Page 10 of Royally Rivalled

“What year?”

“I’m a grad student,” I answered.

“Postgrad?”

I nodded. I didn’t grasp the British use of “postgrad” versus the American use of “grad school.” Everything was new. The differences overwhelmed me.

“What course?”

“Politics.”

“Oh, me, too. I’m a doc student. You on the MSc course?”

I was surprised to find another in the wild. “Yes. Politics. I want to study societal inequities.”

“Very admirable,” Jeremy said. “I am less so. I study Parliamentary norms and rules. Elites. What is your name, miss?”

“You can call me Astrid,” I answered, not about to give him the complete answer.

“And what wanker in there upset you, Astrid?”

“Some awkward, lanky fuck,” I groaned.

He snickered. “The lady has a mouth on her. I rather like that. Where are you from?”

I had a slight accent. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake it.

“Uh… Neandia,” I answered. “Just transferred here for the course.”

He nodded as if knowing who I was. He noticed my shivering.

“Here.” Jeremy took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders. “No need to freeze out here.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

The asshole came into view. I nodded in his direction.

“That was him. The one in the grey trousers,” I said. “With the dorky-ass sweater.”

In truth, the man’s clotheswerea travesty. He wasn’t hideous tolook at, but his personality ruined it for me. I didn’t mind bookish men—especiallytallones—but I wouldn’t tolerate an asshole like this guy.

“Oh, that would be Parker Westfall. What a knob! I secretly refer to him as the Dickish Duke. Many of us do.”

“What? Why?” I giggled. “How do you get such a terrible name?”

Jeremy swigged his beer. “I dunno. He’s a dick.”

“But is he a duke?”

“He is. I know, strange, right? He’s a doc student here. Doesn’t need the job or the money. Fucking odd, right?”

I shrugged. “Guess so.”

Yes, nothing as weird as being a princess and wanting to live like a student for a year and a half to rough it, right?

The more I spoke with people, the keener I became that I was odd. And no matter what I did, I would remain odd. I thought about confessing who I was to Jeremy, but I gave up on that. No. I didn’t want to draw attention to it. This matter would come up soon enough and… I wasn’t about to make it more apparent. I didn’t need to wave my arms around to signal I was a weirdo.

“How do you know all of this?” I asked.

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