Page 109 of Hawthorne

My eyes widen right when he mentions who it is.

I am not ready for this.

But before I can bolt for my life, Edgar bows dramatically, and I follow his lead, curtseying and keeping my head down as much as I can.

“Your Royal Highness,” Edgar greets for the both of us. “We are most delighted to find your acquaintances here. I thought you’d be too busy for the likes of us,” Edgar continues with a charming smile.

“At ease,” the king finally speaks, and finally straighten back up, looking at him for the first time in person. “This is a party, after all. Let us not dwell on too many formalities.”

Fighting a gasp, I look back down.

The times he showed up on the TV, he was handsome, but in person, it’s completely different. It’s not that the king is ugly, but he looks…severely ill. The excessive make-up added to his face only makes it even more obvious instead of disguising it.

Edgar nods beside me and nudges my arm, beckoning me to look up. And I begrudgingly do.

Dressed to the nines, the king poses in front of us with none other than St. Edward's Crown on his head. He has a yellowish tone to his skin and dark bags underneath his eyes, badly covered with make-up. Despite his over-the-top outfit, surely of the most expensive silks embroidered in gold threads, none of it makes up for the sunken cheekbones and thin hands. Even with the best of disguises, he looks unwell and fragile.

Word had been out that the king was well and cured, but from the looks of it, he isnot.

Just then, a beautiful pregnant lady shows up, stopping by the king’s side. She is gorgeous with a beautiful white gown that sticks to her breasts, pushing them up, right before falling freely over her swollen belly. I have never seen someone make pregnancy look so good. On top of that, she wears a gorgeous diamond tiara on her head, identifying her as the queen.

“Who is the date this time around?” the king asks before chuckling alongside his wife.

“My girlfriend.” Edgar smirks, shutting all the three of us up. “This is Camilla White, my brother’s housekeeper who I have fallen madly in love with.”

“Edgar,” I hiss before looking around us, making sure no one else has heard. “He is only joking, Your Royal Highness. We’ve become friends, almost like siblings. That’s why he is saying this, to irk me.” I try to smile, but instead, it comes out as a grimace.

“That’s...an interesting way to make friends,” the king comments, obviously confused. “Your brother’s housekeeper?”

“Well, I wouldn’t blame him if he had fallen,” the queen chimes in, trying to cut the tension that would settle with his words. “You’re a beautiful girl.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I curtsy once again. “I am honoured you think so.”

“Camilla White, you said?” the king asks Edgar before turning his attention back to me. “So, you are Monerian?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Born and raised, even though my mother was half-Asian.”

“Ahh,” he sighs. “That explains it. How have you landed the job in my half-brother’s mansion, then?”

Stealing a glance at Edgar, he nods in encouragement.

“My mother was the housekeeper already. I was born and raised there. To His Grace’s wife, Mrs Hawthorne, it was only normal for me to follow in my mother’s footsteps if I wished.”

As my words sink in, the king stills, looking at me intensely. Expecting for him to answer, even make a joke about my situation, he lets the silence drag instead.

It’s the queen who breaks the awkward moment by commenting, “Seems like you’re doing a great job. I believe you also find it an honour to keep your mother’s life work, serving such an important family like the Hawthornes.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty,” I answer.

“What was your surname again?” the king asks me, finally reacting.

Everyone turns to look at me, not without looking at the king before with confused expressions. Not sure what to do, I trail off, “White…”

“Your mother had White as a surname?”

No, she didn’t.

White was my father’s surname. She had always told me it was his wish for me to have it before he passed away. It’s the only thing she ever told me about him.

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