Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"He had beautiful eyes, the kind you could get lost in. And I guess I did." ~S.B.
Annalise
I jolted awake at the slightest of sounds, scaring both myself and Will. He stared at me in bewilderment as I cowered, scanning the room for any sign of danger. Placing a hand on my shoulder, Will said, "It was just the wind. A snowstorm sprung up."
"Oh," I breathed, sinking against him. "I thought-"
"I know." He kissed the side of my head. "You don't have to explain."
"Earlier, when I told you I haven't been sleeping, it's not just because I'm afraid of the nightmares," I said. "I jump at every little sound, thinking it's my attacker coming back to finish the job. I know it's stupid to think that when I'm here at Windsor Palace, which arguably has the best security in the world, but anxiety is being a real bitch right now, and I can't control it. I used to pride myself on being a rational person, you know? I was able to think things out, and anything causing me stress or anxiety, I fixed the problem to stop it, but I can't seem to do it for this."
"I wish I knew how to help, Annie," Will replied sympathetically, a mixture of pain and fury crossing his face. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I promise I'm not going to stop searching for your attacker. He's going to pay for the harm he has brought to you. The moment he's caught, you can go home, too. I'm sure you miss being in your own apartment."
"I do, but I kind of missed here too. There are places I've never seen before that I want to explore still."
"Like where?"
"Believe it or not, the portrait room and the antiques library. I never got around to it when I worked here. I never even cleaned them as a maid."
I could practically see the gears in Will's head spinning, silently debating something with himself. Finally, he said, "Are you up for a little adventure?"
"Always. Why? We're not sneaking out of the castle, are we?"
"Have you seen the weather outside? No way am I going out in that. Besides, what I'm going to show you is a hundred times better, and it's a secret no one but my mom and I know about." Will stood up and extended his hand out. "May I?"
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"You may," I said, taking his hand. I couldn't help but notice it dwarfed mine.
He led me to a bookshelf, where he placed his ring against a matching insignia and twisted it around. The unmistakable noise of gears grinding and latches unlocking sounded from behind the bookshelf before it swung open.
Will beamed at my awestruck expression, closing my open mouth with his finger as he said, "When I say adventure, I deliver."
"Where does this lead to?" I queried, staring into the black abyss.
