ROYAL DUTY

15.rumour and quarrels!

"You lied to us," Pauline accused, before lowering her voice and adding. "You weren't sick yesterday as your maids told us. You were out with Prince Tyren." Pauline looked both scandalized and betrayed.

You know the saying 'the walls have ears'? well, the Athanasia palace has the biggest ears on the planet. Despite Natalia and Tyren's caution with avoiding any encounter with the contestants during both their leaving and returning to the palace. By the next morning, the entire palace was buzzing with the gossip of their whole day's escapade.

And like any other gossip, there were a thousand speculations of what had actually taken place. From them being lovers to her being the new favorite. To more ridiculous, and even more scandalous things, Natalia didn't even want to acknowledge. But the common factor was that the outing had happened. And that she had been unchaperoned.

"It is true," Natalia confirmed calmly" But--"

"We don't need your excuses. Thank you for reminding us why we are here." Esmeralda bit, and Natalia found herself shocked at her tone.

"What are you talking about?" she turned to face Esmeralda, awaiting her answer.

"Oh please! don't act all naïve and innocent. We are not stupid. This is a competition. I should have seen it the moment you had a clue the rest of us didn't. Well done."

"Esme you can't be suggesting what I think you are suggesting. Nat is not capable of that." Pauline looked offended on Natalia's behalf and Natalia was grateful for her friend's loyalty and trust.

"You are being naïve, Pauline. This is a competition. And our friend over here has sped up the process. Now everything is fair." Before Natalia could defend herself, Hammond entered the room and announced the Imperial family.

When they started taking their breakfast, Natalia could hardly eat her food. The energy in the room was hardly favorable. Everyone in that room was drilling holes into her with their glares. She could hear her name in the whispers of the ladies near her.

Yet none made her more uncomfortable than the glares from the dais. Both the Emperor and the empress had their most icy glares on her. The moment she met their glower, they leaned into each other and whispered something.

How was it that the only time she had seen the two behaving as a couple was in hating her?

Then, there were the Imperial siblings who were luckily not glaring at her. Just looking at her and, of course, whispering among themselves. The only person on that table, who was not doing that was Prince Curran, who had that skin-crawling look in his eyes as he regarded her intently. Deciding to shift her focus, she looked at her food and willed her appetite back. But Pauline had other plans.

"It's like you are the lady of the day," Pauline stated the obvious. "Only you seem to be getting more hatred than envy. It wasn't this bad for Franchesca."

Pauline was right. While the girls had envied Franchesca and glared at her. It hadn't been as intense as that. Was it because she was just a princess of a poor colony and not the prestigious daughter of a rich Athanasia noble? or was she just overthinking?

The only person who hadn't spared her a single glance that day, was the single person she wanted looking at her. Tyren. He was his usual cold and calm self. Eating his food leisurely, like her life wasn't being cursed to hell because of their outing yesterday. Yes, it hadn't been a date. But it had been special. Hadn't he felt it too?

Despite how hot and cold she had been with him. He hadn't, even for a minute, seemed to mind her brutal but honest remarks on everything. If anything, he looked like he understood her. Like her words mattered. He had listened to everything she had said with—