Chapter 103: Chapter 103
Prince Riven’s Point of View
"Let me help you with that, Your Highness," Bella said.
On the other side of the estate grounds, away from the medicine logs of Ivy’s laboratory, I took Bella out for a peaceful walk outside the lower village. Bella took the active initiative to push my wheelchair down the winding dirt path.
I leaned my head back slightly, a relaxed smile touching my lips as I looked up at her. "You push with a steady hand, Lady Bella. The capital ladies usually collapse from exhaustion after a hundred paces."
"I am a a strong woman, Prince Riven, not a fragile girl," Bella replied, a small laugh escaping her lips.
She paused by a stone bridge, looking down at my legs with a sudden, serious look in her eyes. "But tell me something... the rumor of the mysterious Divine Healer has consumed everywhere. Why don’t you ask the goddess or the shamans to heal your legs? If there is even a single spark of hope in this world, shouldn’t you chase it?"
I smiled softly, my eyes locking onto hers with an intense curiosity. "And you, Bella? Do you truthfully hope that my legs will be perfectly good again?"
"Of course I do!" Bella answered instantly, her voice full of a fierce sincerity. "A warrior like you belongs on a stallion leading the frontline, not trapped in this wheelchair."
"And if my legs are cured," I started. "Would you also be completely boiling and excited about it? Would you celebrate my return to the court?"
The moment the words left my mouth, Bella’s face turned a shade of red. She quickly let go of the handles, stepping back as she lowered her eyes to her slippers.
"Your Highness... please do not tease me. I have already broken off my engagement with Fred, and a woman with a ruined reputation doesn’t dare to imagine sitting beside a prince."
"Listen to me very carefully, Bella," I said, sounding serious. "It is not your fault that you broke off that engagement. Fred was a foolish, unfaithful wretch who was never good enough to lick the dust off your boots. You did nothing wrong."
"But the high nobles do not care about the truth." Bella cried out softly. "They look at me and they only see a permanent stain on my family’s name. It makes me want to run away, to hide in this village forever."
She turned to flee down the gravel path, but before she could take a single step, my hand shot forward. I grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks, letting my grip stay entirely gentle for a fraction of a second before I slowly let go.
"I don’t care about the so call stains, Bella," I spoke out my mind. "I am entirely willing to marry you myself. Tell me honestly... do you refuse me because you think I am just a useless, broken disabled man trapped in this chair?"
Bella gasped loudly, her breath hitching as her entire face turned as red again. She couldn’t utter a single coherent word in her shock... instead, she turned on her heel and ran away.
I didn’t shout after her. I simply sat back, I smirk as I understood with certainty that her sudden run meant she was entirely willing to accept my heart.
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Ivy’s Point of View
"Where is Bella today?" I asked, as I stepped into the drawing room. I looked over at Prince Riven, who was sitting quietly. "It has been three days since she last visited the manor house. I wonder why Bella has not come to see us."
Prince Riven turned his head slowly, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips as he looked up from his book. "It might be because of the incident during our walk the other afternoon, Ivy. I may have suggested a certain... arrangement to her."
"An arrangement?" I arched a brow. "You have to make me understand, because it has been three consecutive days since Bella last stepped foot here. She sent a note through the servants this morning claiming she is simply not feeling well and needs bed rest."
Prince Riven scooted. "Is that the excuse she gave?"
"Yes, but I know her far too well to believe a sudden illness is actually keeping her locked," I replied, crossing my arms. "She isn’t sick at all."
Riven’s smirk widened into a proud smile. "You are entirely right, Ivy. She is hiding because I directly proposed marriage to her."
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EVENING:
"We need to pull her out of that shell before she thinks herself into a corner," I murmured to Dominic.
I didn’t waste any time. I sent a maid to Bella to invite her over for a private dinner, and I purposely used a brand new batch of sweet mountain-berry pastries and rich farmhouse stews to lure her out of her isolation. The strategy worked perfectly, the temptation of the food and our friendship brought her back to our dining hall by sunset.
During the meal, the atmosphere around the table took a wonderful, hilarious turn. I sat with my tea, and I instantly noticed a change in their body language. Whenever a servant passed a tray, Bella and the eldest prince were subtly, attentively serving each other the best cuts of meat and the sweetest berries, their fingers brushing against the silver platters as they exchanged soft, stolen glances.
They didn’t just talk, a satisfied smile breaking across my face as I watched them. They have completely developed deep feelings for each other.
After the meal concluded, Prince Riven didn’t let the servants handle the security, he took the active initiative to personally send Bella back to her village cottage, rolling his chair right beside her slow steps under the bright moonlight.
The moment the front doors clicked shut room went silent, I marched straight back into the master bedchambers to find Dominic. I sat on the edge of his mattress.
"Dominic, we have a big problem," I said, my voice dropping to a serious tone. "After returning to the room, I must discuss this matter with you directly. Riven and Bella are falling in love, but I am deeply fearing the consequences. The Prince’s identity is exceptionally special. If he heals his spine and reclaims his throne, he will inevitably be forced by the state council to marry multiple noble wives and take countless side concubines to secure pack alliances.
Bella is a pure, dignified soul, she barely survived Fred’s betrayal, and she absolutely cannot handle the agony of a shared marriage bed."
Dominic let out a low sigh. He reached up, his hand gently wrapping around my wrist to soothe my fear.
"Ivy, you are looking at this through your own heart," Dominic explained softly. "The eldest prince will eventually have to get married to secure the kingdom’s line. In our world, it is infinitely better for a ruler to marry someone familiar, loyal, and genuinely likable than to be forced into a political union with an unfamiliar stranger from a rival faction.
Bella has an incredible character and a strong, unyielding personality. The two of them are actually a magnificent match. Moreover, this is simply how our society is built, and we cannot blindly impose our own unique way of life or monogamous standards onto other couples’ destinies."
I bit my lip, the reality of the kingdom cutting through my instincts for my friend. I took a step back from his pillow, shaking my head slightly as I bargained for her safety.
"I understand the politics, Dominic," I said flatly. "But I still hold a strict condition. I firmly hope that Bella will be told the truth that the eldest prince’s legs will be completely better before she makes her final, permanent decision to bind her life to his."
"I hear your heart, Ivy, but that is a boundary we cannot cross right now," Dominic said.
"The secret of your shamanic power and his spinal realignment is a matter of life and death for our entire pack alliance. This matter should be decided entirely by the eldest prince himself when he believes the time is right, and we are simply not convenient to intervene or force his hand right now." He added.
I opened my mouth to argue, but before a single word could escape my lips, Dominic placed his lips on mine to shut me off.
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