A Royal Pain

Chapter nine

Harry's untamed hair is covering his pillowcase as small snores escape his lips. He's laying on his stomach, his head lying sideways on the pillow as he sleeps. His upper lip is sticking to the pillow cover because of the saliva that connected the two things and it's quite a sight to see Harry this way.

His demeanor slowly starts to shift, however, when sunlight comes basking through the window. As the sun is slowly rising, it's getting closer and closer to the height of Harry's window, until it has finally aligned

The luminosity causes Harry to move slightly in the covers, his nose scrunching up when the sunbeams hit his face. The brightness causes his eyes to not be in the darkness anymore and it temps sleep to leave his body, causing him to finally awaken.

His eyelids slowly open, his eyelashes moving along with the movements. The pair of green eyes flit through the room as Harry thinks about what happened the day before. Because of his fatigue, he can barely remember entering his room and actually falling asleep. When he thinks back, though, he recalls the Prince being there and he's grateful for his presence because otherwise, he would certainly never have made it to his bed-chamber.

He sighs as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes, his knuckles moving up and down to get rid of it. After he has done so, he suddenly perceives something shiny laying on the table near the door, the brightness of the sun outside the window making it twinkle.

Harry can't help but frown, because he can already barely remember the night before because he was already practically sleeping when he reached his room and he also consumed some alcohol through his wine at dinner, so he can certainly not remember which object is resting on the wooden concrete.

He twists his body so he can scramble to his feet and walk closer to the mysterious thing laying on the table. When his eyesight notices what it actually is, it makes his mouth emit a groan. It is Louis' runner key...

He wonders how the Prince must have gotten into his room without the piece of metal which is necessary to have when a door is locked and has a keyhole. But hey, it's the Prince, so he must have found a way. Harry is already glad that Louis didn't disturb his sleep and managed to find another way.

He knows that he has to give the key back, so he gets ready to look somewhat presentable to go outdoors. His hair is a mess, his breath stinks and his clothes have crinkles after his sleep. Therefore he definitely needs to do something about his looks and hygiene.

After having a shower, brushing his teeth, and a new set of clothes, Harry feels confident enough to go out to the hallways of the palace, but not before letting out a little sigh.

It's definitely different for him to live here. At home, he always loved to walk around naked or in pajamas if he must. Here, however, if he would do that, he knows that that would not be appreciated, even though Louis did assure him that he could wear whatever he wanted in the castle.

Then again, maybe Louis would enjoy his naked form because he was a teenage man whose preference was men, but Harry doesn't dare to draw conclusions about that matter.

He shows that he is a better man than Louis by bringing both sets of keys and not forgetting them like the Prince did the day before, and after he has slammed the door behind him and has locked it, he makes his way to Louis' room.

It's a relief for Harry to know the way around the building now and not be dependent on other people, and he shows it by his posture that accentuates his elegance and flare, but also confidence. He greets all the staff on the way, shooting them his charming smile, as he walks gracefully through the corridors.

Finally having reached the room he was looking for, his feet come to a halt and he stands straight in front of the door.

He has only been in Louis' chamber once and that was when he was invited in. Harry can't help but wonder and maybe fear how the man will react to his appearance behind the door, but he knows he has to find out. The keys need to be delivered back and Harry would like to do it in person and because of this, he doesn't have a choice.