Royally Unfaithful

Chapter 4 Another Party

"Close relationship between heirs to the Monarchy of Spain; the other side of Prince Lucas and Intante Liam"

"Prince Lucas: There is no competition between us. We work together for the Monarchy of Spain—for the Spanish people."

"Prince Lucas and his Fiancé are in the spotlight; Jocelyn Anastasya is known as a friend of Infante Liam."

"Knowing More about Jocelyn Anastasya; beautiful woman future Queen of Spain."

Jocelyn took a deep breath when she read the headlines filled with pictures of her, Lucas, and Liam while they were on Bond Street last night. Not only the UK media, but the Spanish media also talked about them. Her identity, family, and friendship with Liam are also highlighted. Now, everything about her life becomes public consumption.

"Dress well. Everyone look at you. It will be an important party because we will come back to Spain tomorrow."

Jocelyn took a deep breath. She still remembered Lucas' message a few hours ago when he said that tonight they would attend a dance party with several The United Kingdom royals as a form of respect and farewell before they returned to Spain.

Dress well…

Once again, Jocelyn looked at her appearance in the large mirror at the end of her hotel room. She wore an ankle-length, maroon gown with a simple diamond necklace that circled her slender neck. Her hair was wavy and laid out beautifully to cover her bare back.

In her heart, Jocelyn kept praying that Lucas would be satisfied with his dress tonight. Hopefully, she didn't choose the wrong dress, didn't choose the wrong jewelry, and also didn't upset him because she forgot to bring high heels.

"Am I beautiful?" she asked the hairdresser standing behind her.

"Perfect, Miss. You are so beautiful" The woman nodded slowly.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of the door opening, followed by the footsteps getting closer. Once again, she exhaled slowly, wishing her luck tonight so Lucas didn't criticize her dress.

"What's this? Why is her hair unraveled? It's better if her long hair is pinned up."

Jocelyn closed her eyes for a moment. Luck wasn't on her side. Lucas immediately criticized her appearance the first time he saw her.

"Miss Jocelyn said she preferred her hair loose. However, if you want me to fix her hairdo, I will—"

"No need!" Lucas replied with an irritated look, "let's hurry up. We're almost late!" He said as he pulled Jocelyn's hand hard.

***

Actually, Jocelyn had expected that she would be ignored again by Lucas when they got to the Royal Party. From a distance, Jocelyn could clearly see that Lucas was talking to a noblewoman, also known as Victoria's Secret model. Well, Jocelyn didn't need to explain how beautiful she was—everyone would have guessed that Victoria's Secret model must have a beautiful body and face. Her blonde hair was styled beautifully. She wore a dark blue dress with a low cut and high heels that made Jocelyn almost scream when she saw her running casually without fear of her feet getting caught in her dress.

She is… perfect.

Well, once again, Jocelyn had to mourn her sad fate because she had an attractive fiancé, so he was always the center of attention at every party they attended.

"I thought I was wrong, but here you are!"

Jocelyn turned her head, surprised to notice that Liam was smiling casually beside her.

"You are here too?" She blinked, then frowned when she saw Liam wearing a casual shirt without a suit. "Liam," she mutters, massaging her head, "why aren't you wearing a suit?"

Liam blinked, then looked down to see the white shirt and black trousers he was wearing. "What is wrong?"

"Lucas criticizes me even though I've dressed up as best I can. But you," Jocelyn rolled her eyes, "why do you wear casual clothes? I don't understand why gender equality is still—"

"Hey, hey. Why are you even comparing Lucas and me?" Liam cut her sentence, then reached out to take a strand of Jocelyn's hair in the air. "Your hair is so beautiful. I forgot not to ask this when we met a few days ago, but why did you change the color? I like light brown, but your black hair is really pretty too." He comments slowly.

Jocelyn was at a loss for words. Liam was able to make it to the royal party looking very relaxed. He even complimented her hair which her fiancé recently criticized. Why is Liam's life so easy? As if he could do whatever he wanted, wear any clothes without fear of being criticized, and laugh freely without fear of paparazzi taking his gaping photo.

"What happened to you?" Liam rolled his eyes, "surprised that a handsome prince complimented you?"

Jocelyn scowled in annoyance. She reached out, then smacked Liam's shoulder in annoyance.

"It hurts, Jocelyn! Why do you like hitting me so much? You hit me on purpose because you wanted to touch me, didn't you?" He squinted, looking at her in amusement.

"Are you crazy!" Jocelyn was getting annoyed. She hit Liam again while laughing softly.

"Jocelyn," Jocelyn turned her head, looking at Lucas, who was waving at her—calling her.

Oh, God. This is the second time in one week that Lucas has spotted her while she is with Liam.

Jocelyn smiled, trying not to look frightened. "I have to go. See you later." After saying goodbye to Liam, Jocelyn immediately walked towards Lucas, who was talking to several high-ranking political figures in the UK.

"She is Jocelyn Anastasya, my fiancé." Lucas wrapped his arms around Jocelyn's waist, introducing her like a lover who loved his partner so much.

"Oh, welcome to the UK, Miss. We hope you enjoy this city."

Jocelyn nodded respectfully with a smile.

"It's a shame she's sick, so she can't attend some important meetings."

"Yes, the UK weather has been rather bad recently."

"I'm grateful because she's recovered so she can attend tonight's party."

Jocelyn listened to their conversation with a smile—trying hard not to look sleepy and bored.

The primary purpose of a Royal party is to make small talk about finding relations, both for political and economic purposes. Everyone must compete to get as many relations as possible at a party, and neither did Lucas.

Jocelyn didn't mind if she had to accompany Lucas to get the relations with people he wanted—which he needed to strengthen his power, but she was bored if she had to stand like a statue without knowing what to do. She couldn't have been talking to them. Lucas could have killed her if she had said the wrong thing. But staying silent for a long time is also not an easy thing to do.

Even an hour later, she was still ignored.

"Lucas, can I have a drink?" she whispered softly to Lucas.

Lucas looked up with an annoyed look. "Just stay here." He replied calmly, then continued speaking without a care for her.

"Miss Anastasya, are you still sick? You've been quiet ever since." The UK prime minister's wife looked at her with a frown.

Jocelyn blinked her eyes, "I'm fine." She glanced at Lucas—afraid of answering the wrong question.

"If you are still sick, shouldn't you rest, Miss Anastasya?"

"No, I'm fine." Jocelyn smiled briefly.

"She doesn't really like parties like this. That's why I'm mostly alone when I attend parties."

"Oh, you are so understanding. Some men prefer to force their partners to come to parties even if their partners don't like it." The prime minister's wife commented while glancing at her husband.

"Are you making fun of me?" The prime minister laughed too.

"Well, I don't like making Jocelyn feel uncomfortable. She can do whatever she wants. I don't want to stop her and make her feel trapped."

"That is a perfect thought, Prince. It's rare for a man to have such an open mind."

"Times have changed. Men must also follow modern thinking." Lucas laughed briefly.

Jocelyn lowered her head. She rolled her eyes slowly because she was sick of hearing Lucas' words. Sometimes, she wondered, wasn't Lucas tired of all this? He had built such a high fortress—hiding his true self behind the lies he had created.

"Good evening, everyone. You seem to be discussing such serious matters. Is it okay if I join in?"

Jocelyn looked up when she heard a familiar voice. She cursed softly in her heart when she saw Liam walking closer, smiling casually.

"Oh, Infante Liam. We were quite surprised to hear you are also coming to this party. Many people say you don't like coming to parties like this."

"Actually, I don't really like coming to formal parties like this. However, I will come, especially when I have free time."

"As an entrepreneur, you must have a busy schedule."

Liam didn't answer. He just smiled while shaking his head slowly.

"I heard that you guys had some trouble with the annoying paparazzi while you were on Bond Street yesterday. Recently the paparazzi in the UK have been short on news to publish. When you are coming here, it must be breaking news for everyone. Especially when they find out that Miss Anastasya is also coming here for her first royal trip."

"We have never been bothered by the paparazzi. In our country, they often do the same thing." Lucas answered calmly.

"Well, I don't really mind them either." Liam chuckled softly, then turned to Lucas, "can I ask Jocelyn to dance? I'm bored, and I don't know who to chat with. Everyone seemed busy with their political talk." Ask Liam openly.

Jocelyn's eyes bulged slowly.

Crazy. What is that crazy Prince doing? Dance with her? Has he gone crazy?

"It seems that Infante Liam is also on good terms with your fiancé. Does that mean all royal members have accepted Miss Anastasya?"

Jocelyn vaguely heard questions from the prime minister's wife.

"My brother is a modern-minded man who doesn't hold back his fiancé from making friends with anyone. Moreover, Jocelyn and I have known each other since Junior High School. We are quite familiar with each other and the royal family."

Jocelyn could feel Lucas' hand gripping her tightly.

"That's right. We heard that Prince Lucas is a man of modern thinking. To be honest, we really appreciate the way he views things that are different from the other nobles."

Jocelyn's eyes closed for a moment. She could imagine what kind of punishment she would receive for making Lucas angry. Oh gosh, why did everyone conspire to overturn every lie Lucas told?

"So, can I dance with Jocelyn?" Liam asked again.

"Yes, of course you can," Lucas answered with a smile.

Liam held his hand with a smile, waiting for Jocelyn to take his hand.

Jocelyn swallowed hard. "I don't think I want to dance because—"

"Jocelyn," Lucas cut her off calmly, "go dance with him. After that, you should rest. Eat something. I don't want you to get sick from eating late." He reached out to brush his hair. His lips smiled sweetly, but her eyes looked sharp as if he wanted to strangle her.

Jocelyn's hands clenched gently before she stepped hesitantly to accept Liam's outstretched hand.

Oh God, she wanted to disappear right now.