The Crown

Chapter Thirteen

Tobias stirred within his bedsheets, unable to fall asleep.

He turned to his side and glanced at his balcony. The memory of Beatrice standing and admiring the view filled his thoughts. He turned away to the other side, but only remembered how he reached for her suitcase and handed it to her the first time they had properly met.

His mind was constantly turning with the memories of her. Not that he was complaining, but he found that the anticipation to see her next was impeding his ability to do anything else. 

With a long, tired sigh, Tobias stood from his bed. He slipped into his slippers and grabbed his robe, opening the bedroom door. He glanced at the guard posted near his door, but was thankful that the guards in the castle were not supposed to look the royals' way unless addressed to. 

Tobias walked down the stairs and wandered through the halls. He stepped into the office of the head Officer who was in charge of the servants in the castle. He reached for his drawer and scoured through for the information he was looking for. 

At the sight of her last name, Tobias pulled out Beatrice's file. He opened it and smiled at the picture inside. He glanced to the side and looked for her room number before putting the file away and leaving the office. 

As he walked down the stairs to the servant quarters, he realized how little he must know about the castle he called his home. Up until recently had he even known about an underground space transformed into arena by the organization protecting the castle. And, he had never walked through these halls in his life before.

He stopped at the sight of her bedroom door. He inhaled deeply before knocking softly on the door, hoping that he was not waking her.

Beatrice, unable to fall asleep herself, rose her head at the sound of a knock. Confused, she slowly stepped out of bed, slipping into her robe and walking toward the door. She opened it, peeking her head through, but found no one behind it. 

How bizarre, she wondered. She turned her head and noticed a figure walking away. By the way the robe cascaded against the floor, she knew it could only belong to a royal. And, there was only one royal who would wander the servant quarters and knock on her door. 

Unable to remove her smile, she stepped out and rushed over to him, unbothered by the cold floor against her feet. Beatrice reached out for the hand, turning him around and smiling even more at the sight of Tobias.

Tobias smiled back at her, relieved to see her. He had grown worried that he might have knocked on the wrong door, or that she was sleeping. 

As her heart skipped a beat, Beatrice slowly guided him back down the hallway toward her bedroom. Her head swarmed in nervousness as she slowly opened the door, looking up at him. He looked back at her, wanting to enter, but unsure if she wanted it as well. 

Beatrice took a deep breath and held his hand firmer, guiding him inside her bedroom. 

Tobias tried to hide his excitement as he closed the door behind them. 

"Hi," she said softly, breaking the silence. 

He smiled at her. "Hello."

Beatrice looked away, hiding her wide smile. "I have to confess I never thought I would see you in my bedroom."

He chuckled. "Well, I thought it was only fair since you had seen mine," he raised his thumb and stroked her wrist. She faltered, feeling limp. 

With his hand around her wrist, he pulled her close to him, sighing in relief as she accepted. He set her hand against his chest as he looked at her, his heart beating at her beauty. He reached out and pushed the strands of hair hiding her face away, admiring her more fully.