Royal Holiday Romance: The Christmas Queen

5 - Rani

11:21 am. Shit, she'd slept in again.

Throwing the blankets off of her, Rani rose to sitting on the twin bed and shielded her eyes from the morning light that filtered in from the window. The room was a mess: jewellery discarded on the nightstand, laundry piled up on the floor, an open book discarded facedown by her feet.

As with every night that followed her encounter with the Princes, Rani had fallen into bed physically exhausted, but unable to sleep. During each shift - everytime the door swung open to reveal a single man - she was riddled with anxiety. She half wondered if they would return, and half believed it was all a fevered dream.

Except Reggie had not returned. His seat at the bar had been conspicuously empty, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be seeing him for a long time.

Had he found another haunt, after being caught out by the Prince at Cheers and Beers?

Or had something happened to him... Some punishment that yet hung over her head, depending on whether or not she agreed to Josef's plan?

When her Friday night shift came, she was still undecided on whether or not to go along with it. Throughout her shift, and then on the bus ride home, and again while she was brushing her teeth, Rani toyed with the pros and cons of the decision.

If she didn't show up, things could stay the same. No one else knew about the letters, and Reggie wouldn't tell anyone. As long as there wasn't a lawyer somewhere drawing up a charge of treason against her, Rani would be okay. She could go back to her normal, everyday existence, and observe Henrik's reign from afar.

But she would never be able to write to him again. Without a noble seal, her letters would never reach his hands as personal correspondence.

Great admiration, Henrik had said about her letters, with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine every time it played in her mind.

If she did show up, everything would change. Pretending to be a Prince's fiancee was not something one could do on the down low. Her name and photograph would be plastered on every newspaper in the Kingdom. And even if she did make it onto the Advisory Council - would she forever be known as the King's ex-girlfriend?

She shuddered at the thought.

But does it matter, what other people think of you, if you're able to share your ideas as an official Advisor? Change a discriminatory law? Make life better for your grandfather, and people like him?

She had lost count of the number of times she had run her fingers over the "HRH" on the business card, and the embossed Wolf crest of the thousand-year-old Winter dynasty. It had a hastily scribbled note over the Prince's contact details - Saturday, 3pm, Augusta Room.

Ugh. The meeting was in a few hours and she still wasn't sure what to do.

"Sorry, Dada! I'm up!" Rani stumbled out of the bedroom in her oversized shirt, and was greeted by a snarky voice that stopped her in her tracks.

"Sleeping beauty arises."

Rani grimaced before turning around. "Devika!"

"I waited for twenty minutes at that coffee shop," her cousin said from where she was seated beside Vikram with her arms crossed. He had an amused smile on his face. "If it wasn't for Uncle, I would have woken you up with a glass of water to the face."

The memory hit her like a ton of bricks: she was supposed to meet Devika for coffee with yet another prospective husband.

"I am so sorry," Rani approached slowly with her hands extended as if trying to tame a lion. "I completely forgot. My alarm didn't go off!"