The Royal Romance 2

Chapter 1

In a kingdom far away...

It's the night of the Coronation Ball...

Riley stands in the airport bathroom, gripping the sink, trying to find the stability to pull herself back to reality. It feels like she's in a fog, that this isn't really happening, like it's just a bad dream. She puts on some pants and a loose black shirt that hangs off her shoulder. She looks down at her perfect princess dress sprawled on the floor. Liam... he's all she can think about right now. Quite frankly, she doesn't care if the world thinks she's a slut; she just wants to see him and let him know that everything will be alright.

One of the palace guards knocks on the door. "Are you doing okay, Riley?"

How could she possibly be okay? The love of her life was forced to declare that know-it-all Madeleine as his wife, and now Riley is the shame of the palace. She clears her throat and manages to yell back, "Yeah, I'll be right out." She pulls her hair into a side braid and throws on some chapstick to soothe her dry lips.

She opens the door to find the two guards staring straight ahead, not even giving her a second glance as she walks toward the gate to wait for her flight home. She glances down, picking at her nails, trying not to cry in the middle of the airport.

"Now boarding economy class for passengers of flight PB205 to New York City," the intercom calls out, and Riley's heart drops.

She bites her lip and pinches her nail to keep from bawling. She stands and nods at the guards as she picks up her luggage. Glancing out at the lights surrounding the city and the palace in the distance, she whispers, "Goodbye, Cordonia..." She kisses the tip of her fingers and holds them towards the beautiful land she's forced to leave behind.

The guards watch her sling her bag over her shoulder and dig into her pockets for her boarding pass, when...

"Wait, Riley!"

She pauses, turning to see Maxwell and Bertrand rushing up towards her. "What are you guys doing here?"

The two guards then intercept them, and Maxwell tries to wiggle his way through. Bertrand just looks pissed yet reformed. "You will keep your hands to yourself. I am the Duke of Ramsford," he asserts. With this, the two guards back down. "That's better. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have business to conduct," Bertrand adds firmly. The two guards look at each other, and Bertrand only seems to get angrier. "Or will House Beaumont have to demand recompense for yet another slight?"

The guards shake their heads and walk away, letting them pass through. Maxwell runs up to Riley and holds her close. "Riley, I was so worried."

"Did you guys come here to help me?" A sense of hope helps her regain composure, and they both look at her with emotion in their eyes.

"Well... kind of? I mean, not in the sense that we have any answers, but we are here for you. We still believe in you, Riley!" Maxwell takes her hand in his, and she can't help but relax for the first time since all of this happened.

"Really?" She glances over at Bertrand, who is still at a respectable distance. "Both of you?"

"Just tell me..." Bertrand can barely keep eye contact with Riley, "Is it true? That you've been carrying on a romantic relationship with Tariq?"

"Of course it's not true," Maxwell interjects before she could defend herself, and she can't help but get a little agitated. "This isn't Riley's fault," he continues as he squeezes her hand, reassuring her that he's here for her.

"Shush, Maxwell. I want to hear this from her."

"Bertrand, of course it's not true!" She looks at him squarely in the eye, and he finally meets her gaze, a sense of relief painted across his face.