Royal 2 (Book two in my Selection series)

Chapter 14

I had to walk away from the scene moments later. Paige followed, just as petrified as I had been.

"I'm so sorry." She shakes her head after a moment. Of course, we'd both known it was going to happen, but the first week? I didn't expect it at all.

"It wasn't your doing." I tell her quietly.

"Let's go and do something then. It'll put us both in a better mood. What do you like to do?" She turns and asks me.

"Well I never really did anything for fun at home." I shrug nonchalantly.

"Let's go up to my room and we can drink tea and just get to know each other. That's what friends do right?" Paige asks with a smile.

"Are you sure I'm even allowed to do that? You know since your the princess and all? And the royal family's floor is forbidden to the Selected." I tell her as I try and keep up with her.

"Exactly I'm the princess." She smiles mischievously. "You can do anything you want with me."

I guessed she wasn't wrong and followed her up to her room. Just as I had expected, her room was perfectly clean with pure white curtains and bed clothes.

"Madeleine?" Paige asks through her room. A tall slim woman comes from the bathroom with a bright smile on her face. "Could you make us tea?"

"Yes miss." She smiles and turns to me. "Lady Autumn."

"You can still call me Paige in front of her. She won't care." She shakes her head and I agree. The woman named Madeleine nods with a smile and leaves the room.

When she leaves I turn to Paige with the book Will had let me borrow in my hands.

"He let me borrow this." I tell her. She looks at the book in my hand and must've realized it had belonged in a palace library.

"Then read it. It is a really good book and if he gave it to you, then he'd want you to read it." She tells me. "Don't take it so harshly. Though none of us expected it, it was going to happen eventually."

"I guess. I don't even get why I care." I say with a forced laugh. Madeleine comes back and gives us our tea and leaves on Paige's cue.

"So did you know the girl?" Paige asks me and sips at her tea. I look down and take a small drink of mine.

"Yeah. She sits beside me during meals. Her names Josie and she's very nice." Which made it even harder to hate her.

"Oh." Paige looked disappointed. "Do you miss your home?"

"Yeah. I really do honestly, but I love it here. It's amazing." I reply.

"Do you want to go on a walk around a bit? I can show you some of the best ballrooms." She says convincingly.

"Sure." I smile and pick my tea up. "Is it alright if I leave the book in here so I don't have to take it around with me?"

"Definitely." She says and picks up her cup of tea. We start our walk around the palace, stopping every so often for her to point something out.

"What's in this room?" I ask as we pass an intricately designed door.

"It's the library. Wanna see?" She asks me. I nod eagerly as she pushes open the door. "So this is basically a library full of older fiction books. It's probably where—"

I wonder why her voice was cut off so suddenly and I suddenly realize Will sat at a small desk with his head bent over a book.

"Oh." I mutter.

"Paige?" I hear Will say. "Autumn?" I step closer to the door as he stands from his desk.

"Oh Jesus." I breathe.

"You know, we actually have to go." Paige says quickly. "We were just taking a look around but her maids need her back to get ready for dinner soon. Bye brother dear!" She says swiftly and pulls me out of the room.

"Thank you." I whisper to her as we head away.

"You're welcome." She smiles and we continue on our way.

•••

After we had both left and gotten prepared for dinner, we met in the hallways in front of the Great Hall.

"Maybe you should go in before me." I tell her. "The girls already hate me for going on the date with your brother, they probably don't need anymore reason."

"Don't worry about it. Just hold your head high. Make them jealous, it's their own fault." That's one way Paige and I differed. Paige wasn't afraid to get into mischief or trouble, but then again she was in her own home.

I shrug and follow beside of her as she walks into the Great Hall.

"They are giving you the stink eye aren't they?" Paige asks, her mouth slightly open with amusement. "That's actually funny."

"How's it funny?" I ask but I was laughing along as well.

"They don't even know you." Paige laughs. "Okay I've got to go up here enjoy dinner and the glares." She smiles mockingly and I laugh and sit in my seat.

Today, Josie didn't ask about why I had been with the princess. She was talking about her own experiences.

"The gardens were absolutely beautiful!" She exclaims. "And Will was the sweetest being ever to exist. First we talked about our pasts and then we passionately kissed. It was such a beautiful day."

I turn my head and look at the Royal family's table. Will was watching over the table of Selected instead of eating. He turns to me and I look away and to the other end of the table.

I take a few minutes to pick around my food and then stand up and dismiss myself.

For the next week Will didn't speak a word to me.