The Royal Romance Book 1

Chapter 13: Hunting for Love

Early in the morning...

I wake up to the sound of knocking on my door. I open it to find Maxwell ecstatic, "Rise and Shine!"

"Wake up." Bertrand says sternly moving Maxwell aside, "No one's getting any younger here."

"Isn't it a little early for this?" I rub my eyes and try to make them go away.

"Today's events start early!" Maxwell takes my hands and jumps around while I limply comply.

"Obviously. Do you think we enjoy standing outside your door in the early hours like some sort of postal delivery service?" Bertrand blows out hot air and I raise my eyebrow at him.

"That's not what they... never mind. Today's going to be awesome! Riley, you're going to commune with nature along Cordonia's majestic countryside."

"Maxwell let's get to it! Sunshine is exactly what I need."

"Like a plant." Maxwell begins to laugh and I can help but chuckle and have a wide grin on my face.

"Where are we headed?"

"We'll be following one of the historic hunting trails the old nobility would use. It's ancient. Even before there was a Cordonia, nobles would hunt their quarry along these trails." Bertrand straightens his suit and states this matter-of-factly.

"We're not actually hunting anything, right? I just want to make this clear."

"Hunting is forbidden these days. Besides, the dangerous wildlife has migrated elsewhere in the years since the great Royal Hunts of centuries past. Instead, you'll be riding on horseback through some of the most gorgeous countrysides in Cordonia."

"Come on, let's go!" Maxwell grabs my hand and drags me out of the room.

Walking down the hallway, Maxwell, Bertrand, and I spot Hana.

"Hey, Riley!"

"Hi, Hana. Is that a new outfit? Looks fancy."

I look her up and down and see she's wearing black riding boots that have been shined to perfection, tan pants, a white shirt and a bright blue blazer.

"Oh this? It's my riding uniform. It's going to have plenty of scuffs and dirt marks by the end of today. What are you wearing for the ride?"

"I didn't bring a fancy uniform for riding..."

"Of course." Bertrand rolls his eyes and I glare at him. "There may be one or two left in the boutique. We need to get you down there immediately."

"I'll come too!" Hana links arms with me and we skip to the boutique.

As we enter the boutique, Olivia fastens the final button on her blazer.

"Voila. Perfection, if I do say so myself."

"You look lovely, Olivia." Hana says as she tries to avoid eye contact.

"Of course I do."

"Olivia, let's coordinate outfits! We'd look so cute together." I say mockingly as I wink sneakily at Hana.

"Oooh! Like a trio." Hana laughs and I cock my head and smile.

"You two will look nothing like me! This outfit complements my dignity and grace, which neither of you has. So no matter how you wear it, you'll never look as good as me."

"We'll see about that." I maintain eye contact until Olivia storms out of the room.

I grab the last uniform from the rack and step into the changing room...