Page 14 of Royally F*cked

I reach for the doorknob and Oscar clears his throat.

“Sir, I would knock. . .” The door is already open before he has a chance to finish that sentence. “Or not.”

Charlie lets out a high-pitched squeal, quickly covering as much of her body as she can with her hands, as I realize that Oscar may have had a point about knocking first.

“Get out!” she yelps. “Get out, get out. Get out!”

It takes a second for my brain to override the head in my pants, and for me to spin around to give her at least a modicum of privacy.

“No can do, Charlie. We need to talk.”

I can hear shuffling behind me and assume she’s putting clothes on.

“No shit, we need to talk, Your Royal Highness.”

A chuckle escapes my lips. And then I’m hit in the back with something hard.

“Don’t you laugh at me!” Charlie yells.

I do believe she’s just thrown something at me. So much for all of that respect and protocol she was willing to die on earlier.

“You can turn around now.” This time she whispers and when I do turn around she’s staring at the floor, dressed in a pair of joggers and t-shirt that says something about believing in fairytales. Long gone are the high heels that have been replaced with sneakers. It’s a stark contrast to her usual work attire and how I’ve become accustomed to seeing her dressed. Though I must admit, I like this version as well.

“Charlie.”

Her gaze snaps up to mine.

“No. No, you don’t. Do not look at me like that,” she sneers. “What were you thinking? You told His Majesty that we were courting! I’m surprised that he hasn’t sent one of his henchmen to fire me. Or did he delegate that to you since you decided to lie!”

“Keep your voice down,” I warn.

That last thing I need is someone to hear her and report back to my grandfather. She would be in even more trouble. Not to mention the hell the king would put me through.

“Keep my voice down? Like you did when you opened your mouth and lied about us? Courting! That’s rich, even from you. You barely glanced my way for years! And one mention of His Majesty setting you up on a date and you decide to let me be the fall guy.”

“It’s not like that. Not exactly.”

“Right. Not like that. Because a guy like you would never give me a second glance. So, what? You thought I’d fall at your feet and jump at the opportunity to be your fake girlfriend? Me. The innocent and naive fat girl. The hired help that’s been looking for a way out.” She moves closer to me. “Well, you can forget it. But there is one thing you can do,” she pokes my chest harder than necessary. “You can make sure my parents keep their jobs. They can’t afford to be fired,” she states, though I’m already aware.

“Whoa. Slow down.”

“No. I realize I should deliver my resignation to the king personally, but I trust you’ll deliver it instead. I’d rather not be fired. So, I’m quitting.” She quickly darts around me and heads for the door.

That’s when it hits me that she was packing her luggage when I walked in.

“Charlie. Stop,” I step in front of her. “Stop for just a goddamn minute.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to talk to you. But not here. Come with me and give me thirty minutes. Then I’ll let you do whatever you need to. I’ll even make sure that your job stays intact. Please.”

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