THE ROYAL CROWN WARS

Chapter Seven

Prince Christian Holloway leaned against the doorframe. He crossed his arms across his chest, wrinkling the grey dress shirt. The greying black hair laid messily across his face, and his brown eyes narrowed.

Silence. Absolute silence.

My stomach churned.

"I'd like to know why my brother's personal chef, and an assistant, believes it's appropriate to tell my niece about the missing crown jewels. The King should handle such matters, and I'm certain he didn't approve of this."

Shifting uncomfortably, I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut again. Growing up, my uncle wasn't the friendliest person. He wasn't the kind of uncle who let me eat ice cream for breakfast or took me on fun field trips. He was obnoxious.

"Well?"

Dean scoffed. "The girls were just having a snack, your highness. Is there something I can get for you?"

He shook his head. "No, no. I'm just waiting for the council meeting to begin, and I thought I'd find a snack of my own. Perhaps I need to mention to my brother what his staff is up to."

"Uncle," I said softly. "Please don't get them in trouble. I was asking them questions about it."

"Jamie made them tell us because we didn't want to bother the King," Lizzie said matter-of-factly.

Christian's brows knitted together. "You mean to tell me that two kids managed to force two grown adults into telling a secret?"

Dean shook his head. "Why don't you leave them alone, man? They just came down for a cookie, and then they're going to go back to their room."

"Excuse me?" Christian stepped towards Dean. "Do I need to remind you of who I am, Chef?"

"We're standing in my kitchen, Your Highness," said Dean.

I stepped in front of my uncle. "Please don't blame them. They didn't mean to cause any trouble. We're going to go back to my room and we'll watch some TV. Nothing else, OK?"

Christian glanced between Dean and me. "All right," he stepped aside. "The two of you need to stay out of trouble. Go back to your room right now, and I guess I won't have to tell your dad about this."

Lizzie opened her mouth and I grabbed her hand before she could say anything else. Yanking her out of the kitchen, I headed back through the hallway. Again, the guards stopped talking the second we came within earshot.

Luckily Lizzie didn't bother trying to talk to them either. The cold air sent a chill down my back. Why did my uncle always have to be like that? Dad said it was just because he took his job so seriously. According to Christian, being a royal advisor was one of the most important jobs in the whole country.

The walk back to my bedroom seemed so much longer than the walk to the kitchen. Finally, we made it back, and I shut the door behind us. I engaged the lock and plopped down on the bed.

Lizzie paced back and forth in front of me. "Why does Christian always have to be like that? He acts as if someone died."

I shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Well...er...We weren't supposed to know any of that. Dean and Alexandria could get in a lot of trouble if they say anything."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You're the Princess!!"

I shrugged. "That doesn't mean much to anyone." Or, it didn't seem to.

"It should!"

Lizzie plopped down on the bed. "How are we going to solve this?"

"I've never actually tried solving anything. I was hoping we'd get more details from Dean and Alexandria."