This season, thirteen exceptional women are qualified to compete for the love of Royal Prince George, Duke of Buckinghamshire, however, when a random is accidentally thrown into the bunch, and actually catches the eye of the Prince's brother. What's...
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10 | A not so Royal confinement Pt 2
THEY said absence made the heart grow fonder, however, the absence of Fiona and Lillia only seemed to make her lonelier, and whoever it was that was playing Mozart downstairs was unintentionally lulling her to sleep with its lullaby like melody.
She jerked awake for the second time, tapping her nail against the hardened contours of the floor to keep her awake, in an desperate attempt to keep her from falling asleep. She wanted to be awake and therefore conscious when Lord Felipe came back to unlock her room, not asleep and vulnerable to whatever game he was playing at.
The guy seemed to know, or have some sort of idea that she wasn't the real Lady Ellis, and he wouldn't just let her go on with it unscathed.
Sit tight, lady Ellis. The Cotillion will be over before you know it.
She'd be a fool to assume that was a genuine statement, because Lord Felipe always had some sort of plan, and he always knew what he was going to say before he voiced it, as if he had calculated the after affects of his words before saying it. The ones who were the most suspicious, usually were the ones with the most to hide.
So what was he hiding?
And Prince George.
That stupid Duke, who always seemed to have it out for her. She didn't know what she had done to make the man dislike her so much, or if she had done anything at all and he was just an uptight prick.
Somewhere through her angry mental rant, he felt her eyes grow heavy from the overwhelming effects of agitation, and began blinking rapidly.
Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake, she repeated in her mind.
Her eyes shut unintentionally, and when they opened this time, it wasn't because she had woken herself, but because....
There was a light click.
click
click
click
Katamina was unsure if she was dreaming the sound consciously, or if she had actually heard it. Opting for the latter, she allowed her eyes to fall back closed.
click
click
click
When the noise wouldn't fade, she groaned, lulling for it to vanish at any moment in time
click
click
She rubbed the back of her lids with her knuckles, blinking her vision remotely clear. It was coming from the door.
Her eyes shot open in realization, and she ran over towards the door just as a key clicked, and it shot open, revealing a pleasant face she never expected to see.
''Your -- ''
He brought his finger to his lips. ''Shh...'' He peeked around the hallway, before stepping inside her room, allowing the door to shut gently behind him. The prince faced her with a smile. ''Hi.''
''Your highness?... what are you doing in here? Came to keep me company?''
''Alex,'' He corrected, before saying. ''Other way around.''
''I came to keep you company?'' She frowned.
He dipped his head, a clump of blonde hair falling into his eyes, as an amused smile occupied his lips. ''No, you're keeping me company.''
''Won't they notice your disappearance?'' She asked as the disobedient younger prince made himself comfortable on the Sofa beside her bed.
''No,'' He replied without an ounce of hesitation. ''Mother and father couldn't make it the Cotillion, got tied up with family matters, and even if my brother does notice, and he will, he's too tied up with entertaining the guests, and dancing with the ladies, to do anything about it.''
At the mention of his brother, Katamina scoffed. ''Your brother is a prude, and an arrogant prat. The guy has a stick shoved so far up his arse, he isn't able to produce a single happy emotion.''
She didn't slap a hand over her blabbing mouth this time, quickly learning that the young Prince didn't care if she spoke her mind, in fact he loved it. Sporting that entertained smile he always wore when he was in her presence.
''Can't say I don't agree, because I know my brother can be really uptight and air-headed at times, but it's probably because my mother puts more responsibility on him than even... me.'' He explained, brushing his hair back with his fingers.
''He's twenty-seven, and one of the youngest eligible bachelors in all of England. He's expected to find a wife by the end of the Season, or mother will pick one for him. Not to mention the fact, my father expects him to take all over the responsibilities and the kingdom when he dies, which brings me back to my original statement, 'more responsibility is put on him than me.''
She almost felt bad for talking about him behind his back like this, when he clearly had problems he was facing and obviously felt he couldn't tell anybody.
''Are you . . . . are you two close at all? Like, could he trust you to keep a secret?''
His lips formed into a straight line. ''George and I? I doubt it. He doesn't let his guard slip for a second. Can't even remember the last time I heard him tell our mother he loves her.''
Why though?
Why was he like this?
Why the facades, the seriousness, the secrets?
All these why's.
What was he hiding?
Prince Alexander seemed to be thinking something similar, because he looked lost in thought.
''Why -- ''
Voices and footsteps echoed through the hallways as it appeared those who had attended the cotillion were on their way back to their rooms.
''Alex!''
The prince jumped up, quickly peeking around the corner to make sure the coast was clear enough for him to make his departure.
He pushed the key back in the lock before running off.
