ROYALTY

Chapter 15

"I hope you are enjoying your stay Naomi, even with all that is going on?"  He plucked a red rose from the winter garden. Smelling it and smiling to himself. Who knew red roses grew during the snow. "I am." Was all I could say, not after what happened last night. "You seem troubled? Are you alright?"

I faked a yawn. "You know me, just a little tired from all the dancing, I still have acing feet."  "Yes" he said in a cool tone, that sent shivers down my back. It must have been the cold air, the morning was a little chilly. "I presume so, I believe this was your first time into society, and you are not only the princes attraction, but also the attraction of many young nobles. I wonder," he said as he turned to face me placing the little red flower right behind my ear and tucking a stray strand of hair behind my other ear. "Who will be so lucky as to have you my lady Naomi? You see i---" he was cut of.

Whatever he was going to say next, I would not know because right then the princess came storming towards our direction shouting his name with the highest of her royal vocals. And she was really pissed off for some reason, and she seemed to be sending her burning glare towards my direction.

Once she was within range she spoke immediately. "You are needed Donovan, father says it is urgent." He gave a slight bow towards her direction and an even deeper bow towards mine. "Duty calls my lady and thank you for this lovely walk. I will forever treasure it and hold it dear to my heart and hope for more times like this. Just like how I long for the sun to smile upon me so will I wait for your beautiful presence."

He walked off, leaving an open mouthed me, a blushing maid and a disgusted princess. "You are here to compete for my brothers hand and not for a duke! I am sure your no fool to settle for someone lower than you?"

She scrutinized me from my dishevelled hair to my mud stained dress. "I can marry a peasant, a famer if I want. And you nor society can say a thing about it."  Her maid in waiting must have picked up the heat coming from the conversation between the princess and I, because she moved a few inches or two further away from us. Either to scare away the eavesdroppers or to continue admiring the dukes retreating back. I will go with the latter. "If I were you I would watch what comes out of my mouth. You would not want to get on the wrong side of a princess."

I held her gaze, brawn to blue, her challenging me, me thinking of my breakfast I missed. She averted her gaze and took in my form. "What on earth is this? Are the maids not doing their jobs? I will have to talk with Mae—"  No I held onto her arm as she was about to take her leave. "Well?" she looked at me, her patience running low by the second. "Well neither Maeve nor Lauren dressed me up this morning, I did by myself. Dono- I mean the duke, lord Donovan, asked me if I could accompany him for a walk this morning. And it was too good a request to deny."

She simply stared at me and I looked away. I could not help but feel I had committed a crime. Though in all honesty I did not. I simply took a walk under the broad day light with a duke. No big deal. Her full attention on me now, even her maids. Eavesdropping maids. They should be hanged. It was no wonder news travelled all over the castle and homes faster than the newspapers themselves. Well, I did not know a thing about the palace maids, but I had had enough experience with the ones back at home. "And?" she asked. "And"? I asked back looking at her with a confused expression.

"What did you do?" I opened my mouth to speak to tell her I went for a ride using a black stallion, ( apparently some very high persons stallion) in my day dress and had the wind do its job with my hair. She moved closer and had a sniff of me and held her nose. "I know what you did, no need to tell me and just know," she said as she cleaned her delicate nose. "He will not be pleased." I had no time to form an answer because before I knew it, I as being dragged across the yard like a naughty child.

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