Chapter Forty-Six

Lucian joined Anastasia in the backyard, near the spot where Alexandra kept her show horse, Jasmine. "Annie, are you serious? You're going to postpone our wedding so you can go to school?"
"That's exactly what's going to happen, Lucian," replied Anastasia, "and I don't remember you proposing to me yet --"
"Who said I wasn't going to soon?"
"I don't know, Lucian. Were you going to propose to me?"
"Annie, you're being unreasonable."
"Lucian, we're still going to get married. Just not right now."
"Annie, I can't believe you applied to school without telling me. We didn't even talk about this."
"I thought we had an understanding, Lucian. There was nothing to talk about. Where were you when I needed you the most? When my father died I had nobody. At least Patrick WAS by Alex's side. I had to deal with dad's death by myself, really. It was hard -- still is. Where were you?"
"All you had to do was call me, Annie. I was around."
Anastasia left in a huff.


Meanwhile, Alexandra, who had moved into Prince Sebastian's old room, had begun to make the place hers. On her dresser were her sports and riding trophies, and she was playing Madden 13 on her Simbox when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called jovially.


"The spring can't get here fast enough," grumbled Anastasia as she propped her feet on her sister's four-poster bed. "Just about everyone's mad at me."


"Uh oh," Alexandra laughed, "who've you pissed off this time?"



"Lucian."
"What's going on with him?"
"He claims he was going to propose to me before he found out I was going to school, and he's upset cause I'm going to design school and didn't tell him first."
"I thought he knew already."
"I thought so too." Anastasia sighed. "I love him, but he's got to understand, this is my dream."
"Well just tell him that. Marriage and kids can wait."



"Speaking of which, Alex, have you looked at those links I showed you?"
"Not yet, I haven't gotten a chance."
Anastasia sighed. "I don't get why Lucian is acting like this. He of all people should understand."



"You know what I think?" Alexandra mused, "I think he's afraid of losing you."
"What do you mean?"
"He knows you're going off to school, right?"
"He knows now."
"Well, he thinks you're going to meet some other new guy who's going to sweep you off your feet and marry him instead."