A Royal Internship | Complete

Chapter Twenty-Four

When I walked out of my room and towards the grand staircase, I had promised myself that I'd try to act naturally and have a good time. I'd been to parties before, though never wearing something as fancy as the gold, floor length empire waist gown that was draped aesthetically off one of my shoulders.

The shimmering fabric sat beautifully against my deep skin in a way no other dress ever had. Between that and the crown jewels Madeline had selected for me the night before, I really felt like a princess. Which I am not, I reminded myself, and never will be.

Rounding the last corner before the grand staircase, I could see Clarence come into view. The golden trim on his red jacket beautifully framed his dark face, and the pinstripe down the side of his pants made him look even taller than he already was.

My heels must have come into hearing range against the polished marble floor, because Clarence, and at least half of the others, turned to face me. I could feel the heat rise into my cheeks and my heart pounded in my chest. Everyone is looking at me.

My eyes found Clarence, and I smiled, resisting the urge to adjust my hair or my dress as I continued the lengthy walk down what remained of the hallway. I took the last few steps forward as Clarence walked to meet me, looking like he wanted me to place my hand in his. Remembering that my job was to make the whole thing look real, I took a steadying breath and set my hand down on top of his and allowed him to place a gentle kiss on the back of it.

"Wow," he said, after letting go of my hand. "You look absolutely incredible."

I could feel the butterflies dancing in my stomach. It's an act. He's a talented actor.

"Thanks." I smoothed my dress down with my hands, ironing out the imaginary wrinkles so I had something to do with my hands. "You don't look so bad yourself." I looked up at him to see a genuine smile for perhaps the first time since the night I met him.

Two loud raps sounded against a wall or door somewhere in the distance and a man announced something I could not hear.

"Time to go." Clarence held his arm out in front of us, gently placing my hand on top of his and encouraging me to hold it. I took as deep a breath as the dress would allow, thinking about my heels and the enormous staircase in front of me.

"You'll be okay," Clarence whispered in my ear. "We're next to last so I'm sure everyone will be bored by then."

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "The crown prince and the king are definitely the most boring part of a royal gala." But the joke had calmed my nerves enough that I was no longer shaking like a leaf.

"Okay." He shrugged. "Maybe not bored, but certainly thrilled to even see us."

The king glared at us from the other side of the staircase so we both stopped talking, though Clarence did turn and make a funny face in my direction before taking his place in line.

We waited probably half an hour as the people in front of us were announced and descended the staircase. One from our side and then one from King Richard's side. Finally, the man in front of us — the duke or marquis or whoever he was — followed the sound of his name around the corner, descending the stairs.

"One more, and then us," Clarence said, guiding me a few steps forward, so we were as close to the corner as possible without being seen.

My throat tightened and the knot in my stomach grew, so I only nodded, unsure if I was able to speak at all. Clarence squeezed my hand in his, and I allowed myself to take yet another deep breath to steady my nerves. Mere moments later, I heard the page call out "The Crown Prince Alexandre and Miss Genevieve Levin!"