Chapter 51 : Part 3 - CONFESSIONS!

Recap -

In the past two chapters, Nathan and Marina had finally confessed their love to each other. It turned out that Princess Admiranda was not a villain but a Cupid, who decided to spoil her own reputation in the process of match making.

At Present : In the mansion (Continued)

After Nathan and Marina reached the mansion, the two had a candle lit dinner in the open garden area, that Nathan had beautifully decorated with lanterns and candles. Who knew Nathan had the ability to do all this.

Currently, Marina and Nathan were laying down in their bed. But, here's the twist. This room had a glass ceiling, meaning anyone inside the room could relax in the symphony of the dazzling stars and blooming night.

"This is so beautiful," Marina remarked, looking at the huge galaxy of stars.

Marina had rested her head on Nathan's shoulder while the latter had clasped Marina's hand.

"I know, though beautiful is a small word to describe such angelic, alluring grace and charm," Nathan said, before planting a kiss on Marina's cheek.

Marina blushed profusely, but still managed to croak a reply, "I was talking about the night sky."

"Not my fault, you're always on my mind, Princess," Nathan answered with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Smooth," Marina muttered, her cheeks reddening.

Nathan chuckled on hearing Marina's reply as his hand started to slowly rub and trace Marina's fingers.

"The ring looks beautiful on you, Princess--"

"Why do you always call me Princess? It seems way too formal and you didn't mind calling Princess Admiranda - Miranda," Marina muttered the last part to herself. However, Nathan had heard it causing him to smirk at Marina's jealousy.

"Are you perhaps still feeling insecure of Princess Admiranda?" Nathan asked, his eyes shining with mischief.

"No, why would I? I just asked a normal question. Since, we are a married couple, I don't think we need to use the title while referring to each other," Marina replied, her inner being well aware of the fact that she was indeed jealous.

"Whatever, you say, amore (love)."

"Amore?"

"Your new nickname, mio amoto (my beloved)," Nathan replied, his eyes momentarily going back to Marina's engagement ring.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, amore," Nathan replied with a smirk.

Marina not so gently nudged her elbow in Nathan's chest.

"I meant, yes, ask whatever you want, amore."

"How, I mean, why did have this ring with you on the day of the royal ball? It's clearly a woman's ring, so why would you..." Marina's voice trailed as her inner voice decided to make an entrance.

Unless he planned to propose to someone else and you ruined it all.

You are just being an insecure woman!

I am a part of you. So, say that to yourself!

Ignoring her inner voice, Marina looked at Nathan, who had closed his eyes. Just when Marina started to blame herself for spoiling their moment, Nathan's voice interrupted her.

"It was my mom's ring," his voice was barely audible, but Marina had heard it. Nathan never talked about his biological mother. It was a topic that had a big stop engraved on a wooden door.

"This ring was one of the two things that my mother left behind for me. It's her last memorabilia. The other thing being Mystic Falls. The palace and this mansion were personally decorated by herself. She left it all in her will to me," Nathan replied, opening his eyes and staring at the infinite number of stars. Perhaps trying to find the one, that her mother was.

"If it is so important to you then I think you should be the one to keep this ring. I mean, after all it's your mother's gift to you," Marina replied. But as she was about to take off the ring, Nathan stopped her.

"No, don't take it off. When I got the ring I had found a letter with it, in which my mother had said that she wanted to give the ring to the most important person in her life, whom she loved more than anyone or anything else. Since that day, I always wore this ring in a chain. That's why I had it with me on the day of the Royal Ball."

"But you should take it ba--"

"No. My mother gave this ring to the person she loved the most and I want to give it to the person I love the most. I know you'll take care of it even better than me," Nathan replied with a smile as he planted a kiss on their entwined hands.

"I-uh-thanks," Marina mumbled as she realized just how much Nathan trusted her.

"I, now, know how you are so different from your father and brother," Marina replied, trying to lighten up the mood.

Wrong move.
Maran's inner voice remarked as Nathan's body stiffened.

"Yes, I am different from them. But, I like it that way. I never want to become a monster like my father, who feels pride in taking advantage of the less priveleged, who treats others, especially women, like his slaves," Nathan replied with pure hatred as he clenched his fist tightly.

Acting on instinct, Marina gently squeezed Nathan's clenched fist. Slowly unfurling his fist and entwining her hand with his.

"You will never be like them. I know that, I am sure of that," Marina said, smiling at Nathan.

"I promise, I will never be like him, amore. I will never treat you the way he treated the person he loved the most," Nathan said, his voice laced with anger but his eyes softened on finding Marina's blue orbs.

Cupping Marina's cheek with his other hand, he gave her a sad smile, "I promise you, amore. I'll never be like them."

"What do you mean?" Marina asked, a frown marring her face.

"What do you know about my mother's death?"

"She died due to inadequate medication during the post pregnancy time," Marina replied, hesitantly.

"King Vladimir killed my mother," Nathan replied coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

A gasp escaped from Marina's mouth as her lips parted in shock. Unable to say anything, she closed her mouth back.

"My mother was slowly recovering. Yes, she was weak, but not weak enough to die. However, one night King Vladimir came back in in her room in a drunken state. According to my mother's personal maid, the two had an argument. My mother wanted him to stop drinking, but he got angry on hearing this and... violent. For the first time, he hit my mother and in the heat of the moment stabbed her in the stomach," Nathan replied, his breathing becoming heavier and forced.

"Nathan, you... you don't have to go on--"

"No, I need to tell it to someone. The doctors tried hard for days and night to patch up her wound. They said had she been a bit more strong, she would have survived. But, my mother had given birth to another life, to me a few weeks back and she wasn't strong enough to recover from the deadly wound," Nathan said, stopping for a moment. His breathing seemed laboured. Marina, for the first time, saw raw pain in Nathan's eyes.

"Some people say, after my mother's death, King Vladimir totally lost his last bit of sanity. Funny, how he used to claim to love my mother. But, do we stab the people we love?" Nathan asked, more to himself as he let out a humorless laugh. Sadness, hurt, despair and anger were evident in his voice.

Marina sat up from her laying position and stared at Nathan, who had closed his eyes and continued to lay down. His jaw was hardened and fists were clenched again, but a tear managed to trickle out of his left eye. With a shaky breathe, Marina bent down.

Cupping Nathan's face in both of her hands, she slowly wiped Nathan's tear with her thumb, before hugging Nathan and burying her head into his chest.

Nathan willingly accepted the hug. He never talked about his mother's death, partly because of the royal politics. But, more because everytime he recalled it, he felt anger. Anger at his zounderkite of a father, anger at himself, anger for being unable to save his mother from the demon she married.

Nathan pulled Marina more closer, his grip tightening on Marina's lean figure. Somehow he had managed to avoid the topic of his mother for years. But, Marina was different from others. She easily broke the walls he had built to protect himself from others. After all he was a mere child when he had lost his mother.

Nathan inhaled Marina's lavender odour. For some reason, it calmed his nerves. Sure, his family was not the greatest one out there in the world, but at least he had Marina, his Princess, his amore.

"Amore?" Nathan called out to Marina, only to receive silence.

Frowning Nathan tried again, but Marina didn't budge or even utter a word. However, the sudden wetness he felt on his tunic, answered his questions. Nathan gently lifted Marina's head, only to see streams of tears trailing down his amore's face.

"Why are you crying, mio amoto?" Nathan asked as he wiped Marina's tears.

"I-I, you and your mom didn't deserve to be treated like that. Nobody deserves this kind of treatment. You especially didn't," Marina replied her voice cracking as she swallowed a lump in her throat.

Nathan was shocked to hear Marina's words. She was crying for him, for his pain. He slowly pulled Marina in his embrace as he rubbed her back in a soothing motion. For the first time, Nathan didn't feel alone. He knew he had his insecurities and moments of weakness, but he also knew that his amore wouldn't leave him alone. She made him better, she made him fight his pain. The pain that was always consuming him, the guilt that was always gnawing him and the anger that was destroying him slowly.

Nathan realized that since Marina had arrived in his life, he had stopped thinking about his mother's death as much as he used to. She had grounded his emotions. Today, after sharing the incident, Nathan felt a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He now knew he wasn't alone in all this. There were people who had his back, Marina had his back and he had their back, Marina's back.

Clearing his throat, Nathan said, "It's okay, amore. Now that I have you by my side, I am fine."

Slowly Nathan broke their embrace, making Marina look at him.

"Honestly, I think if I hadn't gone through all this, I am not sure I would have met my sensitive princess," Nathan replied, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

What he did not expect was Marina's lips on his. This was the first time, she had initiated a kiss. As the initial shock wore off, Nathan started to kiss Marina back, but she quickly pulled away. Her face was blazing red as she rolled herself in the white-cream blanket like a ball.

"Amore, now what happened?" Nathan asked, confusion swimming in his emerald green eyes as he looked at his wife, who seemed to be contended in camping inside the blanket.

Running a hand through his brown hair, Nathan sighed, before ripping the blanket away from Marina.

"What. Happened. To. You?" Nathan asked again. This time emphasizing on each word, like he was talking to a baby.

"I kissed you," Marina whispered as her hands continued to cover her flushed face whilst she sat up on the bed.

Nathan chuckled on hearing the answer, causing Marina to frown and peek at him from the gaps between her fingers.

"Amore, you can kiss me whenever you want. We are allowed to do so legally," Nathan replied with a smirk.

To emphasize his point, he gently removed Marina's hands and slowly kissed her. Marina responded to the kiss immediately. She closed her eyes as her one arm grabbed Nathan's shoulder for support while the other took pleasure in playing with his brown locks.

Nathan smiled as he pulled Marina closer by snaking his arm around Marina's waist while the other cupped Marina's cheeks. It was a sweet passionate kiss, filled with all the emotions that the words failed to convey, to describe . After all, actions did speak louder than words.

Marina was the first one to break the kiss, panting for breathe. However, Nathan had other plans, he trailed down Marina's jaw, planting kisses here and there as Marina squirmed beneath Nathan with pleasure.

Marina couldn't believe what was happening, not only was Nathan kissing her, but she liked the feel of his soft lips on her skin. Marina felt her body was on fire, her skin tingling wherever Nathan touched her.

A moan escaped from Marina when Nathan kissed her sensitive spot, much to her shock and embarrassment and to Nathan's amusement as the green eyed Prince continued to explore Marina's neck.

Finally, Nathan stopped and looked at Marina, whose face had become more red, if that was even possible.

"That's what I meant by whenever, amore," Nathan whispered into Marina's earlobe. His deep voice sending shivers down Marina's body.

"I hate you," Marina mumbled back to Nathan, lightly pushing him away.

"No, you love me, amore," Nathan replied while laughing as Marina glared at him.

When Nathan still didn't stop laughing, she picked up the pillows laying around on the bed and started to throw them at Nathan and soon a pillow fight was started. The room was filled with laughter of the couple as the night passed slowly.

Nathan smiled as Marina missed her shot again and realized for the first time, the mansion seemed more than a building. Above them in the night sky, a star glistened as the couple continued their banter.
************************************************************************
Hey guys!
Sorry for the late update. This is the third part of chapter 51.

So, we had lots of Maran moments in this chapter with confessions from Nathan. Which was your favorite Maran moment?

What do you think of King Vladmir and Nathan's mother?

I have to tell you all so many things. So, I am going to publish an Author's Note too. Do remember to read it 😇😇

This chapter is dedicated to my friend and amazing reader queenof9realms. Thanks for your support😍😘

Till the next update, keep shining ;)

- Love Addy :)