Page 9 of The Billionaire's Royal Secret

“He did. And now I must return it.”

“I shall handle it, Your Highness,” Caroline said as she lifted the garment from the bed and carefully folded it.

“You will do nothing of the sort. I will return it this evening as we planned.” Elena pulled the jacket from Caroline’s hands and set it on the bed.

“As you planned? You have made plans with this male someone?”

“I have.”

“For?”

Elena spun away from her. “To return the jacket. Does this make me look sallow?” She held up another shirt.

“It’s perfectly fine to hand off a jacket, Your Highness.” Caroline appeared behind her in the mirror. “Or are you not simply handing off the jacket?”

Elena tossed the shirt away and tried another. “We may be eating as well.”

“So, this is a dinner date.”

Elena locked eyes with herself in the mirror, Nathan's face playing in her mind alongside the word "date." The idea appealed to her; she had never been on a real date before. “Maybe.”

“Your Highness!” Caroline said, her eyes wide.

“Don’t, Caroline. I came to Sterling City to escape and live my life. And I plan to do it. I’ve never been on a date before, and I plan to enjoy it.”

“You have so. You have been escorted–”

“Escorted, yes. Date, no. No one will be there to monitor me, or peer over my shoulder. There will be no royal protocols, no standards to keep. Freedom.”

She selected the emerald shirt, pleased with how it brought out her eyes before she crossed to the tiny, shared bathroom and closed Caroline out of it.

“Your Highness, this is not wise. Perhaps this man knows who you are!”

“He didn’t act like it,” Elena shouted through the door as she touched up her makeup. “He treated me like a real person. And he is quite handsome.”

“And you are enamored.”

She frowned at her reflection. “I am not enamored… Though I will admit, I felt a connection to him.”

The sigh could be heard through the door.

“Do not sigh at me, Caroline. I cannot explain it, but…I want to see him again.” A smile brightened her features as she recalled their conversation. She tugged her top off and tossed it in the trash bin before she shimmied into the second one and emerged from the bathroom.

“Your Highness,” Caroline said as she hurried after her, “please. I am only worried about your heart.”

“My heart?”

“Yes. In less than six months, we’ll return to Eldoria. What will you do then?”

Elena eyed her before she answered. “Perhaps this will not last the six months. At least I’ve had my fun. And now, dear Caroline, I must go.”

“Just a moment,” Caroline said, stepping between Elena and the door, “you’re flying close to the sun, dear. I have watched you grow from a spirited child to a remarkable young woman. And I understand your desirefor freedom, but remember, our shadow often stretches further than we anticipate.”

Elena met her gaze. “But tonight, my shadow does not wear a crown.”

She grinned at the woman before she swiped the jacket from the bed and headed for the door before she grabbed the jamb and twisted back to face Caroline. “Oh, before I go…”

“Yes?” Caroline asked.

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