Page 55 of The Billionaire's Royal Challenge

“Oh, gosh, I hadn’t even thought of that. Yes,” Nate said,bobbing his head. “I thought we’d just dance. It’ll take all my concentration not to step on her toes.”

Elena rubbed his shoulder. “Mother is quite a good dancer and conversationalist. You’ll be fine.”

“Who is Alexander paired with?” Maddie asked as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

“Lady Margaret,” Caroline said as she checked her phone.

“And me?” the girl asked, her features showing obvious disappointment.

“Prince Julian.”

She plastered a grin on her face as Elena shook her head. “No, no, that won’t do at all. We’ll fix that, Maddie, don’t worry. Julian is far better to be paired with Margaret than Alexander.”

“Oh, but Your Highness,” Caroline began.

“Dut, dut, dut,” Elena said with a wag of her finger. “Alexander will thank us both. Let Julian be stuck with the boring lady.”

“Thanks, Ellie,” Maddie said with a grin.

Caroline offered more information on all of the dance pairings before they ended their practice. As they strode from the ballroom to change for dinner, Nate repeated the dance instructions in his head, worried he’d forget all the steps the moment he wasn’t practicing them.

With his first pairing being with Elena’s mother, he had to get it right. This was likely a test. He hoped to pass it.

His heart stopped as he turned the corner to the hall containing his room. Leaning against his door stood Isabelle.

He considered ducking back into the next hall and waiting until she left or seeking help, but before he could, she spotted him and pulled herself from the barrier with a smirk.

His heart raced as she set her gaze on him, her smile sending shivers down his spine. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her agenda thanmet the eye. With every step closer she took, he sensed a hidden agenda lurking beneath her.

“Hello, Mr. Kingsley.”

He offered her a fleeting smile, keeping his distance from her. “Your Highness.”

“I love the way it sounds when you call me that,” she answered, her voice a low purr.

“What do you want?”

She pouted. “Straight to the point, are we? How unfortunate.”

He took a step back as she stalked closer to him.

“Really, Mr. Kingsley, I don’t have cooties.”

“No, but you do have a bad habit of kissing people who haven’t agreed to it.”

She threw her head back with a laugh. “Haven’t agreed to it? Have you never stolen a kiss before?”

“Not from someone who didn’t want to give one, no.”

“Really? And how was I to know you didn’t want to give one? All that…ogling you did at the dinner table made me think otherwise.”

“I did no such thing!” he argued.

“Didn’t you? Well, no one knows that but you and me. And that doesn’t matter. What matters is what others think.”

“No one will believe you,” he answered.

“Won’t they? It’s funny because I’m fairly certain Uncle Frederick believes me.”

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