by S. E. Rose
“Well, I have to be going. It was nice to meet you both,” I say to them.
I give Andrew a high five before leaning down to hug him.
“Does Kathryn come here often?” I ask him because I feel like he’s an excellent wingman in training.
“Yep, she comes here a few times a week since I’ve been here,” he whispers back. “Will you come back too?”
“You bet,” I say, and I mean it because I want to find out more about Miss Kathryn.
Chapter Three
Kathryn
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say to Andrew as I pack up and head back to my apartment. Jackie follows me as we walk toward the exit.
“He seems good today,” she says, talking about Andrew.
I nod. “He does.”
I had been in Norddale for four months now as part of a graduate program. I had always volunteered at the children’s hospital back home, so volunteering here seemed to make sense. Andrew is my favorite patient for many reasons. He is poor and his mother works two jobs and can’t visit often, but he never lets that bring him down. He is alone most of the time and going through something so hard that even most adults couldn’t relate to him, yet he fights like a brave soldier. I’ve only seen him cry once and that was out of pain.
My classes are every morning, but several afternoons a week, I come here, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for several hours. It lets me escape my life for a bit and focus on something other than me. It’s my happy place, as weird as that sounds.
“Got a lot of homework tonight?” Jackie asks as we walk.
I shrug. “Nope, just some reading. Why?” I ask her.
“No reason, was just curious,” she says. “So, how was the prince?”
I laugh. “I was waiting for that question.”
She raises an eyebrow.
“Fine. He’s actually not as bad as I thought he’d be. He was nice. And he was sweet to Andrew.” To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of Prince August. The tabloids, hell even the mainstream media, paint a very…colorful picture of the man. He frequently dates supermodels or at least is seen making out with them at various clubs. If he’s not partying on a yacht or jetting off to a private island with celebrities, he’s wining and dining a who’s who list of female celebrities. He’s a definite lady’s man, but he also has a reputation as a bit of a male whore. I can never really tell if the moments like today are merely the palace’s attempt to paint a more respectable picture of him, or if he has some sort of self-respect buried deep down inside.
His mother was known for her charity work. She was considered the people’s queen and was revered by many. His father has an untarnished reputation and is known as a fair leader for his small principality. His older brother has been put on such a high pedestal by the press that I often wonder what he’s like in real life because no one could be that perfect. His younger sister recently stole the world’s heart with her marriage to Prince Logan of the neighboring nation, Montelandia. They are an interesting family for sure, but aside from the basic facts that the whole world knew about them, I didn’t know much about them.
I head to my room when we get back and bury myself in my books. No, it’s not exciting, but it’s the reason that I’m here.
August
“You still under house arrest?” Anna asks.
I groan, knowing if she’s calling, then she must want something. “What do you want?”
She giggles, and I can’t be mad at her. “I was hoping that you could do me a favor?”
Her sugary voice tells me that I’m going to regret agreeing to whatever she is about to ask that she knows I’ll agree to because I always cave to my little sister’s demands, no matter how crazy.
“Sooooo…Logan’s third cousin or fourth cousin or something doesn’t have a date to the ball this weekend. Could you…you know, hang out with her?”
I curse. “Uh, I have already been promised to another lady suitor.”
Anna laughs. “Seriously?”
“Would I joke about something like that?”
“Who?”
“The president’s daughter.”
Anna starts laughing. “Kate! OMG! She’s sweet but you are gonna need a distraction because she is way too sweet for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snarl, annoyed with Anna.
“Jeez, chillax. I’m just saying that Kate has a reputation as a sweet do-gooder, and you have a reputation for…well…you know. I just mean—”
“That I’m a partier, playboy prince who doesn’t know his limits?” I ask, quoting a tabloid story from three weeks ago.
“Augs, I didn’t mean it like that. I just know you like to have fun. I’m assuming Gwendolyn will be fun. I mean, I think so.”
“Wait, Gwendolyn Pennington?”
“Y-yes? Why?”
FML. I knew Gwen in both the proverbial and biblical sense. She would likely want to carve my heart out with a spoon if given the chance. I may have had a one-night stand with her in St. Tropez three years ago and then never returned any of her texts, but to my backing, the woman was out to bag a royal family member. She would have slept with anyone who had an H.R.H. before their given name.
“Uh, we are acquainted.”
“Fuck. I’m guessing when you say ‘acquainted’ you mean ‘acquainted,’” she states, emphasizing the last word.
I sigh. “Yes. Not one of my finer moments, but yes.”
“Well, shit. I’ll have to find someone else, then, I guess.” Knowing my sister, she’ll be scanning the internet in five minutes, looking for a suitable alternative for Gwen while biting her lip and eating an Oreo.
“Oh, Prince Patrick?” she asks but she clearly has her mouth full of cookies because it sounds like “Frans Fatrik.”
I scan my memory. Nope, total loss. “I think you’ll need to ask Chris because I don’t exactly know who’s coming.”
The silence that follows only means one thing, a very long eye roll.
“Fine. You know I love you, right?”
Great. I don’t want to know what’s coming next, but it can’t be good if it’s following that line. “Out with it.”
“You need to get your shit together.”
“Apparently, that seems to be a common sentiment as of late.”
“Well, it’s an accurate one. You aren’t twenty-one anymore, Augs. At some point, you need to face the adult world.”
“What for?” I grumble like a petulant child.
Now, it’s Anna’s turn to sigh. “I’ll see you next week. Let’s have lunch when I get home.”
“OK.”
“Miss you, Augs.”
“Miss you too, Suzy Q.”
I hang up and stare out at the grounds of the palace. I decide to fit in a second workout. I need to clear my mind.
Chapter Four
An afternoon off equals a lazy day by the indoor pool. It’s the day of the ball, which means later should be…entertaining. A normal man might be nervous to be in a room with a one-night stand and a blind date, but I’m not a normal man.
I decide tonight is an excellent time to pull out my Kiton tuxedo. I typically don’t flaunt my wealth, but the bad boy in me wants to irritate Gwen and also look sexy as fuck. I check my hair in the mirror before heading to my desk. I open my laptop. I want to do a little intel on Kate. I vaguely recall a few photos of her with her parents, but I can’t say she left much of an impression. I don’t recall us every meeting at any events. She’s been in school, so she likely wasn’t in attendance at anything in recent years. I type in her name but then there’s a knock at my door.
Shit. I close the laptop and open the door.
It’s Paola. “Sir, you’re needed for a press event prior to the ball.”
I give him a curious look.
“Your father is preoccupied at the moment and asked that you commence things in his absence.”
Fuck. I hate press events. I would wager all my inheritance that Dad’s test
ing me in some way.
“Fine,” I answer through gritted teeth. I take one more look in the mirror in my entryway and follow Paolo to the library. The library is where we typically have formal press events. It’s filled with old books and has a beautiful stained-glass window. There’s a giant portrait of my mother hanging above the fireplace. There are three floors to the library. It’s an impressive sight even by my standards. Contrary to popular belief, it’s one of my most favorite rooms in the palace. There’s a small alcove on the third floor of the library that’s somewhat hidden behind a bookcase. I moved a leather chair in there as a teenager and made it my space. It’s still where I go when I really need to think.
I enter the room. There are a few members of the press, and I notice two podiums set up in front of the giant stone hearth of the fireplace. I look over at Paolo with curiosity.
A moment later, several men in the room stand as the door opens. Not much surprises me or catches me off guard. I make it my business to know everything and always have the upper hand, but I have just been completely played because Kathryn from the hospital is standing in the doorway looking like she just stepped off a Paris runway in the most curve-hugging, skin-exposing silver ball gown that I’ve ever seen. I study her, closely this time, and I realize my mistake as I hear Paolo greet her.
“Miss Kate, so pleased you could join us for the press conference on behalf of your nation.”
Kate or Kathryn or whatever she goes by allows Paolo to take her hand and kiss it. She gives me the briefest of curtsies. Well, shit, this just got a whole lot more interesting than I had imagined it would be. I try to wipe the surprised look from my face as I smile at her.
“Your Highness,” she says, doing her best to hide the smirk on her face, which is not a very good job.
“Pleased to make your formal acquaintance…Kathryn,” I say wryly with a raised eyebrow.
“The pleasure is all mine,” she counters with a wink, a motherfucking wink.
We are interrupted from further conversation as my father’s secretary enters and a brief press conference begins. It’s the usual formalities of welcoming a representative of another nation into our home, blah, blah, blah.
I watch Kathryn from the corner of my eye. I don’t know why I never noticed how beautiful she was. Typically, the most gorgeous daughters of foreign heads of state were always on my conquer list. I wrack my brain as to why she wasn’t on it; why I hadn’t made her a conquest yet. Of course, I probably haven’t bothered to look at her since her father was elected and she was a mere pimple-faced teenager. Well, fuck it, that would change tonight. I internally smirk. Two birds, one stone. I will proudly keep this beauty on my arm all night just to rub it in Gwen’s face. It’s childish, but shit, it’ll be fun.
Kathryn
The look of surprise on Prince August’s face was priceless. I knew all about him, and being able to put a womanizing, playboy asshole in his place felt good, no it felt great. I was a little hurt when he didn’t recognize me at the hospital, but then I figured it would be fun to mess with him, so I kept my identity a secret until this moment.
I politely answer questions from the press. Prince August is the perfect gentleman. He’s a media darling, and they eat him up. He jokes and calls them all by their names. By the end of the event, they are eating out of his hand. He could say just about anything and they would gush over it. I wonder how he does it. I know these are all journalists from reputable newspapers and networks, but they don’t even pry into his playboy lifestyle that is splashed all over the tabloids. I file this fact away. I’ll have to ask Sharon how this happens. Sharon’s my keeper, so to speak. She handles all my formal engagements related to the White House.
I turn toward the door as the press conference ends. Jackie, my assigned agent, follows behind me. Jackie and Dominic have been my assigned Secret Service agents since I was a kid. But mostly, when we are out and about, it’s Jackie who is with me. She’s closer to my age and looks more like a friend than a Secret Service agent. My father would not be pleased that I don’t always have two agents with me, but there have been perks to living on the other side of the world in anonymity compared to my former residence of New York City and Washington, D.C.
I know Dominic is milling around here somewhere, but only Jackie is by my side as Prince August extends an arm for me. I take it because that’s the socially polite thing to do.
“The Grand Ballroom is this way,” he says as he leads us across the giant main entrance of the castle and down a large hallway with gold trim and enormous paintings. Double doors that are about two stories tall open into a ballroom that would dwarf the rooms at the White House.
There’s a line of dignitaries including King Michael, who I’ve met previously when he visited D.C.
“Kate, it’s wonderful to see you,” he says warmly, kissing my cheek.
I curtsy. “Likewise, Your Majesty,” I reply. Sharon had debriefed me on the proper etiquette again this morning. I hate it. I can never remember what to call various people and curtsy or bow. Every country has its own rules and customs. But I can’t hide behind teenage ignorance any longer. I’m now expected to be a representative of my father’s administration when I attend such functions. It’s…difficult.
“I hope Auggie is making your evening enjoyable. I’d love for you to join us at the Summer Palace this week, that is if you are available. We just renovated it, and we haven’t had many guests there yet. It would be a pleasure to show you more of our nation.”
I bow my head slightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I would be honored.”
He claps his hands. “Excellent. I’ll have my staff get in touch with details. My daughter, Anna, will be home this week. I’m sure she will enjoy showing you around the estate.”
I nod politely as Prince Auggie leads me down the line to greet other dignities. Prince Auggie…it seems foreign to me to say his nickname yet it suits him.
What did I just agree to? I’ve heard Princess Anna is not like the stuck-up bitchy princesses that I have met in Europe. But still, I’m unsure if this will be an enjoyable week. I will agree to a two-day stay since I have classes and finals are approaching, it will be an easy out.
I’m momentarily brought out of my thoughts as Prince Auggie lifts two glasses of champagne off a server’s tray and hands me one.
“To new acquaintances,” he says, clinking glasses with me.
“To new acquaintances,” I repeat as I take a sip of the champagne. I see the prince look across the room and my gaze follows his. There’s a woman, not much older than me, who is glaring at him.
“A friend of yours?” I ask. He slowly turns his head back toward me.
“You could say that.”
“What else could I say?” I ask, raising my eyebrow. An orchestra begins playing music. The king, escorted by a woman I recognize from another royal family, starts the first dance before others join. I watch the pomp and circumstance. It’s familiar yet foreign.
Prince Auggie takes the champagne flute from my hand and sets it on the tray of a passing server. He places his hand on my lower back and leans into my ear.
“Let’s see if you can dance as well as you can deceive members of the royal family,” he whispers. Goose bumps form on my skin, and I’m not entirely sure if it is from his hot breath on my skin, the intoxicating smell of his cologne, or the fact that he just called me out.
I don’t answer him, but I allow him to lead me to the dance floor. He takes me in his arms as we begin to waltz to the classical music being played. I glance around the room. There are a few flashes from a nearby photographer. I try to keep the polite smile plastered to my face, something I learned from years of White House state dinners.
“Your friend doesn’t seem too happy,” I say to him, breaking the silence as I eye the woman from earlier.
He doesn’t even glance in her direction. “You bored of this pageantry yet?” he asks me, ignoring my question.
“I-I…but we just…�
� I trail off, unsure of what to say.
His Cheshire cat grin has shivers of excitement running down my spine, even though the intellectual side of me says to ignore his clever, playboy ways.
He leans forward so only I can hear him. “I promise you my tour of the palace is much more entertaining than this ball. Plus, we’ve done our duty.”
He pauses when a hand taps my arm. I look up to see the king himself.
“May I cut in?” he asks. Prince Auggie does the best he can to not roll his eyes.
“Of course, Father.”
The king takes my arm, and we begin to dance. King Michael is extremely attractive. It’s very easy to see where his children get their looks from, between him and his late wife, it’s amazing his children aren’t all supermodels.
King Michael whirls me around the floor with expert dancing skills. I giggle as he spins me.
“You’re a very good dancer,” I say with a laugh.
He winks at me and grins. “I still have some good dance moves. So, how are you enjoying your time here in our nation?”
“I love it here,” I admit because it’s the truth. “My classes are going well at the university. And I’ve been able to travel a bit. Although, I haven’t seen all of Norddale yet.”
“You’ll love our summer home, then,” he says, reminding me of his offer.
“I’m excited to see it.”
“The estate is beautiful,” he starts but is cut off by a tap on my arm.
I expect it to be Prince August, but I’m surprised by an old friend, Terrance Rollin.
“Your Majesty, may I cut in?” he asks, bowing his head. I do my best to refrain from eye-rolling. Terrance is the son of a very famous singer. He is a world-famous pianist. Because of his celebrity status, he is always invited to everything, and I mean everything. So, him being here isn’t surprising at all. He’s super funny, and I thoroughly enjoy his company.