Chapter 147

Ella POV

"Wake up, lovebirds! It's nearly noon!"

The sound of Christopher Slater's voice shattered the comfortable silence. I jolted awake, but I didn’t get far—wrapped securely in a warm, firm embrace. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I found Alexander’s face less than an inch from my own, his bright eyes already open and watching me.

He held me close, not even turning his head toward Slater, who had just barged into the room.

"Do you have no sense of propriety?" Alexander asked sharply, his voice low and tinged with irritation.

"I’m so sorry. Of course, I should have expected you to be indecent the morning after your wedding," Slater replied, his tone dripping with amusement and not an ounce of remorse. "But your car is waiting. This isn’t actually a hotel, you know."

"Obviously not," Alexander shot back. "Hotel staff would knock."

"I’m not accustomed to knocking on doors in my own home," Slater quipped. "Now, do you need help packing?"

"We’ll be down in five minutes," Alexander replied curtly. "Now, would you give my wife some privacy?"

Slater chuckled. "Yes, yes, of course. My apologies, Mrs. Black," he said teasingly before finally turning and leaving the room.

Alexander didn’t relax until the door clicked shut. Then, with a sigh, he released me from his hold and sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Sorry about that," he murmured, his voice softening as he glanced at me.

"It’s fine," I replied just as softly, though my cheeks were still burning from the intrusion.

"You handled that much better than I did," he said with a chuckle.

"I was half-asleep," I admitted. "It helps."

He laughed, the sound warm and genuine, before getting out of bed and offering me his hand.

"Come on, Mrs. Black," he teased. "Let's get out of here."

I took his hand, but as Alexander pulled me from the bed, my face heated further. He was shirtless. I was certain he hadn’t been when we went to bed last night. Had he taken it off during the night?

The room was chilly, and I couldn’t imagine why he might have been too warm. My thoughts spiraled as I watched him cross to the dresser, his movements unhurried as he gathered his clothes from the floor to pack.

Had something more happened last night? A dull ache in my head hinted at a hangover, and some of my memories from the evening were hazy at best. Was it possible I had forgotten something important?

My gaze fell to my dress, crumpled in a heap on the floor, and a wave of nerves washed over me. Feeling too exposed in my pajamas, I hurried to my suitcase and fished out a sweater and jeans. Without looking back at Alexander, I slipped into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door behind me.

As I turned to the mirror, I gasped softly. My makeup was still on—intact but quite smudged. I grimaced at the thought of how bad it must be for my skin to have slept in it.

I leaned over the sink, splashing cool water onto my face and carefully scrubbing away the remnants of eyeliner and mascara. Yet, even as I tried to focus on cleansing, my mind kept wandering.

The image of Alexander’s bare, broad shoulders and defined torso lingered. We’d started the night on opposite sides of the bed—so how had we ended up tangled together? Had I unconsciously sought out his warmth? Or… had something more happened?

This is ridiculous, I told myself firmly. I should just ask him.

I ran my fingers through my hair, coaxing it into something passable, then quickly changed into the sweater and jeans. Dressed and feeling a bit more grounded, I gave my reflection one last glance.

I opened the door to find Alexander waiting. I avoided his gaze and stepped into the room, hurrying over to my suitcase to pack while Alexander disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up and change.

It only took a few minutes for both of us to get ready. As we stood by the door, Alexander glanced at me, his expression curious.

“Are you okay?” he asked, studying me.

“I’m fine,” I replied, a little too quickly.

His brow arched slightly. “Are you sure? You seem… disturbed.”

“I…” I hesitated, torn between brushing off his concern and voicing the question that had been gnawing at me. Before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Did anything happen between us last night?”

A teasing smile spread across Alexander’s features, his bright eyes sparkling with amusement. “Not that I recall,” he said lightly. “Why?”

I shook my head quickly, trying to downplay my flustered state. “Nothing. Never mind.” I grabbed my suitcase and moved toward the door, desperate to escape the awkwardness.

Alexander followed close behind, his footsteps steady. Together, we made our way down the stairs.

The Castle was spotless, every trace of last night’s ceremony and reception meticulously cleaned away. It was as if the wedding had never happened, and the space had reverted to its pristine, regal state.

“It was quite an impressive event,” Christopher’s familiar voice chimed in. He appeared from seemingly nowhere, his phone in hand as he scrolled through something.

“Thank you,” Alexander replied with a small nod.

“The entire kingdom is talking about it,” Christopher continued, his tone teasing. “The photos have gone viral overnight. Everyone’s impressed by the glamorous fairytale wedding.”

“Well, I’m glad people enjoyed it,” I said, though I couldn’t quite read his tone, unsure if he was mocking me or being genuine.

“Oh, they certainly did,” Christopher said, smirking. “You’ll have to check out some of these posts. And I’d be shocked if your phone isn’t already overflowing with messages from media outlets begging for exclusives.”

“People make far too much of these things,” Alexander said, his voice calm but firm. “I’m not eager to do interviews about our wedding. It was for us and our guests—not the entire kingdom.”

Christopher laughed, shaking his head. “If that’s how you feel, then perhaps you shouldn’t have held it here.”

“Fair enough,” Alexander admitted with a shrug. “I suppose you’re right. Maybe we should consider releasing some photos officially or something of that nature.”

I looked up at him, surprised. “Really? I think I’d be okay with that.”

“It’ll take some time to get the images back from the photographer,” Alexander said thoughtfully. “By then, interest may have died down. But if people still want to see them…”

“Oh, you know they will,” Christopher interrupted with a mischievous grin. “Stop playing coy.”

“I’m not playing coy,” Alexander said evenly. “There’s just a lot going on in the kingdom right now, and I’m not sure how long interest in our wedding will last.”

“What could possibly be more interesting than that?” Christopher asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

“Well, for starters, there’s a council meeting coming up,” Alexander replied. “It’s been a while since we’ve had one, and rumor has it the king is planning to make an important announcement.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “I hadn’t heard that,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

A million hazy memories flooded my mind from the original timeline—the excitement surrounding the king’s announcement that he intended to retire. Could it really be happening already? It felt too soon, yet so much had changed this time around.

My heart pounded in my chest as the implications hit me. Would the election really happen so soon?

I swallowed hard, the weight of the question pressing down on me. Was I truly ready to go up against David in this way? Could Alexander and I really win?