Page 24 of Guarding the Princess
“You don’t do small affairs, Mother.”
The Queen sniffs and then looks at me, dismissing Charlotte’s comment. “And you are?”
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Ryker Duke, Charlotte’s bodyguard.” I reach out my hand, but she leaves me hanging for a few long awkward moments.
She finally slips her hand into mine, her grip strong and her eyes narrowing. “You must be confused. Your contract has ended.”
“I hired him to come with me.” Charlotte interjects and saves me from her mother’s scrutiny. “He’s my friend and I wanted him with me for a little while.”
“A little while?” The Queen frowns at Charlotte.
“Why don’t we discuss this later after Charlotta’s gotten some rest, no?” The King steps in and saves the day, dismissing the staff and letting Charlotte and me walk further into the palace. He might be my new favorite in this palace of royals with icy welcomes.
I feel like I’m walking into a Four Seasons where everything is beautiful and dust-free and waxed to a high shine. Homes like this just aren’t built in America. You can practically feel the history of the place pulling you in.
“I’ll show you to your room, sir.” A gentleman steers me down a long hall and then toward some stairs. Charlotte is behind me, still conversing with her mother and several staff members carry her bags.
At the top of the stairs, I follow the guy, while she turns down the hall the other way. She doesn’t look behind her nor notice I’ve gone in a different direction. A moment of panic hits my chest as I realize I’m in a foreign country, staying in the palace with a king and queen who don’t particularly care for me, and I’ve just been separated from the one friend I have.
“Here you are, sir.” The gentleman opens a door and carries my duffle bag into a bedroom, or more like a suite, what with the patio, connecting dining room, and large bathroom. I turn in a circle, taking it all in. I have a decent apartment back home in LA, but it doesn’t even start to compare to this. Fresh cut flowers adorn the coffee table which is impressive since they didn’t even know I was coming to visit.
“Thank you.” I dig in my pocket to tip the guy, but he exits too quickly, closing the door behind him.
The silence is deafening. I walk over to the patio and fling the doors open, letting the cold air hit my face and wake me up. Jet lag is pulling at me, begging me to climb in that huge fluffy bed and rest my eyes. From my vantage point I can see miles of untouched hillside before the first city. Charlotte mentioned being by the coast sometimes, but I don’t see water anywhere. Perhaps that’s a different mansion than the one we occupy now.
I shake my head, wondering what I’m doing here. This is not my country and not my people. Not even my way of life. Pulling my phone out, I have a seat on the bed and text Charlotte I’m about to take a nap. I give her my approximate location based on the number of turns we took, but really, I have no idea where I am in the castle or where she might be. How can I guard her when I don’t know where she is?
A responding text never comes, the phone falling beside me as I drift into sleep.
* * *
“Can I help you, sir?”
The heavily accented voice sounds indignant, like I’ve done something terribly wrong, when all I’ve done is gone wandering outside my room to find human existence. I think the Queen must have put me in the farthest guest room in the palace, just to keep me away from Charlotte. I caught three hours of sleep and now I need sustenance to survive. Charlotte nicknamed meStor Kille, after all.
“Yes! Yes, you can. I’m looking for Charlotte.” I give a winning smile to the small woman, which maybe doesn’t come across the same way in Regora as she looks suddenly nervous.
“Princess Charlotta is busy.”
I nod, stroking my chin. “Yes, yes, I know. But you see, I’m her bodyguard and I need to actually be with her in order to guard her.”
Her face lights up and I think I’ve gotten through to her. “Are you American?”
I sigh and regroup. “Yes. American. I flew home with her this morning and I need to find her. Can you help?”
She nods repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I can help. Come.” She spins around and starts walking down the hall I had found myself lost in. I run to keep up with her, refusing to get lost again.
After what seems like a mile-long walk, she opens a door and shuffles back, leaving me the center of attention when all heads swivel my way. Apparently, I’ve interrupted some sort of formal royal meeting. Based on the Queen’s scowl, I’m definitely not wanted.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
I find Charlotte in the crowd, that sweet smile lighting up her face when she sees me. She waves me over and I hustle to stand behind her chair. The table they’re all sitting at looks like it was made from one piece of solid wood which is impressive considering it looks to be forty feet long.
“Slacking on your guarding duties already, Mr. Duke?” the Queen asks me with a smug smile on her face.
“No, ma’am. Just lost after I was put in a bedroom on the other side of the palace. If I could get a map of the house and grounds, that would be helpful.”
I would never say the Queen snorted, but she made the queenly equivalent to a snort.
