Royal 4 (Book four in my Selection series)

Chapter 21

The next morning my maids let me sleep in past breakfast, but wake me for morning tea so I wake up drowsily and step into the dress they gave me and let them do my makeup simply and brush and fix my hair.

I look over at the nightstand beside my bed and see my award and never before have I been so proud of an award.

I get ready quickly and leave the room and try and make it to tea early, but when I arrive I was already a few minutes behind the other girls who are just getting settled with their friends with their tea.

I see Josephine and Paris sitting together talking quietly and I figured I shouldn't join them so I sit on a small couch seat with a cute coffee table in front of me with another empty chair beside of it.

I notice the room go quiet and I look at the tv in the corner where my face is on the screen and I'm accepting my award but it doesn't hesitate to capture the kiss between me and the prince. Every girl seems disturbed and uncomfortably goes back to her tea and talking amongst their groups, undoubtedly about me. I keep my head up, but zone out until a maid quickly brings me tea and asks about milk and sugar.

"Thank you." I say politely and zone out immediately as she walks away. Soon I quickly realize someone stands in front of me and I jump out of my imagination. It was the princess.

"Good morning Lady Violet." She says happily to me. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Good morning, your highness." I say with a smile because she looks so happy. "Not at all."

"You can just call me Grace." The princess says and sits across from me. "You looked beautiful last night, I hope you enjoyed your time."

"I did, it was a good night." I think about what happened in the gardens and how happy the night had made me.

"Is it weird being famous and coming here?" She asks me. "I know it's an in appropriate question, but the other girls are still in shock of the attention they've got and the amount of nice things here and I feel like you're not in that shock."

"Well, I'm used to nice things but here it's still different. I think I like the antique furniture and classic design better than what I'm used to." I shrug. "And as for the attention I feel like I'm getting less than I'm used to and I'm not constantly looking at the news either so I feel more normal than ever."

"Do you like it?" She asks me, genuinely curious.

"Maybe with less pressure it would be easier, but I do a lot actually." I think about how much easier it is to be here instead of home and how fond I'd become of the prince. I'd actually started to enjoy his company quite a lot.

"I'm glad." She says smiling happily. "You're allowed to say no, but would you like to have tea in my study this afternoon after dinner?"

"Of course, I'd be delighted to." I was slightly taken aback but I would never deny the offer. "You'll have to show me your favorite teas, I've never been big on tea but I've grown to like it more since I've been here."

"I would love to! I have more I keep in my study that aren't offered frequently because some aren't as easy to get ahold of." She seems excited easily by the topic of tea and I figured she would be excited to talk about it. She stops before she got too excited and says happily, "I'll show you tonight."

"I'm excited, I can't wait." I say in all honesty. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Of course, Lady Violet. I've had a few selected in my study for tea just because I like having so many girls in the house, but they've all not been exactly what I pictured. I have high hopes for this evening." She stands from her seat and smiles happily. "I'll see you at lunch, have a nice morning."

"Thank you, I look forward to tonight." I smile at her as well as she walks with a joyful step back to where she'd previously sat with her mother.

I was unexpectedly excited to go see the princess tonight so I perkily stand and head back to my room quietly. I needed to get ready for lunch but I had no appetite so I go mindlessly out to the gardens and to the path that Miles and I walked on our first date together. It was relaxing and the weather was nice so I just walked without any plans of what to do when I got back.

I hear something in the trees not far from me and I immediately tense up. I get nervous because of the frequent attempted attacks on the palace and I take a few steps back, preparing to have to run in the heels that weren't made for running.

Instead of seeing something scary, I see fur. But not exactly the soft kind of fur you want to pet, but I noticed blood. I stop walking backwards and my curiosity gets the best of me and I look into the bushes and close my eyes quickly out of discomfort. A cat, that had somehow gotten into the palace walls, laying under a bush but it didn't seem to be breathing. I'd heard before that when cats were dying they would crawl off to themselves and I'd guessed that's how it got here. I still wondered where the noise came from and opened my eyes to look around.

I jump again at a squeak as a small kitten meows angrily at me. I'd never been allowed pets and I'd never handled kittens much so I didn't know what to do. I get close to the ground and let the kitten approach me and it easily lets me pick it up.

It was adorable with mostly white fur and patches of black on it. It seemed nearly old enough to be without its mother in a home, but not old enough to survive.

I look around for any more kittens, trying to avoid the mother of the kitten I'd found who had flies surrounding it.

I looked around into the trees for half an hour before I gave up. I didn't know what to do with the kitten I'd picked up and I knew I wouldn't be allowed to keep it in the palace, but I couldn't leave it alone either.

So, legal or not, I make my way back to the palace with the kitten hidden in my arms.