Which was surprising considering Oliver was so… Well, so Oliver. Brandon, I could understand. He was quiet, always had been. I wouldn’t expect him to make the first move in a million years.
The cocktail party was being hosted at a large banquet hall in a fancy five-star hotel in the downtown core. There was a great deal of security at the front entrance where all of the party’s guests were gathering. I supposed that made a lot of sense. Some of the kingdom’s most important and influential people—myself included—were going to be here. Brooklandia was a relatively quiet and peaceful country, but Mother always warned me to be on guard when out in public. Just like at the Christmas market, people would find reasons to harass me if they really tried.
Our stretch limo arrived at the front entrance where a long red carpet was stretched out to greet me. One of my bodyguards opened the door for me and allowed me to slip out of the vehicle. An explosion of camera flashes nearly blinded me as news reporters and magazine photographers snapped pictures of me in my outfit. This level of attention used to bother me a lot when I was a little girl, left me feeling overwhelmed like I was stuck beneath a microscope. But I’d learned very quickly how to ignore the flashes, the calls for me to ‘look here, please.’ I couldn’t let people push me around just to uphold their expectations.
I was a princess, the future Queen. One day, nobody would be able to tell me what to do.
Brandon was quick to take my hand and lead me inside away from the cheering crowd. On the other side of the street was a large gathering of people, the majority of them holding up cardboard signs with protest slogans written over them. One glance at them and I could tell they weren’t very friendly. Well, monarchy-friendly.
“Down with the Crown!” screamed a hysterical woman in the front row.
“Our children are starving, and you’re here partying!” shouted a man further back.
I swallowed, guilt creeping into my mind from the base of my neck. I wanted to help them. I really did. That was why I was so eager to organize charity events and support local causes. But there was only so much I could do with the amount of power I held. I was powerless until I sat on the throne. I promised that I’d one day help them, do everything I could to take care of my people. But until then, there was nothing I could do. Father was set in his ways, and right now, social policies were the least of his concerns.
“Your necklace could have paid for my family’s meals for months!” a man yelled at me.
I almost turned to address the person, but Brandon kept a firm hand against my back.
“Ignore them,” he whispered as he guided me inside.
I did my best, but even inside, I could still hear their muffled chanting from across the way. I tried to push the negative thoughts out of my head, attempted to swallow down the unease that was bubbling up into the center of my throat. I couldn’t take things personally. The people were angry. They just needed someone to take their frustrations out on. I just happened to be the closest thing to a punching bag they’d come across as of late.
“I said ignore them,” Brandon pressed. “If you’re not feeling well, we can just go home.”
I shook my head and forced a smile. “No. It’s okay. I’ll have fun.”
Brandon didn’t look convinced, but he nodded regardless. “Okay. But let me know if you change your mind. I don’t care if we leave twenty minutes in or six hours in.”
I gave his arm a squeeze. “Thank you. You’re a good friend.”
“I’m the best friend.” He chuckled.
The banquet hall was luxuriously decorated, though it couldn’t really hold a candle to the Midnight Magic Ball my family hosted earlier that week. The lights in the hall were dimmed so that the glow-in-the-dark star stickers littering the ceiling and the walls could truly shine and take center stage. The fresh pine tree in the corner of the hall was decorated up with red and gold ornaments and warm white lights that wrapped around its branches. Along the far wall were several tables full of snack foods and refreshments, directly beside the live band that was playing jazzed-up versions of famous Christmas carols.
It was hard for people to not notice me. The second someone spotted me, they’d break away from whatever conversation they were partaking in to bow at me. I could tell a lot about a person from the way they bowed. Those who were stiffer, who limited the gesture to a quick dip of their head—it was easy to tell they weren’t exactly supporters of the Crown. Those who were overly dramatic and smiling wide, even though I didn’t recognize them in the slightest, were people who clearly wanted something from me. It was honestly exhausting feeling like I was stuck in the middle of not being wanted and being wanted for all the wrong reasons.
“I’ll grab you something to drink,” offered Brandon.
“Thank you,” I said, picking a spot next to a tall bar table to linger beside. The piece of furniture was the only thing separating me from the rest of the room and its occupants. I placed my hands on the edge of the table and gripped at it, like some sort of safety blanket or anchor point.
The lights and the sounds and the smells were dizzying. One would think I’d be used to events like this by now. But being alone amongst a crowd always made me nervous. I knew most of the people here, but I didn’t really know them. Save for Brandon, I didn’t have very many friends or people I could place my confidence in. Every single person here had an agenda. They were all smiles on the outside, but on the inside? That was a different matter entirely.
I looked about the room and studied everyone’s faces.
If I tried hard enough, I could find Senator Sabatino amidst the group and try my best to stay away from him and his supposed hundred followers. But it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was dangerous for me to be out in the open like this, but it was a necessity for optics’ sake. Maybe it was a good idea that I was here instead of Father. Had Father been the one to deal with the protesters outside, there was no telling what kind of mayhem would have ensued.
“Care for a drink?”
I startled, whipping around so suddenly I almost lost my footing. It was a good thing I was holding onto the table because the surprise that was waiting for me nearly knocked me off my feet.
Beside me stood a tall young man in a fine grey suit, black button-down shirt, and pretty blue tie. He was holding out a glass of white wine for me, a charming smile across his lips. It took me a couple of seconds to place his face. It was one I hadn’t seen in ages.
“Rodrigo?” I gasped. “Rodrigo, is that you?”
He smiled bashfully, his grin just as goofy as it was when we were children. Rodrigo cast his eyes down momentarily as he sheepishly shrugged. “Hello, Marina.”
I let out a breathy laugh as I attempted to wrap my arms around him. He was a lot taller than I remembered him being, so I kind of bumped him in the shoulder, inadvertently causing him to spill a bit of the drink. The liquid sloshed and landed on the floor, luckily sparing my dress and Rodrigo’s expensive-looking Oliver Smiths. With an amount of grace I couldn’t understand, he chuckled and placed the glass on the table before moving back in awkwardly to hug me.
It was a quick embrace, a little stiff and lacking any sense of coordination. It was like trying to put on a sweater that was two sizes too small. My arms were tangled up around him, and he had to crouch slightly so that I could even reach him. When we pulled apart, it became even more apparent just how much he’d grown since I last saw him.
His jaw was much more defined, and his cheeks appeared hollower, accenting the perfect contours of his high cheekbones and straight nose. The freckles that used to decorate his cheeks had long since faded, barely visible on his olive skin. He didn’t slump anymore, didn’t try to pull away because he was shy with everyone and everything. Rodrigo stood with a straight back, chest puffed out, and head held up with pride. His knobby knees were gone, replaced with legs for days. He was refined, well put-together. Save for those short, unruly dark brown curls at the base of his neck, it was hard t
o imagine that this was the same Rodrigo that left me so many years ago.
“H-how are you?” I asked because what else was I supposed to ask a man who’d disappeared without warning and without explanation?
“I’m, uh… I’m good. I’m really good. How about you?”
“Good, good.”
I cleared my throat, tongue suddenly too dry to speak. I just couldn’t stop staring. He’d changed so much that he was almost unrecognizable. His suit hugged him in all the right places, and I was almost embarrassed when I realized how unbelievably sexy he’d become. It was weird to think of a childhood friend as hot, like it was a taboo thing to think. But damn did his arms look massive and strong. The fabric of his suit seemed to have trouble containing his bulky frame. The muscles of his shoulders were defined and broad, and his chest was nice and wide, leaving his waist cinched off nicely in the center.
“You, uh…” I giggled nervously, trying to release some of the awkward tension that was riding on my shoulders. How was this handsome young man before me the same little mouse of a boy that I knew? “You look really good.”
Rodrigo chuckled embarrassedly, his cheeks fading into the faintest shade of pink. “Thanks. You look really good, too. I mean, um. Yeah. Am I allowed to say that to a princess? Or is that a no-no?”
I laughed, immediately warming up. I forgot how funny Rodrigo could be when he was anxious. “It’s fine,” I said.
He let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, good. That’s good.”
“What have you been up to? I mean, that’s kind of a dumb question. I’m sure you’ve been up to a lot.”
“Would you like a breakdown?”
I grinned. “Yeah, actually. I would. I’ve missed you.”
Something behind his dark blue eyes sparkled. “Really?”
I nodded. “Of course. You kind of just … left.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was sent to an all boy’s boarding school. I wasn’t allowed to take you.”
“You took the whole no-girls-allowed-in-the-tree-fort thing a step too far, huh?”
Rodrigo chuckled. His voice was so much deeper now that it amazed me to no end. It was low and velvety and thick. If I could have a person narrate my life and everything I did, I’d hire a guy like Rodrigo. There was something incredibly calming about his presence, something familiar and warm and so wonderful. I was genuinely happy to see him here. And that was when the question occurred to me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
His shoulders tensed slightly. “My father and mother were invited to the party, but they chose not to come. You know. Because, uh…” He gestured vaguely with a hand.
Rodrigo didn’t need to say anything for me to understand. I got his message loud and clear.
“They didn’t want to run into the King, I take it?” I finished for him.
He nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“Well, funnily enough, I don’t think Father wanted to run into your parents either.”
“And we’re both here instead.”
I couldn’t help but smile, feeling warm and fuzzy all over. I’d forgotten how easy it was to be around Rodrigo, how simple things could be when we forgot about our obligations and our titles or, in his case, lack thereof. Those kinds of things never mattered to us as children, and I didn’t see why they’d have to matter now.
“When did you get back to Brooklandia?” I asked, eager to catch up with my old friend.
“A couple of days or so.”
“Are you here permanently now, or…?” I didn’t want to say it aloud. I didn’t want to ask if he was going to leave again. If he did, I probably wouldn’t be surprised. I was sure Rodrigo had interesting things in his life to keep him occupied. Maybe there was someone special he’d rather be getting back to. A lot could happen in ten years, but I didn’t want to assume.
“I’ll be here for the next couple of months,” he said, though he didn’t sound entirely certain. “My father’s been talking a lot about having me apply to law school.”
“That’s great. I remember you saying you wanted to grow up to be a lawyer when we were kids.”
Rodrigo chuckled softly. It was both a startling and wonderfully calming sound. “That’s right. If I recall, I wanted to be your private lawyer so that we could make and pass laws to help the people when we grew up.”
“We also wanted to fund scientific research into dinosaur cloning,” I mumbled nostalgically. “You were really excited by the prospects of having your own pterodactyl to ride around.”
He bashfully hid his eyes behind his hand, smiling at the floor. “Now why did you have to go and remind me? Talk about embarrassing.”
I giggled. “You think that’s embarrassing? Don’t tell me you forgot about the time I convinced you to put on one of my mother’s old ball gowns.”
He laughed joyously. The sound practically lit up the room. “I blocked that out,” he admitted. “Didn’t you try and put makeup on me too?”
“I did. Mother wasn’t happy about me wasting her lipstick on you. We should have taken a picture.”
“I, for one, am glad that we didn’t. I don’t need that kind of thing haunting me for the rest of my life.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I chided.
“You’re being modest.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe I am trying to spare your pride.”
Rodrigo gave me a dramatic bow, sweeping an arm before him slightly as he did. “Thank you for having mercy.”
I was just about to ask him if he wanted to dance when Brandon swept in, finally having returned from the refreshments table. He stepped between me and Rodrigo, his large back blocking my view.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped.
I placed a hand on Brandon’s arm and shook him. “It’s fine, it’s fine. This is—”
“I know who he is. Rodrigo Sabatino.”
Rodrigo, calm and collected, stuck his hand out to shake. “And you are?”
“Demanding that you leave Princess Marina’s presence.”
“He’s an old friend of mine, Brandon,” I insisted, unsure why he was being so hostile.
“His father is the King’s enemy,” he hissed. “His father intends to take away your throne. Don’t let old friendships let you forget that. You two can’t be seen together. It’ll just cause more trouble.”
Frustration mounting, I stomped my foot. “Enough, Brandon. You’re taking things too far.”
Rodrigo shook his head, a defeated look washing over his blue eyes. “No, he’s right. I didn’t think of it that way.”
Brandon crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Rodrigo. “I’m sure you know where the exit is.”
“Right,” mumbled Rodrigo. He bowed to me, charming smile fading into something smaller, something tinged with hurt. “It was really good to see you again, Princess Marina.”
“Wait, don’t—”
I watched in utter dismay and shocked silence as Rodrigo left without another word, disappearing by a large crowd of politicians just now coming inside. I glared at Brandon, furious.
“Why did you do that?” I grumbled.
“It was for your protection, Princess.”
“I don’t need protection from Rodrigo. He’s a good man.”
“But the people he’s related to aren’t.”
I clenched my fists, felt the sharp dig of my nails against my palms. I was so tired of being bossed around, whether people’s intentions were good or bad. I could decide things for myself, but why wasn’t anybody willing to listen? “You’re not part of my security detail, Brandon. That’s not for you to decide.”
“Princess Marina, I–”
I sighed, more than aware of how red my face was getting with all the anger swelling in my head. I needed to cool down. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I mumbled before quickly retreating down the hall, leaving Brandon alone to contemplate what he’d done.
Sometimes I wanted to get away from it all.
From the noise, from the expectations, from the overbearing burden that was my title. There had been many times when I was a little girl where I’d dream of being normal. I wanted to know what it was like to go to school with the rest of the children, having known nothing but private tutors my entire life. I wanted to know what it was like to go shopping at the market without having a team of bulky security guards stifling me every step I took. I wanted to know what it would be like to have friends I could trust without wondering if they wanted something from me, if they were just keeping me in their social circles for their own gain.
I located a vacant bathroom stall and locked myself inside, sitting on the closed toilet lid. I stared at a spot on the tile floor, breathing in and out. The bathroom air was actually quite pleasant, the sweet aroma of vanilla oils and gentle soaps filling the air. It helped me calm down a bit, let me quiet my mind for a few moments. I reached into the clutch purse I’d been holding onto all evening in search of some setting powder. My nose and cheeks were probably red and blotchy, and I didn’t feel like returning to the party looking like I was on the brink of crying.
Instead, I happened upon the several red envelopes from my mystery knight that I’d tucked away for safe keeping. I didn’t dare leave his letters lying about my chambers. All it would take was one nosy maid with loose lips, and Father would likely start up a manhunt until the knight was found and brought to justice for attempting to seduce me. No, I needed to keep these little treasures on me at all times. They were a reminder to me that no matter how trapped I felt inside the palace walls, adventure and excitement were still possibilities.
Your smile is sweeter than sunshine. I hope to see it again in twelve days.
Royally Loved: The Royal Romances Books 1-5 Page 73
