Royally Bounded

Chapter 107

Clara

Josephine and Abbas arrived back from their honeymoon on time before her grandfather came. She was supposed to stay back in her new home, but she had to return to Bruchester to greet her grandfather who was coming soon. She brought Hayden and me some souvenirs, and I thanked her while we sat in her room to talk.

"Damien is so active," Josephine rubbed her hand over my stomach. "I can't wait for him to arrive soon. Only a month left then we welcome my nephew."

"What about you? Have Abbas and you been planning for a little one too?" I questioned, sending her a playful expression.

She flushed, shaking her head. "We're going to spend some more time as a married couple first. We're planning to have children but not right now."

I nodded as we skipped to the conversation of Ivor and Rosie. We kept the news hidden from the public, but Ivor was seen with Rosie outside. The press had their photos, and they were starting new rumours about them. My parents-in-law were furious once they saw the magazines. It was another a reason why Floyd was coming earlier than expected.

"Are you nervous?" Josephine asked me. "My grandfather is coming today. Hayden is his favourite grandchild, and he's very concerned about who Hayden is with. He might ask you a lot of questions."

"It's not like I've never dealt with it before. You have many relatives, and I still managed to handle them," I answered truthfully. "Plus, Hayden is here. I know he will protect me."

Josephine nodded then sighed. "Grandfather is a different person when it comes to marriages. My grandmother was a princess, and she was responsible for picking wives for my uncles and father. She had the most traditional thoughts. After she passed away, it was when my grandfather took over the duty."

"Why does it seem like being a woman is not so bad now?"

"I guess. My grandparents had a preference for boys over girls. Even if we were part of the royal family, it wasn't as extreme for our life compared to the boys."

I finally realized how everything began. Hayden tried to change all the old traditions because he witnessed them since he was young. He hated how traditions and rules restrained them from life, and he would never want the history to continue.

Once it was night, I went to change into a more appropriate attire. I scanned through the closet, throwing clothes on the counter to test out different outfits. The nerves were jolting in my veins as I thought about meeting with Floyd. His impression about me was already a bad start since I was never his ideal granddaughter-in-law.

I chose a dark red blouse, tucking it underneath my black pencil skirt. I stared over at the section of heels and sneakers. Hayden had my heels section gone back at home because he didn't want me to spring my ankle or fall over. It was dangerous for Damien and me, so I only wore sneakers with most of my outfits.

I was tempted into wearing white sneakers, but formality was hard in the royal family. Since Floyd was here, he must hate how I would ruin his rules and traditions. I sat down on the ottoman, curling my fingers underneath the seat once I strapped on platform heels.

"Duchess Clara," I heard Charlotte called while she knocked on the door. "Sir Floyd is here."

"Thank you," I shouted back.

I let out a deep breath then stood to my feet. I adjusted my outfit in front of the mirror before walking out of the room. My heels clicked against the ground, and I could hear my heart thudding through my chest. If Hayden didn't have work to finish, I would be less afraid with him beside me, but I had to handle it no matter who it was.