The Prince and I

Chapter 6

The queen looked at me and motioned for me to sit down in the seat across from her. I did as she said and awkwardly looked around the room.

"This is a nice and cozy room." I said, trying to make small talk. The queen laughed and nodded.

"Well, as it turns out, I agree with you." She said. Hearing the queen talk in a relaxed tone calmed my nerves.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" I asked. The queen sighed.

"Well, fill me in. How were the last two days?" She asked. I thought about my answer,

"First thing first, there is definitely a lot more surprises in this place than I thought." I replied. The queen nodded.

"From what your sister said, you didn't want to come here." She said. My jaw dropped and I blushed.

"Oh god. I am so sorry. I really didn't mean any offense by that." I explained. She laughed at my attempt to make the situation better.

"What about Maximum?" She asked. I froze and thought hard on this one.

"Well, he's definitely not what I expected him to be like." I said slowly, thinking about every single word.

"What would you do if Maximum picked Isabella and not you?" She asked. My heart stopped at the thought.

"Accept it. Even if he did pick me, I don't know the first thing about ruling a country. Plus, look at Isabella, she's gorgeous, and I'm just... pretty." I said quietly.

"Are you trying to say Isabella is going to win?" She asked. I shook my head.

"I'm just saying, I'm not expecting much." I said. The queen nodded.

"That's all for today. Have a nice night." She said. I nodded and got up. I curtsied and left the room.

I slowly walked to my room in thought. I hadn't noticed how high my hopes were until I was telling the queen. I needed to remember why we were here, and that Isabella is the one that wants this. Deep inside, I felt like I betrayed her in some way.

I distractedly walked to my room.

Let me explain myself: I was distracted, the hallway looked exactly the same from both sides, and I still didn't really know the castle.

So thing is, guess who walked into the wrong room again?

This time though, I noticed immediately because I looked up to see Max laying in bed...

With Isabella on top of him.

I did not expect that. Bella looked annoyed that I interrupted, whereas Max looked surprised that I was there.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry." I murmured as I stumbled backwards into the hallway. My eyes started to sting and I looked away. "I really sorry." I repeated. My voice cracked on the word 'really' and I rushed into my room across the hall. I quickly shut the door and leaned against it. I bit my lip as the image replayed in my head. I slowly move outside to my balcony and sat on the cement floor.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on top of them. I honestly didn't want to be like this. It takes too much effort. I took a couple of deep breaths in the light breeze and looked up into the sky. It was cloudy, so you couldn't even see a glimpse of a star or the moon.

I had to agree to something... kind of like get my head on straight. I shouldn't be upset about this, I was only here to help Bella stay here. In the end, this was no competition. I just wanted to go home.

I stood up and pressed the button that called my maids in. I silently waited while sitting on my bed. Finally, the door opened and Stacey and Kelsey walked in.

"You called?" Kelsey said. I nodded.

"Could one of you help me out of this dress while someone draws a bath? After that, just lay out some clothes and then you two can go to bed." I said. Stacey walked over to me while Kelsey went to the bathroom.

Stacey sighed as she began to I do my dress.

"You're going to rest early. Is there a reason for it?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. I just feel drained from today." I said. Kelsey walked back into the room and walked to my closet.

"The bath is almost ready, we just need the clothes." She said. I nodded. The dress fell to the floor and Stacey put a robe on me. I was tying it at the front when there was knock at the door. "I'll get it," Kelsey called out. She walked over to the door while I stood straight as Stacey pulled out a bunch of pins and stuff from my hair.

I could hear talking and Kelsey walked over to me.

"The prince wants to talk!" She whispered excitedly.

"Tell him I'm about to go to bed." I ordered. Stacey frowned.

"He came here to talk with you, and you won't?" She asked. I sighed and nodded.

"You're right." I looked over to Kelsey. "Let him in." I said. She nodded and walked back over to the door and opened it. She said a few words and waved over Stacey. Stacey nodded and walked over. They both bowed and left the room and Max walked in.

He shut the door and looked at me. I had a robe on, but it still felt weird. I gave him a small curtsey.

"Hello Prince Maximum." I said sweetly. I straightened up and gave him a smile. He frowned.

"Alyssa it's not what it looks like. It w-" he started, but I quieted him by holding up my hand.

"No need to explain yourself. Is there a reason for your visit? If not, I would appreciate if you left. I'm really tired and my bath is ready." I said. Max looked upset. He nodded and bowed.

"I understand. Pardon the intrusion Lady Alyssa." He said. I took a deep breath as he used formalities, but I didn't say anything because I was doing the same thing. I nodded and walked to the door. I opened it and watched as he walked out. As soon as he was, I closed the door, not waiting for any fair wells.