Royal 4 (Book four in my Selection series)

Chapter 22

Somehow I managed to sneak past the guards holding the small kitten and pretending to have my arms crossed. I sneak up the stairs holding the kitten that started struggling in my arms.

"Shhh they'll find you." I say softly as I pass the women's room as quietly as possible and head up the stairs toward my room.

"Lady Violet?" I turn around to see Princess Grace. My eyes widen as I turn my head but avoid moving my body. Then the worst thing happened. The kitten lets out a dramatic meow.

The Princess's eyes turn as big as mine and it takes her a second to react. She immediately rushes up the few stairs to me grabs me by my free arm and pulls me throughout one hallway until we are completely out of site of the women's room.

"Where did you get it?" She asks in amazement.

"Outside. It's mother bad died, I know it's not allowed I can take it back if you'd rather." I say, terrified that's I'd got caught.

"What? No, don't be silly. The poor thing would die. It will still be taken away if we tell my parents so you have to come with me and we can take care of it. Please do let me help." She says while still looking wide eyes at the little kitten.

"You mean you're not going to turn me in?" I ask, extremely confused.

"Absolutely not, I've never got to play with a kitten for more than a few days I'd like to help you." The princess says with a smile. "Look, your maids could probably help enough and get food from the kitchen and such but my maid has more authority and less control from my parents and I have authority over her so she can help us some more."

"Where do we take it?" I ask as I hear footsteps in a hallway nearby.

"Just follow me." She tells and I follow her through the hallways to downstairs staircase and into a room that seemed unlike what the palace would have. We go through the kitchen, with maids and butlers, each one bowing to the princess and going about their business. It seemed like she came around a lot and they were just used to it.

We come up another staircases through a locked door and through another locked door and it opens up into the most beautiful room I'd ever seen. It had to be her bedroom.

"Now you can't tell anyone you were here, you're not supposed to be." She says. "Let me go find Penny."

I didn't know who penny was but the little kitten had fallen asleep and almost hid completely in my arms it was so small.

"Penny, you cannot tell my parents but we need your help." Princess Grace explains as she brings her maid into the room to meet me.

"Lady Violet, it's nice to meet you." Her maid says to me and curtsies politely.

"We need you to help us get food for it, it made its way into the palace walls I'm not sure how but we have to take care of it." The Princess states.

"It's mother had died. I couldn't find any more of its litter." I tell the main, Penny.

"Now miss, this was an awful courageous thing to take on. You know how your parents would disprove of you keeping this from them." The maid says to the Princess in a soft, but with a motherly tone.

"But I cannot ensure that they will let the poor thing stay here and I know we can care for it better than anywhere else can. And Lady Violet could get in trouble if she were to try and tackle this on her own you must help us Penny." Princess Grace pleads.

"I've never cared for a kitten, so I must do my research. I'll go prepare a simply formula just to keep it healthy until I can figure out for sure what it needs. You both stay here and stay quiet!" Penny tells us sternly and leaves.

"Will I get in trouble for being in here, your highness?" I ask. I knew I wasn't supposed to even be on this floor.

"Only if you don't start just calling me Grace." She says and laughs quietly. "But no, my parents rarely come in here. Miles on the other hand has a door that leads to my room, so he will be a small issue we will just have to wait. The door used to not be there but a few generations ago one of my family members wanted it there for some reason I can't quite remember why."

"Where do you go when you want privacy?" I ask her, even though it was overstepping my boundaries.

"I have a few spots that I go to, but usually one of my brothers finds them before it can come of any use. For it being such a big palace it's rather hard to get privacy." She laughs but it doesn't reach her eyes.

We both startle when the cat yawns and squeaks loudly.

"Do you think I could hold him?" She asks softly.

"Of course you can." I say and smile at her and hand the ball of fluff to her. Her face lit up when she got him and she smiled happily.

"What are you going to name it?" She asks me looking from me to the kitten.

"Oh, that is for you to decide. I'm no good at naming things you'll have to pick it." I tell her with a laugh.

She immediately looks up and smiles excitedly.

"Really?" She asks as if trying to hide her excitement. I nod and she looks down at the kitten. "It has to be original. Nothing ordinary or common for a cat because he's special."

She pauses and looks at him for a few more moments. And then nods definitely.

"Augustus. His name will be Augustus." We both smile as the kitten fumbles around her arms and I felt something click between Grace and I. What I didn't know was it would be the start to much more to come.

A/N

Hi guys!! I'm not dead I promise haha I'm sorry my updates are always taking so long but I'm having such a hard time with writers block in school but every time I get a wonderful comment from one of you it makes my day and I'm able to write more and more so thank you for all the inspiration my loves :)