Snippet #1904180

Lucius
I was pleased to see Bella was keeping her sense of humour alive. I could clearly tell she was still upset, but she was trying to stay positive. Her will was strong; she was continuing her struggle to end the marriage.
"You never know, Bella," I reassured her, "stay strong and I'm sure you'll be able to be willingly married eventually." I shot her a comforting smile. "When this whole Royal Marriage scenario has been dealt with, a man will sweep you off of your feet on your own terms." I had to wonder: Maybe it would be me? If I was to attempt that, I would definitely have to help Bella avoid this wedding while at the same time playing ambassador in the Vivalian Land.
"I actually noticed a few soldiers in the field hospital being treated for light wounds," I teased, "I didn't realise you were against your attire on such a high degree that you'd injure the men who tried to force you into it." There were soldiers at the field hospital, but they most likely injured themselves training.
I listened attentively to Bella as she descried her hatred for Court fashion. I chuckled slightly as she denied her beauty. Her next words cut through me as a blade would. Brotherly love... That term bounded me to remain her friend for as long as we continued to live. It pained me to see that after all these years, I was still just a brother to her. Though I couldn't really complain; she trusted me enough to consider me family. I was thankful to be this close to her despite the fact that I would rather be much closer.
Bella almost seemed to contradict what she said before as she explained how "wonderful" being married to me would be. She was most likely just comparing being my bride to being the Prince's bride. There was a high amount of logic to what she was saying, but the consequences would be dire. Bella was becoming angrier as she explained the backlash of not marrying the Prince. I always hated to see her upset. I hugged her to try to calm her down.
"I'm sure if we work together, we can find a way to solve this so that we're all happy and living in peace."