The Prince and The Charming

3. Prince Harold Edwards

Only if I had never actually cared enough about Harry, by heart wouldn’t have been in such a pain.

Only if I never had actually cared enough to tell Harry about Charlie being such a pain, I wouldn’t have been in such trouble. I wouldn’t have been grounded.

“Why do I always have to care?”

She cried over her thoughts, shifting restlessly over the silk covers of her bedroom, throwing her head down from the post of the bed.

She heard a knock on the door and groaned, “Just go away!”

She then heard the door open up and jerked her head in the direction to see Harry smiling and entering inside her room.

“I said go away.” she rolled her eyes, being in no mood to talk to anyone.

She heard him chuckle and looked up to his amused expressions. His smiling face, wondrous eyes and handsome features all seemed Isabella’s end to her.

“Since when did you start drinking?” He asked sloping down on the bed and laying right next to Isabella.

His closeness sterned Isabella’s heart even more but the mere picture of him and Hannah having s*x, her slender legs wrapped around his torso and his naked body pushing in and out of her, stirred her heart. She shifted in her spot uncomfortably and faced her back at Harry.

“Okay what have I done now?” He asked with a surprised tone.

“I just want to be alone.” she spoke with uncertainty.

Sensing her tone, he pulled on her shoulder and made her face him square as he saw tears built up in her eyes.

“Hey! What happened?” He asked with surprise seeing her cry like this, something that had never happened before.

“I just want to be left alone.” She demanded with persistence, trying to stir away from him but he grabbed both of her shoulders dominantly and stopped her from turning away.

“Not until you tell me what happened?” he demanded with command in his tone.

She rolled her eyes and avoided looking into his eyes, it was easier for her to lie not looking into his eyes.

“Mom and dad hurt me. They didn't trust me at all.” She told him the half-truth that did hurt her but still nothing compared to her heart break.

“I trust you. It doesn’t matter what others think. If you said you didn’t drink, then you didn’t. I know you never lie.” He smiled studying her expressions.

His ice blue eyes seemed mesmerizingly melting and sweet to her all of a sudden.

She smiled back at him. He pulled his face closer and rubbed his nose right next to hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss, butterflies eroded her stomach at his close proximity. He pulled away casually rendering Isabella rifted up.

But at the exact moment she made her heart feel that it was nothing more from his side, she was his best friend and her feeling could drive him away and she feared that the most and for him, it didn’t matter to her if she had to swallow her feelings forever, she would do it, just as long as he is happy.

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Isabella rolled her car down the alleyway, with a heavy heart and misted eyes. but she kept her gaze fixed and on the drive and made sure that he foul mood didn’t affect Harry.

She stopped her car in front of the main gate and saw as Harry’s entire family had lined up to see him off. Harry was hugging his father while his mom was leaning against Charlie for support.

Isabella’s gaze shifted towards Charlie who gave her a notorious look but Isabella ignored him and looked right at George, the retired King and Harry’s grandfather. Isabella and him were like true friends, she respected him more than anything and always played chess with him in her free time, sensing he enjoyed her blooming and enlightening company.

That was the thing about Isabella’s personality, she charmed everyone and made everyone like her instantly because she was kind at heart and pure with her intentions.

She smiled at George and once Harry was finally done greeting everyone, he sat inside the car. Isabella looked at him with teary eyes but stopped herself from crying and shifting the gear, she rolled the car down towards the airport.

The drive was completely deafening with silence with Isabella’s constant clearing of throat noises filling the atmosphere.

“Isa…” Harry called out sensing that Isabella was in no mood to talk.

“Just let me have this moment of mine.” She demanded and he smiled looking at her.

At the airport, Isabella just watched him, guiding the plane crew and pilot. Once everything was settle to take off, Isabella’s heart drowned as she felt completely lost.

“So I’ll be leaving now.” Harry sighed and Isabella’s eyes filled with tears.

She leaped him into a tight hug and the two stayed like this for a long time, none of the two wanted to move or leave, but the roaring noise of the jet engine was a sign enough for the two to move at the moment.

“I hate that you have to go!” she complained.

“I know, I hate it too.” He sighed and pulled away, “But we have summers until you leave and then you could come to Harvard too and then we can be together, until you come back to England. It’s the perfect plan. So don’t stop studying hard and you are getting into Harvard okay?” he assured her about his plan.

The two finally greeted as Harry finally climbed up the stairs and was about to board the plane when something made him stop and turn to have a final look at Isabella.

He rushed back down the stairs and gave in a final hug to Isabella even taking her by surprise.

“I will miss you and I love you.” He pecked her cheek and she smiled, knowing the kind of the love he felt was way far than the kind of love she felt.

“I love you too.” She smiled back.

____________________________________

“I don’t believe this, he came back yesterday and he didn’t even inform me.” Isabella complained, looking at the invite of the royalty’s ball in honor of George Edwards birthday thrown by the King, with special guest appearance by Prince Harold Edwards.

“He hasn’t been replying to my texts, my calls and now this! He came back without informing me. Do you think I should go or not?” she asked her friend Jeremy over the phone.

He was the new gay kid of the school, the center of bullying but Isabella helped him fight his bullies and ever since the two became extremely close friends.

“Girl! I told you… these boys. He just wanted someone to do his chores, he doesn’t need that anymore. Save yourself some respect and don’t go.” Being the blunt person he was, Jeremy suggested honestly.

Isabella pouted with sadness, “Even if I don’t go, George will be mad at me.” She told him.

“Or maybe, you could just pretend to be sick? How many time you did that for Harry, when you had to skip school and help in his practice?”

Isabella rolled her eyes, “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you everything.”

_________________________

Wearing a simple peach sleeveless gown, with her now long hair hanging down her shoulders, she entered the hall, where the ball was taking place.

She roamed her eyes around and wanted to see if Harry was anywhere near. But her eyes met Charlie, who gave her a stern look, gawking her head to toe already making her feel conscious of herself.

But she ignored him, he had already given her a tough time during the entire year in school and she had no intentions of letting him ruin her night.

She came to see Harry and of course greet George as well.

Harry had been ignoring her for over nine months now. When he left he used to call her every day and night, not caring if she was in her class or anywhere, he just wanted to talk and always kept telling her how much he missed her. This did spark a hope in her heart for the two to happen maybe in some future. But he suddenly started ignoring her, missing her calls and not replying to her texts. Even if he did, he would do it in monosyllables and would do it after days or weeks.

She made her way towards George’s chamber in the palace, and entered inside his room. She smiled placing the square box down on the bed.

“What are you doing here?” she heard a strong voice and turned around to see Harry looking at her with surprised expressions.

But his expressions immediately changed as he looked at her face, they went soft but immediately got stern looking at her face.

She smiled softly at him and took in a step to reach him but he immediately stepped back.

She was rendered shock; he was acting as if she was a plague.

“Steward!” Harry yelled out loud calling for their family butler who was almost the same age as his father. He came rushing in seething over his black puffed hair hiding streaks of grey in them.

“Your grace!” he bowed at him and Harry kept his gaze fixed at Isabella who simply stood with utter shock. She had never seen him act so cold towards her.

The same guy who rushed down a flight of stairs just to hug her a goodbye, was standing cold as ice and stiff as a stone in front of her, looking at her with eyes filled with hate

“Harry… I…” she tried mumbling but he cut her off.

“This is grandfather’s chamber, no one from outside is allowed in!” he yelled out loud channeling his entire anger at Steward who also stood shook at his tone and voice but being a simple butler he simply nodded his head at his commands.

“Take her out of the room.” Harold ordered with sternness in his voice.

Steward looked up at Isabella and felt pity for the same girl who sat playing chess in the same room that she was being thrown out of. Steward was about to walk towards Isabella but she stepped back when the door to the room opened up and George walked in.

“Oh my sweet sweet Bellum is here!” he chimed with excitement walking up to her and engulfing her in a hug.

Her eyes that were filled with tears, immediately smiled with excitement as she looked at George not wanting him to have a foul mood on his seventieth birthday.

“Happy birthday Gerogy!”

The two had nicknames for each other and this made them even more close.

Sensing that George was still in good terms with Isabella, Harry rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.

“What happened to him?” he asked Isabella who simply shrugged.

“Everything okay between you two?” he sensed something was frilled.

She shrugged back at him, “Just his usual swing moods. Anyways, it is your big day.” She smiled at him, “So tell me really how old are you?” she smirked asking the question.

“My birth certificate says seventy, my body says fifty and my heart it screams twenty five.”

Isabella rolled her eyes at him.

“And your chess skills say five!” she stuck her tongue out making him chuckle, “One day I would make you lose bad, you fatty.”

“I am counting your loses till that date.”

________________________________

Throughout the whole party Isabella felt anxious, thinking about what made Harry turn so cold. She kept repeating and seeing their old texts, wondering if she said something that might had offended him but she found nothing.

After the party when her family sat down with the royal ones, she strode towards the pool area, where she already found Harry standing alone with his coat now missing and his shirt rolled up to his elbows. She noticed he had gained quite a few muscles that made him even more handsome than ever.

“What happened to you?” she asked the question straight away making him turn towards him.

His muscles stiffened as he heard her voice and instantly recognized it but he didn’t turn around.

“So now you have turned to stalking?” he scoffed finally turning around shooting her a death glare.

“What?” she asked with utter confusion.

“How can you be like this?” He threw another confusing question at her.

“Like what? What are you saying? Harry what’s going?”

“Don’t call me that!” he immediately cut her off, “Never ever call me anything ever again. I am Prince Harold Edwards to you and to everyone else.”

She gulped with fear gushing through her entire body.

“But…”

He didn’t let her complete before he stepped towards her making her take a step back as she saw nothing but anger and hate in his entire body and expressions.

“Don’t you dare talk back to me.”

She gulped her tears that threaten to slip away any minute but she didn’t stay quite.

“So you are done with me right? I am just useless to you now, so I am just another peasant to you…” she spoke back with all her little confidence.

He chuckled coldly, “Of course, who else to play the victim here.” He rolled his eyes making her look at him with utter surprise. “No, you dumb girl! I read the letter!”

She stood with utter confusion. “What letter? I never wrote any letter…”

“Oh so you are saying that you never wrote me any letter confessing that you like me more than a friend.”

Isabella’s entire body shook up. She felt at complete loss of words. She gulped down her anxiety that churned her guts. Her worst nightmare had just come to life. She blinked way too many times, hoping it was all just her illusion and would clear away but nothing seemed to work.

“That… I…”

“That you planned on giving me on my graduation party?” he hissed walking up to her.

“What… how?” she felt utterly confused not understanding how he saw the letter, when she clearly remembered picking up the letter and no one ever knew about it.

“You know what hurt more?” he stood right in front of her and looked down at her and Isabella could sense the hurt in his expressions and eyes.

I have hurt him.

“You should’ve came to talk to me.” He confessed and she bowed her head down in shame, feeling like a traitor. “You meant more than anyone to me, and what you did just hurt me. I can’t bear to see your face.”

He brushed past her and walked away but she stopped him grabbing his wrist.

“Can you blame me for loving you….?”

He went stiff at her confession.

“You cared way too much for me, I did everything to have you by my side, you never complained when I devoted my boundaries, sneaked in the middle of the night, did your work, delaying my own. I never did any of that expecting anything back from you. But why didn’t you ever complain about that? Why are you complaining when I having feelings for you? Yes, I wrote that letter but I didn’t want what is happening now. I didn’t want to lose you.”

He freed his wrist and faced her square, “Tell me just one thing and be honest about it!” he said with a serious tone and she nodded her head.

“Did you ever expected me to love you back?”

Having no more fears, she gulped and spoke, “Yes! Many times!”

“Do you still hope for us to happen?”

She nodded her head, “Yes!”

“I am sorry, I just can’t do this anymore. I can never love you and it’s better for us to never see each other again! I have more important things in life.”

That night walking away he made it quite clear that Isabella wasn’t important to him, at least not anymore.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” she asked with her voice filled with sadness.

“Trust me, I am saving you.”

His words bothered her as she stepped ahead and called him out making him stop.

“I don’t want to lose you Harry.” Her voice held a pleading tone as she grabbed his arm and made him stop, turning him to look up to her.

He closed his eyes, clenching jaw tight, he shrugged her touch, taking a step away from her, “I was never yours to lose, just get that straight through your head. Save yourself some dignity and never show me your face again.”

Her lips quivered as her heart drowned at his words, “Harry…”

“Quit calling me that!” he roared with anger and this was the point where she broke completely.

"Just know, that not even in heavens we could ever happen. Just f*****g look at you. I want a queen not a f*****g joke!"

She had had enough of his words and this felt the end game to her.

He shook his head, looking away, turning his face away and walking ahead, not bothering to look back at her.

Tears spill all over her face as she choked over her cries. Her worst fear just paid her a visit. It wasn’t Harry finding out about her feelings but Harry walking away from her and it did happen to her.

She turned to leave but bumped right into a tall figure that made her stumble backwards but she maintained her balance. She looked up to see Charlie’s smirking face, looking down at her with utter amusement. She saw how his eyes were glistening with joy watching her feeling worthless.

“Oh poor Isabella, did you really think that changing your clothes, growing your hair would make my brother fall in love with you?” he clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

A cold chuckle erupted the utter silence as he laughed out loud at Isabella’s pitiful condition. Charlie wasn’t heartless to others, he just enjoyed watching Isabella feel pathetic and worthless.

“Didn’t you just wonder how come Harry got the letter?” he smirked and then it hit Isabella.

She was so occupied with her thoughts of losing Harry that she didn’t even bothered pondering how Harry got the letter at first place and it was then she realized that at the night of party she had lost her purse when Charlie was bullying her and indeed he had kept the bag and the letter in it too. Isabella felt disgusted and violated at how he went through her bag.

“Look at you, an ugly thing like you has no chance with my brother. You’re just obsessed with him…”

Isabella chuckled coldly cutting Charlie off.

“You’re so petty!” she stated making him look at her coldly.

Keeping her head high, she maintained her posture and walked away. never in her life she felt more of a winner, as she finally won in dignity from Charlie but she also felt a looser, who lost not just the love of her life but also her best friend.