Page 40 of The Princess's Pet

He turned his big boyish grin towards us. “Don’t worry girls, I won’t be sitting with you this afternoon anyway. I’m going to track down Harris, find out what’s made our boy skip class.”

He ran off ahead of us down the hall and Ana and I continued onto the café for lunch.

We ate and chatted, and it was nice spending some time with Ana.

“Percy, are you going to the Spring Festival?” Ana asked as she sipped her drink.

“Yeah, I am, I’ll be with the Princess, but she said I might be able to spend some time with you guys,” I told her happily.

“That’s amazing.” Ana smiled. “They have all sorts of fair games, and I heard there’ll even be a Ferris wheel this year. It’s going to be so much fun.” And I found myself looking forward to the festival.

I saw the Princess enter the café, having chosen a seat where I could see her arrival.

“That’s the Princess, I’ve got to go. Have a good day, Ana.”

“Bye, Percy, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she called as I hurried away.

The Princess saw my approach, and even across the café, I could see her eyes flash brightly. A smile tugged at her lips as I reached her.

“Good afternoon, Ma’am,” I greeted her.

“Good afternoon, pet,” she replied, pulling me in by my blazer, her head dipping low for her nose to graze my neck. “Have you been well-behaved?” she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am,” I told her as she pulled away.

“Hmm, so you weren’t heard insulting purebloods loudly in the hallways earlier this afternoon?” she asked lightly.

“That was Dylan,” I explained.

“That boy is going to get himself in trouble,” she paused, her hand coming up to grip my jaw and keep my gaze. “The kind of trouble that burns those around him,” she said seriously. “Be careful, pet.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” She released my jaw before her arm found its way around my shoulders and she led me to her next class.

As had become routine, I used the class to slyly observe my pretty Princess. I thought I was being inconspicuous, but when the Princess draped her arm around me and pulled me into her side, I knew I had been caught. “Like what you see?” she whispered, leaning down to my ear.

I blushed deeply and nodded my head. I felt her nose press casually against the top of my head as she breathed in my scent.

When the class ended, the Princess was met by Lord Halvorsen and Clara as we left.

“My Royal Highness, I owe you a great apology for my interference in your friendship with Clara,” he began, and I wanted the Princess to walk past and ignore him, but she didn’t.

“Go ahead, apologise,” she commanded.

Lord Halvorsen dropped to one knee, his head bowed. “My Royal Highness, I am deeply sorry for asking your good friend to interfere on my behalf. I am so enamoured with my Royal Highness, I would do almost anything to simply be in your good graces, to gain a chance to court such a woman as yourself.” And I thought he sounded like a slimeball, a no-good sleaze.

But the Princess didn’t kick him in his stupid smiling face.

“Stand, Lord Halvorsen, I will consider your apology,” she replied.

“If you decide to accept my apology, would you allow me to accompany you to the Spring Festival?” he asked her. And how could a man be so cocky?

“Perhaps Lord Halvorsen,” she answered, and he smiled smugly.

The Princess left when Clara tried to speak to her, and I followed her to a car to take us home.

The Princess didn’t pull me into her as we drove back, but she did watch me.

“Why are you upset?” she asked when we were in the privacy of her home.

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