Impeccable (Zayn Malik AU)

v. Cousins

♡ Odette's POV ♡

It was twelve in the afternoon when I was notified that Zayn's cousins were coming over.

Several days had passed after the whole Prince Zayn incident, and I couldn't help but feel like his presence to me had changed. This new aura seemed to be released when I was around him, like a simple girl like me didn't deserve to be in a future king's presence, like I wasn't worth having someone like him adoring me.

However, my thoughts about King Zayn were soon diminished into thin air once Ivy had informed me Zayn was not next in line to the throne, in fact his cousin's family was the current ruler of the kingdom. The same cousins, coincidentally, that were coming over today.

Since Zayn's father had an older brother, he was not the king, but an accomplice to the throne, and would not be king unless something happened to his older brother's family. I winced at this fact, it was easy to see how power hungry rulers of history got their motivation of gaining power. Technically, Zayn was still a prince, and his sisters princesses, but they served only ceremonial purposes, Ivy telling me his oldest cousin Delia was the one true heiress left should anything happen to the king.

Apparently the Royal family coming over consisted of Zayn's uncle and his wife, and their three children, Delia, Sebastian, and Damian, their ages in that order. I was excited with meeting Delia, Falene raved on and on while she got me ready about how lovely the eighteen year old heiress was, and how pretty too.

I was put into a lemon colored sundress with a huge hat that resembled one Mother said she wore to horse races when she was young. Falene told me how much Princess Delia loved the outdoors, so she claimed to have dressed me appropriately for a day with the princess.

As she dressed me, I couldn't help but think about if I married Zayn, I would be a princess as well. However, if Zayn changed his mind before I married him and got his Mark, I could be thrown out of the house out of luck and out of royal sight. I shivered at the thought, and quickly ran outside once I was finished getting dressed, trying to shake the thought of Zayn throwing me out of the house out of my mind.

-~-

"Cousins! Welcome, welcome! So lovely to see you!" Lady Malik, dressed in a bright, sky blue sundress ran towards the cousins, immediately hugging Zayn's uncle's wife in a huge bear hug. Zayn, Ivy, the sisters, and I stood in a straight line on the huge front porch of the mansion. Zayn's mother and father had been the first to greet the Royal family, and I huffed as I waited impatiently to meet them. Zayn chuckled next to me, dressed in a semi-formal dress shirt and pants, a suit jacket thrown on over the button up.

"Patience, little swan." He mumbled to me, a happy glint in his eyes gleaming before he winked at me. My heart skipped a beat at the sight, and I nodded, earning yet another laugh from the Prince. My eyes flitted from person to person in front of us, looking for the Princess. I saw the King and Queen, and two small skinny sticks that must be their sons, but I couldn't find Delia. My heart sunk for a moment, maybe she canceled at the last second?

"Delia!" Safaa called out before running off the porch and down the long stairs. I watched the little princess run before having my breath taken away at the young lady she called to.

She wore a lavender purple tulle covered dress, curls cascading down her back in long ringlets, chocolate eyes shining like diamonds as she hugged Zayn's sister. She had just stepped out of their limousine it seemed, seeing as how I hadn't seen her until just now. She was gorgeous, Falene wasn't lying when she said that.

Delia let Safaa walk her up the steps, her eyes locked on all of her family 's before becoming set on mine. She smiled a dazzling smile at me as she reached the top of the marble steps, walking up to me. I sucked in a nervous breath before holding out my hand to her, and I bit my lip when I realized it was shaking from nerves.