Falling For Miss Captain : LOVE Vs DUTY

Throughout her life, Yelena never felt as nervous as she was now. She was sitting inside a car which just entered the gate of the royal palace. Felix was sitting with her in the backseat, holding her hands to reassure her. She slightly smiled in return.

They get off the car and walked past the huge door and a few hallways. They entered one room and there they were, the royal family members of Edeladon.

Seeing two familiar faces among the four members helped Yelena calm down a bit. King Lawrence and Prince Alonzo were smiling at her and so did Princess Gianna, Alonzo's mother. Queen Nicola was observing her yet she didn't know what the mother was thinking.

Yelena believed that she had made herself presentable enough. Wearing a grey half sleeve gown that covered her knee and a black stiletto paired with a grey clutch; her appearance was neat yet not too formal. She let loose her long black hair and some parts covered the front of her shoulders up to her breasts. The bottom of her hair was curled a bit.

"Yelena, meet my family. You already met my father and my cousin, so they don't need an introduction." Felix said to her as they all rose from their seat to welcome her. 

"This is my mother, Queen Nicola Valestra and the one on the right is my aunt, Princess Gianna Vasari." Felix glanced at the two middle-aged women. "Mother and Aunt. Meet Yelena Arista, my fiancee."

"It's so nice to meet you, Yelena. I always wonder why my nephew is so in love with you and I understand now. You're very beautiful." Princess Gianna exclaimed with a smile and gave Yelena a small hug. Her voice was so warm and her smile was genuine and comforting. Yelena never met a woman as elegant as the one standing before her! Was it because she was born and raised as a Princess?

"It's nice to meet you too." Yelena's eyes sparkle with mirth. Little did know the Queen was in awe of her beauty and smile! She was staring at her the whole time she interacted with the friendly yet dignified aunt.

Now, she finally turned her attention to the Queen. The latter was the reason why she was so nervous! Meeting the Queen's gaze, she couldn't read her mind at all. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mother. I heard that you're sick. How are you feeling now?" She asked as she greeted her. Her tone and action remained formal.

"I'm fine now." The Queen responded before she smiled and said, "Welcome, Yelena. It's nice to meet you too."

Yelena felt lost. The Queen just smiled at her! Was this a good sign? Unsure of what to do, she stood still without saying anything.

"How's your trip here? I heard that it's your first time visiting our country." King Lawrence stepped in to save the awkwardness. 

"It's great. This is one beautiful country." Yelena promptly answered. Her nervousness was almost evident in her voice.

"That's a relief." The King let out a laughter and said to everyone, "Let's have a seat."

After each of them took a seat, the casual chat goes on for a while which made Yelena feeling more at ease. Yet the Queen remained mostly quiet. Nevertheless, her gaze never left her son's fiancee. The way she talked, the way she smiled, the way she carried herself and most importantly, the way her son never took his eyes off her; Queen Nicola observed it all.

Was he still the same Felix she used to know? Even when he was with that deceased girl, he never behaves that way! It's clear that he was completely smitten with this soldier!

Soldier?! Oh! The Queen almost forgot that this young woman was a soldier. Now that she met her in person, she was flustered. She didn't resemble a soldier at all! If she met her without knowing her profession, an army would never cross her mind!

"Are you really a soldier? You didn't look like one." The words unconsciously came out of the Queen's lips, turning everyone's attention on her.

"Yes, I am. It's understandable that you think that way. I often hear that word." Yelena slightly smiled. She had already gotten used to hearing that.

"She's right. I was also completely fooled when we first met." Felix chimed in. His eyes and expression were full of pride for his lover.

"I already told you that I met her in her workplace. I also saw her wearing a uniform twice. Do you think that I lie?" King Lawrence jokingly said to his wife who was sitting next to him.

"I agree with Nicola. Even I also finds it hard to believe." Princess Gianna said, playfully glancing at Yelena as if she doubted her.

"She's too beautiful. That's why." Alonzo chimed in with a wry smile.

His words made his mother frowned at him. "Rather than commenting about your future sister-in-law's beauty, why don't you think about getting a woman for yourself?" Princess Gianna heavily sighed.

"I'm still young. Right, Felix?" Alonzo pouted to his cousin, hoping to receive some support.

"We're the same age." Felix simply commented which made his cousin scowled.

"You're so boring!" Alonzo whined. The man who loved to see the suffering of a sick and helpless woman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he resembled a spoiled kid. Turning his head to Yelena, he asked, "Why did you choose this boring cousin of mine, Yelena? Your taste in men is weird." He shook his head like a disappointed father.

"What should I do with you?" Princess Gianna helplessly sighed at her son's childishness. He was already 26 yet he never grew up!

When the jokes finally calmed down, Yelena glanced at the very quiet Queen. She wondered what she was thinking. "You seem to have many things on mind, Mother. If it's about me, you can tell me. If you have a question, say it and I will try to give you an answer." While she said these words, pressure was forming turmoil inside her.

Hearing this, the Queen was quite amused. When this young woman stepped inside the room, she didn't fail to notice how nervous she was. So, she thought that she might try to avoid her as much as possible. She didn't expect her to say those words. She finds her courage quite admirable.

Queen Nicola was also once in her shoes. When she was first introduced to the royal family as Crown Prince Lawrence Valestra lover, she was more than nervous. Though her family was one of the most accomplished ones in Edeladon, though she knew that the King and Queen approved of her, she was still feeling nervous, much more than this young woman was!

Yelena's situation was more complicated. She was not from Edeladon; she was a soldier from another country, a country that often had conflicts with Edeladon despite the Peace Treaty; most importantly, she was still not sure of the family's opinion on her. But still, she composed herself well and muster up her courage.

This made the Queen realized one thing. No matter what this woman's upbringing was, no matter what her profession was, no matter what her country was; she had a noble heart and a royal aura. That's enough for the Queen. Somehow, she started to understand why her son was head over heels in love with this foreigner!

"I already heard everything from my husband." Queen Nicola calmly responded. She glanced at her son whose smile never left his eyes ever since he entered the room with this Captain. It was such a rare sight that she even felt emotional. Her son was truly happy! What's more? She had already seen enough of his sufferings and she didn't want to witness those lifeless and cold face anymore.

Trusting that they would be able to win over the people just like they did to her husband and her, the Queen flashed a smile. "As long as my son can always smile like today, I will be really glad to have you as my daughter-in-law and the Crown Princess of this nation."

Silence suddenly fell upon the room after the Queen expressed her approval. The King smiled as a way of showing that he saw this coming. He knew his wife the best. Princess Gianna also smiled in relief.

Felix and Yelena were the ones who were the most flustered. Felix hoped that his mother would accept Yelena sooner or later but... he didn't know that it would be this soon!

Unexpected of the sudden approval, Yelena was at a loss for words! She didn't know how to express herself.

"You're serious, right? You can't take back what you said later." Felix unconsciously asked as he rapidly blinked.

"I'm always firm in my words. You take after me." Queen Nicola stated with an almost mocking smile. She couldn't believe what she just heard! Change her mind?! Her only son didn't know her at all and she finds that frustrating. It would have been great if she had a daughter! Having a son was too useless!

Felix finally felt relief. He holds Yelena's hand and smiled at her, sharing happiness. "Thank you so much, Mother." Yelena could barely utter the words. She was still feeling flustered as everything happened too fast!

While everyone else was smiling genuinely, Alonzo was the only one with a fake smile. Hiding his dark and ugly heart beneath a happy and childish facade, he secretly clenched his fist. He only had one thing in mind. 'The marriage will never happen.'