After what seemed like hours, the King finally spoke. “You may leave now, Dominic. The results of this test will be announced here after dinner.”
Dominic bowed. “Thank you, your Majesty, for considering me as a possible husband for your daughter.”
The King didn’t say another word, so Dominic left the room as calmly as he could. Once the door was closed behind him, he took off for his room. He flopped onto his bed and groaned. That was horrible!! I’ve lost, no doubt about it. Both Stanislas and Aloysius are more eloquent than I am!! I’m sure the King will pick one of them. He sighed and sank his head into the pillow. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there before a knock at the door startled him. He smoothed out his clothes and hair before answering the door.
“Miss Anastasia!”
The woman standing before him chuckled. “You should really stop being so formal! You can call my husband by just his first name, but not mine? It’s not like we’re total strangers, Dominic.”
He grinned. “Sorry, Mi… I mean, Anastasia.”
She smiled at him. “That’s better. Well, I’m here to tell you that dinner will be served shortly.”
“Thanks,” he replied. “But why are you here and not Gabriel? He’s always gathered all of us, and there’s only three left now.”
“Well, the King has sent him on an important mission, so I’m taking his place for today. Hope you don’t mind,” she grinned at him.
He laughed. “Not at all. I haven’t seen you for quite some time; it would be nice to catch up. That is, if you don’t mind,” he smiled at her.
She laughed as she moved out of the doorway so he could get past. “I don’t have any objections that I can think of. Shall we be off?”
He nodded, and followed her out into the hall. He couldn’t help but think what a perfect match Anastasia and Gabriel were, something he hoped he could have been with the princess, but seeing how the last challenge went, there wasn’t much hope left.
Anastasia had apparently seen the look on his face. “Something on your mind, Dominic?” she asked.
“Oh, just the last challenge, I think I’ve lost,” he replied.
“What makes you think that?” she inquired.
“Well, I didn’t say anything right, and the look on the King’s face after I finished answering all the questions told me he wasn’t impressed with my answers or my manner,” Dominic fairly blurted out. He was taken by surprise when Anastasia started laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“You! You can’t just assume that the King has eliminated you from the competition. The King does that all the time. If he lets us know his true feelings right away, he would seem weak or favorable without taking in all the possibilities first. Aloysius and Stanislas said the same thing, actually,” came her response.
“Really?” He breathed a sigh of relief. “So, I still have a chance.”
“You do, and in my opinion, a very high chance. Everyone knows that you and Princess Philomena belong together. You just do, there’s no question about it.” She smiled at him.
He glanced at her. “Are you sure?”
She chuckled. “Quite sure. What’s with that look?”
“Oh, uh… Camillo said the same thing this morning—that everyone could tell that the Princess and I belong together. Is it actually true? Does everyone really believe that?”
“Yes, well, at least everyone I know believes that.” She paused; they had reached the dining room.
“Oh, I apologize m… Anastasia. We spent the whole time talking about my troubles, and you didn’t get to talk about anything that’s happened to you.”
“That’s quite alright; I was only wondering if I should wait until Gabriel came back to tell him something and then we can tell everyone else, or just not wait and tell everyone now. But I want to be the first person to tell him, so it looks like I will wait until he gets back.” She grinned at Dominic. “And we’d better get in there for dinner before the food’s all gone! I’m starving!”
He smiled at her and followed her into the dining room. She led him to a table where Aloysius and Stanislas were already sitting. A servant then approached Anastasia, and the two walked away to talk while another served the food. She soon joined them at the table, and conversation consisted mainly of small talk about family and friends. They were having so much fun chatting that they hadn’t realized how fast the time flew. Before they knew it, they had all gathered in the main throne room where the King, the Queen, and the Princess were already seated.
After everyone had gathered, the King rose. “After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion of this competition and have picked my winner. The qualities of the young men who were gathered for this competition are of the highest I have seen, and I would be proud to call each and every one of you my son. But, the object of the competition was my daughter’s hand in marriage, and there can be only one man who is to have that honor. And that man is…” Here the King paused, glanced at the remaining three suitors, and then at his daughter. “Is the one my daughter has already chosen.” Dominic and Philomena simultaneously looked at the King, who only grinned back. “Well, Dominic Savio, come forward.”
Dominic wasn’t sure how he did it, but he moved towards the King on legs that felt like jelly. He only got halfway, though, as Philomena rushed into his arms. There were cheers all around as the two kissed, but Dominic didn’t notice. All he knew was that Princess Philomena looked radiant, and that he felt like the luckiest fellow in the world.
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