24 Hours With a Prince

Gotta love Romeo and Juliet

Lunch was a disaster; my parents started arguing about politics and the nobles were having heated discussions about the price of silver (“It really shouldn’t be rising so quickly!”). By the time the food was finished, we were all sitting quietly, all too disapproving of previous manners. The silence was deafening, it echoed throughout the room, ringing in everyone’s ears. Our guests seemed to read the room and started to say their goodbyes.

We all stood, ready to see people off in a way that made it seem we did not find annoyance in their visit. For me, that was a very difficult thing to do. A fake smile plastered to my face, I exchanged pleasantries with the guests, hoping they would all clear off to their rooms to get ready for the ball. Finally, after much acting and effort- they had all flocked to their rooms.

My mother turned to me - “Why don’t you show the prince to his rooms? That way we can all start preparing for the ball.” Reluctantly, I beckoned him to follow me and I lead him out the dining room. ““I’m so sorry about that, its not normally that bad. Everyone is just so occupied with trying to maintain peace that they have forgotten how to behave” I explained earnestly. He gave a non-committal nod that made me think he understood; after all, his family was probably behaving the same.

My shivered, battling with the sudden icy wind in only my sheer dress, arms bare. Somehow, prince Kavan noticed what would have been the smallest of actions, and slowly draped his jacket across my shoulders. “You probably should have grabbed something to cover your arms you know; it’s really cold some afternoons.” he spoke quickly, as if he might talk himself out of it otherwise.

I answered with a roll of my eyes, although on the inside I was practically exploding. His jacket was made of a heavy material; it weighed down my shoulders in a comforting way - almost like a hug. Even better, it smelt like him. Like cinnamon and woodsmoke, harsh but pleasant.

Mind racing, I led him through the labyrinth of corridors to where he would be sleeping. It was a room significantly smaller than mine or Arne’s, but nevertheless still quite huge. I opened the door and gestured him in, lighting a couple of candles as I went. “Bathrooms over there” I pointed to the corner of the room, “Study” the back of the room, “And out there’s the balcony.” I pointed to the double doors on the left.

“Why on earth would I need a balcony?” He drawled. “What if you need to re-enact the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet?” I said jokingly, trying to ignore the smell of his jacket clouding my thoughts. He looked at me and frowned, his dark eyebrows knitting together. “What’s Romeo and Juliet?” I froze, forgetting completely about the jacket hanging off my frame.

How could someone so intelligent and handsome not know what Romeo and Juliet is? It was an outrage a scandal!

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Dedicated to Sweetthecandy for commenting on all the chapters

:)