Page 115 of Prince Charmless
“You okay?” he asks me with a fake naive expression.
He’s so annoying. I’m totally going to have sex with him later.
After dinner and dessert, the guests linger in Clément Manor. Taylor tried to give me a tour of it once, but we both got bored after surveying all the rooms, which at best varied in color.So this is another bedroom, he said for the billionth time. The greenhouse was the most interesting. It had a dark, overgrown vibe to it that made it kind of depressing. Sadly, I have yet to find a secret room behind a bookshelf. I’ve concluded that the concept might only exist in Scooby-Doo.
I leave Taylor in the living room to talk with the former Prime Minister alone. I don’t think I could add anything insightful to their conversation. As I walk back to the dining room to grab my champagne, I hear the wordMelinacome out of Julien’s mouth. Before I enter, I stop to listen because I’m a Nosey Nellie.
“If people want the monarchy to be modernized, she’s exactly what you need. A working-class woman in STEM with an immigrant parent. Someone like her could make you guys look more approachable and less elitist. More relatable, less snooty. More—”
“Yes, I understand, Julien,” Prince David says gruffly. “Though I’d rather make us look more contemporary without tokenizing Melina just because she happens to work a day job.Though it’s not up to us how the public will take her when she’s a princess.”
My heart flies up into my throat at the mention of the P word. He sayswhenso affirmatively. Why not sayifshe’s a princess at least?
“Not to mention she’s the only person in the world with almost no social media footprint,” Julien says, ignoring Prince David’s surprisingly insightful comment, especially for being the utmost example of an old white man. “No political opinions you have to worry about. She’s a tabula rasa. And, you know, is of the child-bearing sex.”
David laughs. “Yes, as if him seemingly wanting to be alone for the rest of his life isn’t enough, I have to worry about.” Whatever this conversation is, it’s definitely not for my ears. “Did you know her father is in prison?”
“Really? She’s never told me.”
Yeah, Jules, maybe that’s not information I share with everyone.
“What for?”
“Running a chop shop in Ville-Marie. She visits him every week.”
“Did Taylor tell you that?” I try my best to keep my voice calm.
Both of them turn to me, standing on the threshold, but say nothing.
Men.
I cross the room and grip the top of a gilded dining room chair to keep me grounded. “How do you know how often I visit my father?” I clarify.
“I had a palace aide do some research,” David says. “Melina, I—”
“Some research?”
He says it as if that information can be found by simply Googling.
“And what else did they find, my medical records? Passwords? Here we were all thinking the royal family isn’t above the law.” I thought it was only the tabloids I had to worry about digging into my life.
Julien’s brows shoot up. Probably because I just insulted the monarchy in the Crown Prince’s face. I can’t find a bone in my body that cares.
David opens his mouth to say something, but I walk away before he can. I go in the opposite direction of everyone, down a grand hallway with gold sconces that light up its ugly red paint. I pass a smaller living room on the right and check to see if anyone is there. The drawing room, Taylor called it once.
So was this room meant for people to draw?I asked.
No,he said.The full name would bewithdrawing room. It’s meant for people to withdraw, I guess.
So I’ll be using the space for its intended purpose. Thankfully, it’s empty. All the lamps are off, so the night sky looks extra bright. The moonlight from the giant windows makes contours on the spooky antique furniture scattered on the floor. I stare at the stars, not thinking or processing anything,withdrawing.Spontaneous people are allowed to withdraw, right? Just as I’m about to repress my feelings and reenter civilization, I’m found.
“There you are,” Taylor says. He sounds excited, drunk almost, but he hasn’t had a drink tonight. “This has been going surprisingly well, what do you think? Julien seems to have a real knack for hustling the money out of people.” He studies my body language. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s all becoming kind of real. You know?” My voice seems so sullen in comparison. It’s like we’ve traded places.He’sthe one who always sounds bored.
“Isrealbad?”
I stare out the window again. “I overheard Julien and your dad talking about me, discussing my character like a business decision for the Crown.”
