Page 57 of Regally Binding

“Good, but don’t show everyone. The pills are experimental, remember?” Marianne added, shoving them back in the King’s pocket.

“But—” Liss attempted. Her stomach was lurching now.

“Come on, Father.” Alex shoved Liss to one side and grabbed the King’s elbow.

“It’s your big moment, future Princess. Don’t do anything stupid and trip up,” Marianne whispered in Liss’s ear, giving her a quick push once the King was out of earshot. She laughed before joining the King and Alex. Liss stood in the hallway, fighting her thoughts as Marianne’s pink dress swung with every step she took.

She’d seen similar pills before. She closed one eye tightly as if that might help her remember where, but that made her vision blurrier.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there, but suddenly, Steve was by her side, holding her hand and moving her towards the ballroom. “I’ve been searching for you. They’re calling your name.”

“My granddaughter and, I hope, future Princess of this country, Felicity.” The King’s voice boomed across the golden ballroom. Strangers applauded her as she rocked on her heels.

“I can’t believe I’m here with a princess,” Steve commented, taking her bag and hurrying her forward. “You’re so beautiful.”

She turned to Steve to request her bag but saw a fixed-jawed Bear over his shoulder, standing near the doorway. He’d stood there the whole time, ensuring her safety as she chatted with the King. That was his job, and it didn’t mean more than that. His cold, hard stare towards her and Steve suggested he’d heard Steve’s words. But Steve was just excited by the night. He was still her caring friend.

“Come on, Princess.” Marianne was by her side, jostling her. Liss wanted her bag; she needed the talisman. “The King is waiting.”

The crowd eyeballed her as she tottered towards the King. She’d drunk too much. Sweat beaded the back of her neck, and her mouth was desert dry. She was embarrassing herself and the King. He believed in her. He wouldn’t want her in his family now.

But his beaming smile suggested otherwise. Liss reached his outstretched arms and let him envelop her in a hug. “You’re going to be fine. Don’t worry. I’m right beside you.”

Liss took a deep breath and faced the strangers. The sparkling jewels dripping from the ladies dazzled her. She squinted as she caught Alex sneering, but when she looked again, he smiled.

The silence was like a courtroom waiting for the judge’s verdict, and rows of expectant faces stared.

Marianne looked her up and down and smirked. There was an ugly twist to her mouth. Liss wobbled on her heels as she attempted to grasp the microphone. Righting herself caused her to stand on the edge of her toe, and she tripped and fell to the floor. She thudded to the ground with a bang that made everyone gasp.

I can’t do this.

Somehow, she’d not made her arm worse, but the humiliation was like bruises tattooing her skin. Liss dragged her sore body up and attempted to stand. She dropped her head as she smoothed her waves and hid her face, but the hairspray made it immovable. She needed her mum to give her the confidence to do this.

Taunts from playground bullies echoed in her head as she returned to the microphone. She wrapped her good arm across her body. She should run from the building and never look back like she had when asked to present at school. She didn’t fit in.This wasn’t her. She couldn’t speak to groups of people. Vomit climbed up the back of her throat, and she looked wildly around the room.

Even through the crowds, Bear’s presence was all-powerful. His eyes lit electricity in her limbs, reminding her of the power she found in their self-defence class and her attitude when confronted by royal expectations. Her beefy bodyguard had his thumbs up and was nodding his encouragement. The action appeared uncomfortable for a man who spent his life stoic and revealing nothing. If he could do that, then she could do this. “You got this,” he mouthed. “You’re the best woman here.Princess Diariesattitude on.”

Then, a smiling Isla caught her eye. Lipstick-red marks on Ollie’s collar hinted at where she’d been all night. Isla mouthed, “Remember, you’re amazing.”

Liss took a deep breath, fisted her hands, cleared her rattling throat briefly, and said, “Sorry about that. I couldn’t compare to the King’s speech, so I had to make my mark differently. Literally on the floor. Sorry, Grandad.”

The King smiled, and everyone laughed as he hugged her again. He didn’t tell her off for embarrassing him. Her nana would have.

Bear smiled and nodded. A glow filled her belly as she swept her gaze across the room. “I’m not used to public speaking, attending beautiful parties, or being surrounded by strangers, some of whom are now my family. But I hope to make my grandad proud and learn all about him and his past while embracing my new life as a granddaughter. I know there’s speculation on my future, but for now, it must be my secret.”

The uncomfortable smiles hadn’t deterred her from speaking the truth. The King started a round of applause, and people joined in. Marianne folded her arms and gave her a death stare as she whispered something to Alex. He shook his headbefore replying, but suddenly, guests surrounded her, blocking her view. The King introduced her to cousins and close friends. There were former nannies, secretaries, and the King’s best friend.

Even as exhaustion buckled her knees and played with her focus, she forced a shaky smile, recognising the comedown that accompanied sobering up. The shock of the fall had helped. Conversations flowed around her, but as she admired the guests’ cacophony of outfit styles,her stomach rumbled. Why hadn’t anyone served dinner yet? She scanned the crowd, but Bear and Strike were missing. More bodyguards crossed the room, their strides harried as they pressed their earpieces tightly into their ears.

The King’s army friend shared stories of his penchant for a nip of whisky. He shoved one in her hand and toasted her. Liss sipped the measure as the King nodded his encouragement. It was like a furnace in her mouth before it seared her throat. It wasn’t what she needed to fill her empty stomach.

“That will put hairs on your chest,” the former colonel laughed. “Drink up.” She knocked the rest back, resulting in the moustached old gent thrusting another in her hand.

“I’d like you to meet your cousin, Gable,” the King said, introducing her to Prince Gable and his wife, Beatrice. “You’ve stolen their place for the throne, and they’re incensed.”

Liss gulped the fresh glass of whisky. It went down easier than the first one. She turned and was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful couple. They held each other’s hands and smiled broadly. Gable resembled an adult version of a cherub from one of the ceiling paintings, and Beatrice’s red hair shone under the golden lights. Her emerald gown gathered at the waist before blooming across her legs. Gable’s bowtie matched his wife’s delicate purple ensemble. They were like a Hollywood couple. The glittering purse in Beatrice’s hand reminded Liss of her bag.Her eyes flickered across the room as she searched for Steve and her bag, but he was missing too.

“I’ve never been more angry.” Prince Gable laughed, drawing Liss’s attention to the group.

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