The Accidental Princess

8. Brown Glass

    Later that night, we had finally made it back up to Jacob’s room. My feet were killing me. The afternoon was filled with talking to his father and making plans for renovating the house. Even though Jacob had said he would call the king, King Alvin insisted on conversing face-to-face. We had been standing all day, pouring over the floorplans. Somehow, the king had been able to have a contractor bring in flooring and countertop samples to decide what we wanted in our house.

    It was all too much for me. Deciding on the paint colors for each of the rooms meant we were going to be living in them. Together. By the sounds of it, we would be moving into the house in a week. Jacob and I would be living together in a week. The thought made my stomach twist. It made the engagement seem real. We were really engaged.

    On the way up to Jacob’s bedroom, I had to shake the thought from my head. We weren’t engaged. The king said this was fake himself. So, why did it feel so real? I had to make sure Jacob knew we weren’t a couple. We were just pretending to be one in front of everyone else. Behind closed doors, we weren’t more than roommates.

    But once we got up to the room, I lost my nerve to mention it.

    Jacob took off his shirt, revealing that his lashes were still bright red. He laid face down onto the bed, letting out a long groan. He used his toes to take off his shoes. They dropped loudly onto the carpet. I shed my own shoes and sat on the bed next to him. He rolled over to look at me, looking like he had the whole world on his mind.

    “When does this spell break?” He asked.

    I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

    Jacob propped his head up on his hand. “Things are going well between us. We’re not fighting. So, when does that stop?”

    I shrugged. “I guess when one of us screws it up.”

    He stared at me, then laid back down. “It’s inevitable. We’ve clashed so much in the past. We’ll do it again.”

    I sighed. “Let’s not think about it now. Or else we might jinx ourselves.” He laughed. “Are you going to bathe tonight?”

    He sighed. “I want to. Because I stink.” This time, I was the one laughing. “But it’ll hurt too much.” His eyes rolled up my face to meet my eyes. “Will you help me?”

    I laughed. “Not in your life.”

    He frowned. “There’s no one else to do it.”

    “Call your sister then.” I scoffed. “I’m not doing it.”

    He sighed. “Please?”

    I groaned, throwing myself back onto the bed. “Fine, fine. You win.”

    Jacob rolled over and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”

    He got up and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water came out through the open door. I waited for a long moment before I heard the water shut off. Then, Jacob called my name. I sighed, sitting up. I slowly walked into the bathroom, careful not to take too long of a glance at him. I knelt next to the bathtub, taking the loofa from Jacob.

    “I know this is uncomfortable.” He whispered. “Thank you.”

    I started gently scrubbing his back with the loofa. He winced every time I touched one of his lashes. I felt terrible as I watched him pull further into a ball. I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his shoulder. The prince turned his head to look at me, his eyes red with unshed tears.

    For the next half hour, I carefully scrubbed Jacob’s skin to make sure none of the lashes became infected. I even helped him wash his hair. Starting out, it was greasy and felt gross under my fingers. After it was cleaned, though, it was soft even when wet. I helped him out of the bath, looking at his bare chest the entire time.

    “Bri.” He whispered. “You’re cute when you blush.”

    I turned away. “I’ll be outside while you get dressed.”

    Before I could walk out, he grabbed my hand. Pulling me back, I realized that the towel he had wrapped around his waist was now on the floor. His hands cupped my cheeks, and he smashed his lips down onto mine. I wanted to push him away, overwhelmed by his passion. But my body wouldn’t let me. So instead, I rose up, kissing him back. My hand found its way into his hair.

    Time blurred. Before I knew it, I was naked and in his bed. We were still kissing, but I could tell in my bones that it was leading to more. I wanted to pull away, tell him to stop. But I couldn’t. His passion filled me, and I couldn’t move away. He reached to his nightstand drawer, pulling out something. I heard the sound of a wrapper.

    “Wait, Jacob,” I whispered.

    His mouth captured mine again. “No more waiting. I’ve wanted you since we first kissed at the ball. I want you.”

    He left no room for arguing. I heard the wrapper rip open, and there was no turning back. His mouth moved to my neck, and I felt my body completely give in. We melted together into the night.

    The next morning, I awoke in the dark of Jacob’s room. The man’s arm was draped gently over my hip. My throat tightened as realization struck me. We had s*x last night. I felt immensely uncomfortable suddenly and had to get away. I pulled myself away from Jacob, hoping I didn’t wake him. Luckily, he was sound asleep. I dressed in my pajamas from the first night and left the room quietly.

    It was still early, so nobody was in the hallways. I was able to slip back to my room unseen. Once in my room, I took a hot shower and changed into some clean clothes. Then, I faced myself in the mirror. How had I let myself get this far? Faking an engagement was one thing. Sleeping with Jacob was a whole other issue. Why had I let it go that far?

    I laid down in bed and tried to get some sleep before doing anything else, but sleep evaded me. I had slept so well next to Jacob, and now I couldn’t sleep by myself. Everything had gotten so out of hand so quickly. I was dumb to let it get this far.

    There was a knock on my door at about eight-thirty. I rolled out of bed, fixed my hair quickly, and opened the door. There was a servant there, and she bowed to me. A shiver crept up my spine. Why? There was no need for that. But seeing a servant now made me nervous. Did she know that Jacob and I were engaged? Would she make a big deal about it?

    “Good morning, my lady.” The servant said, not meeting my eyes. “The king requests your presence at breakfast this morning.”

    I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

    She turned, putting her back to me. But she didn’t move away. I took that to mean that she was going to lead me to the dining room. I closed the door, moving to my closet. I changed into black slacks and a white button-up. I pulled a tailored black jacket over it and buttoned it. I put plain black heels on. Looking in the mirror, I saw a glimmer of the woman I had come to be. A working woman, not a princess. With that, I left my room and followed the servant to the dining room.

    There, I found most of the royal family had already gathered. Two people were missing, though. Rory was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Jacob. Nobody turned to acknowledge me at first. I felt out of place there. I wasn’t a member of the royal family. Why was I here? Then, a figure stood over me, looking down at me. I looked up to find Jacob standing over me.

    “Good morning, Jacob,” I whispered.

    He was frowning. “Where did you go?”

    “To my room,” I answered, turning away.

    “Why?” He asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

    I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes. “We’re not having this conversation right now, Jacob. So let’s just sit and eat in peace.”

    He sighed but didn’t argue. Instead, he led me over to the table, pulling out a chair for me. I sat down, and Jacob pushed the chair in. He sat next to me, unbuttoning his suit jacket. I looked over at him, realizing we matched. I almost groaned outwardly but held it in. I didn’t need the king to know that we weren’t doing well as a couple. A couple? Was I crazy? We were faking all of this, and he forced me into bed with him last night. Of course, we weren’t doing well.

    Then, it occurred to me that I was thinking of last night as r**e.

    It wasn’t that, I had to remind myself. I could’ve stopped Jacob had I really wanted to. But I hadn’t. I had let him bring me into his bed, and I had let us have s*x. He didn’t r**e me. I was regretting it the day after, was all. That didn’t stop me from still being mad at him.

    Soon after we sat down, the rest of the family did, too. Breakfast was served quickly, and the family bowed their heads to pray. I bowed my head, too, pretending to pray. I saw Jacob do the same. This was bothering him, I could tell. I reached over and grabbed his hand. Why? I was mad at him. It didn’t matter. He needed comfort, and I could see him smile.

    We all ate breakfast quietly. Geoffrey chatted to his nanny at the end of the table. The king and queen were also murmuring to each other about the food. Jacob and I stayed quiet. I couldn’t think of anything to say to him that wouldn’t start a fight. Finally, the king cleared his throat and turned to me.

    “So, Brianna.” I met his eyes. “The public knows that you’re Jacob’s fiancée now.”

    I gulped. I knew that this was the case, but hearing it out loud made me feel suddenly nervous. But he was right. I had seen the paparazzi yesterday. People knew that we were engaged. Only we knew that it was fake.

    Was it still fake, though? The lines were starting to blur.

    “I didn’t mean to scare you.” King Alvin said with a slight chuckle. “I was just letting you know. The house should be done here soon. Maybe another day or so. Will you be staying upstairs with Jacob until then? Of course, now that you two are engaged, sleeping together is perfectly acceptable. We just need to know.”

    I could feel Jacob open his mouth next to me to respond, but I was faster. “I’ll be staying in my room until we move into the house.”

    Silence filled the room. Jacob cleared his throat. When I turned to look at him, he looked out the window that looked out over the courtyard. Nobody said anything for a long moment. If it wasn’t clear before where our “relationship” stood, it was clear now.

    Before anybody could respond, there was pounding deeper within the castle. It sounded like it was coming from the front door. Yelling echoed towards us, and Jacob reached over and grabbed my hand under the table. As the voice was coming closer to us, I realized that I recognized the voice.

    It was Prince Rory.

    He stumbled into view, making Jacob and the rest of the family stand up. I didn’t want to face Rory. I hadn’t seen him since the night of the ball, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Jacob stood in front of me, probably blocking me from Rory’s view. The prince was getting closer and closer to the dining room until I was sure he was at the threshold.

    “Where is she?” Rory demanded. “Where is that w***e?”

    I flinched, knowing he was talking about me. Jacob backed up a hair, shielding me from his brother even more. I could hear everybody shifting in their place. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and took Jacob’s hand. I expected him to look down at me, but he didn’t. He stood his ground against his brother.

    “Jacob.” Rory finally said. “Little brother. There you are. Come here.” Jacob didn’t move. “I said come here so I can beat your ass for stealing my girl!”

    Jade stepped closer to Rory. “That’s enough, Rory.”

    The prince laughed. “Stay out of this, Jade. This doesn’t concern you.”

    “Anything that concerns my brother concerns me.” She spat at him.

    “Which is why you let your other brother die.” Rory laughed. “Some sister you are. As a matter of fact, neither of you are good siblings. Jacob was in the same battalion as Jason. And you let him die.”

    Jacob’s grip on my hand tightened. “It wasn’t like that.”

    Rory laughed. “Right. I forgot. You’re a medic. Saving everybody else’s lives but your own family’s.”

The king slammed his hand on the table. “That’s enough, Rory! Your brothers sacrificed a lot to serve their country. I will not allow you to shame them when you laid around here and did nothing!”

    I peeked around to Jacob to see Rory flinch at the king’s words. Two of the triplets had gone into war. Why hadn’t any of the other children? It didn’t make any sense to me. Most people who were of age in my country were dying to serve and protect their freedom. Even Glenn fought in the war. So, why hadn’t the other sons of the royal family in Arvendon?

    “I didn’t come here to discuss the stupid war,” Rory said after a long moment of silence. He slammed the brown bottle of liquor he had been holding onto the table. It splashed over the blue tablecloth. “I came to tell you all that Jacob’s engagement to Bri is a sham.”

    I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. Of course, it was. I was sure the entire family knew that. What did he think he was going to accomplish by coming in here drunk? I glanced around the table at each of the faces of the royal family. All of them seemed angry at Rory.

    “That is quite enough, son.” The Queen said. “Your brother is in love, and Bri is in love with him.”

    Rory laughed. “Love? If my baby brother was actually in love, he would have at least given his future wife a ring.”

    Unfortunately, the prince was right. Everybody in the room knew it and their eyes drifted to Jacob. My blood chilled. Nobody knew it was a fake engagement except the king and us. And Rory. I met the queen’s eyes and had to turn away. Shame bubbled up in my chest. There was no way I could save this. Jacob would have to do something.

    “She has a ring,” Jacob said after a long pause. “I just didn’t know her size, so I got it too big. It’s at the jeweler’s as we speak getting resized.”

    I sighed in relief. I was immediately thankful that Jacob could think fast on his feet. I stayed in my seat, clutching Jacob’s hand. There was a long moment of silence before anybody else spoke up.

    “That proves nothing.” Rory sneered.

    “What do you want, Rory?” Jacob demanded. “What more do you want from us?”

    I peeked around Jacob again to look at Rory. He was grinning now. The prince looked like a maniac. I couldn’t even begin to understand what was going on in his head. His eyes met mine, and he sneered towards me. I stood up, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. But I couldn’t run away with him blocking the only exit.

    “Prove this so-called love you have for each other,” Rory said. “Give the family a show. A kiss.”

    I didn’t move. Nobody did. Was Rory out of his mind? I didn’t even want to be holding Jacob’s hand right now, but I was. I took a deep breath and then looked up at Jacob. He was looking down at me, too. Before I could say anything, he leaned down and kissed me. It was a kiss that made the entire world around us freeze. Time stopped. For a long moment, it was just him and I.

    And at that moment, I realized that I was falling for him. Even though I hadn’t wanted s*x last night, I had wanted him. I wanted the gentle Jacob, who I had spent days laying in bed with. And, he too seemed to want me. It was insane. I had hated him not a few weeks ago. I had felt that if I never saw him again, it would be too soon.

    But here I was. Melting under his lips.

    The king cleared his throat, and we pulled away. I wondered how long we had been embracing each other. Long enough to convince the entire family that our engagement was real? I hoped so. I, myself, was almost convinced. But when I looked back up at Jacob, his eyes were trained on me. And they were cold. Suddenly, I felt like I had done something wrong. The ice in his eyes vanished quickly, though, and he turned to his brother.

    “There. Are you satisfied?” Jacob asked Rory.

    The prince answered by slamming the liquor bottle onto the table again. This time, the bottle shattered. Glass and liquid sprayed all over the room. Jacob, seeming to act on instinct, turned and curled around me, protecting me from harm. Though, I wasn’t entirely sure how much danger I was actually in. Still, I was seeing new sides of Jacob every day, so I didn’t complain. I had no idea he could be so protective.

    “Guards.” The king’s voice called, calm as always. “Escort my son up to his room and make sure he stays there. We don’t need any more tantrums from him for a while.”

    I listened to Rory’s cries and complaints as the guards dragged him away. It didn’t seem like he had been able to put up much of a fight. Once his voice had faded out, Jacob finally let go of me. I turned him around without saying anything to make sure no glass had embedded itself in his back. None had. I sighed in relief, then sat back down to eat the rest of my breakfast, which I was sure was so cold by now.

    The king sighed. “I… am sorry you had to see that, Bri.”

    “May I be dismissed?” Jade asked a few chairs down from me. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

    The king nodded, dismissing the princess. I had expected Jacob to do the same, but he remained quiet. We ate our food in silence now. Nobody had anything to say after that scene. As I ate, I wondered what would happen next. Would Jacob drag me back up to his room? Would he try to make love to me again? Or would we fight? At this point, I knew a fight was headed our way, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.

    After breakfast was finished, Jacob asked me to meet him outside. I shivered, thinking about the cold snow. But still, I agreed. I ran to my room to throw on my own snow boot and winter coat. I also layered a scarf over my jacket. Pulling on my shoes was a nightmare, though. I would never admit it to Jacob for fear of him taking his wrath out on the servants, but the boots from yesterday had dug deep into my feet. There were blisters all up and down my soles. Still, I pretended like they weren’t in pain and met him in the courtyard.

    We didn’t say anything as we walked side by side. The snow crunched under our feet as we rounded the side of the palace into what I could only assume was the garden. It was hard to tell now that everything was buried under the snow. There was a rotunda in the middle that had been spared from the cold white stuff. There, we sat next to each other. I played with the hem of my jacket until Jacob spoke up.

    “You left last night.” He whispered.

    “I left this morning.” I corrected.

    Jacob turned to look at me, his brown eyes dark. “Why?”

    I sighed, turning away. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

    “Done what?” He asked. “Had s*x?”

    “Yes, had sex.” I snapped. “I was helping you, and you completely took advantage of me. I’m not happy about it.”

    He laughed. “You didn’t exactly push me away.”

   “I tried to stop you,” I said, turning back to him. “Don’t you remember?”

    Jacob sighed. “I remember. You asked me to wait, not to stop. What was I supposed to do? Back off and let everything just….”

    “Yes!” I yelled, cutting off whatever might’ve been the end to that sentence. “You were supposed to respect what I wanted. You weren’t supposed to just take whatever you wanted.”

    There was a long moment of silence before answering. “Fine. You’re right. Sorry.”

    “That doesn’t help,” I whispered. 

    “Well, what do you want me to do?” He yelled, making me flinch. “We had s*x last night. I can’t change that. What do you want me to do?”

    I stood up. “Nothing. I want you to do nothing.”

    I stormed back towards the castle. I didn’t hear Jacob’s footsteps behind me. It seemed he knew better than to follow me. When I was back in my room, I slammed the door and locked it. What was the point in that conversation? It got us nowhere. I knew it was only going to be a fight. This engagement was going to be one hell of a rollercoaster.