by Calista King
"What are you trying to say?" Andreas asked.
He looked hurt and disappointed, but turned away when Laila reached out to him.
"I'm not saying anything," Laila said stiffly. "I need time to think, that's all."
She was hurt by his rejection and angry at feeling helpless. It seemed like she was losing control of her life and outside forces were coming in and placing all these demands on her. Laila had always been independent--fiercely so. She'd had to become that way out of necessity, but a lifetime of taking care of herself was hard to reconcile with giving up control, and she didn't know if she even wanted to. Laila loved the freedom of having no one else to answer to and not having to worry if her actions would make a whole country look bad.
Andreas remained silent the rest of the ride to the royal gardens at the Queen's Pavilion where the garden party was to take place. His face was a mask of indifference and Laila wondered what he was thinking. He was avoiding eye contact with her and Laila eventually gave up trying to get his attention. She sat back in her seat and looked out the window at the passing scenery.
The car pulled into the private entrance of the Queen's Pavilion, avoiding the line of cars that were at the front of the long drive. It was a large estate that was built for the former queen, Andreas' grandmother, as a wedding gift from her husband. The building was based on Byzantine architecture of which Andrea's grandmother had been an admirer. The grounds of the Pavilion were lush and reminded her of an exotic garden fit for a sultan. There were numerous plants and flowers and fountains that flowed into a manmade pond.
The car stopped and Andreas exited the vehicle before turning to hand Laila out. She breathed in deeply and was delighted at the wonderful exotic scents of jasmine and rose and lemon wafting in the air. The gardens lent an air of mystery and intimacy and Laila was surprised they were even able to accommodate the thousands of guests that were expected at the garden party.
They walked through the courtyard towards the arched columns where the space immediately opened up to an expanse of flat green lawn where several tents were set up. Here the guests were gathered in their finest, eating finger sandwiches, cakes and drinking champagne.
"Right this way, sir," Phillip said. "We have several guests waiting to meet you."
They followed Phillip to the royal tent where their VIP guests were waiting. Laila saw they were mostly stuffy aristocratics and braced herself for the questioning stares that would inevitably be cast in her direction. She was not disappointed. They were introduced to several diplomats, politicians and local celebrities who looked to her with surprise once she was introduced as Andreas' fiancé. While Andreas carried on talking to his guests, Laila was approached by a young woman who introduced herself as Marla Everley.
"I've just heard the news and wanted to congratulate you personally," Marla said.
"Thank you very much," Laila responded.
She didn't know if she liked this Marla or not, but something about this woman kept her on edge. At first impression, she seemed friendly enough and was one of the few people who had sought Laila out, but Laila was suspicious of Marla's motives. She noticed that Marla kept sneaking glances in Andreas' direction when she thought Laila wasn't looking. Her next words confirmed her distrust of the woman.
"It was so sad how his last engagement ended. I can't tell you how heart wrenching it was having to watch two people you care about suffer," she said.
Laila looked at her questioningly, dying to ask her what she was talking about, but she kept her questions to herself. She did not want to take the bait that was placed tantalizingly in front of her. She knew this woman was up to no good, and the way she referred to Andreas in such intimate terms, set her teeth on edge. Laila didn't have to agonize long over her curiosity since the woman was eager to talk.
"My friend Caroline was engaged to Andreas," she began. "I don't know if you've heard, but their break up was not pretty. He had been unfaithful and she had retaliated by hurting him the only way she knew how. I told her at the time not to do it. Andreas has a reputation, you know? He's always been a huge flirt, and Caroline knew what she was getting into when she started seeing him. You can't expect a zebra to change its stripes after all."
Marla laughed at her own joke as Laila fought to maintain her composure and calm demeanor. There was no way she was going to allow this woman to see her suffering. She'd save that for the privacy of her own room.
"That may have been true, but the Andreas I know is a much different man than what his reputation has painted him as," she said, coldly.
At the harsh tone in her voice, Marla narrowed her eyes at Laila and her whole demeanor changed in an instant. Gone was the friendly open smile. It was replaced by a haughty sneer.
"Very well! I was only trying to warn you what you were getting yourself into. You'll learn soon enough what everyone here already knows. Andreas is not a man you can trust with your heart, but I can see now that love was not the reason you accepted him," she said looking Laila up and down in an appraising manner.
Laila was incensed by the implication that she was only with Andreas for his wealth and position. She was just about to throw all her newly learned etiquette out the window and show Marla how they settled things where she came from, when she felt a strong arm drape around her shoulder. She was momentarily shocked out of her anger by the sudden contact and relaxed instantly once she realized it was Andreas. Laila could tell he was angry by the flaring nostrils and thin line of his lips turning down into a frown, but he remained outwardly cool.
"Marla, what a surprise to see you here," Andreas said.
His tone was light and cheerful, but Laila could tell he was anything but. Marla knew she had overplayed her hand and looked up at Andreas nervously.
"Yes, well I couldn't miss this could I? After all, it is in honor of your father's Silver Jubilee," she said. "I think I see my mother calling me over. I'll let you get back to your guests now. Ciao ciao!"
Laila laughed at Marla's retreating back, watching as she wound her way through the crowd, trying to get as far away from them as possible.
"She just couldn't get away fast enough. Reminded me of a cartoon how her feet were just kicking up dust," Laila laughed.
Andreas smiled at her before his face turned serious. "I hope she didn't upset you with her words. I didn't quite hear what she was saying but I could tell from your demeanor that it wasn't anything good," he said.
"I'm sure she was just trying to stir some shit. She seemed like the catty type to do just that," Laila said.
"Stir some shit?" Andreas smiled.
"You know, causing trouble? She's probably just jealous anyways."
"Yes, I can say that she has always been a bit of a shit stirrer," he laughed. "What did she say to you?"
"Maybe we should talk about this another time. It looks like Phillip is coming over with a group of people for you to meet," Laila whispered as the group came within ear shot.
"Yes of course," Andreas said, before turning around and greeting the group with a smile.
Andreas looked like he was in his element, chatting and laughing with people with such charm and ease. After meeting with the VIP guests in the royal tent, Andreas moved to the throng of people who were already lined up to meet the prince. Laila had stayed in the background, offering polite smiles and handshakes if asked, but for the most part, no one knew who she was or cared. They only had eyes for Andreas.
Laila and Andreas only stayed for another 40 minutes before saying their goodbyes. She was surprised they were leaving so soon, not that she minded. It looked like a lot of time and effort had gone into the whole set up of the party for them to leave after such a short time.
"The celebration will continue without us," Andreas said. "We were merely the main act, but they'll be there for a few more hours yet."
They headed back to the car through the courtyard and were on the road back to the palace within minutes. The atmosphere in the car was less chilly than it had
been on the way there. Laila thought the garden party wasn't so terrible after all. It had been her first official event in Castonia--one of many, she assumed. With the exception of Marla, the rest of the guests had been curious about her, but polite. She wondered what it would be like once they were married. She'd have to take a more active role in these types of events, conversing with strangers and acting interested in their affairs.
"How do you do it?" she asked, breaking the silence in the car.
"Pardon?" Andreas said.
"How do you manage to stand around and greet people you've never met and act like they're the most interesting person in the world?"
He smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. "I've never really thought about it before. It's just something I've always been raised to do. My brother and I started going to these public events we since were little boys. We really don't know any different," he said modestly.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Laila said. "It's so foreign to me. I don't know how I'll be able to act interested in something I'm not."
"You are an actress aren't you? Just pretend you're playing a role."
"Yeah the role of a royal princess. It'll be my greatest part yet," she joked.
Andreas was silent and Laila wondered if she'd insulted him. She was about to speak before he cut her off.
"So are you ready to tell me what Marla said to you?" he asked.
"She didn't say much. It was all so catty, I don't even know why I let her get to me. That's exactly what she was trying to do too. She wanted me to lose my cool so she'd embarrass me in public. It's all so obvious now, I should've seen it sooner."
"I don't doubt your observations. Marla is not a nice person," Andreas said. "Still I'd like to know what she said to you to upset you so."
"All right. She just told me about why you and Caroline broke up. She said you cheated on her and that's why Caroline went behind your back to sell you out. Then she had the nerve to tell me that I was only with you for the money and fame. Can you believe that bitch? As if I knew you were a freaking prince when we started dating!"
Laila was so caught up in her retelling of the events that she didn't notice the tensing of Andreas' muscles and the anger emanating from him. When she finally caught on, she became worried. He looked like he was straining very hard to keep his temper in check.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"N-nothing. I'm just shocked she would so overstep her bounds to say those things to you. None of which is true, by the way," he added.
"I figured as much," Laila said.
They lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts until they pulled up to the palace. They stepped out of the car and Laila walked up the front steps towards the great double doors leading inside the private quarters of the royal family.
CHAPTER 26
"I'm so glad that's over," Laila said as she closed the door behind her.
Andreas unknotted the bow tie at his throat and sat down on the sofa as he kicked off his shoes. "I know what you mean. I had almost forgotten how consuming these events could be. "
"I swear, I think I had the same fake smile plastered on my face the whole night. My jaw and cheeks are so sore."
As if to demonstrate her point, she began to rub her face, massaging the stiffness out of them.
"And here I thought you were just so happy to be there tonight," Andreas joked.
"Don't get me wrong, it was interesting and I did have some fun, especially that fireworks show, but it was all the staring and pictures that got me," she confessed.
When they had arrived at the banquet dinner and later the fireworks display, Andreas and Laila were bombarded with questions about their relationship and rumors of their engagement. It seemed like every single newspaper, television, radio, internet and freelance reporter in Castonia was out tonight to catch a glimpse of Andreas and his "mystery woman."
The reporters had shouted questions at them asking for details of their relationship. Laila had never experienced anything so crazy before. The closest she could come up with was the Winter Gala, but even then, all the attention had been on Andreas. Here in Castonia, she felt like all eyes were on her, scrutinizing everything about her, from her face and figure, to her dress, and demeanor.
"It's nothing less than I expected. You can't show up with a beautiful woman and not have everyone and their mother wondering who she is. Think of it as our official coming out," he said.
"Is it always like that?" she asked.
"Not always, no."
"I'm not sure how to take that," Laila said. "Should I feel flattered that everyone wants see who the lucky lady is who snatched you up, or should I be worried that it'll always be like this? That I won't be able to leave the house without 50 paparazzi following my every move."
Even though the thought was said in a light hearted manner, Andreas knew the worry behind her words was real. He wanted to reassure her and tell her that things would get better and the press would back off once the novelty wore off, but he couldn't be certain and he didn't want to lie to her. In the end, he decided not to say anything.
"Perhaps we should go to bed now. I'm so tired and tomorrow our schedule is packed, so we'll need our rest," he said.
"What do you mean packed?" Laila looked at him in alarm.
"We've got to open the music school that I'm a patron of, attend a charity brunch, head over to the national museum where they'll unveil a new portrait of my father, and christen a new yacht named in honor of my mother."
"All that for tomorrow?"
"That's just before lunch," he said.
"Kill me now."
"Never," Andreas said, grabbing her by the waist and walking her backwards towards the bed. "You're not going to get out of it that easily."
They both fell on the bed laughing and Andreas bent down to kiss her. She arched up into his embrace and wound her fingers through his hair as she slipped her tongue into his mouth.
"Mmm," Andreas groaned. "I've been waiting for this all day."
He stood up off the bed and slipped off his jacket and pants before flipping off the lights. When he got back on the bed, he bent down again to capture Laila's lips in a kiss, but she lay unresponsive on the bed. Andreas pulled back and looked down at her realizing that she had fallen asleep.
He felt a stab of disappointment before it was replaced by sympathy for Laila. She'd had a long and trying day and tomorrow wouldn't be any easier. She needed all the rest she could get. He gently unzipped her dress from her body and took the pins from out of her hair before covering her with the blanket and slipping in after her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her bare shoulder before laying back and closing his eyes. Sleep overtook him in an instant.
The next morning found Laila sitting up in bed alone. It took her some time to orient herself, as she looked around her unfamiliar surroundings.
"Ah you're up," Andreas said.
"Where did you come from?" Laila asked.
Andreas was already dress and groomed, looking every inch the dashing prince in a custom fitted dark gray suit with a navy blue tie. His normally unruly hair was slicked back, though a few curls managed to escape and hung over his forehead.
"I've just been in the sitting room, reading the paper," he said.
"How long have you been up?"
Andreas cast a glance at his watch. "Oh about an hour and a half," he said.
"What? What time is it? Have I overslept?" she asked. She started up off the bed, but Andreas waved her back down.
"No not at all. It' s only 7:00 am. We have plenty time before our first engagement."
"What are you doing up so early?" she asked.
It was unfair for him to look so handsome and put together at such an early hour, while she felt disgusting in nothing but her underwear. She could feel the makeup still on her face from last night and her hair felt like a rat's nest on top of her head.
"I had some business I had to attend to this morning."
&n
bsp; "So early? What kind of business was it?"
Andreas was reluctant to answer. He flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off his sleeve before finally looking at her and giving her a reassuring smile. "Nothing important. You know how it is--a royal's work is never done."
Laila could tell he wasn't being completely honest with her and she wondered what had gotten Andreas up and out of bed so early in the morning. She was about to ask him when he distracted her with the newspaper.
"Have a look at this," he said.
He brought the paper over to the bed and opened to the society pages. Laila's eyes immediately spotted several pictures of her and Andreas at the various functions they attended yesterday. The headline read: "Meet Castonia's Future Princess." She read the accompanying article which was basically a fluff piece about her and Andreas and their "surprising" engagement. The article mainly focused on who she was and how they had met.
There weren't many details about her provided--only her name and the fact that she had met Andreas in New York. Laila figured the papers had been in such a rush to get the story printed, that they hadn't even bothered to do a simple background check. She knew there'd be more articles and stories about her in the future, and those would more likely delve into her past and the life she had led in New York.
"Well, what do you think?" Andreas asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"It's...something. I mean, they really haven't got much here," she said, pointing at the article. "All they know about me is my name."
"Give them time. Soon enough, they'll know everything about you, and even some things you didn't even know yourself," he joked.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Laila said.
She didn't need anyone digging up stories about her since she was sure there were more than a few people who'd love to throw her under the bus.
"Well, it's not like you've got some dirty dark secrets for them to uncover. At least you'll be spared that," he said.
Andreas had no idea how his words affected Laila. She felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. If he only knew what kind of secret she was keeping from him, he'd be so disappointed.
