Unexpected Royal Love!

Chapter 2

The dining table is as big as my entire house. We entered the room with the Queen first, followed by the prince, and then the rest of us. At each seat is a name placed.

The Queen is positioned at the head of the table, across from her the Prince, followed by the rest of us. My name is positioned across from the prince.

“Miss, please stand by your seat,” the Server whispered.

“O, yes, thank you.” Prince Edward’s eyes are locked on me the entire time. My feet feel heavy as I walk towards my seat. The Prince doesn’t seem to be bothered by the Queen’s stares. She follows his every move. I guess she’s figuring out who he will choose and to stop it if she doesn’t approve.

The dinner knife is placed on the right side, next to the plate and The dessert spoon and fork are placed at the top of the plate setting with each handle facing the hand that is using it. I have never seen so many rules in my entire life. The Queen bent her head and I guess that’s the cue for everyone to sit down. Thank God I didn’t sit before her. I can already visualize everyone laughing at me again, except the Queen. Everyone took their place and they serve the first course.

Each guest has a personal light to brighten their food, five glasses. water, champagne, white wine, red wine, and dessert wine as well as nine pieces of cutlery. I’m amazed by all the decorations on the table. I’ve never imagined a Royal dinner to be so complicated. We farm people are used to sitting down at the table, say a prayer, and eat whatever Mother puts on our plate. I must admit the food looks delicious. I can’t wait to see what’s for dessert. The dinner went by quickly and finally, dessert gets served. Everyone is having conversations around me, and here I am appreciating my chocolate biscuits cake. While eating my dessert I keep thinking about Daisy and how lonely she must feel, I know Mother would always try to engage her, but I was the one reading bedtime stories to her and tucked her in, and she would jump into bed with me first thing in the morning.

“Miss?” the server calls again. Everyone stared at me.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

“You may not eat further if the Queen’s plate is empty,” Emma informed me. Great, there goes my delicious chocolate biscuit cake. No one told me this before. Mother clearly doesn’t know much about Royal’s life. Edward looked down at his glass, a small smile playing in the corners of his mouth. The server took my dessert away and my eyes followed her. Ugh, next time I will eat faster.

“Now that everyone enjoyed their food and got to know each other a bit better, may everyone please proceed to the gallery for the dance.” Enjoy what food? My dessert was snatched before I could enjoy it. I said to myself. The Queen stands up from the table, followed by the prince, and then the rest of us.

“You don’t look like you 're enjoying the event?” Prince Edward whispered next to me.

“So do you,” I whispered back.

“You’ve noticed?”

“Yes, I saw it on your face when you kiss the girl’s hands.”

“Except yours” He smiled. His hands tucked behind his back. The walls closed down on me. I have a plan, and here I am flirting with the Prince. Not intentionally, I think, but I have to admit I feel confident next to him, and I like his smile. I like all of him, but I need to get back home, and soon.

“I.. We, I mean you have to get to...”

“Are you okay, Miss?.” he asked, concerned.

“Yes, excuse me.” I turned my back on him and disappeared into the crowd with the other girls. Disappointment filled his gorgeous face. I kind of feel ashamed for rejecting him, but I needed to get away from him before I lose my viewpoint.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen and Prince Edward.”

Everyone applause the Queen and Prince when we walked into the gallery. I have never seen so many people in one place at once. All of them looking stylish. I don’t see my father; I figured as much. He never liked events like this, let alone a royal dance. I guess I’m a lot like my father in that way.

“You’re looking for someone?” The prince asks behind me. I plummeted before turning around.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s ok.” I bent a knee and walked away from him. The Queen follows my every move. I try not to stare at her, but she doesn’t make it easy. I feel like I’m going to trip any moment. I haven’t seen the prince speak to any of the other girls, and that makes me nervous. I don’t want to be the chosen one, I want to go back home and live with my family.

“Are you afraid of me?” I heard the prince whispering behind me again when I poured myself some champagne.

“No, I... I mean...”

“The prince will select a girl from the group to dance with if everyone can clean the dance floor please.” the master of the household announced.

The music play and Prince Edward stuck out his hand for me to follow him to the dance floor.

“You can’t deny a dance with the Prince, Miss.”

I can feel my throat closing and the walls tumbling down on me. I have no choice, everyone’s eyes or me, including the Queens. Where are you now, Father? You would’ve loved to see this.

I grab his hand and followed him to the middle of the dance floor.

“You don’t have to be so uptight,” he said while leading me over the dance floor.

“I’m not,” I said, my voice a little raspy.

“You’re different from the other girls.”

“In what way?” I ask with concern.

“Well, you are not dressed like them and don’t eat like them. You enjoy every bite you take and don’t care if your mouth is full, before sticking another portion in your mouth. I can see that you did your hair yourself, and the dress is homemade.”

“Is that an insult?” I ask while he turned in circles across the floor.

“No, it’s a compliment. All these other girls try to fit into royal life, without knowing what it actually means.”

“And you think I do?”

“No, I know you don’t.” he chuckles while spinning me around.

I smiled as we ended the dance. The gallery is quiet, I swear you can hear a mouse running over the floor. I bent down with Prince Edwards’s eyes still locked on me.

The night went by quickly after that. Prince Edward tried to make small conversations a few times with me, and Emma keeps staring at me, for a reason I don’t know, but I decided to ignore it. I’m pretty sure it’s because Prince Edward chose to dance with me. I wish I could tell them that I don’t want to be a royal princess and that I’m no threat to them, but that would surely get me into trouble.

The housekeeper finally showed us our rooms, and I cannot wait to get into bed.

“Thank you,” I said to her while she unzipped my dress.

“I will manage from here.” she nodded and closed my bedroom door.

“The room is enormously big, the bed three times the size of my own bed, and the mirror is stretching from the top to bottom. There’s a walk-in closet with a door that opens to a bathroom. I opened it and is amazed by the dresses and elegant shoes hanging in the closet. I notice pajamas hanging in front of the closet. Or I think it’s pajamas. It’s beautiful. It looks better than the dress that I had on tonight, so I wore my own pajamas. I was just about to close the suitcase when I saw a letter from my mother.

“I know you're scared, my dearest Elly, but you have to see it through. I need to tell you something. Before I married your father, I was supposed to wed the speaker of the royal house, but I didn’t want to, so I run away, but soon they catch up to me and for my punishment, I had to work on a farm and marry the farmer’s son, your Father. I was miserable for years until I fell pregnant with you, only then I loved your Father. Don’t make the same mistake as I have. They will make you marry a farmer’s kid.

I love you, my dear Elly.”

Mother never told me this before. I thought she chose my father and that they were in love. So that means mother was wealthy, well her father, if she was chosen to marry the speaker of the royal house. I guess she lost her family as well. She never spoke about them. I changed into my pajamas before I heard a knock on the door.

“Did I wake you?”

Prince Edward is standing shirtless in front of my door. My eyes traveled up and down, taking in his gorgeous body. His muscle complementing his tanned body.

He cleared his throat, and I snuck out of it. A smile playing in the corners of his mouth for the 100th time since I landed here.

“No, I wasn’t. I.” I’m not for words and it’s embarrassing.

“I just wanted to say goodnight.” he took my hand and kissed it.

“Good night,” I replied. I heard a door shut close in the hallway, and I can almost guarantee that it’s Emma’s door. Great, now I have a spy.

I closed the door and jumped on the bed. I switch off the light and started dreaming about Prince Edward’s perfectly tanned muscular body.