Christopher's POV.
Now let it be known. I have been to castles. I have survived royal press conferences where one wrong word becomes a headline. I have attended gala dinners with kings and queens and shaken hands with world leaders. I have danced with foreign dignitaries and once even made a Prime Minister laugh. But nothing tests a man's patience like being dragged around for photos by a woman he does not love while the woman he does love is standing only a few steps away.
Felicity was talking to her dad. I watched her from where I stood. I noticed how she held her phone close to her chest after the call. The way her voice softened when she said goodbye. The way her eyes looked a little brighter, but also a little sad. She loved deeply. That much was clear. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just real.
And something about that did something to me. This was not about titles. Not about status. Not about reputation. Not about royal expectations. It was about her heart. And the more I saw it, the more I wanted to protect it. Not because she was fragile. But because she was precious. When she looked back at me, I did not look away. I stepped closer.
"You okay?" I asked softly.
But what I really meant was this. I am here for you always.
She nodded. "He just wanted to make sure I was smiling."
"And were you?"
She looked at me. "I am now."
That was it. That was the moment something inside me settled. We held hands and talked for a while, enjoying the quiet between us. I wanted to hug her, kiss her, and hold her tight, but Mia ruined the moment by dragging me away to pose for a matriculation photo. Smile. Click. Smile again. Adjust the robe. Smile like we are madly in love. Pretend she is not muttering threats between her teeth. If Mia called me babe one more time, I might surrender the crown on the spot.
But none of that really mattered. Because across the quad at the University of Oxford stood the only person I truly wanted to take a picture with. After all the madness I had faced, nothing really prepared me for her. Felicity Paddington. She was wearing her sub-fusc; somehow, she made it look beautiful and stylish on her. She looked like two things at once. A little trouble and a little calm. Her curls bounced softly in the sunlight. Her smile affected me more than she knew and made it hard for me to think straight. The worst part was that she had no idea.
I scanned the crowd, my eyes moving past every camera and every student, searching for the one person I actually wanted beside me in a photo. There she was. Standing at the far edge of the quad, her arms folded. She was smiling at me and watching me suffer with clear amusement, like she had paid for front row seats to watch the comedy show that was my life. After what had to be the fiftieth photo, I finally broke free.
"Duty calls," I said to Mia calmly. "My fake girlfriend needs her real fake boyfriend."
She frowned. "What does that even mean? It makes no sense."
"Exactly! Wouldn't you like to know," I said with a wink and walked away before she could follow.
I made my way to where Felicity was standing. Our hands brushed as I reached her, and a spark ran through me. Just a small touch, but it pulled at my chest like something I hadn't noticed before.
"What?" she asked, raising a perfectly suspicious brow.
"Nothing," I said, trying not to smile. "Just wondering if Oxford is ready for you."
She grinned. "Oxford better hold on to its crown. I came to rule."
"And there I was thinking I came to study," I teased.
Her smile softened. The late sun caught in her eyes. "You came for me. Don't lie."
"Caught red-handed."
We stood in the middle of the madness, families, laughter, and endless camera flashes, but somehow it felt like we were in our own little bubble. Something real was between us. Messy, funny, warm, and true. Without saying much, we started walking past the crowds, past the balloons and flower bouquets, toward the Radcliffe Camera. By some miracle, the quad had quieted. The tourists were gone, the students had scattered, and the golden dome glowed against the sky like something out of a dream. It felt like it belonged to us alone.
The wind moved gently around our gowns and around us. Bells rang quietly in the distance. Felicity walked beside me as if she had always belonged here. We stopped in front of the Radcliffe Camera, the iconic spot where every student came to take their "I made it" photo. But I didn't care about the backdrop. The real masterpiece was standing right in front of me.
"Okay, stand there," I said, adjusting her robe gently. "Now tilt your head just a bit. Perfect."
She posed effortlessly like she didn't even realise how breathtaking she looked.
"Now you," she said, taking the camera from me with a playful smirk. "Let me capture that royal sass jawline."
I froze for a moment. Her words hit me harder than they should have. The way she looked at me caught me off guard. Her eyes were bright and playful, and something about them made my heart beat faster. She didn't know. Not yet. Not properly. If only she knew. I forced a smile and struck a pose, but something in my chest tightened. Then she laughed after taking the photo. That laugh.
"You really pulled that off," I said, leaning closer. "Oxford's very own Matriculation Queen."
"I didn't even trip," she said proudly. "Nearly did. But I didn't. That counts as success in my books."
"Progress," I replied, stepping closer and taking her hand. "You know what I see?"
We stopped at the foot of the stone steps. Everything around us glowed from the sandstone walls to the golden sky but she outshone it all. Her eyes found mine. Brown with gold flecks, soft and serious. My heart pounded.
She tilted her head, eyebrow raised. "A girl about to pose for another hundred pictures?"
"No." I shook my head gently. "I see the girl I want beside me. Not just for today but forever, always."
Her breath caught.
"I don't care who's watching," I whispered.
I let the camera fall to my side. "Felicity?"
"Hm?" She turned toward me, slightly breathless from laughing.
I stepped in closer, close enough to smell her perfume, a light and sweet scent that filled the air. Maybe it was the Oxford air. Maybe it was this place, where students had fallen in love with books, ideas, and sometimes each other. But I didn't hesitate and I stopped thinking. I cupped her face gently. Her lips parted slightly.
"Christopher..."
And then I kissed her. Not a casual kiss. Not a college crush. Not playful. Not careful. Not maybe-we're-something. This kiss was everything. It melted time. Weeks of tension. Years of silent wanting. A collision of longing and truth. Pure electricity between two people who had been wanting each other for far too long. Soft at first. Just a whisper. Then she grabbed my lapel and pulled me in deeper. Her hands slid into my hair. Mine wrapped around her waist. Time disappeared. Her hands stayed in my hair before she realised it. Her arms wrapped around me, holding me like I was hers. And in that moment, I was. She tasted like strawberry gloss. My world narrowed to her, her warmth, her mouth, the electricity between us as it had always been waiting.
She kissed me back like she had been waiting her whole life for this. Like everything I never knew I needed until her. And maybe she had. Like I was something she had finally decided to keep. My heartbeat was all I could hear. Her lips were soft but certain, and it felt amazing. My hands held her face, my arms went around her waist, keeping us in a moment that felt like it could light up the sky. This was not teasing. This was not joking. This was real. I had kissed Felicity Paddington before, but not like this. This was not the same girl who made fun of me, slapped me, or said I was not her type. This was the girl who knew my secret. The one who held me when the world felt too heavy. The one who never saw the crown, only me. I should have told her everything then.
In that moment, there was nothing royal about me. Nothing is planned or careful. Just a man wanting to hold something real. I rested my forehead against hers, watching her eyelashes move like she was holding her breath. I wanted to stay in that kiss forever. But forever only lasted a few seconds. We finally pulled apart slowly, breathless, still close enough to feel the touch of her lips on mine. Our breaths mingled, warm and shallow in the quiet between us. Students walked by, laughing and talking, and the world started again. But none of that mattered. Because for those few, precious seconds, it was just her. Just us and I kissed her forehead slowly.
Her eyes looked into mine like she was seeing something new for the first time. Something unspoken. Something real. And in my chest, something clicked. It was like I had just found the missing piece of a puzzle I didn't even know was incomplete. She didn't say a word. Neither did I. We didn't need to. But her eyes were screaming, don't let go.
Then she tilted her head slightly, lips still parted, and asked with a soft smile. "What was that for?"
Like she already knew the answer but wanted to hear it anyway.
I couldn't help but grin. "You look gorgeous, love."
It slipped out before I could stop it. But then reality crashed in, dragging my heart with it. I looked at her and knew what I had to say next might ruin everything. It could make her fall for me or hurt her all at once, and maybe break her heart even harder.
"Felicity," I said gently, voice low, "I need to tell you something. You're probably going to hate me for it, but I can't keep lying-"
She blinked, startled. "Okay, what? You're scaring me. And I won't hate you. What are you even saying?"
I took a breath. This was it. I swallowed, the words barely forming. "I'm the one who-"
Then her phone rang. We both jumped at the loud sound. Felicity reached for her phone awkwardly, still pink in the cheeks from the kiss. I stood there, caught somewhere between laughing and cursing the timing.
She groaned, pulling it from her coat pocket. "Ugh. Penelope," she muttered. Of course.
She answered, and Penelope's voice burst through the speaker. "WHERE ARE YOU, WOMAN?! We're going to the after-party! There's free food, questionable punch, and a disturbing number of single people. Bring that my brother/hot prince of yours or I'm sending search dogs! Let's gooooo!"
I raised a brow. "Search dogs? Really?"
Felicity rolled her eyes and laughed, mouthing a silent sorry to me and stepping back slightly. "Well, duty calls."
She looked at me then, still glowing, still a bit breathless. "Guess I've been summoned."
I smirked. "I think I've just been demoted to party escort."
She stepped closer and touched my arm, her fingers lingering "You were saying something?"
I hesitated. My throat tightened again. The moment wasn't right anymore. "Later," I said quietly.
She studied me. Her eyes narrowed, playfully. "Promise?"
I leaned in and brushed my lips against her forehead. "Cross my royal heart."
She turned to go, but then paused. Glanced over her shoulder with a soft, unguarded half-smile. And then, barely audible, like a breath against the wind: "I love you," she said quietly.
She turned back, laughing as Penelope talked through the phone. They disappeared down the path toward the gates, her voice fading with each step. I stood there like a complete idiot, grinning under the Oxford sun. The words burned in my chest. I was the one who accepted the bet. One month to make her fall in love, only to break her heart. I never meant for it to go this far. It was supposed to be a stupid, silly bet. My friends made it, and I agreed. I was going to tell her. I was supposed to tell her before the call was interrupted. But now… I didn't. Now I'm the only heir to the throne of England. And I had just kissed the girl who could ruin everything or save it all. Either way, my heart was hers. Fully, utterly, stupidly hers.
Then I followed her. She walked ahead, still laughing into the phone. She had no idea what I was about to confess. No idea that loving me might cost her everything or change everything for both of us. I exhaled slowly. Whatever comes next, I am choosing her. The kiss that almost said everything still lingered on my lips. The moment was heavy, alive, and full of truth I could not yet speak. Even without words, it had changed everything.