Royal Pain

Chapter 1

V
"Violetta?" My mother poked her head around my door. "Violetta, stop using your phone and come and say hello to our guests!" I had forgotten about the guests. How could I have done that? I smoothed out my gown, stood up straight and started to walk towards the door.
"Posture Violetta!" Mama snapped. I don't know why, it was pretty much perfect. She made me take posture lessons for the past six years, I think I can stand up straight on my own thank you very much. But I know she means well.
I tried to remember as I walked down the stairs-make it seem as though you are gliding, not walking. Mademoiselle Sorge's words rang in my head. She doubled as my etiquette and French teacher, and although we didn't get along as well as Mama would have liked, I will still miss her next week.
I caught my first glance at our guests as I rounded the corner of the main staircase. Many people wonder how I can walk down stairs in a floor length ballgown and high heels, but when it's been your life for 16 years, it doesn't require much effort.
"Lord and Lady Reaphlin, welcome to our home. Let me show you the way to your chamber so you may settle in." I addressed the couple the way I was taught to, with a clear and confident voice. Lord Reaphlin bowed, while his wife curtsied. I smiled at them, and raised my head.
"It is a pleasure to be here, Your Highness." He said, looking directly at me.
I gestured for Molly, the head housemaid, to show them to their suite. She winked at me, which meant a gossip session in the kitchen later, before leading them on their way.
"Your Highness?"
"How many times do I need to say this, call me Letta!" I spun around and hugged the head footman, William Fellingham. Needless to say, I was friends with all the palace staff.
"Fine, Letta! Anyway, there's been an update on the school thing."
"Yes?" I questioned eagerly.
"They've found one!" He whisper yelled.
I twirled in my ballgown, kicked off my shoes, and skipped off.
"Meet me and Molly in the kitchen tonight, usual time. She's got gossip and I'll bring my phone to research this school!" I shouted over my shoulder. I was so excited.
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J
Walking the halls at school was something of a task for me. All I had to do was drop one thing, and someone would pick it up for me, often when I had already started bending down myself, resulting in plenty of head cracks. The girl (yes, it's always a girl), thinks that's cute though, which is even worse, because then I'll have to make eye contact, and I'll have to will myself to stop laughing. Anyone looking me in the eye just makes me crack up. And that's not a good thing.
I know what it's like to be bullied, hated and even hurt by others. And I grew to accept it after a while. I was just that guy that everyone hated. And when I moved schools, I sort of expected it to be like that. But Terlster Academy was different. It sounded really posh, and all the girls were called Turl Girls. The guys were just called posh. I was dreading going there, because I was the opposite of posh. Literally.
As a nerdy kind of guy, I once actually thought I was gonna be okay in school. My first school, fine. It was when I got to about 7 when all the other boys would pick on me. It wasn't until I was 14 that they would physically hurt me. At 15, my mum decided she was fed up of seeing me come home with fresh bruises, and decided to move me to Terlster. I knew right away that it would be different. I thought maybe this time the bullies might not hurt me, only say things. That I could handle. But as soon as I got to look around the school, free from bruises and cuts, I saw my reflection in a classroom window. I hadn't looked in a mirror for over a year, scared of what I might have seen. My own scared green eyes met mine, and as I looked into them, I saw something I hadn't seen in a while. Hope. Also I was super hot (obviously). No really though. I mistook myself for some film star or something. It took me a couple of seconds to realise it was me.
From the day I joined Terlster, I had girls swarming around me. To be quite honest, none of them were as attractive as they seemed to think. One girl really annoyed me, Phoenix. To start with, her name. Why Phoenix? And then the fact that she was pretty as hell (I don't like her or anything, don't worry) but seemed to think she was the ugliest girl in the school. She was the only one out of all the girls in my year that stood out, and I didn't like that.
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V
I tiptoed down the old servants staircase in the left wing of the old section of the palace. I knew every single inch of the palace, every creak and every secret passage. I could probably lead a blindfolded child around it over the phone.
As I stepped over the two creaky steps I heard someone breathing. I knew that breath.
"MOL!" I whisper yelled, hugging her in the dark.
"C'mon Vi, not far now. Will will be waiting."
I grinned in the dark.
"DON'T DO THAT FACE!" She shouted, extremely quietly. "I don't like him and you know it."
How had she even known I was smiling? Never mind... BUT WAIT
"Who said anything about fancying anyone?" I questioned as the kitchen came into seeing distance.
In the light of Williams torch I saw the blush spread across her cheeks. I knew it! She had a crush on him!
"So Molly, what's the gossip?" Will said as soon as we got into the safety of the kitchen.
"So you know Lord and Lady Reaphlin?" She started, and we both nodded.
"Well, I was talking to the maid that came from their manor house, and she said that they only came here to steal the Rechovski Diamond."
I gasped. No, it can't be. Besides, that diamond belongs to me!
"We have to stop them!" I sprang up.
"Okay, here's the plan. William, get two of your footmen, I suggest Ails and Liner, and get them to guard the diamond. Then, inside that room, put Andsworth." He nodded, so I continued. "Mol, what time are they planning to take it?"
"I'm not sure, but I can find out!"
"Good, and while you're at it, bug their room." I handed her a little device that Madame Sore used for French lessons. She would attach it to me, and send me off into the palace to talk to my mother's French maid in- well... French. It linked back to her computer so she could hear what I was saying.
Molly took it, and sped off. William also went. What I had to do depended on what Molly had in the way of timings. In the mean time, though,I had an idea. As soon as they stepped back into the room, Molly held up 4 fingers, which I interpreted as they would be stealing my diamond at 4.
So I stood up and announced what we were going to do.
"Okay guys, before we go on to the second half of our little meeting, we're gonna play truth or dare."
They looked at each other, with the exact same expression on their faces. Puzzled? Scared? Excited? I don't know.
"Molly, truth or dare?" I asked.
"Dare!" She said, right away.
I looked at William. He nodded.
"Go cook PANCAKES!" I pointed to the cooker. She laughed, and started finding ingredients.
Will started whispering in my ear.
"Letta, you probably know already, knowing you, but I have the biggest crush on Molly. How can I ask her out?"
I grinned and turned to face him.
"I know Will, and trust me, you'll be together by the end of out 'meeting'" I smiled to myself.
"So, Letta, truth or dare?" Will asked.
"Truth!" I sang.
"Did you really break off an engagement with the Duke of Redworth so you could be together with Lady Desport?"
"WHAT THE HELL?" I yelled. "Where did that come from?"
"The Guardian." Will smirked.
"Ugh, never believe them. And no, that us in fact, a lie. I like guys, kay?"
He nodded.
Okayy, last one.
"William, truth or dare?" Molly called from the cooker .
"Dare!" He answered.
"OOH, I have a dare." I exclaimed. This was all part of the plan.
I stood on tiptoe, to whisper my plan in his ear.
"I dare you to ask her out. If she says yes, which she will, kiss her."
To my surprise, he walked over to where she was, making pancakes.
"Letta, you take over." I did as I was told.
Molly was looking a bit apprehensive.
"Molly. We joined the palace staff together when we were sixteen, and it's been a year. We're both head of our section, and one day I hope we will be promoted to Housekeeper and Butler. But for now, I wanted to ask you one simple question." I drew in my breath, this was it!
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Molly looked at him, almost analysing him. To be honest, he was extremely hot. I could see why Mol looked at him like that.
"Yes." She said.
"Wait, what?" William gasped.
"Yes." She said again. And without warning, they were kissing like there was no tomorrow.
"Guys?" I asked. They didn't answer. So do you know what I did? I ate their pancakes.