Page 1 of Twisted Royals

BRED BY THE PRINCE

A TWISTED LADY AND THE TRAMP RETELLING

RAISA GREYWOOD

CHAPTER 1

DAMARIS

My footsteps dragged as I pushed my housekeeping cart down the corridor. The thick carpet didn’t help. It was like shoving a wheelbarrow through sand.

God forbid big, clomping royal feet touch anything but the best.

As much as I wanted to bitch about my current task, the Agafonzan royal palace was gorgeous. Although the eighteenth-century mix of Baroque and Byzantine architecture shouldn’t have worked together, it was considered one of the finest examples of both styles in the world.

I should have spent more time reading the fine print, but I couldn’t resist the three-month stint as a housekeeper before starting my doctorate. Aside from the healthy paycheck, which would mostly cover my living expenses until graduation, I’d envisioned myself seated at Princess Valeriya’s feet as she told me the oral history and traditions of this tiny principality in the Baltic Sea. Her influence, political acumen, and intelligence had helped Agafonza survive and remain independent of Russia—even after the loss of her husband, Prince Grygori.

I wanted to be her when I grew up. After learning about her in one of my undergraduate humanities electives, it was a dream come true to meet her in person. Best of all, she was an absolute sweetheart.

There was no question about how much I idolized the princess. Unless she was making a public appearance, she wore brilliantly colored caftans and kept her naturally gray hair in a long ponytail. Her at-home days were spent without makeup, and usually with dirt under her nails from tending her garden.

When she went out… I sighed and sent heart eyes at a portrait of her and Prince Grygori in state robes hanging at the end of the hall. Her sense of style put Coco Chanel to shame, and she’d spent decades on various best-dressed lists.

I rarely had the time or opportunity to wear couture, but I loved beautiful clothes. In that regard, I was my mama’s daughter.

Aside from Val, as she’d asked me to call her, the island was home to one of the world’s best observatories. I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to send it yet, but my application was already filled out for one of the very few fellowships opening up in the fall.

I wasn’t about to ask Val for a recommendation though. It seemed seedy to me, and I had every intention of competing for a spot on my own merits. In fact, although she’d brought it up a few times, I hadn’t even mentioned it to her, nor would I. There were other observatories, and some were even closer to home. Mauna Kea had already sent me a letter of interest, and I could totally see myself in Hawaii.

Unfortunately, as wonderful as Val was, she came with some baggage—namely, Savva Mazanov, crown prince and utter asshole. I’d have rather wrangled Daddy’s meanest Angus bull than spend a minute in his company.

Wiping away my ugly scowl, I girded my loins and knocked on the door to the last room on the right. Lord only knew what I’d find, but when I got no answer, I opened the door and pushed my cart inside.

To be fair, I’d barely spoken to the man. He certainly didn’t bother waking up for the help, but I hated the look of irritation mixed with sadness that always appeared on Val’s face when another of his exploits made it into the tabloids. I’d have bet my favorite rodeo buckle he was too narcissistic to care what his mama thought, or that the principality would revert to Russia if he didn’t marry before his thirtieth birthday in late August.

Then again, I’d be sowing my own oats too if I had that hanging over my head. Maybe I was being too hard on him, but it seemed awfully disrespectful to whatever princess he had waiting for their wedding day. I didn’t know who she was, but it wasn’t surprising, considering I didn’t waste time following European royalty. It was too close to his birthday for there not to be a betrothal, and the royal houses in Europe had been trading women back and forth like they were bloodstock mares for centuries.

Le sigh.

As usual, he was sprawled across the massive four-poster bed on his stomach, bare-assed naked and fast asleep. His breakfast was on a cart near a beautiful Queen Anne dining table that probably cost more than the modest East-Texas ranch house where I grew up.

Also as usual, the food was untouched because he was probably still drunk. So far, I’d been lucky, and he’d always been alone in his huge bed. If I had to see him doing the nasty with his arm candy du jour, I’d need to quit.

Thankfully, starting today, I’d have a whole week without him. He was scheduled to go to Stockholm for a meeting with the observatory’s board of directors, financiers, and scientists. I was about green with envy too. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t have done for a chance to tag along—even if I hadn’t sent in my fellowship application. I didn’t think it was ready to be seen yet, but I had less than a week to shit or get off the pot.

Savva was gorgeous, with dark blue eyes that reminded me of the sky over Texas. He had blond hair that tended to curl on the ends, and I’d never seen him without at least a bit of shadow beard. Well, not in person anyway. He’d been clean shaven for his official portrait, and all but the tiniest glimpse of the tattoos running up the side of his neck had been hidden by the high collar of a red military uniform.

Damn. That ink. I was an absolute ho for good tattoos on a man, and I could have spent days using my tongue to trace the lines and whorls of the colorful patterns decorating his muscular back and tight, perfect ass.

He snorted and rolled over, throwing an arm over his face as he spread his legs. Forget a six-pack. The man was hauling at least a dozen longnecks under tanned skin dusted lightly with golden hair.

Still asleep, he stroked himself, sliding a beautifully veined hand up and down his thick shaft.

Dayum.

A picture of the danged thing had to be in the dictionary next to the definition of morning wood.

I squeezed my eyes shut and resisted the urge to throw a sheet over him and his massive erection before I did the unthinkable and helped him out.

---