The following morning was disorienting. I'd had the occasional night away from my bed at home, but waking in the castle was just odd. Waking with so many other people in the room was even more strange.
Servants as well as my mother had woken me many times before, but no one had ever stayed in my room with me all night, nor had they begun the day's activities in it before I even opened my eyes.
On my first morning in the castle, I woke to a flurry of activity as the servants rushed from one of my maids to the other, preparing them for the day. For a few moments, I simply lay there, despising their existence and longing for the time when their presence would no longer be necessary.
To ensure that my chastity was protected, I would rarely be without at least one babysitter until the wedding. Apparently at night, there was more of a concern, so Jacqueline, Amelia, and Nicole had been assigned as my maids. The excuse was that they were intended to keep me company, but honestly, it's not as if I'd have much free time anyway. Roberta would see to that.
They were pleasant enough, and the rooms were spacious, but even so, their presence was irritating. I was not a person who enjoyed mornings, and judging by the light outside, it was still very early.
Even though I knew I'd never manage to sleep with all the commotion, I was about to close my eyes anyway, but one of the servants spotted me before I could feign sleep.
"Good morning, Miss," the girl curtsied. "I was afraid I was going to have to wake you. We're nearly behind schedule."
Behind schedule? Already? Was it even seven in the morning yet?
Two more servants joined the first, and they all waited expectantly to begin their preparations. With a groan, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and yawned.
So much for getting any rest in this place.
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It rapidly became clear what the girl meant when she said we were behind schedule. I'd assumed that my morning routine wouldn't change very much from the way it had been at home, but now that I was living in the castle and it was known that I would be marrying Alex, I would have to look the part of the immaculately groomed princess at all times. It seemed completely ridiculous considering that I wouldn't be making any sort of public appearance today, but as usual, I didn't have a choice. It seemed that on a daily basis, I would be ready to attend a ball at a moment's notice.
I'd always detested these sorts of preparations, and not for the first time, I wondered just how many awful things I'd agreed to by accepting Alex.
But at least I got Alex in the bargain, I reminded myself. He was worth all of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Long before I made this commitment, I'd been aware that my days would be busy. The castle was a hectic place, and everyone in it was typically very busy. But I thought I'd get at least a little time with Alex in between all the meetings and obligations. Apparently, that had been naive.
After my extensive morning preparations, I was directed to the dining room for breakfast. The only ones present besides the servants, were the royal family, but it felt very formal.
Everyone was welcoming enough. Alex and his father stood politely when I entered the room, and the women all wished me a good morning, but I still felt out of place. I'd known these people most of my life and never had trouble interacting with them at any of the many functions over the years, but Alex was the only one I had a real connection with. His parents were kind and even personable, but they were the king and queen and had always felt somewhat above everyone else. Isabelle and Juliette were sweet, but they were so much younger than either Alex or myself, that I hadn't spent much time getting to know them.
Besides, even though they all seemed to like me well enough, I had never been around any of them in a setting like this. I felt as if I were intruding upon their family time.
The conversation flowed easily, but I mostly sat quietly and ate my meal, not comfortable enough to do more than answer direct questions. I wished that Alex wasn't sitting so far away from me. If he'd been closer, I might have been able to say something to him. As he was currently across the enormous table, all I could do was send him awkward smiles from time to time.
Much too soon, everyone finished with their meals and began disbursing for one obligation or another. Alex lingered a few moments after his family had gone to kiss me briefly and promise to meet me for lunch. After that, I was approached by Roberta who ushered me off for my lessons.
I hadn't known what to expect, but most of the morning had been tedious as Roberta informed me of absolutely every detail of my upcoming schedule. At the moment, it was full of wedding related appointments. It seemed that though I wasn't allowed much input, I would still have to be present for most of the planning. As far as I could tell, all they really needed me for was to make sure the dress they picked out fit right.
After all of that, I would be sticking fairly close to the queen as she accepted callers and sat in on various meetings. I was surprised to learn that as part of her normal duties, she routinely heard certain minor concerns from the people and even mediated some of the less contentious disputes. It was never for men of the upper class, of course, but I was pretty impressed that she had such authority.
Of course, before any of that was to take place, I had to learn to be a princess, because apparently everything I knew was completely wrong. According to Roberta, I didn't walk the right way or sit the right way or eat the right way, or even speak the right way. Mine was one of the more important families in the kingdom. I'd been trained in etiquette and every possible social situation, but nothing I did was up to royal standards. I was exhausted just thinking about all of the effort it would take to make this woman happy.
After thoroughly going over my schedule and the many areas I was sorely lacking finesse in, Roberta decided it was time to move the the actual work portion. She was in the process of ordering a lunch tray to be brought in, so that I might begin to train while I ate, when Alex walked through the door.
Smiling brightly, I pushed away from the table and went to meet him. The morning had been long and boring, and I'd nearly forgotten his promise to meet me.
"Your Highness." Roberta curtsied, seeming confused.
"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, taking my hand. "I'm afraid you will have to cancel that tray. I intend to dine with my fiancee today."
"But Sir-" she began to protest.
"Actually, I intend to dine with her every day." Alex ignored her and smiled at me.
Having no complaints whatsoever about that, I simply grinned back at him.
"But I was told that we were to continue with our lessons today," Roberta tried again.
"There will be plenty of time for lessons," Alex said, turning to her.
"But I was told..." she attempted to dissuade him again, but trailed off at Alex's raised eyebrow. It was bold of her to contradict him. She had some authority over me, but she was servant, and he was the prince.
"You won't be in any trouble," Alex said, watching her curiously. "You may go."
Curtsying at the obvious dismissal, she let the issue drop and turned to leave us alone. If I wasn't mistaken, she looked uncomfortable. More than she should from being dismissed that way.
Alex heaved an irritated sigh. "There's such little time in the day for me to see you and I've still got to fight everyone off in order to do it."
"She's probably afraid of getting into trouble if we don't stay on track," I said. I didn't really like the woman, but I couldn't deny that she was good at her job.
Shaking the whole thing off, Alex leaned in for a kiss.
"This morning was endless," he complained. "I barely even know what went on or what I said."
"I wish I could make that claim. I have Roberta's undivided attention and she can tell when I'm not listening. Did you know that you are marrying an imbecile? Apparently, I do not know a blessed thing."
Alex smirked. "Yes, I vividly remember my own lessons. Be glad you aren't expected to flawlessly converse in several languages and know all the major villages across the country. And that Roberta is not allowed to use the ruler on you when you make a mistake."
"Is that what happened to you?" I asked, semi horrified.
"From time to time." He shrugged. "But it rarely hurt. My instructors were too afraid to inflict much pain. And sometimes I did deserve it." He smiled slyly. "And then of course, one day I figured out that I could order them to leave me alone at times. So long as I didn't do it too often, they wouldn't tell my father on me."
I laughed, easily imagining Alex manipulating those men.
"Shall we?" He gestured to the door, and I nodded happily, grateful for the reprieve from this room.
We headed in the direction of the dining room, but before we could reach it, we came across Franklin. He waited outside of the ballroom, looking very uncomfortable. After tossing a nervous glance through the open door, he bowed.
"Your Highness. Miss Graham," he said respectfully.
"Franklin." Alex inclined his head once we reached the man. "Is there something you wanted?"
"Yes, Sir....I was told you would be taking your lunch alone this afternoon." He seemed completely flustered.
Alex's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I'm aware that people are under that impression." He sounded annoyed. "What I'm not aware of is why it's anyone's concern."
I was a little surprised by Alex's antagonistic tone, but I was also curious about why our plans were apparently a problem.
"I apologize, Your Highness." Franklin bowed again. "It's just...you see your father thought..." He hesitated, clearly trying to find the right words.
Alex frowned at the man for a moment before he glanced into the ballroom and grew more irritated.
Following his gaze, I was surprised to see several people inside. There was some sort of event taking place through those doors, and apparently, Alex hadn't any idea about it before this moment. I stared into the room, wondering what all these people might be here for. They were all well-dressed, though not for a formal event like a ball. It seemed to be more pairs of fathers and daughters, like last night.
Was this some sort of luncheon for people seeking recommendations? I wasn't aware that such events took place at the castle. If that was the case, what had last night been about?
I puzzled over it for a moment, until Alex's angry voice got my attention.
"I told you this wasn't happening," he said coldly, making the man cower.
"Alex." I looked up at him and squeezed his hand, trying to calm him down. Why in the world should this make him angry? I understood the irritation at having his plans disrupted, but anger? Alex almost never got angry.
He ignored me and continued to glower at Franklin.
"I said specifically-" Alex started.
"I do apologize, Sir," Franklin interrupted, looking afraid. "It was your father's orders."
Alex's jaw clenched and he huffed angrily. I was so bewildered, I could only stare at him.
"He insists," Franklin said. "He says if you refuse again, he will plan another event and personally see to it that...." he trailed off, glancing at me and looking anxious again.
Alex closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before he turned to me.
"Keira, I'm sorry about this," he started. "But I have to-"
"Don't be silly, Alex," I said in a rush, hoping to banish that uncharacteristic anger. "I don't mind. Maybe we can get through this quickly and still have time for lunch."
Not waiting for a response, I pulled him through the door so that he wouldn't feel that I was in any way annoyed by whatever it was that he had to take care of.
"No, Keira. Wait," he tried, but before he could think of stopping me, we were through the doors.
Every person in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at us. I hadn't even been in the castle a full day yet, and I wasn't anywhere near used to all the attention that the royal family typically held, but even I knew that something felt different at this moment. People seemed...awkward. Almost embarrassed. Even though they stared in our direction, most wouldn't meet my eyes.
It was shocking enough that I offered no resistance when Alex pulled me into the nearby alcove.
"I'm sorry," he said, keeping his voice low. "But I have to take care of this. I don't want to, but it's..."
"Duty?" I tried.
"More obligation." He sighed. "It's nothing I'll enjoy. That's for sure."
"I don't mind." I gave him a small smile. As strange as it felt in this room, I could stand by him until he finished with his obligations.
He cringed slightly. "I appreciate that," he said. "It's just that you..." He didn't seem to know how to finish and it took me a second to realize why.
"You don't want me here?" I said, trying not to sound hurt.
"That's not it, exactly," he said. "It just isn't...expected for you to accompany me right now. This is something I have to do on my own."
"Oh," I said awkwardly. "Alright. I guess I understand."
He smiled and touched my cheek. "I know you do. I promise I'll make it up to you later."
I forced a smile and nodded before I turned and left the room.