Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 370

Chapter 370: ’Ana & Lilah.’

"Ana!"

The voice rang out like a melody, bright and familiar, cutting through the quiet hum of the estate gardens. Anastasia spun around, her skirts fluttering as her face lit up with unrestrained joy.

There, racing toward her with wind-tousled hair and a grin just as wide, was Delilah.

"Lilah!" Anastasia exclaimed, her heart swelling as she dashed forward, meeting her best friend in a fierce, breathless embrace.

The force of it nearly knocked Delilah back, but she only laughed, her arms tightening around Anastasia in return.

Delilah Kiersten—daughter of the Marquis of Vaelhurst, a family long intertwined with the Darkthorns through generations of friendship and alliance.

She was the one person who had always understood Anastasia’s wild heart, her dreams, her secret longings.

But today, Anastasia was too exhilarated to linger in the hug. She pulled back abruptly, her hands flying to grip Delilah’s shoulders, her eyes alight with feverish anticipation.

Delilah blinked, momentarily dazed by the sudden shift, but Anastasia barely noticed.

"Do you have it?" she demanded, her voice trembling with excitement.

Delilah studied her for a beat, then—slowly, deliberately—a mischievous smirk curled her lips.

"Hehe."

With a dramatic flourish, she revealed the folded paper clutched in her hand.

Anastasia snatched it, her fingers trembling as she unfolded it, her eyes scanning the bold print.

Breaking News!: His Majesty is interested in beginning the search for a bride for the young Crown Prince, Henry Obsidian.

A scream tore from Anastasia’s throat—sharp, unbridled, echoing across the courtyard. Servants startled, nearly dropping their trays. Delilah flinched, her hands flying to her ears. Even Cheskah, Anastasia’s ever-composed maid, gasped, her face paling.

"M-My Lady?! Are you alright?!" Cheskah stammered, clutching her chest.

Anastasia whirled toward her, eyes blazing. "Am I alright? AM I ALRIGHT?!" She seized Delilah again, spinning her in a giddy circle before crushing her in another hug.

"Prince Henry is finally looking for a bride! You know what this means, right?!"

Delilah, still recovering from the whirlwind of emotions, managed a breathless, "Y-Yes...?" as if she wasn’t entirely sure what madness had seized her friend.

Cheskah exhaled in relief, though her brow remained furrowed. ’At least she isn’t hurt... but stars above, must she be so loud?’

"It means every eligible lady near his age will be considered!" Anastasia declared, clutching the newspaper to her chest as if it were a sacred text. "Especially me—a duke’s daughter! I’ll be one of the main candidates!"

Delilah tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Well, there’s also Lady Elara, right?"

Anastasia scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Pfft! Elara? Elara’s too busy scheming to inherit her father’s title to even glance at the prince." Her fingers trembled as she scanned the article again, her pulse roaring in her ears. Just as she’d hoped—the king’s gaze had settled on the daughters of the realm’s highest nobles.

Delilah watched her, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I knew you’d be happy."

Anastasia wasn’t just happy.

She was in love.

Hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Prince Henry Obsidian.

She had loved him since she was seven years old.

"Do you know how I fell in love with him?" Anastasia whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she traced the prince’s name on the paper.

Delilah rolled her eyes, but her expression was fond. "Word for word." Then, with exaggerated dramatics, she pressed a hand to her heart and mimicked Anastasia’s dreamy tone. "I first met him when I was seven. I went with my parents and brother to a royal ball—my very first!—and I was so nervous, I could barely breathe."

Anastasia giggled, her cheeks flushing as Delilah continued, swaying dramatically.

"Then, when I danced with that clumsy oaf Roland Stormwing, I tripped—and who caught me? His Highness, Prince Henry!" Delilah clutched Anastasia’s arm, mimicking her swoon. "I apologized over and over, mortified, everyone staring... but then he said—"

This time, they spoke in perfect unison, Anastasia’s voice trembling with emotion.

"Who knew I’d see the day where an angel would fall on me?"

Anastasia sighed, leaning heavily against Delilah as if her legs might give out. "I can never forget that day, Lilah. I fell in love right then and there—and I swore I would be his wife."

It wasn’t about the crown. It wasn’t about power.

She just wanted him.

Delilah’s smile softened. "The fact that he said that means he thought you were beautiful."

Anastasia’s face burned.

She shook her head, gripping Delilah’s hand tightly, their fingers intertwining. "I have to tell Father. Right now. I need to be considered!"

Delilah’s grin widened at the contact, her thumb brushing lightly over Anastasia’s knuckles. But as Anastasia tugged her forward, babbling about arrangements and petitions and the king’s approval, something flickered in Delilah’s eyes.

A shadow. A hesitation.

✧༺ ⏱︎ ༻✧

Anastasia wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around her best friend, the way she always had. But today, she was not just Ana. Today, she wore a crown.

It all happened so fast—but still, Anastasia was happy. Wasn’t she?

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