𝓣he royal guest slowly made her way down the grand stairway, her soft blue gown draped behind her. Her glass slippers — yes, true glass slippers — hardly made a sound. It was almost as if she were floating.
Somewhere in the distance a quartet played The Blue Danube, but she hardly heard it. Because he was standing there, at the bottom of the steps, in his full military regalia, looking surprisingly like a prince. She was not sure what she expected. He was, after all, the prince. But there he was.
And in a ballroom full of well-dressed princesses, duchesses, and other titled women, he was looking at her.
He smiled. "Good evening. You look beautiful."
Suddenly she couldn't find words to say. And even if she could, she wasn't sure she could catch the breath to say them.
Gently, he took her hand and kissed it softly. It was then that she lost count of the other couples as he led her onto the dance floor. All she could see were his summer sky eyes as he spun her and brought her in close.
The music picked up in volume. He led them across the room, his hand firmly but gracefully on the small of her back. Her skin grew warm where his fingers touched her.
He opened his mouth to say something.
This is it, she thought.
She glanced at the large grandfather clock looming in the corner. Just in time.
"I..." he started.
The music crescendoed over his words.
"I can't hear you!" she said, pointing to her ear.
He leaned in, so close his lips touched her ear lightly. She took in a quick breath. "I wanted to say..."
"Have you seen my tie?" a distant voice asks.
I ignore it as the cursor on the screen continues to blink at me.
"I wanted to say..."
Come on! What would a man in love say?
"Han!"
I'm startled back into my kitchen-meets-office and look up to find Philip standing over me. How long has he been there?
"You scared me!"
"Sorry. Have you seen my tie? The blue one?"
"No."
He fixes his perfectly parted hair in the mirror. "Never mind. I have extras in the office."
According to the clock in the living room, I've been working for 2 hours. How can that be? And only a dozen words to show for it. Ugh. The couch looks so inviting.
No. Come on Han. Focus. I turn back to the computer, resolving to not look away until this chapter is complete.
"What did you want to say?" Philip asks.
I inhale with obvious annoyance. Then I remind myself: It's not Philip's fault I'm a fraud who has fooled everyone into thinking I can write and now I've found myself up against a deadline AGAIN and this time it's really over and they'll all find out and I'll be done.
"What?" I say.
"You said, 'I wanted to say...'"
"I did?"
Philip squints at me from behind his coffee. He's giving me his lawyer-future-judge look. I hate that look.
"What would a man in love say to his sweetheart to get her to marry him?" I ask.
YOU ARE READING
Royalty Check
Romance"What if a prince isn't dashing or charming? What if he's condescending, rude, insulting? What would a leading lady do then?" Hannah Acker is a less-than-poised American author who writes royal romance. When she wins the chance to live in a real Eur...
