Chapter 9

I stretch out in bed,surprised that I fell asleep once again. I'll never get to sleep tonight. Sitting up, I look around the room for James but don't see him anywhere. I slide off the bed and make my way to the bathroom to refresh myself before coming back out with a towel wrapped around me.

I want to go find James and maybe do a little exploring. I pause when I see a dress laid out at the end of my bed. I pick up the pink dress and press it to my cheek to feel its softness. I don't think I've ever had a dress this pretty in my life. I quickly put it on, wanting to see what it looks like. When I stand in the mirror I twirl around and let it flare out all around me. It beautiful. I do a little happy jump. A pair of simple flats with little flowers on them have been left by the dresser, and I slip them on. James is really making me feel like a princess.

Turning the doorknob, I smile when I find it unlocked. I poke my head out and look down the hallway and when I don't see anyone I step out into the hallway. I go the same way I came when I first got here, and pause when I see a guard standing up against on wall. He gives me a nod but doesn"t say anything. I smile in return. I walk past him, but realize I have no idea where I'm going.

"Can you tell me where James is?" I ask the guard.

"The king is likely in his office," he tells me and gives me directions. When I get to his office door, I see it's cracked, so I knock before pushing it open.

"James?" I call out as I step inside but freeze when I see a woman standing there. She turns her head, and I absently note her flowy, deep emerald dress is stunning. Her long blonde hair falls all around her in soft waves, and her bright blue eyes meet mine as she cocks her head at me. Now she looks like a princess. She purses her cherry-red lips and throws a bunch of flowers onto the desk, causing a mess of fragrant and colorful petals.

Her sharp eyes narrow on me, and I immediately think I'm in the wrong office. "I'm sorry. I was looking for James," I tell her. "I thought this was his office."

"It is." Her words sound cold and angry, and I'm a little stunned. I'm not sure why she is so mad.

"I'll come back." I start to step back, but she stomps towards me and grabs my wrist, pulling me into back into the office next to James's desk.

"You address him as ‘King,'" the woman bites out. I realize maybe it's wrong to call him by his given name in public.

"Only family and friends call him by his birth name," she hisses.

After what we did, I think we have to at least be friends. Not that I would tell her what we did, although for some reason I want to. In fact, I think James and I are more than friends with the way James speaks to me.

"What do you call him?" I ask as something sparks in my stomach. Jealousy, maybe? I might be stepping over the line. I don't even know who this woman is. Part of me hopes it's a sister and not a girlfriend. Though I don't want his sister to be some witch…

"I'm to be his wife. The next queen!" she yells in my face. I don't believe her. That can't be true. Not with the way James treated me. Touched me. The things he said.

"I don't believe you," I challenge. I wish my words were stronger. Sadly, I'm not used to standing up for myself. I try to square my shoulders.

"Are you blind?" She points to the desk where wedding paraphernalia is scattered. My heart clenches at the thought that she might be right. Someone is clearly planning a wedding. I close my eyes, trying to fight the tears. I don't want to cry in front of this woman. No wonder she's mad at me.

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "I didn't know." My heart breaks. I can't believe he's engaged to someone else and that he said and did those things to me while he belonged to another woman. It doesn"t make any sense.

"Well, now you do," she bites out. "I know men can wander, but know your place if you're going to be his mistress."

My mouth fall opens. I take a step back, then another, lifting my hands. "I don't want to be that." Maybe I misunderstood everything and that is what I am to him. My stomach turns and I want to throw up.

"You think you'd be more?" she laughs mockingly.

"I'm sorry," I say again. I just want to leave, to be as far from here as possible. I need to be alone. I turn and head for the door.

I should have known this was too good to be true. Fairy tales aren"t real. When I fling open his office door, two guards come to attention.

"Miss Kate," one addresses me, taking a step forward.

"I want to leave," I tell him. I look around frantically, trying to figure how to get out of here before I remember the way I came in. The guard steps in my path and stops me in my tracks.

"I wasn"t informed you were going to leave the grounds," the guard tells me.

"I don't care." I try to step around him again, but once more he moves into my path.

"Let me take you to the king." He motions for me to go to my right.

"I don't want to ever see him again." My voice cracks and I know my tears are going to break free any moment. I try to hang on to my anger, but I can't grab a hold of it. The sadness is too overpowering.

"Ma'am, please." The guard almost pleads this time, but he doesn"t try to stop me as I push past him. He jumps away from me when I brush against him as if he might catch something from me. Maybe word has already spread that I'm the king's mistress. I may be na?ve when it comes to relationships, but I'm not na?ve enough to not know what a mistress is.

I take off running for what I think might be the way out. I sigh in relief when I see a familiar sight—the doors I came through when I first arrived. People turn and look at me as I run, but I ignore everyone. When I breach the doors, I run down the stairs but realize I have no idea where I'm going.

The bright sun is blinding, and I turn around and see five guards standing behind me. They aren"t stopping me, but they are following me.

"Stop following me." I throw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"We are your personal guards, Miss Kate. Where you go we go."

"But I can't leave?" I ask. I have no freaking clue what is going on.

"I wasn"t informed you were going to leave the grounds," the guard reiterates.

"Can you keep me here against my will?" I ask.

"I'm not allowed to touch you," is all he gives in response. That doesn't really answer my question. In frustration I turn around and start walking, trying to ignore them, but it's hard to ignore five big men following you around. Everyone turns to look as I pass, whispering behind their hands. I wonder what they are saying about me.

I stroll down the long drive and know that I'll never make it to the end of it without falling over with exhaustion. I remember the tough journey when we arrived. My shoulders drop when I know I'm going to have to go back and face James.

"Yes, sir." I glance over my shoulder to see the main guard with a phone to his ear. "I tried to get her to stay, but she wouldn"t." He pauses for a moment. "You told me not to touch her." His eyes meet mine. "Of course, sir." The man reaches out, trying to hand me the phone.

"The king would like to speak to you."

"Well, I don't want to speak to him," I tell him, walking past him and heading back towards the castle. For some reason I feel more betrayed by James than my own uncle. I know that's ridiculous and unreasonable, but there it is. It's probably because my uncle never made me hope. He never made me believe in fairy tales only for them to be taken away and proven false. It's cruel and cuts deeper than anything I've ever felt. How can I be so attached to something I never even had?

I slowly climb the stairs up to the castle and make for James's room. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going, but I know the vague direction of his quarters. I notice the guards stop following me and drop back when I get close. I slow my steps in a stalling tactic, wondering which door is his. I don"t want to see him yet. I want to hide away even though I know he'll find me.

I decide to bite the bullet and open the closest door, then smile when I see it's another bedroom. Not as big as James's but still just a beautiful. I walk in and close the door, clicking the lock into place. I can't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at that, even though I know a locked door won't stop a king in his own castle.

I collapse onto the comfortable bed and think over the last few hours, wondering what the hell I'm going to do.