Thrown into Royalty [chicklit romance] [REVISING]

XVII.

A/N: Hey there guys! This chapter is a little longer than usual, so you guys will have plenty to read. Maeve, Caterina, Margaux and even Ivory's outfits for the ball are up on Polyvore, so do check them out through the link on my profile. Don't forget to vote and/or comment! xx h

||=||

XVII.

I woke up at nine in the morning, with breakfast in bed, although my breakfast wasn't the regular one I'd usually get every morning.

"What is this?" I frowned, pointing at the plate I was served.

"Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, asparagus, and goat cheese, Your Highness." Dorothea replied, her eyes flashing down towards it. I only got to see her in the morning, when she'd bring me breakfast. Other than that, nothing else. "Three hundred and twenty-eight calories."

At the mention of the calorie intake which she had never mentioned for the other breakfasts I'd had, I paused. "Did Princess Margaux or Princess Caterina tell the chefs to serve this for my breakfast?"

She nodded immediately, her lips pursed and eyes never meeting mine as she did so.

I sighed quietly. "Okay then. Thank you for bringing me my breakfast."

She left the bedroom, leaving me to reach for the television remote and the first thing that comes to the screen is a repeat of my televised speech in Denmark yesterday. The news reporters then went on to interview locals on the street about how they thought about it. Generally, they said good things, but I could see that there were others who voiced out their concerns as I was young and I was ruling a country when I could be doing things people my age do. I finished up my omelette before drinking down a glass of lemon and ginger water and turned off the TV before heading to the bathroom for my shower.

The water draped past my body from the shower head, soaking my hair in the process when I suddenly didn't feel so good in my gut. I paused, trying to listen for what could be happening outside but I didn't hear anything. I shrugged it off, thinking of how paranoid I could be after the trip to Denmark.

I thought I heard a noise and my toes curled immediately. I paused, frowning as I concentrated on what could be happening outside. Taking a chance on my gut feeling, I turned the shower off and grabbed my bathrobe, wrapping it around my damp body and tying off a ribbon with the strings.

Pulling the door wide open, I wasn't prepared for the sight in front of me.

I felt myself jumping a step backwards on the mat, gasping out loud as I nearly slipped, my heart threatening to jut out but I managed to grasp the doorknob tightly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He sat at a chair close by, leaning forward with one hand on his knee with the other holding a Rubik's cube. His pale blue eyes were trained on me as he solved the colour red. I could recognise that dark smirk on his face. "I'm attending the ball tonight, since Danish nobles are invited. I'm the new Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, I'm sure you've been informed about that already."

I clutched onto my robe, feeling my long nails dig through the material and I could feel it in my palm. "I thought you'd be back in Denmark, holding your father's funeral."

He shrugged, pressing his lips together as if it was a small deal. "Someone in the past shouldn't hold me back from my future."

My nose scrunched up in disgust. "I can't believe you chose to come here instead of supporting your family during a difficult time."

"But people tell me I have my priorities straightened." He said.

I scoffed. "Whoever those people might be, they must have been drunk to the point of unconsciousness. What are you doing here, in my room? You know, my boyfriend's just next door and I can scream bloody murder— I've been told it's one of my best party tricks."