Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 285: An Iconic Picture

Chapter 285: An Iconic Picture

On the way back to the castle, Arthur was shouting at his people for allowing that much reporters when they were leaving. Hearing their reply, Arthur got more angry and barked orders to let no one near the Oakley Castle gates.

"Leave them, Fred. If you block them, it would only anger them more and they would turn hostile. And they are in public property if they are standing outside the gates and we really cannot ask them not to stand there." Talia with a sigh leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes.

As expected, there were a lot of reporters waiting by the caste gate. The castle securities tried to form a boundary, but the reporters pushed the boundaries and surrounded the car once more.

The side glasses were tinted, but the windshield was transparent and since both of them were in the front seats, the photographers all gathered in front of the car to take pictures.

Even the blaring sound of horn didn’t faze them. Talia heard everything but stayed with her eyes closed refusing to engage with them.

Arthur looked to his side and seeing Talia with a frozen face, closing her eyes, his heart hurt. His feet on the accelerator itched to floor it.

What would happen if I actually run one or two of them? Will they stop bothering her then?

In the end, he decided not to let his anger cloud his judgement. Not because he felt worried for his future, or for the life of those vermin, it because he knew if he floored the accelerator now, they will crash at the tree and the airbags will deploy, injuring Talia.

She cannot get hurt further.

With a sudden idea, Arthur revved the car. The roaring of the powerful engine of the sports car, combined with the smoke from the burning tires, was so intimidating making most reporters scatter off.

Talia who was closing her eyes till then, looked at the man beside, with her eyes wide. Arthur’s smirk deepened seeing people scattering off.

"What?"

He felt Talia’s eyes on him and turned to look at her with his smirk turning to a smile that was little playful. Seeing her impressed look, he felt proud.

The corner of Talia’s lips curved a little seeing the silly grin on Arthur’s face.

Show off!

When Arthur turned to look to the front, the smoke was everywhere blurring the visibility and still he could see a single photographer clicking away, standing right in front of the car just fifteen feet away.

Blaring the horn, Arthur floored the pedal and Talia looked to her side as the photographer lunged away from the incoming car.

Talk about being stupid!

That reporter, who was wearing a beret tipped his hat at Talia, standing by the side, hugging his camera with a bright smile in his face.

He had gotten his million dollar shot!

Talia not understanding that smile, turned to her front and they entered the castle gates where it was absolutely calm.

---

"Sleep in the bed, Iris," Arthur loosened his tie and walked to Talia who was curling up in the little couch in the turret of her room.

He thought she won’t eat lunch, but she had a full lunch and she joked around with the staff of the castle, making them all giddy with happiness.

He knew she is very nervous and stressed. She acts like a cat when she is stressed. She finds odd, small, confining places comfortable and lie there to sleep.

"This is comfortable," Talia lied in a fetal position in the couch and that beautiful piano came to her view. Her racing mind, calmed a little as she remembered all the time Arthur played songs for her.

Arthur stopped and took a good look at her lying there. A little sunlight slipped through the glasses and fell on her hands that glowed like a pearl. Her long hair hung at the sides of the couch, waving aimlessly. Her eyes were closed and her thick lashes gave the illusion of a fan as they had curled over her eyelid just below her eyebrows that had a perfect arch.

It is real! She really is here.

Suddenly she sat up and picked her phone and he walked to her taking the chocolate bar he had in his pocket.

Chocolate always makes her feel better.

Talia’s phone vibrated with a call and she picked up her phone and her face contorted with despise.

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF ESTERIA

"I never stored his name like this. In fact I don’t remember ever storing his number," Talia showed the phone to Arthur and he giggled.

"It should be from his office or did he set his Caller Name for his private number too?"

"I think it is CNAM," Talia shrugged and answered the phone.

"Hello. I’m currently asleep and I’ll call you back after I wake up," she ended the call.

"Iris... You... What did you do?" Arthur was surprised.

"He wants to meet me... I don’t want to meet him. I’m not just his citizen to answer his summons. I’m the Princess of Rosandale. I can’t be a pushover. Just because I answered Lord Lockhart’s summons, he expects me to answer his summon too? Not interested."

Talia threw the phone on the side table and leaned on Arthur’s shoulder.

Arthur smiled. Only she’d have this kind of warped reasoning. No matter what, he still is the King. And, she knew the King won’t let this incident leak since it is embarrassing for him.

What a snob!

"Here, have some," he passed the chocolate bar to her and she got it from his hands with a happy shriek.

"Yay! You know I love you a lot, right Fred?" she said with a wide grin and kissed his lips after taking a bite of the chocolate.

"Really? Doesn’t seem like much love to me," he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Don’t doubt my love," Talia was still chewing the chocolate as she spoke.

"Say that again," he grabbed the chocolate bar from her hand.

"Ah, give it back you dummy!" Talia held out her hand to get the chocolate.

"No!" he pouted. "Tell me how much you really love me."

"A lot!" Talia looked into his eyes. It seemed like she needed to answer his question first to get that chocolate.

What an arduous trial! Even Hercules had it easy.

"More than anything," she added getting close to his chin. "If God stood in front of me with the last chocolate in earth on his one hand and you on the other..." she imagined such situation.

The last chocolate... That big bittersweet chocolate... There won’t be any other chocolate ever... What should I do?

"Ugh!" Arthur snorted and his breath fell on her eyes making her snap out of her daydream.

"I will choose you, Fred!" she kissed his chin. Arthur was perplexed by the sudden attack and Talia used that chance to get the chocolate bar from his hand. "And of course you should get the last piece of chocolate for me, from God’s hand."

As she spoke, Talia’s smile froze and her hands holding the chocolate bar stopped right at her lips.

"I’m not jesting, Fred. I know for sure... You will get anything for me, even if you’ll have to pluck it from the hands of the Almighty himself."

Her eyes misted as she looked at him. He has done a lot for her. He will definitely do that too.

The next moment she felt a familiar warmth on her lips and she was pushed on the couch. The chocolate bar in her hand slipped and fell in the carpet and Talia’s hands wrapped around his neck as his tongue intruded her mouth, tingling hers.

When Arthur let go of her, Talia was grasping for oxygen. His hair was dishevelled and his fringes were falling on her forehead making her feel tingly and warm.

"What a sweet tongue you have," Arthur gave a little smooch on her reddened lips.

"It should be the chocolate." Talia chucked as she held his cheeks.

At that time her phone vibrated once more and Arthur got her phone for her. He wasn’t pleased with this rude interruption and it was well-written in his face.

"It’s Celine," Talia answered the phone.