in my veins, my limbs trembling, but all I could hear were the foul comments yelled at me.
“Don’t let them bother you. They just get overexcited.” He kissed my temple, acting like we were still in that sex-induced state, while I felt like I had been brutally stripped and raked over coals before being thrown in a frozen lake.
I had never thought I had thin skin, but tonight showed differently.
I would have to turn off and become anesthetized to it all.
It would be the only way to survive.
Chapter 16
My shoes shuffled down another quiet corridor, the lack of life watching me from the paintings on the walls. Though I swear, even the stoic figures of Theo’s royal family were rolling their eyes at the number of times I had walked by, chatting to them.
Three days could make anyone go mad.
Boredom was not something I was expecting with the week I had before me, but since the entire royal family was gone, it left very little activity happening at the palace, besides the skeleton staff cleaning and working in the private quarters.
Unfortunately, I still had my etiquette lessons and meetings with Chloe keeping me from visiting home, but they only absorbed some of the hours of the day. Rain kept me from the outdoors, and I felt like a trapped rat, slinking around the palace like I was trying to find my way out of the maze.
I may or may not have even started singing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” to the portraits, with a bottle of vodka the night before.
Pulling my cell out of my back pocket, I hit a button, the call going to a service. “Hey, this is Landen… you know what to do.” Beep.
“Hey…” I kicked my foot in front of me lazily. “It’s me again. I know I’m probably annoying the hell out of you. But family gets to do that to each other.” I nibbled on my bottom lip, heading for my room. “Just wanted to talk. I miss you. Miss Mina too. Have you talked to her recently? She’s been MIA as well.” I paused as if he would suddenly pick up the call and answer me. “Anyways, I will talk to you later. Come visit me if you can. I mean, I have the King of Great Victoria’s liquor cabinet at my disposal. Think I drank a bottle that costs the same as your car.” Though the remnants of my hangover didn’t seem to care how high quality it was. “Love you. Bye.” I hung up with a sigh, stepping into my room.
Theo and the PR team highly “suggested” I stay close to the palace, as the attention on me had skyrocketed. Though I doubted anyone would notice me if I popped into a shop. I craved shopping, and I didn’t even like shopping.
“It’s not like you will run out of things to do here.” Theo kissed my head on the steps before they left as the servants packed the boot of the car. “Movie theater, library, video games, your classes… You can even break into my father’s liquor cabinet in his office, where he keeps the top-notch stuff.” Theo winked at me. “There’s plenty to do until we get back.”
“So this is an upscale version of house arrest.”
“Spence…” He tipped his head back, staring down at me. “It’s only for six days. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I forced a smile, nodding.
He leaned in, kissing me. “And when I get back, we are finishing what we started last night,” he muttered into my ear. By the time we got back from the club, I had gone straight to bed.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I nodded. “I’ll love the time to just unwind. Read.”
“That’s my girl.” His lips brushed my head before he climbed into the back of one of the SUVs heading to their private jet. Dalton gave me a nod before climbing into the car along with Eloise. The king and queen were in an SUV behind theirs.
I did enjoy the alone time, reading and watching movies, for the first day. But then stupidly—blaming my moment of weakness on the expensive bottle of vodka I stole from King Alexander’s cubby—I snuck onto social media.
Idiot.
If only that had been what they were calling me. Not one person knew me, but they all had opinions on me: slut, bitch, tramp, too tall, too thin, too fat, too short, too many freckles, too plain, uptight, not that pretty, he could do much better,