I wore my white, just above the knee dress. It was a slim fit and came in a little at the waist, highlighting my hips as the fabric moved down. I had a small, relatively transparent, lace shawl to go over my shoulders, coming down to just above the fitted waist of the dress.
"You look amazing." Josh said, his mouth a little agape.
"You don't look so bad yourself." I winked, kissing his lips lightly. I took his hand and we walked to the drawing room. Josh was a little bewildered by the corridors of the Palace; he'd only ever really seen them when drunk.
"It must be amazing to live here," Josh muttered to me, looking around.
"It's beautiful, yeah," I admitted, acknowledging that I was lucky. "But it's like living in a cold, drafty museum with faulty electrics. I'd much rather have your little flat."
"I wouldn't say no to that." Josh teased, the doors opening in front of us.
"The Princess Matilda and a Mr. Josh Dylan." The page spoke, announcing us. I thanked him and walked in, coming face to face with quite a few people I hadn't expected to be there. My Mother, my brother, but quite a few familiar faces. My Father's brother, Richard, stood directly in front of me with a woman who I assumed to be his wife.
"Uncle Richard," I shot my brother a look, who seemed just as dumbfounded as I. "A pleasure, I'm sure."
"My little niece." He smiled, beckoning us over. I gripped Josh's hand just a little tighter, indicating my discomfort. Josh glanced at me, eyeing my expression. He knew how to read me and he knew this was a complete surprise to me.
"Not so little anymore. I don't believe you've seen me since I was five, Uncle." I grimaced, avoiding eye contact with him. "What are you doing here?."
"For the funeral." He spoke, smirking just a little. His expression juxtaposed his words; why would you be happy for your brother's funeral? He lacked both empathy and sheer humanity, that much was clear from just talking to him.
"Of course." I responded. There was a small silence before he spoke again.
"This is my wife, Amelia." He glanced to the blonde on his left. She smiled and curtseyed, acknowledging that she was my inferior and indicating that my Uncle was, too. He wasn't too pleased by it, that much was clear. The tension within the room could be cut with a knife.
"Lovely to meet you." I said with genuinity. I couldn't blame her for the actions of her husband. "This is my.." I couldn't find the right word to use for Josh. We weren't official in that we'd only really told each other how we felt and there was no public announcement, but we both knew it was what we wanted.
"Boyfriend," Josh looked at me directly, a prideful smirk tugging at the edge of his lips.
"Yes, my boyfriend, Josh." I smiled a little, sharing his prideful smirk at his words.
"What is your title, sir? It may be more appropriate to use that as we're not yet acquainted enough for forenames." My Uncle stated, as if to be helpful, but I knew what he was trying to do. He knew that Josh lacked a title from the announcement of our arrival, he was merely stirring the pot. Literal shit stirrer, one might say.
"I don't have a title, sir." Josh admitted, seeming a little pained by it. Not the lack of a title but the pointing out of it; my Uncle was implying that Josh wasn't of high enough social status to be here but I disagreed. It wasn't about titles or wealth, it was -- and always should be -- about how we felt. I squeezed his hand for reassurance and he squeezed it back as if to respond to me.
