Royal Watch (Royal Watch #1) - Stacey Marie Brown Page 0,77

I used to love to study and read about history. This place had cured me of that.

There was a lot I used to love but had grown used to being without.

Like freedom.

I had even seen it from up close, saw what it was like, this gilded cage, and still, I stepped in. Though no one can ever prepare you for the reality of it.

It only strengthened my aversion to the entire world’s notion about the happily ever after crap because you fell in love with the prince.

I could guarantee any girl who’d bitch me out, saying she’d give anything to switch spots with me, would be rethinking that once she was here.

It was cruel, demanding, isolating, controlling, and tiring. Not to say it didn’t have its perks, but those were nothing I couldn’t live without.

Theo was why I was here.

It’s just an adjustment period. Soon this will be normal for you. Your life.

A squeeze in my chest had me slamming the folder closed; my feet needed to move.

“Anything else?” I quipped, standing up.

“Yes.” Heidi’s voice spun me around. She had slunk back in soundlessly, standing near the door. “A stylist will be in your room at four. The car will be out front at quarter to five on the dot. You will be arriving at the arena at five thirty for pre-event cocktails and press pictures.”

“Do not speak with The Victoria Daily. I’m still not happy with how Greg covered your incident,” Chloe piped in, frowning. Telling us to ignore certain press was her way of passive-aggressively punishing the press, getting them back in line.

A buzz sounded in Heidi’s hand, her eyes dropping to my phone, shutting it off.

“Who was that?”

“Doesn’t matter. You can call them back later.” Chloe motioned for me to go. “You have an etiquette lesson soon, and I have a lot to do.”

Holding the folder to my chest, I gritted my teeth, marching out of the room before I let my tongue off its leash. Pissing off Chloe was never going to work in my favor.

Irritation had me hurrying down the hall, not really thinking about where I was going. Theo was gone for the afternoon, and Eloise was with her tutor. She talked her parents into letting her leave university up north and be privately tutored at home, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family.

In honesty, she didn’t like school, saying she always felt she couldn’t trust anyone there, everyone befriending her because she was a princess, not because they liked her. She had to be her image. On. She preferred being here around Theo and their friends, and me. And I couldn’t deny I had enjoyed her here. She had saved me many nights I had thought about using the bedsheets to help me shimmy down the drainpipe.

The empty hallways thumped with the sound of my heels striking the carpet. Knowing the maze of hallways like the back of my hand, I followed them to the private gardens. The air was crisp and cold. I wrapped my sweater around me, stepping out onto the path and taking in a deep breath.

The smell of wet mulching leaves and a hint of the car fumes that slipped over the wall mixed in my nose. The garden was my place. None of the royal family ever came out here. It was the only place I felt at peace.

Gazing down at my shoes, my nose wrinkled. I hated high heels. Always had, preferring riding boots or my chucks. But it was another thing I found myself wearing all the time now. Another thing I gave in to because it was easier. Just like the demure dress I was wearing.

Kicking them off, the damp gravel wiggled through my toes, the dirt grounding me, digging into my soles as I walked to the pond. Staring at the glassy water, I had the urge to fall into it, letting it take me under. To be nothing for a moment. No voices telling me what to do or say, not even the one in my head telling me I wasn’t good enough to be here. To float away.

Pulling up my dress to my knees, I stepped into the icy water. A shiver darted up my limbs, hitching my breath. But I liked it.

I felt alive. Present.

“Very improper, my lady.” A deep voice yanked a gasp from my lips, twisting me around. “Plus, you’re scaring the fish.”

“Jesus. You scared me.” I patted my chest, the tension running through my body