𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄 | ✎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕

She glances at me over her glass and rolls her brown eyes. "Oh, please, Alexander," she responds irritably. "This was a last-minute thing." Her head twists to the side in her friend's direction, and she whispers something in the lady's ear. My gaze shifts to the small hickey on her neck, though.

Did I leave that there?

A smile spreads across Camille's face as she notices where I'm looking. "I forgot to cover it." She pauses and flashes me a playful wink. "How about we get out of this place and have some fun?"

I looked her up and down for a moment before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to me. "I'm at work. Don't pull any of your bullshit here," I whisper sharply in her ear.

She giggles and presses herself against my chest. I can tell she's not taking me seriously. She never does, and it pisses me off. Sometimes, I wonder if she even loves me.

"Oh, calm down, babe," she replies, leaning into me even more. "It's a party! Don't you get any downtime?"

I clench my jaw, visibly angry. But I know she won't listen to me if I get mad. Maybe a different approach would work. "Please, Cami. I really would appreciate it if I could just focus on my job," I sigh.

Groaning dramatically in response, Camille pulls away from me and lets her eyes roll almost all the way to the back of her head. "You literally hate royals. Why do you even work for them?"

I tense up immediately, my neutral expression turning into a complete death stare. "You know I don't have a choice."

Cami sucks in through her teeth, looking away from me. "Right. Touchy subject. Forgot, sorry." She apologizes with so much ingenuity that it's surprising how insensitive she is.

"Whatever," I grumble. Standing here with her just reminds me of how miserable my life really is when the princess isn't around.

Shit. The princess.

I push Camille aside gently while my head whips around all over the ballroom, looking for any sign of Elena. Relief floods my brain when I spot a familiar red satin gown in the crowd. It's hard to miss her; she simply stands out from the rest of the people here.

"Hey!" The blonde huffs after being pushed to the side and then catches up to me. "Where are you going?"

"To guard the princess," I tell her as she walks beside me now. I don't have time for her games, so I don't even bother looking at her.

Prince Marco stops us in our tracks and looks at Camille with narrowed eyes and a faint grin. "Bodyguard, who's this?" Looking her up and down, his grin widens. "She's beautiful."

She flashes her pearly white teeth at him and bats her eyelashes playfully. The prince is already easily taken in by her charming smile and flirtatious behavior. "Camille Duquesne," she introduces herself, extending her hand towards him. "And you are?"

What the fuck is going on?

Darting my eyes back and forth between the two and watching them talk grosses me out. Not only did I think my girlfriend would never meet Marco, but the fact that she's entertained him this long is strange. Yet for some reason, I'm not really jealous. If she wants him, she can have him. I don't care.

He chuckles and kisses her hand. "Marco Antonio de Rossi, Prince of Spain," he says, leaning in and whispering. "And I'll make your dreams come true tonight."

Someone buy me a gun so I can shoot myself.

Cami's eyelashes flutter again, and she smirks. "I believe you could." Her eyes twinkle with mischief as she looks up at him, biting her bottom lip.