Fragile Desires: Ninety-Five | The Epilogue

He's sitting on the window seat with his nose practically touching the glass, mesmerized by the butterflies flying amongst the lavender plant.

 Sunlight streams through the glass of the tall windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. 

 He's silent, completely absorbed in the spectacle, his tiny fingers tracing patterns on the intricate wallpaper.

Renata sits beside him, her hand resting lightly on his back as she points out to the garden just feet away.

The crown still weighs heavy on us, but looking at them, at the life we've created together...

It feels lighter. 

 Maybe, just maybe, we've found a way to turn the crown into something of a spectacle.

Rather than letting it determine how we live our lives.

-Azzy

♛The Epilogue♛

I smiled as I gently ran my fingers through Theodore's soft brown curls, eyeing the linen shirt and forest green shorts I dressed him in. 

I also put socks on his small adorable feet and grabbed a cream cardigan just in case it gets chilly. 

"Now aren't you adorable, Teddy?" I whispered, gently picking him up from the changing table as his big brown eyes stared at me wordlessly. 

I walked over to the mirror, holding him on my hip as I stopped in front of our reflections. 

I wore my usual flowy white linen dress that fell to my ankles, my soft pink hair pulled into a loose bun with curls framing my face that held a subtle glow to it. 

I looked just as happy as I felt, especially after these last few months with Theodore. 

Being pregnant and giving birth was possibly the worst experience of my life—but Teddy was entirely worth it. 

And he looks almost identical to me, minus the pink hair. 

We had settled for a more traditional name after weighing the idea of a unique name, which we were very set on. 

But we managed to fall in love with the name Theodore, finding the nickname Teddy to be the most adorable thing. 

And it fits him so well, especially as our future king years from now. 

"Chéri," I said as soon as I noticed Renata at the door frame of the nursery. 

She was dressed for our garden day with Teddy, wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and tan pants with polished slip-on loafers. 

Her dark hair was in a sleek low bun, illuminating her sharp bare face. 

"My two favorite people," Renata said as she walked closer to us, running her hands past my waist as soon as she stopped behind me. 

I smiled as I watched her press numerous kisses to Teddy's chubby cheeks, naturally earning a gummy grin from him. 

Then she leaned in to kiss my cheek next, gently squeezing my waist as she pressed another kiss to my jawline. 

"Beautiful, darling," she murmured in my ear, which naturally made my cheeks burn up. 

"Thank you, chéri," I whispered as she let go of my waist to carefully take Teddy out of my arms. 

He naturally grabbed a fistful of her shirt as she held him on her hip, pressing another kiss to his cheek as he babbled words I couldn't quite make out. 

"Ready?" she asked me, extending her free hand to me. 

I nodded as I placed my hand in hers, walking out of the royal nursery with her and down the castle halls lingering with guards or staff walking to their next destination. 

Meanwhile, Renata and I focused on descending the tall palace stairs, walking out to the garden that we loved spending our time in. 

Especially on a nice summer day with baked goods that I had prepared earlier in the morning. 

Today I made us cherry danishes, adding extra cherry filling inside. 

I couldn't wait for Teddy to start eating table food so he could try some of my treats. 

He already loves playing with the dough before I roll it out. 

I sense he will be excellent in the kitchen, whether it's cooking or baking. 

"It's wonderful weather today," I said, laying the linen blanket out for us in the soft grass as I slipped off my flats and picked up the basket of danishes to set on the cover. 

The willow tree shaded our blanket perfectly, keeping Teddy out of the direct sun. 

I already applied a decent amount of sunscreen as a precaution to keep his sensitive skin protected. 

"It is," Renata agreed as she carefully sat down with Teddy in her lap, "Those danishes look so good darling." 

I smiled, "Do you want to try one?" I asked, now reaching to pick one of the pastries up. 

"Of course," Renata didn't hesitate to say, parting her lips when I lifted the danish to her mouth. 

My smile grew as I watched her take a bite, admiring her face as she briefly chewed the bite she took. 

Renata hummed, dramatically rolling her eyes, "That's the best thing I've ever tasted, Zee," she said. 

I shook my head with a smile, "You say this every time, chéri," I laughed, carefully dipping my finger in the sweet icing on the danish and leaning it down to Teddy's lips to try. 

It was barely anything, but it was enough to earn an excited smile from our son. 

"Even Teddy agrees," Renata pointed out with a raised brow, "I think you were a skilled pastry chef in another life." 

I hummed at the idea, "And you were a lovely woman who walked into my shop to buy one of my pastries and stole my heart instead," I said, leaning over to briefly kiss her lips. 

Renata smiled as she briefly kissed me back, "I swear I can listen to you talk for hours, Zee," she said, pressing another brief kiss to my lips before pulling back entirely, "Speaking of, what's lined up for tonight's bedtime story?" she asked me. 

I smiled at her words, knowing I picked out a very special story for her and Teddy tonight. 

It was about the time I attended my first college party with Antonio. 

We had snuck off palace grounds, heading into the city for one of the most memorable nights of our lives. 

"It's a surprise," I told my wife, watching as Teddy crawled off her lap, "I remind you of this every time," I said with a narrowed look aimed at her.

"I like asking you," Renata murmured, her lips twitching up slightly, "You're cute when you're annoyed." 

I jokingly rolled my eyes, quickly grabbing Teddy when he crawled to the edge of the blanket. 

"I think it's time for our garden walk," I said, noticing Teddy was more riled up than usual.

It's probably that icing I let him try. 

"Oh Teddy," Renata said, gently poking his arm as he crawled over to her, "Did you hear mommy? It's garden time." 

I smiled as I watched him coo, crawling over Renata's legs as she naturally picked him up. 

I stood from the blanket with her, walking side by side into the maze of bushes. 

It caught Teddy's attention every time, glancing around at the deep green bushes lingering with pink roses. 

They were tall and towering over us, leading deeper into the garden toward the different hedges of flowers where butterflies lingered. 

Birds flocked to the edges of the fountain glistening under the sun, naturally catching our son's attention as he flailed his arms in the air with soft babbles. 

Renata and I watched him as usual, pointing to different things in the garden and repeating the names back to him. 

One day he'll repeat it back to us. 

After giving Teddy some garden time, we walked back out of the garden the way we came—heading over to our blanket near the willow tree. 

We sat there for another thirty minutes, laying on our backs as we stared up at the blue sky with thick white clouds through the willow tree branches that swayed with the subtle breeze. 

Teddy had fallen asleep halfway through, laying on my stomach with his cheek pressed to my chest. 

His breaths were soft as his tiny arms rested around me. 

I remained tucked into Renata's side, relaxing deeper as she gently played with the loose strands of my hair falling from my bun. 

Our legs were tangled together, staring up at the sky in a comfortable silence. 

Until soon we had to head inside, expecting company that had just flown in from New York earlier this morning. 

Teddy had naturally woken up as we walked into the palace, hearing the patter of loud excited footsteps. 

"Toni," I said with a wide smile as Renata instinctively took Teddy from me so I could tackle my best friend in a hug. 

"Azzy," he said as he hugged me back even tighter, "I missed you dearly." 

My smile grew as our hug tightened, "I missed you dearly," I said back to him as we naturally pulled away. 

"Oh wow, Theo has grown so much," Antonio said, trailing over to Renata who held our son as she spoke briefly to Elijah. 

My best friend hugged my wife, saying a few words to her before taking Teddy from her arms entirely. 

It was something Antonio always did. 

I swear I never had to do anything when he was here—he takes care of Teddy fully. 

"I think Nio has baby fever," Elijah said, laughing as he watched his husband walk off with Teddy. 

I smiled, "If it helps, I think you would be wonderful fathers," I said as we followed behind Antonio. 

Since dinner was already prepared, I made sure to specify to Antonio to head toward the dining hall as we followed behind him.  

And soon we were all seated at the long table together with Teddy in his typical high chair, eating the delicious meal the chefs prepared this evening. 

Elijah and Antonio caught us up on Riva while we filled them in on Teddy—who they had brought gifts for from the city. 

They are truly the best uncles. 

And Renata is the best wife—perfect by my side as we raise our son together. 

These last few years by her side were more than I could've asked for. 

To think we have the rest of our lives together, building everything I had dreamed of as a girl. 

The crown didn't define my life—it centered it and was the base for everything to come. 

I can truly say I'm thankful for it rather than feeling burdened by it.  

I've grown proud of my title and the crown that weighs heavy on my head, keeping me tethered to the beautiful life I have built.