Royally Bounded

Chapter 7

Clara

Early next morning, I had to be awake to attend the engagement party. We had to make a trip to Kledon, the city where the event took place at Bruchester Palace.

Nerves were spiking through my body as I stared at the mirror in the bathroom. Stripping down from my pyjamas, I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. It ran down my skin, loosening all the tight strains of my muscles as I cleaned my entire body.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. As soon as I returned to my room, a nicely wrapped box was placed on my bed. I expected a note or a message, but there was no sight of anything.

I recognized the brand on the box immediately. I explored the cities often and saw boutiques that displayed expensive dresses or accessories. Rosie was a huge fashion fan, and she would tell me about the clothes worn by models or celebrities. If I recalled correctly, I swore that what was in here would cost around at least a thousand dollar.

I tugged the ends of the black ribbon, removing the perfectly tied knot. I opened the box and gasped once I saw a beautiful white dress.

I was still surprised at who would send me this, and I eliminated many people on my mind. The only possible person would be Hayden, but he appeared to be the most unlikely person, especially how his coldness put me off.

My eyes glanced over at the dress that hanged outside of my closet. It was a simple conservative black dress that my mother specially chose for me. She picked an unflattering attire that matched her tastes since she didn't want to embarrass both families.

In the end, I went with the white dress in the box. I stood in front of the mirror and adjusted it properly. The second half was made from satin, revealing a long slit upwards to my thigh. As for the top, it was another off the shoulder for the sleeves to show my deep collarbone.

My brown hair was tied into a high ponytail, and I left two strands of bangs over on the sides of my face. Pink lipstick coloured my lips, and natural rosy cheeks enhanced under the sunlight. The white dress was the main feature that pulled me in.

I was like a completely different person compared to my casual attire. It was hard to imagine myself standing here and being engaged to someone I barely knew, but this was it.

It was either my freedom or my family.

And I chose the latter.

"Clara, Hayden is here," my mother barged inside my room. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and a smile curved on her lips. The brown eyes immediately rimmed with tears as she stepped forward and grabbed one of my hands. "You look gorgeous, sweetheart," she complimented, not shock or angered when I went against her choices.

"Thank you, mother." I smiled lightly. I took a deep breath then mumbled. "I guess I should head down now." She nodded with approval, and I went down the stairs, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

Once I headed outside, my gaze locked with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. Underneath the sun, they nearly glowed against the light, the colour capturing my breath away in seconds. He was casually leaning against his car and made no effort in attracting any attention, but he had this dark charm, like magic to lure people in.

My attention switched over to his suited clothes. A navy blue dress shirt with disconnected buttons at the top reveal a glimpse of his bare chest. The sleeves stretched over his thick biceps, and his black dress pants covered the lower half of his figure, a black belt displaying at the front.

When my eyes trailed back to his face, he kept his lips pressed in a tight line. Again, he didn't had any hint of emotion. It was difficult to grasp his expression, let alone his thoughts. His eyes ranked up and down my figure before pushing his body off his dark grey car.