Five years had passed since Edward left the royal palace.
Five years since Princess Evelyn had watched him ride through the palace gates.
Five years since he had begun the difficult journey that would determine whether he could finally marry the woman he loved.
Only two years remained.
For Evelyn, the thought brought both happiness and fear.
Happiness because Edward was getting closer to returning.
Fear because another problem was becoming impossible for the royal family to ignore.
Princess Lilian was still unmarried.
And according to the ancient royal law of Bexton Kingdom, Princess Evelyn could not marry before her elder sister.
For the first few years of Edward’s service, the royal family had believed that there was plenty of time.
Lilian was still young.
There was no reason to rush her.
Surely, before Edward completed his seven years of service, a suitable man would appear.
But five years had now passed.
And nothing had changed.
Princess Lilian remained unmarried.
The issue that had once seemed distant was now standing directly before the royal family.
One evening, King Adrian sat in the royal council chamber.
Queen Amelia sat beside him.
Princess Lilian was also present, while Evelyn sat quietly across from her sister.
The atmosphere was unusually serious.
The king looked at everyone around the table.
“We can no longer postpone this discussion.”
Lilian immediately understood what he meant.
She lowered her eyes.
“I know, Father.”
King Adrian sighed.
“Edward has completed five years of service.”
“I know.”
“Two years remain.”
Lilian nodded.
“I know.”
The king leaned back in his chair.
“When Edward returns, he will have fulfilled his obligation.
He will expect permission to marry Evelyn.”
Lilian remained silent.
Queen Amelia looked gently at her daughter.
“Lilian, your father is not trying to pressure you.”
“Then what is he trying to do?”
“Understand what you want.”
Lilian looked at her mother.
“I don’t know.”
The king frowned slightly.
“You don’t know what you want?”
“I know that I want to be happy.”
“Then why have you refused every proposal that has come before you?”
Lilian took a slow breath.
“Because none of those men made me believe that marriage would make me happy.”
Silence filled the chamber.
Evelyn looked at her sister.
She understood Lilian more than anyone realized.
Marriage was not something that could simply be arranged because the kingdom demanded it.
Love could not be commanded.
The king rubbed his forehead.
“I understand that you want to marry for love.
But you must also understand the position you hold.”
“I do, Father.”
“You are the first princess of Bexton.”
“I know.”
“Your marriage affects the future of the kingdom.”
Lilian looked at him.
“And does that mean I should marry a man I do not love simply because he is suitable?”
The king did not answer immediately.
Queen Amelia intervened.
“No one is asking you to marry someone you despise.”
“But everyone expects you to choose someone.”
“Because time is moving forward,” the queen said softly.
Lilian looked down.
She knew her mother was right.
Time was moving.
And with every passing year, Evelyn’s future became more complicated.
After the meeting ended, Lilian walked alone through the palace corridor.
Evelyn followed her.
“Lilian.”
Her sister stopped.
“What?”
“Are you angry?”
Lilian shook her head.
“No.”
“You seem troubled.”
“I am.”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“I don’t want you to feel that you have to marry someone just because Edward is returning.”
Lilian looked at her.
“You have always been different from me.”
“How?”
“You found love without searching for it.”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“Edward found me.”
“And now he has spent five years risking his life for you.”
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
“I know.”
Lilian sighed.
“I don’t want to be the reason you cannot marry the man you love.”
Evelyn immediately reached for her sister’s hand.
“You are not the reason.”
“The law is the problem, not you.”
Lilian looked at her.
“You still have two years.”
“Yes.”
“What if I am still unmarried when those two years end?”
Evelyn was silent.
That was the question neither sister wanted to answer.
The ancient royal law was clear.
The younger princess could not marry before the elder princess.
It was a tradition that had survived generations.
Kings had followed it.
Queens had defended it.
Royal families had built their marriages around it.
But now the law was threatening to create a painful conflict.
Edward had accepted seven years of dangerous service because he believed that at the end of those seven years, he would finally be allowed to marry Evelyn.
He had completed five.
He had survived dangerous assignments.
He had endured injuries.
He had sacrificed years of his youth.
He had remained faithful.
And Evelyn had waited for him.
What would happen if he returned and discovered that the law still prevented their marriage?
The question troubled the entire palace.
Later that night, King Adrian met privately with Queen Amelia.
“What are we going to do?”
The queen looked at him.
“We cannot force Lilian.”
“I know.”
“But we cannot ignore Edward either.”
“I know that too.”
The king stood near the window.
“I made a promise to Edward.”
“And he has kept his side of the agreement.”
“He has.”
“He has served you faithfully for five years.”
The king nodded.
“I never expected the years to pass so quickly.”
Queen Amelia sighed.
“Neither did I.”
The king turned toward her.
“What happens if Lilian remains unmarried after the seventh year?”
The queen hesitated.
“The law would still prevent Evelyn from marrying.”
The king closed his eyes.
“That is what I fear.”
“What will you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You are the king.”
“That does not mean I can simply destroy a law that has governed our royal family for generations.”
Queen Amelia stepped closer.
“But laws were created to serve people.”
The king looked at her.
“And what happens when following one law causes suffering to innocent people?”
The queen did not answer.
They both knew the question had no easy solution.
The following weeks brought increasing pressure upon Princess Lilian.
Suitors from neighboring kingdoms began sending formal requests.
Some were princes.
Some were nobles.
Some were sons of powerful families.
Each offered political alliances, wealth, influence, and promises of protection.
But Lilian remained uncertain.
She did not want to become someone’s wife simply because she was the first princess.
She wanted something more.
She wanted respect.
Understanding.
Companionship.
And, if possible, love.
One evening, she stood alone in the garden.
Evelyn joined her.
“You have another proposal.”
Lilian smiled faintly.
“How did you know?”
“The entire palace knows.”
Lilian laughed softly.
“I wish they would stop discussing my marriage as though it were a royal announcement.”
Evelyn sat beside her.
“What do you feel?”
“Confused.”
“Do you like him?”
“I barely know him.”
“Then you don’t have to decide immediately.”
Lilian looked at her sister.
“But everyone is waiting for me.”
Evelyn took her hand.
“Then let them wait.”
Lilian smiled.
“You sound very brave.”
“I learned from Edward.”
“Edward taught you patience?”
“He taught me that love is worth waiting for.”
Lilian looked toward the stars.
“Perhaps I am waiting too.”
“For someone?” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“I don’t know.”
She smiled sadly.
“Perhaps I am waiting to discover who I am before I decide who I want to spend my life with.”
Evelyn nodded.
“I understand.”
Meanwhile, Edward continued his service.
He did not know about the growing concern surrounding Lilian.
His letters to Evelyn remained full of hope.
He told her about his duties.
He told her about the lessons he had learned.
He told her that he was stronger than when he had first left.
And he continued reminding her that the end was approaching.
“Two more years,” he wrote in one letter.
“Only two more years, Evelyn.”
She read those words repeatedly.
Two more years.
The words should have filled her with happiness.
Instead, they created a new fear.
She wanted to tell Edward everything.
She wanted to warn him that Lilian was still unmarried.
But she did not know how.
What could she say?
What if she told him and he became discouraged?
What if he began to believe that all his sacrifices might have been for nothing?
Evelyn decided to wait.
Perhaps Lilian would find someone.
Perhaps everything would work itself out.
Perhaps the royal law would somehow bend without breaking.
She hoped.
She prayed.
And she continued writing to Edward.
One night, Evelyn sat at her desk and began another letter.
“My beloved Edward,
You said there are only two years left.
When I read those words, my heart filled with happiness.
I can almost see you returning through the palace gates.
Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine running toward you.
I imagine your arms around me.
I imagine finally being able to say that the waiting is over.
Please continue to be careful.
I need you to return safely.
There is so much I want to tell you when you come home.
Until then, keep holding on.
I am holding on too.
Your Evelyn.”
She folded the letter.
She did not mention Lilian.
Not yet.
The next morning, King Adrian summoned Lilian again.
She entered the council chamber quietly.
The king looked at his daughter.
“I need you to think seriously about your future.”
“I have been thinking about it.”
“Edward will return in two years.”
“I know.”
“And Evelyn will want to marry him.”
“I know.”
The king’s voice softened.
“I do not want your future to become a burden you carry for your sister.”
Lilian looked surprised.
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“I want you to choose your own path.”
She looked at him carefully.
“Even if my choice affects Evelyn?”
The king sighed.
“That is the difficulty.”
Lilian lowered her eyes.
For the first time, she understood the weight of her position.
Her future was no longer hers alone.
Her decision could determine whether her sister would finally marry the man she loved.
She could feel the pressure growing around her.
But she also knew that she could not marry without being ready.
“I will think about it, Father.”
The king nodded.
“That is all I ask.”
That evening, Lilian returned to her chamber.
She stood before the mirror.
For years, she had avoided thinking deeply about marriage.
Now she could no longer escape it.
She thought about Evelyn.
She thought about Edward.
She thought about the seven years of service.
She thought about the ancient law.
And finally, she asked herself the question she had been avoiding.
What kind of future do I want?
She had two years to find the answer.
But somewhere in the distance, another clock was already counting.
Edward was approaching the end of his service.
And when he returned, the royal family would have to make a decision.
Would Princess Lilian finally choose a husband?
Would the ancient law continue to stand between Evelyn and Edward?
Or would the royal family be forced to confront a tradition that had governed Bexton Kingdom for generations?
No one knew.
But one thing was certain.
The seven years were moving toward their final chapter.
And Princess Lilian’s future would soon determine the future of her sister’s love.