Tuesday, July 21st, The Year 2220

Talise Jaleh / Brooke's POV

My nerves are all over the place this morning. I will be facing the citizens of Paerus for the first time.

We chose October 23rd as our wedding day. The wedding will take place at our castle. Both events will be invitation only. Chanelle, Simone, and Neris are my bridesmaids. Security will be tight.

We are currently at the King and Queen's Castle.

"Sweetheart, don't be nervous. I'll be right by your side."

"Ha! Too late for that. You're used to speaking in front of large crowds. Who even knows how the people will feel about me? There is always going to be someone jealous. And, they are going to question where I am from."

"That is their problem. And, if anyone has a problem, I will handle it. You are a citizen of Paerus. And I can choose who I want to be my queen. You were always the one that I wanted to marry."

The king and queen followed their bodyguards onto the balcony. The crowd is now silent as the king is about to speak.

King Lachlan's POV

"Citizens of Paerus, first I would like to announce that Lady Talise Jaleh returned safely to the Duke and Duchess of Paerus!"

The crowd that gathered applauded the news. The applause lasted for several minutes. After waving my hands, the crowd became quiet.

"Next year, I'll be relinquishing my reign as ruler of Paerus. Prince Tristian Rimulus will be crowned as the king. I'm sure you are wondering who will be his queen. Well, wonder no more. I am here to announce the engagement of Prince Tristian and Lady Talise. The royal wedding will take place on October 23rd of this year."

The crowd was silent for a bit, meaning the women were upset that Tristian is not single. Too bad. After a while, those gathered began to clap.

"I am only going to say this once. You are to give Lady Talise the respect that she deserves. If I hear of any citizen of Paerus berating or disrespecting Lady Talise, you will be punished to the fullest extent. Now, introducing the future of Paerus, Prince Tristian, and Lady Talise!!"

Talise Jaleh / Brooke's POV

I could feel my hands sweating as we walked onto the balcony. We heard cheers, a few whistles, and saw several of the women crying. Boo-hoo. Tristi is mine. I took a few deep breaths. Then I began to speak.

"Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate the welcoming applause you have given me today. It means so much to my family. As the future queen of Paerus, I will do all I can to protect this beautiful planet, and the citizens that dwell on it."

Tristi is now going to speak.

Prince Tristian Rimulus / Asher's POV

"I want to say thank you also. I have dreamed of this day for years. Now that Lady Talise is back with us, my dreams have come true."

"We would also like to introduce you to the future princess of Paerus, Dalis Raina!"

Divis walked over to me with Dalis and handed her to me. Dalis looked at me. "Wave your hand, princess." She did, then buried her face in my shoulder.

"Just as King Lachlan stated, Lady Talise deserves to be respected. She will be your future queen, my wife, and mother to my children. She is also expecting our son. If anyone has a problem with that and I hear about it, expect to be punished. We all, as citizens of Paerus, need to respect everyone's choices of who they choose to marry."

"The royal engagement party will be held tonight at the king's castle and will be invitation only. Those who were invited tonight have already received their invitations. The same thing will happen with the royal wedding."

"As for my father's retirement, I am saddened to hear it. My father has done so much to ensure that the citizens of Paerus will always feel safe. I have big shoes to follow. And I will be looking forward to the challenge. Thank you for your time."

We walked off the balcony to a round of applause from the crowd.

"Sweetheart, you did great when you gave your speech."

"Ha! I was a nervous wreck. What are we going to do now that the engagement announcement is over? I am hungry again."

"Lady Talise, we'll have the kitchen staff fix something for you," one of my father's servants says. "What would you like?"

"Everything in the kitchen. This little boy is a trip." Everyone chuckled as we made our way to the castle's living room. As soon as we sat down, Dalis went to her mommy.

"Ma, ma, ma," Dalis says while giggling.

"We have a silly, little girl."

"We sure do."

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Talise Jaleh / Brooke's POV

Time to officially make my introduction to the citizens of Paerus. Our bedroom in the king's castle was filled with people fixing my hair, putting on my makeup, and preparing me to put on my dress.

My hairstyle looks like something I would wear on my wedding day.

I had my choice of dresses to wear. But, I chose one that had a look of royalty. And, I am pregnant with a baby boy, so the blue is perfect.

There was a knock on the door, so one of the servants opened the door. It was Tristi, who was carrying Dalis.

"Aww, look at Mama's princess. Dalis, you are adorable."

Dalis even had a little crown in her hair.

"Are you ready to make your debut as the future queen of Paerus?"

"Whether I am ready or not, the big moment is here." Once again, I'm a nervous wreck.

After linking arms with Tristi, we walked out of the bedroom to a crew of security guards waiting for us.

We then walked down the main staircase to a large ballroom. "Prince Tristian and Lady Talise, please wait here until you are announced. I will then open the doors," one of the guards mentioned.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Paerus, please give a round of applause for Prince Tristian, his bride to be, Lady Talise, and Princess Dalis Raina!"

The guards opened the double doors, and we walked into the ballroom to a thunderous round of applause. Dalis even clapped her hands as we continued walking to a pair of thrones next to the king and queen. Once Tristi helped me to my throne, he sat Dalis in my lap. Tristi then went to have a seat on his throne.

"Thank you all for attending this special occasion. Let's begin the festivities. Please face the stage for our first performance of the evening," the king announced.

Suddenly, music began to play, and a dance troupe walked onto the stage. The group did several ballet dances. Dalis loved it. She looked up at me, then pointed to the stage the whole performance.

The attendees all clapped, including Dalis. A group of children then came on the stage and sang a cute song for Dalis. She bounced in my lap while clapping.

I sure could eat right now. Junior wants to eat too because he is moving around in my belly. I tapped Tristi on his arm and whispered, "Junior and I are hungry."

Tristi then whispered something to King Lachlan. After the kids finished singing, everyone clapped. The king then made an announcement.

"Thank you for both performances. Dinner is now ready. Once the royal family has been seated at the dinner table, everyone can begin to take their seats."

Tristi stood up from his throne, then picked up Dalis from my lap. Once we linked arms, we then followed the security detail into a humongous dining room.

The security detail pulled out the chairs for us. Once we were seated, servers then brought trays of food to the table.

"Oh my gosh! Look at all of this food!"

"What would you like? Your personal servant will fix it for you."

"Okay. May I ask you what your name is?"

"My name is Saniel Douma, Lady Talise."

I am never going to remember all of these names. "Saniel, for myself, I would like a little bit of everything. I'm eating for two. And for Princess Dalis, a small amount for her. She is seven months."

"Of course, Lady Talise." Saniel fixed a small plate for Dalis and a plate of food for me.

"Let's dig in, Junior."

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King Lachlan tapped his glass with a fork. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the royal engagement dance. Please, everyone, begin to make your way back to the ballroom."

The king, queen, and my parents were escorted first into the ballroom. Dalis has a crush on Divis, so he is carrying her. My child likes boys already. She cries every time she sees him kiss Simone.

Tristi and I were escorted after my parents. Once inside the ballroom, we were escorted to the dance floor. A classical type song was played for us to dance to.

"How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, after this dance, I am ready to go to bed. I have been on my feet for most of the day. I'm tired. Sorry. Maybe we can host an engagement luncheon tomorrow."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to apologize. That's a great idea. You are carrying our son. After this dance, we can leave."

Tristian and I twirled around the ballroom until the song ended. We walked over to the king and queen as the guests began to clap for us.

"Father, we are going to say goodnight. Please inform the guests about an engagement luncheon at our castle tomorrow."

"Of course. You're welcome to stay here for the night. Don't worry about Dalis. We'll see you both in the morning."

Tristi waved the security guards over then we followed them back upstairs. I began to take my dress off.

"How about I have Saniel come to help you with your dress?"

"I'm too tired to wait. Can you help me, please?"

"Of course." Tristi came over to where I was standing and unzipped my dress. He whistled as I stepped out in just my lacey bra and panties.

"Don't even think about it. Let's cuddle." I grabbed Tristi's hand and walked him over to the bed. Once I peeled the covers back, we got in and cuddled.

"Goodnight, King Tristi."

"Goodnight, Queen Brooklyn."

I grabbed my pillow and bopped him with it. "Oh my gosh. Did you just call me Queen Brooklyn?"

"Yup."

I got up and sat on top of him.

"You know, you are sitting in the perfect position."

"Not with you still calling me Brooklyn." I rested my head on his chest, then put the covers back over us.

"I won't be able to sleep this way for a while once my belly gets bigger. I'm going to enjoy it while I can. Goodnight, my king-to-be."

"Goodnight, my queen-to-be."

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