(jaylor au) clandestine meetings in beautiful rooms

His Palace Of Bones

If I thought the palace was dark before, it is most definitely made of obsidian pieces now.
We walk towards the main hall, where a crowd of guests will be waiting.
My mother meets us halfway, and pulls me in for a hug.
"Are you ready?" She whispers and I nod. In a situation like this, I have no choice. I have to be ready.
We are introduced at the door, where I can hear the soft sound of orchestral instruments.
"Prince Alexander and Princess Taylor." We enter the room, walking down the staircase. There are a lot of people here, a lot of people that we need to get out. That's going to be difficult. It will be hard to convince them all to leave, when some of them probably don't even realise that something is happening.
"Welcome, everyone!" Alexander says, his voice light and cheery. I wonder every time, how he can put on such an act. His arm is around my waist. We must appear united. Joe stands with Corinne, and I can see that she's talking. I know he hates how she is never silent, and have to bite my lip to stop from smirking. "We hope you enjoy this celebration and enjoy the food!"

Alexander and I stand at the top of the stairs, by the throne, where the guests will come and present their gifts to us. I am relieved that there is music playing, it has always made me feel better, and in this case, hide the sound of our whispers.
Joe's mother is first, and she hugs me gently.
I lean in to give her a hug, whispering in her ear the plan. She nods. Joe comes after her, and I have to stop myself from colliding by with him then and there.
Joe's mother then goes to congratulate Alexander, and Joe softly presses a piece of paper into my hand, which I swiftly tuck up the sleeve of my dress with a smile.
"Please stay safe," I murmur as I look down at the floor.
"You know I will," he tells me as he backs away. "But you, on the other hand? Don't make any rash decisions, okay? I haven't taught you anything yet." He quietly murmurs.

"Until then," I say as he pulls away. "I will be patiently waiting."
As for the rest of the people, we tell them that servants will knock on their doors at nine o'clock sharp, and to be ready, dressed and presentable.
Alexander doesn't take his eyes off of me, and by the time the afternoon rolls around, I could kill him. I am currently hiding behind a vase, wishing that I had the power to become invisible. I wish he couldn't see me, I wish that Joe was invisible too, and that we could do whatever we want, regardless of the rules.
My mother comes and finds me at several different times throughout the afternoon, passing me water and acting like the loving mother she has never been. That's fucking annoying.
Alexander also gets me a chair, so that I am not standing the whole time. I feel the anger bottling up inside of me because I am tired of being coddled and made to sit in the corner.
I can see Beatrice's father, who, in passing conversations, I realised, is called Louis. He is constantly watching the two of us, ensuring that we are only talking about gifts and our wedding.

"How are you feeling, my love?" Alexander says softly, when he pulls me in for an embrace.
"I hope that today goes well." I say with a smile. There are too many eyes upon us to even drop the facade for an instant.
After the gifts have been presented, Alexander leaves to get us a drink, mine being non-alcoholic. Damn. I really need that pick me up.
The music is playing, the gentle but tense sound of the violin is a sound in which I have grown up with my whole life. When Alexander goes to answer a phone call from his father, Joe finally finds his way to my side.
"You look absolutely beautiful," He nudges me gently. quietly.
"I haven't had time to read it," I start, hoping that he knows exactly what I am talking about, regardless of my vague answer. As Louis walks past, the two of us swiftly change topics. "The palace is so busy today, I don't think I noticed it yesterday!" I say. I am aware of all the eyes, looking at me. It feels as if I am walking on a tightrope, where I am always one step away from falling. Or someone is about to push me off of it, I can't quite tell which one it is yet.
"You're doing great." He tells me quietly. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you loved him." He smirks, and I playfully smack his arm.
"That is not even funny!" I can't help but smile.