Hunting Royalty

8. Bribing and Brunch

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for Lady Nadia Somerset, is that you?" I ask her feigning confusion.

"Yes," she says also confused.

"Oh great! I'm Alia de Luca." I say adopting a bubbly personality similar to what I saw her and her maid doing. "I'm sorry to ask this since we just met but you'd be doing me a major favor and I'd be so super grateful. I seem to have over packed a little and I can't fit half my clothes in my wardrobe and I heard that you have a much larger wardrobe in your room and I was hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind switching rooms with me," I say rambling on for effect and adopting a hopeful face at the end.

"Oh wow, that must be so inconvenient, I really wish I could help but I've already unpacked and I really like my room," she says in an apologetic tone.

"I would be very grateful. Are you sure there's not anything I can do to change your mind?" I say no longer hiding the fact that I am bribing her.

I can see the wheels spinning in her head, she doesn't want to give me her room so she is trying to think of something extreme to ask for. I see her eyes fix on my necklace. "Is that a red beryl?" she asks.

"Yeah," I reply, the red beryl is one of the rarest gemstones and are worth considerably more than diamonds. The necklace contains a single red beryl in a teardrop shape, carried by a plain gold chain.

"I want your necklace," she says with a victorious grin.

"Okay," I say cheerfully. I unclasp it from my neck and hand it to her. "Thanks so much you're a lifesaver! I'll go let the maids know to start moving our things," I say with false enthusiasm. I turn and catch the prince watching me with amusement, I stride away before either can say anything. 

Mission accomplished, in more ways than one.

*****

The next morning, I wake up in Nadia's former bedroom to Elise pulling back the curtains. "Good morning Miss."

"Urgh," I groan rolling away from the light.

"You're going to miss breakfast," she lectures before opening the next curtain.

"I'll get lunch later," I try to compromise.

"Actually Lady Amelia Southerland has asked if you're a free to have brunch with her," Elise informs me.

I clamber out of the oversized bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Tell her I'll be there."

Elise goes to find Amelia while I bathe then she helps me prepare for the day. "What do you want from life?" I ask her.

The seriousness of the question seems to throw her. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"If you could have or do anything, anything you want, what would it be?" I ask looking at her though the mirror.

She continues to pin up my hair for a while before looking back at me. "I guess I would like to have my own place, a bed and breakfast. My mother is a cook and I would love for us to be able to run a place together," she says with a smile like she is imagining it.

"I think one day you will."

"It's not likely, I'd never manage to save the kind of money I need," she says sadly. "There finished," she says slipping the last pin into place.

I ponder her dream all throughout the rest of the morning. I finally come up with an idea and I send a note to father asking for his approval, if he agrees I will be able to secure Elise's loyalty.

On my way to brunch I notice the academy has filled up with all the returning students and many of them are busy catching up and sharing all the latest gossip.

Amelia has managed to arrange for our brunch to be brought out to a gazebo in the gardens. "Alia, I'm so glad you could make it," she says with excitement.

"I wouldn't miss it. This looks wonderful."

"Thanks. So how have you been? Did you and your friend have a nice dinner that day?" she asks blushing. It seems she has developed a small crush.

"Actually, it was interrupted by some guy trying to stab the prince. The whole place was in chaos," I say embellishing a little.

"Oooh, I heard about that. Michaela said Matthew saw the whole thing. Apparently, Nate nearly died, but some random guy used his gift or something and saved him," she says with a mix of awe and excitement.

"Yeah, that was Kayden," I add.

"Oh wow, he sounds amazing. So how do you know each other?"

"We've know each other forever," I say. I'm deliberately vague, I don't want our connection being common knowledge yet.

She blushes some more before saying, "My cousin Nadia told me what happened yesterday." She laughs, "It was about time someone took her down a peg. I think that's the first time in years she hasn't got something she wanted. She spent an hour insulting you at dinner before Nate told her to shut up."

I smile remembering the dirty looks she shot at me. "I really wanted that room," I say shrugging.

"You should be careful; she's looking to get back at you," she warns me.

"I'll be fine."

We talk a little more about people she knows and the classes we are excited about before finishing up our brunch and going back. I really like Amelia she's a little naïve but she reminds me of Vee.

A/N

I wanted to thank everyone who is reading my story.

What do you think of Nadia and Amelia?

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Enjoy my Lovelies <3