little beach, down by the bay, all afternoon. Waiting for you.If you still want answers, you know where to find me. I look forward to seeing you again. Hopefully not for the last time.

Your dearestSincerely,

KingLouis

Harry looked down at the piece of parchment in his hand, mixed emotions running through him. Why did it feel so personal yet so impersonal and formal? And did Louis really mean what he said here about not regretting what had happened between them? That put those familiar butterflies back in his stomach—At this point, he should name them and keep them as pets because they seem to keep coming back every time he thinks about or is around Louis.

"When did you receive this?" Harry asks Mary.

"Just this morning, Your Highness. 'Round 9 a.m. S'something the matter?" She questioned.

"No. I don't think so. That'll be all, Mary. Thank you." Harry assured her.

Mary smiles and nods her head, then leaves the two future newlyweds alone.

"What does it say?" Ellie asks Harry. He looks at her, contemplating whether he should tell her or not. "I don't mean to pry; it's your business! I was just curious because whatever it says, it seems to have bothered you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah! Don't worry, I'm fine. It's nothing really. Here." Harry says as he gives Ellie the letter to read for herself. Harry stares at her while she reads, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"Hm. Are you going to meet with him?" Ellie asked.

Harry sighed. "I don't know."

"Well you were just telling me how good it felt to get out of these four walls and interact with different people. Why don't you want to go? Does it have anything to do with this thing that happened last night that you may feel embarrassed about?" Ellie questioned.

Harry's eyes went wide. "I-I-Nothing-I mean-"

"Harry! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's fine!" Ellie stopped him from spiralling any further.

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Over the past week, Eloise and he have gotten to know each other a lot. They've grown closer. At this point, they feel like they can tell each other anything. Harry can tell her what happened, right? I mean, Louis kissed him first; it wasn't his fault. And he's not married to Ellie yet. Eventually, Harry decided what he needed to do. "He kissed me." Harry said with a shaky breath.

Ellie's eyes went wide with shock and surprise.

Both of them went a while without saying anything. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He needed to know what was going through Ellie's mind. "I need you to say something, Ellie!"

Ellie let out a little sigh and nodded her head. "Okay. Okay. So…Okay." Ellie bit her lip, trying to think of the right words to say. "What did you do when he kissed you? I mean, did you kiss him back?"

"Yes. I did."

Ellie raised her eyebrows, not expecting that answer from Harry. "Okay. Then what happened after?"

"I left. Well, more like ran. I didn't know how to process what happened, but I knew Louis would want an answer and explanation about the whole thing, so I left before he could ask, because I didn't have an answer." Harry answered.

"What about now? Do you have an answer now?" She asked.

Harry just sighed, not sure how to answer her question.

"Harry. If you go see him today, you should be able to give him an explanation for your part in the kiss. You owe it to him. And before you say anything… Yes, this was a surprise, but I'm not going to judge you. You have become my best friend in the past week. And I love you. You need to find out who you are. Whether that is with or without me, that is completely up to you, and I will accept it either way! I know we are to be wed, and I know we have a connection which our families love, but it's not love love. I know you're not in love with me, and I know you know I'm not in love with you. But I know we both love each other in more of a platonic way. And that's okay. Since you were honest with me, I should be honest with you…" She explained.

Harry looked confused, relieved, anxious, and intrigued all at once.

He let her continue. "I am in love with Niall."

When she said that, Harry was taking a sip of his tea, which ended up on the floor once he heard that she was in love with his best friend. "You-Niall-What?! Since when?"

"Since the croquet game. Since you first introduced us." Ellie confessed.

Harry's mouth dropped.

After a while, Harry finally processed what Ellie had just confessed. "Okay. So what does that mean? What does that mean for us? What does that mean for the betrothal?"

She sighed. "Well. That's up to you. I will marry you if that's what you and your family want. I do love you. It's just-"

"You're in love with Niall." He finished for her.

Ellie nodded. "What are you going to do about Louis? He's still expecting you this afternoon."

Harry sighed, not really having an answer for her.

"I suggest you go hear him out, Harry. Get your questions answered. I know you have more than the one. You owe it to yourself." Ellie made a point.

Harry knew she was right. He had questions, and Louis had answers.

Louis is sitting down on a clump of rocks, staring out at The Wash—the body of water that made up the bay—waiting for Harry.

As the day progressed, Louis started to lose hope.

He was looking down at his feet, wiggling his toes in the sand, when he felt a shadow being cast over him. He looked up, and there he was.

Standing at the edge of the water, stood Harry.