Page 61 of A Royal Obligation
She would go back and help with the final aspects of the school renovation and unveiling ceremony, and then she would resign from her position as Charlotte’s assistant. She didn’t know what life would look like after that, but at least she had the next few steps in mind. The rest she could figure out later.
Jules set a hand on her father’s. “I know you’re both right. It’s …“ Her voice trailed off as her mind continued to wander.
“You’re in love with him,” her mother said.
Jules’s eyes shot up. “What? How—?”
“How did I know? I think anyone would be blind to not notice that you’re a woman in love.” She motioned to her husband. “Even your dad knew. That’s saying something.”
Her father was nodding along and then jolted his head to the right to look at his wife. “Hey!”
“Sorry, honey, but you’re not the most observant person. I’m only saying how obvious it is.”
Her father grunted and leaned back deeper into the sofa, but Jules saw the wry expression he sent her mother before both of their eyes settled back on her, waiting for her to speak.
“Okay, so let’s say I’m in love with the Crown Prince of Wistonia. Do you want to tell me what I’m supposed to do with that? I can never be with him, but being around him and not actually beingwithhim is slowly breaking my heart.”
“Oh, my sweet dear.” Her mother came and sat next to Jules, grabbing her other hand. “Love—the real, true kind of love—has the power to fill us up and make us the happiest we’ve ever been. But it also has the power to bring us to our knees and hurt us to the core of our being. It wouldn’t be true love if you didn’t feel both at times. You have to learn to take the pieces that break off and put them back together. Your heart may feel different than it did before it broke, but it will still beat the same.” She squeezed her hand. “And we’ll be here to help you put the pieces back together if you need us.”
“But how do I know if the love I feel for him is worth the heartbreak? How do I know if it could live up to the perfect love you have together?” Jules’s eyes darted between her parents.
Her mother let out an incredulous laugh. “Our relationship is far from perfect. Your father and I have our own issues that we’ve dealt with over the years. Nobody is perfect. But, in every relationship, love is perfect in its own way. It’s what you make of it with the person you’re with that makes it perfect between two imperfect people.”
Jules’s thoughts ran a thousand miles a minute as she tried to piece together what her mother had just said. Her whole life she had measured every relationship to that of her parents, seeing them as a perfect love match.Could I have been wrong all this time?
She thought back to all of her imperfect moments with Barrett—running into him at the school, stepping on his foot at the ball, the flour mishap in the kitchen, him catching her as she jumped down from the tree in her moment of fear, her horse being spooked and him chasing after her. Those were some of her favorite memories with him. The ones that had made her fall for him a little bit more each time. Maybe those imperfect moments were what made their love feel so perfect in its own way.
She didn’t need a love like her parents have; she needed an earth-shattering, heartbreakingly beautiful love of her own. Like the one she had with Barrett. The one she couldn’t have. But at least she knew it existed—that it was possible for her to have it in the future.
Jules pulled her hands back and wrapped an arm around each of her parents, pulling them in for a family hug. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes as she thought about how grateful she was to have them. “Thank you. I needed this.”
She pushed up from the couch and clapped her hands together. “All right, I’m going to go pack. I have an obligation to fulfill.”
Jules lifted her arm and sniffed, making sure she didn’t need to reapply deodorant before walking into the palace. She had never been so nervous to see someone, and she was eternally thankful that she had chosen to wear a black sweater today.
Wadsworth walked over to her car door and opened it, extending a hand to her. She held onto it like a lifeline, even once she was out of the car.
“Once I heard you were returning, I wanted to be the one to greet you myself. How are you doing, Miss Smith? And how is your father?”
“I’m doing well, thank you. My father’s recovery has gone smoothly. Thank you for asking.” She smiled up at him. “How is—“ She corrected herself. “How are things here?”
“Things are going well.” Once they had passed a group of other staff members, he added, “Prince Barrett has been down with you gone, but he is doing okay otherwise. Some …things have come to light recently, but I am sure he’ll want to tell you about that himself.” Wadsworth stopped in front of her room. “I speak for all the staff when I say we are so glad to have you back. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”
“Thank you, Wadsworth.” Jules gave him as kind of a smile as she could muster before slipping into her room. She leaned back against the door once it had shut, unable to hold herself up. She took deep breaths trying to calm her racing heart, but she continued to feel the room closing in around her. She needed to get out of here. She needed air.
Jules yanked the door back open and jogged down hallways until she reached a door that would lead her outside. She walked out onto a patio that overlooked the palace gardens. Jules hunched over and placed her hands on her knees, drawing in gasped breaths.
Once her breathing had slowed, she walked down the steps from the patio to the gardens and began strolling through them. As Jules walked, she prayed for strength in her remaining time there and hoped everything that she had gone through in Wistonia would lead to the best possible outcome for everyone involved.
Out of nowhere, the hairs on her arms raised, her awareness heightened, and she knew Barrett was nearby. She started to turn around to head back to the palace when she was stopped by an arm on her shoulder causing a tingling sensation to spread throughout her body. She glanced behind her and looked into the eyes of the man she loved. Finally allowing herself to feel her feelings fully and completely.
“You’re back. I didn’t know if you would come back.”
Jules could see the hurt in his eyes and hear the pain in his voice. “I promised I would come back.” She cleared her throat, trying to rid it of any emotion. “How have you been?”
He ran his hands through his short, sandy waves. “I’ve been better; it’s been difficult without you here. How is your dad?”
“His surgery went well, and his recovery is going smoothly.”