Royally Bounded

Chapter 27

Clara

I whined in my sleep slightly before fluttering my eyes open. The sun radiating its warmth over my face. I lifted my head from Hayden's chest to look over at the clock and stopped my gaze over at his stunning features that captured my attention.

A small smile crept on my lips when I traced his lips with my fingertip. His long eyelashes protruded from his eyes as the sun brightened over his skin. I dipped my finger down to his strong jawline, my teeth dragging over my bottom lip.

My heart immediately thumped through my chest as I admired him. He had an arm thrown over my waist, and I slowly pulled away from Hayden, escaping carefully from his hold.

The cold hardwood floor touched my bare feet, and I bent down to retrieve my discarded clothes. I threw them in the laundry basket before wearing my white satin robe. As I placed my phone down after replying to text messages, my eyes landed over the newly opened condom box.

My heart sunk as soon as I remembered how Hayden mentioned he despised children. We had to use protection to prevent any unwanted pregnancies, and he would hate it if I was pregnant with a child. I bit the inside of my cheek to push the bitterness behind my throat and threw the box into the drawer.

I should have expected that when I agreed to the marriage, I would never have the future I wanted, but I had always hoped for the chance to have my own children and tell them about my adventures. I wanted to experience the nine month of pregnancy while whispering to my baby about everything.

I stared at the mirror then lifted a small smile on my lips. Cold water splashed over my face, awakening me from my thoughts. I twirled my hair into a bun, heading out to the closet. I paired my white off the shoulder top with a black leather pencil skirt.

My stilettos clicked against the ground, and I straightened out my outfit to make sure everything was perfect. Living with my parents-in-law was all about rules. My mother-in-law disapproved us walking around in our sleepwear and wanted formality. Even if I wanted to pair my outfit with my white sneakers, she would scold at me for it.

Hayden told me that our palace was nearly fixed, and I had to survive several days before I could be comfortable back at home. I was excited to see the new changes, but I did express how I wanted most parts of the place to be the same.

"Good morning, Duchess Clara," one of the maids, Charlotte, beamed once I arrived at the kitchen. She was preparing the coffee and tea.

"Morning, Charlotte," I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I headed around the kitchen island and over to the counter where the coffee machine was.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm just grabbing a cup of coffee for Hayden and me. Thank you for offering."

"Of course, please feel free to let me know what else I can do."

I took two mugs from the cabinet and started pouring the coffee inside. As I added the sugar and cream, I heard someone call behind me.

"Clara," I recognized it was my mother-in-law.

I turned around and spotted her walking over to me. Her lips curved, and she came to stand beside me at the counter. She was dressed in a pair of blank formal pants and a navy blue top which had sleeves falling to her wrists and flaring outwards. A pearl necklace and earrings were worn as accessory.

"Good morning, mother," I beamed, tucking my fingers into the cup handle and quickly taking a sip of the delicious coffee. The smell of cocoa beans flooded my nose.