She had just turned twenty and was facing immense pressure to get married.
Stanley, at the age of twenty-six, was also at the age where he should be getting married. With his impeccable looks and demeanor, there was no reason why he wouldn't be in high demand.
It was strange that none of the wealthy young ladies in the Empire were pursuing him.
As Stanley caught Selena's curious gaze, his eyes grew intense.
He smiled slightly. "Do you want to know why?"
Selena nodded her head and carefully studied him. "It's strange that I'm being pressured to get married while you're still single..."
Stanley chuckled. "Well... it's probably because the person I like doesn't know how much I like her."
Selena looked surprised at this revelation. "You have someone you like?"
It wasn't surprising that Selena didn't catch on earlier - she had grown up with Stanley and they were both focused on their shared dream of a prosperous Empire where people could live happily.
After years of working together towards their goals, it was difficult for them to see each other as anything more than colleagues or friends.
Furthermore, Selena had always been emotionally slow compared to others due to her upbringing and education - unless Stanley made a move himself, she would never have guessed his feelings for her.
Stanley knew that the girl he liked naturally lacked emotional intelligence when it came to relationships; this trait stemmed from both nature and nurture factors over many years.
As Selena grew up, she was always taught to prioritize the bigger picture and never focus on matters of the heart. If it weren't for the love and care of her monarch and lady, her marriage would have been tied to power as well.
The higher one stands, the less they have a sense of self.
For a queen, love is a luxury.
So Stanley waited patiently for her to grow up, hoping that she would experience the joy and happiness that ordinary girls do in their marriages. But no one expected Osvaldo to come along halfway through.
That man stole Selena's heart.
Stanley's smile remained gentle as ever but there was something about him now that Selena couldn't quite understand - sadness perhaps or regret mixed with condemnation. It weighed heavily on her heart when he said: "I've liked her for many years but she never knew. She fell in love with someone else."
Selena looked into his eyes feeling an overwhelming emotion inside herself. She wanted to comfort him by saying something but didn't know what exactly to say. She had always been emotionally detached - a white crow in terms of feelings throughout twenty years of memories where she had never experienced any emotions before nor did she understand how it felt when someone you loved didn't reciprocate your feelings or fell in love with someone else instead.
She just watched silently as Stanley struggled with his suppressed emotions until finally he spoke again: "Selena... liking someone is precious and luxurious."
Especially when this love has been with a person for most of their life, it becomes irreplaceable.
"If I lose her, there will never be another."
"I will never marry again if I can't have her in this lifetime."
Selena looked at the seriousness and persistence in his eyes and was speechless for a moment.
For a split second, she had the urge to offer to arrange a marriage between Stanley and the daughter of some wealthy aristocrat. But then she realized that the other woman didn't like Stanley and had feelings for someone else. Forcing someone into a relationship would only hurt all three parties involved.
As a girl, Selena instinctively resisted this forced love.
She raised her hand and patted Stanley's shoulder. "Stanley, don't be sad. You'll definitely find happiness in the future."
The Queen was very open-minded and didn't believe that not getting married meant losing one's value as a person.
As long as one is mentally strong, they can live well no matter what happens.
A man like Stanley doesn't need comfort from others either.
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