Royale (Book #1 Royale Series) {Under Revision}

Chapter 29: Exposure

Juliana's POV

With a shaking hand, I grabbed the tea cups from the tray and proceeded to bring them into the next room. Sweat drenched my neck down to my back causing the delicate fabric of my nightgown to stick to my body.

I walked in the sitting room of my chambers to see a broken, little girl curled up in an arm chair and I had the sudden urge to walk over and hug her. But I knew she would not want that.

"Everything is going to be okay, Taylor. I promise."

"You can't make that promise, Juliana. None of us ever know how things are going to change in this stupid palace. I just want to go home." I thought she might cry, but no tears emerged from her eyes. She was probably all dried out.

Taylor has been staying in the palace for over two months now, but it felt like she lived here. She was supposed to be staying here until the wedding, but before that, she had come over here to blatantly torture me about three times a week. It was easy to forget that she had a home of her own. Extended members of the royal family had residences spread across the royal grounds. The palace was right in the center. Her home was about a twenty minute walk from here.

"I know that you are panicking now and I get it. I do. But we are all here for you. You won't be in this alone." I tried assuring her.

"It isn't even totally about that. It's just, I know Scott had his mind set on breaking up with me and now he feels obligated to stay. And I hate feeling like I'm someone's obligation."

"That is not true. Scott loves you. I know it. Otherwise, he would have left you regardless."

She shook her head as if I was incapable of comprehending the situation on my own.

"He doesn't care about me. And he shouldn't. I did choose my mother over him. He doesn't really love me. And the sad thing is, I can't even blame him." She shook her head again, but this time, in defeat.

I had to say something. Anything to make her feel better. To make her understand that what she had going with Scott was the perfect honeymoon compared to what I was going through.

"Aspen hit me." I stated quickly before I had a chance to change my mind.

Taylor choked on her tea. "What?" She said in between coughs.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's the truth."

"No way, you're just trying to make me feel better because I know for a fact he would never do-"

I cut her sentence short by abruptly standing up and peeling off my nightgown.

"What the hell are you doing?" Taylor asked.

I took off the robe and carefully lifted the nightgown over my head until I was only in my bra and panties. I turned to show her my bruised side.

The pain had subsided and sometimes I would skip a few days of putting on the herbal cream until it started bothering me again, but the bruise was still clearly visible, taking up the better half of my side.

"What the hell?" Taylor stood up to examine the wound. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "I've been using this stuff..." I trailed off when she started ranting.

"That son of a bitch! How dare he lay his hands on his future Queen? The only person on this planet that he should be getting on his knees for? How hard did he hit you to accomplish this?"

"Not very hard. When he did, I lost my balance and fell on the edge of the stairs. If I hadn't done that, he barely would have made my face turn."

"Don't try to rationalize this, Juliana. He hit you. There is nothing else to it."