Royalty Check

4 | BY OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION

𝓣he queen and prince still haven't noticed me when Ruby loudly enters the breakfast room a few moments later. 

"Oh, your majesty, your highness," she says with a quick curtsy. "Apologies, we didn't realize anyone was in here."

Ruby makes introductions — "Her Majesty Queen Philippa," "His Royal Highness Prince James, Duke of Egan," and "Hannah Asker, writer" — but all I can do is nod politely. The prince's insults are still echoing in my head: silly little romance novels. Plain and lonely.

I wait for him to apologize or give some excuse. I'd even accept an embarrassed blush. But all he does is run a hand through his tousled black hair, his near-gray eyes not even bothering to meet mine.

Queen Philippa looks from him to me before giving me a warm smile. "Welcome, Hannah. We're glad you're here."

I try to remember the etiquette articles I skimmed back at home, but every culture seems to have different rules. Do I curtsy now? Shake the queen's hand? No, I don't think you're supposed to touch royals.

Before I have to do anything though, she continues. "Please make yourself at home during your time here."

"Thank you. Ruby's been doing a wonderful job making me feel welcome."

Ruby smiles. We all look to Prince James, expecting him to follow the accepted rules of conversation and say something. But he looks out into the garden as if to make a show of how bored he is with this entire conversation.

Who does this guy think he is? Right, a prince. But it's not like that makes him a god.

I give Ruby a wide-eyed smile that I hope says "Get me out of here before further humiliation," but I'm afraid instead says "Nice to meet you, I'm a crazy person." Either way it works. She excuses us politely.

"We'll see you in a bit," Queen Philippa says.

The prince, of course, says nothing.

Back in the hallway, I let out a breath. How badly had I bungled that interaction? Ruby doesn't say anything as we walk back toward the entrance hall, wearing a warm, unreadable expression. Is she trained, like a flight attendant, to stay calm during crises? 

Or was that not as embarrassing as I thought it was?

Her smile only falters when we pass Sam leaning against a door. He straightens quickly. No idleness allowed at Redding Castle.

Except for Prince James. Nothing but idleness.

I roll my eyes thinking about him wasting his resources at lavish parties, insulting people he thinks are below him. Nothing like a prince I have ever met.

Well...I've never met a prince before. But nothing like a prince I have ever heard about!

I consider this for a second. Hmm. What if a prince isn't dashing or charming? What if he's condescending, rude, insulting? What would a leading lady do then? I reach for the notebook in my back pocket, but I don't want to lose Ruby, who is already heading up the velvet staircase.

"Members of the Redding family," she says as we pass portraits at the top of the stairs. "King Harold comes from a very long lineage of Anglo-Saxon nobility."

Ruby tells me briefly about Redding history — how the family has been in the home for 11 generations, how they could have lived in the grand castle Egan when power transferred to King Harold's great-grandfather, but chose to continue living at the more modest Redding estate instead. 

I nod, trying to seem engaged, but I wonder if I could ask her about one Redding in particular. She speaks about the family so reverently, I have a feeling my asking "So how big of a jerk IS James?" would not go over well. Maybe after a few days and a few drinks.