The Prince's Unwilling Lover (The Royals of Monaco Book 1)

by Leslie North

  The queen asked Francesca and Macee a few questions. It was obvious that she was trying to compare the two girls and Macee knew that her sister’s answers were superior to hers. Prince Louis stared at the two sisters. He was pleased to see that Macee was even lovelier once the paint had been scrubbed off her skin and she was more suitably dressed. While it was clear that Francesca was more prepared for palace life, since the prince suddenly found himself with the opportunity to choose, he liked the idea of being married to someone who had more to offer than proper etiquette and the ability to curtsy.

  “I would like to have a moment to speak with Macee in private,” Prince Louis said as he rose. Macee looked up in surprise.

  “That is a good idea,” the queen said.

  Macee looked around and got up reluctantly. She did not want to speak to the prince. What in the world would they possibly discuss? She followed him out of the room and into the corridors. As he walked, Macee couldn’t help but notice how tall he was. As the shortest of the three sisters, Macee felt even smaller as she attempted to keep pace.

  “So how old are?” Prince Louis asked her.

  “I’ll be nineteen at the end of the year.” And too young for marriage! she told herself.

  Prince Louis stopped walking and looked at Macee. She was looking at the ground. He asked her what she thought of their union. “I was surprised at your choice and quite frankly, I do not understand it,” Macee responded.

  “You should be delighted.”

  Macee frowned and looked at him. “Whatever for?”

  “To be marrying the crown prince.”

  Oh the arrogance! Macee wanted to laugh in his face. “I am afraid I am not delighted, your highness.” she was not afraid to let him know what she thought. There was nothing special about marrying him; she was not the kind of girl who dreamed about marrying a prince.

  “It does not please you to be marrying the crown prince and becoming the future queen?” Prince Louis was suddenly intrigued. Since when was there a woman in Monaco that did not dream of being his wife? It did not make sense to him.

  “Your highness, it would be better for everyone if you changed your mind and agreed to marry my sister instead.”

  Prince Louis raised his eyebrows. “Why should I?”

  “She will suit you better and she is better prepared for…all this,” Macee answered as she waved her hand at the room.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” Macee tried to conceal her frustration. It seemed as though she was not getting through to him. He was standing there looking at her with a smug look on his face.

  “I am afraid I have already made my decision.”

  “But you can change it.”

  “I can but I will not.”

  “I do not want to marry you.” She did not want to sound mean or ungrateful, but he wasn’t getting it. Maybe if she said it in that way, he would grant her request. Or maybe he'd be offended and call all this off. Either way she was not good at concealing her thoughts.

  Prince Louis was not offended. In fact, he was amused and intrigued at this young woman. No one ever said no to him. Who did Macee think she was to say no? She should feel honoured not dismayed. Was it simply because of her sister or was there more?

  “We should return,” he said after studying her for a moment. He knew that she wanted a different response but he was not going to indulge her. He had to admit that he was enjoying the challenge and he looked forward to getting to know her.

  Macee frowned as she watched him walk back into the room where everyone awaited them. She stood there for a moment, wondering if he had heard what she had just said. She followed him back into the room wondering if maybe there was something wrong with him. Perhaps he was slow, she thought. Whatever it was, getting out of this union was going to be even harder than she had expected.

  “How was your talk?” Bridgette asked. She was not impressed with either one of the girls. Francesca seemed to try too hard and Macee was simply not appropriate for the position.

  “Quite alright,” Prince Louis replied.

  After the LeBlancs left the palace, the royal family discussed the matter at hand amongst themselves. Bridgette was the first to point out that Macee was not an appropriate match. She curtsied wrong, her table manners were not spectacular and her attire and demeanour were simply not up to par.

  “Those are things that can be taught,” Prince Louis interjected.

  “Liane had a natural elegance that both her sisters do not have,” Bridgette continued.

  “I concur,” the queen said.

  “Does the bride have to be from the LeBlanc family?” Princess Katherine asked.

  “Enough,” the prince stated. “I have chosen Macee already and I consider the matter closed.” The more his family argued against Macee, the more he wanted her.

  “My son has made up his mind,” the king stated. “What do we need to do next?” he asked as he looked to his wife.

  “We will send her an instructor to teach her how to be more fitting for the position,” the queen said. As she thought about it, there was a lot that needed to be done to prepare Macee for the wedding and the reception. If they had the option to put the wedding off, they would, but it was to take place at the start of the jubilee in celebration of the anniversary of their emancipation and return to a sovereign nation.

  Chapter 6

  Macee sat up in bed glaring at her mother. She rarely got up before ten, but her mother was insistent that she get up and get dressed. The royal instructor had arrived to start coaching her. She clutched the covers tighter. She did not want to wake up nor did she want to be coached. Her mother pulled the covers off the bed.

  “You have to get up this instant,” she demanded. Macee dragged herself out of bed muttering complaints under her breath as she marched to the bathroom to brush her teeth before heading downstairs in her pyjama bottoms and a vest top.

  Walking into the living room, Macee saw an unfamiliar man and woman seated on the sofa. “You must be Lady Macee,” he said to her in a very posh accent.

  “And who are you?” Macee asked as she slouched down in the chair opposite them.

  “I am Charles, your royal instructor and this is my assistant.”

  “I do not need an instructor.”

  “On the contrary, you do. As the crown princess, you will be expected to behave in a certain manner and that means not sleeping in or walking around in your night wear.”

  Ridiculous! Macee thought to herself.

  Her mother walked into the room and snapped at her to stand up and listen to everything Charles told her.

  “We will be working on your posture today,” Charles said to her. “Given your…diminutive height, it is of the utmost importance that you learn to carry yourself with grace. Correct posture and body language ARE necessary,” he emphasised.

  Macee glared at everyone in the room. As the shortest one in the family, she was often made to feel much younger than she was simply because everyone else was at least five or more inches taller than she was, but she certainly didn’t need some stranger pointing it out. At her mother’s insistent look, she sighed loudly and complied.

  “Your legs should not be that wide apart when you stand,” Charles corrected her as she reluctantly stood up straight and reduced the width between her legs. As Charles issued instructions, his assistant demonstrated for Macee how to sit down and stand, like a lady. Macee tried to copy her movements, but it wasn’t perfect.

  Mrs LeBlanc buried her face in her hands. It was clear that they had a lot of work ahead of them. Macee did not know the first thing about being a lady, which of course wasn’t her fault if Macee chose not to participate in the lessons provided to her sisters.

  Charles spent hours with Macee teaching her how to walk at a more fluid and slower pace with less swing in her arms. They also worked on her body language whilst she spoke to people. Macee did not even realise that was a thing. With each new instruction, Charles' assistant demon
strated the correct position to her as Macee practiced.

  Throwing up her arms, Macee gave up for the day. She had been at it for hours without a break. She was tired, hungry and simply couldn’t take it anymore. As her mother went to stop her, Charles told her to let her go. It was her first day and she needed time to adjust. As Macee left the room in search of food, she saw her sister go upstairs. She wished that Francesca had come in while she was working with the instructor as she could have used her sister’s support but she had been noticeably absent lately and barely spoke to her when she was in the same room.

  * * *

  A few days later, Mrs LeBlanc was informed that Macee needed to move into the palace. This way the royal family could keep an eye on her and see that she was trained properly. Mrs LeBlanc broke the news to Macee who immediately put up a fuss. She simply ignored her rants and dragged her to the car. She had to go whether she liked it or not.

  On the ride over to the palace, Macee hunched down in the car. She was not pleased about it at all. She didn’t see the point of having to change how she walked and talked. People should like her for who she is, not how she sits in a chair. She knew that the coming months would be difficult because once she was inside the palace; it would be all royalty training all the time. She hoped that at least she would be able to bring over some of her stuff. Her mother didn’t even give her the chance to get some things together; she had simply dragged her to the car.

  Two maids greeted Macee as she entered the palace and took her to her new chambers. The chambers were large as expected and everything in there was beautifully designed and clearly expensive. She sat on the sofa unsure what to do with herself. Macee's stomach twisted in knots when the maids told her that the queen would visit her later. This whole situation was becoming more and more real. She felt like she was drowning, and there was no escape.

  Princess Katherine was the first one to come visit Macee. The maids bowed to her as she entered and showed her to the balcony where Macee was sitting. She stood up when she saw the princess. She was not sure if she was to bow her head to her or curtsy. The princess sat down at the table and gestured for Macee to join her.

  “How are you settling in?” Princess Katherine asked.

  “I was surprised to have been brought to the palace so soon,” Macee replied.

  “Normally, the crown princess has years to prepare but unfortunately you do not have that luxury. So everything for you will be accelerated to fit the little time we have.”

  Well that was not her fault was it? Why did she have to suffer for it?

  “I understand,” Macee said as she nodded.

  The princess started talking about life in the palace, as she described what it was like to be a princess. Everything sounded ridiculous to Macee. How could one live that way? Every day she was to wake up early and start her princess lessons. She was not keen on the idea of working with Charles, as he was constantly correcting her and Macee found it irritating.

  “How do you feel about marrying my brother?”

  Did she really want the answer to that? Macee asked herself. “I don’t even know him. Everyone is telling me how I should act and feel, but no one seems to care what I think. Prince or not, the idea of marrying a man I barely know scares me,” Macee stated, as she looked miserably at Katherine.

  Katherine couldn’t help but feel sorry for Macee. It was clear that she didn’t want this and she couldn’t understand her brother’s insistence at going through with the wedding. She knew that her brother saw something in her that everyone else seemed to miss and she hoped he was right. Squeezing her hand, “It is understandable. That was another reason for you moving into the palace early. It gives the two of you a chance to get to know each other.”

  “The prince is a busy man, there probably won't be enough time before the wedding,” Macee said miserably. She’d never even kissed a boy before and suddenly she was getting married. This was all too much.

  “Well, I can vouch for him. He can be pretentious and conceited at times, but he has a good heart.”

  Macee agreed with the fact that he seemed conceited. She may have had one conversation with him but he was not slow to reveal it. “I hope so,” she said.

  As Katherine rose, she looked down at Macee. “He’ll be back later this week and you will have some time together. In the meantime, the seamstress will come by later to take your measurements for your clothes.”

  Macee had a horrible feeling that the clothes were mostly going to be dresses and skirts. Those were the very types of clothes she avoided like the plague. She sighed deeply. This was going to be her life from now on.

  “I shall call on you soon,” Princess Katherine told her as she left.

  “I’d appreciate it,” Macee said. The princess smiled before she left. She stayed on the balcony with her hands on her hips. She did not know whether to be pleased with the fact that Prince Louis was out of town. On the other hand, she was not keen on speaking with him or spending time alone with him getting to know each other. Having him out of town delayed the reality. They did not have to act like a couple. However, Macee needed to get to know the man she was to marry and hopefully convince him not to marry her.

  Chapter 7

  It was a hard week for Macee. She had thought that Charles was difficult but he was nothing compared to Bridgette who had taken it upon herself to help the new crown princess. Macee could feel Bridgette’s dislike for her. Macee had not taken a liking to Bridgette either. She was too short-tempered and unfriendly. You would think that she was the queen by the way she acted.

  Every single day, Macee woke early. Immediately following breakfast, she was to report to Bridgette and Charles for princess training. Learning the so-called graceful walk was not easy for Macee and Bridgette had quickly grown frustrated with her. When she spoke to the queen, she suggested finding a more suitable candidate who already had the basic training, but the queen refused. The preparations for the wedding celebration had already begun; there was no turning back now.

  Macee couldn’t understand the point of many of the lessons, which she felt were useless. She was a science major; she couldn’t care less about history or geography. She didn’t see the point of memorising all those points on maps or historical dates, that’s what the internet was for. The seamstress had provided her with the beginning of her new wardrobe and she couldn’t stand it. Gone were her comfortable leggings and t-shirts. Instead, she was expected to wear calf-length pencil skirts with funny looking blouses or calf-length dresses. At the very least, the skirts forced her to slow down when she walked, but they were so uncomfortable.

  She was relieved when the weekend finally came as she was allowed to sleep in and did not have to attend any lessons. Macee was grateful because her body and mind needed the rest. She tried to call Francesca, but was quickly rebuffed when her sister told her that she was too busy to talk. Macee called Liane immediately after.

  “Annie, you need to speak with Frannie,” Macee said. Liane laughed.

  “You know she hates you calling her that,” Liane replied.

  “I know,” Macee smirked. She only called her that because she hated it. “She won't talk to me. I think she feels that I stole her opportunity, but I didn’t. She can have it,” she added.

  “Oh no, she would not feel that way. What makes you say that?” Liane always saw the best in her sisters.

  “Annie, she hasn’t spoken to me since I was forced to come live in the palace. I could see it in her face before I left. It's not like I asked for this and it's not like prince is the love of her life, or mine.”

  “And that’s exactly why I don’t think she would be angry with you.”

  Macee sighed. “I tried my best to decline all of this. Mother actually dragged me to the car and forced me in. I even told the prince that I did not want to marry him.”

  Liane gasped before she broke into laughter. “And what did he say to that?”

  “He kept telling me that I should be delighted to
be marrying him.”

  “That is Prince Louis alright. Always so conceited.”

  “What about you? What has been happening with Jean Pierre?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing? Annie you must tell him.”

  “I know, but not now. It would cause too many problems for everyone.” Liane knew that she had to tell him but she did not know how. Once the secret was out, there was no turning back. Macee hung up the phone and went to have breakfast. She felt a little better after Liane said that she would talk to Francesca on her behalf.

  “What are your plans for the day, your highness?” One of the maids asked Macee. She was still not used to them referring to her as her highness.