Page 9 of Night’s Fall (The Four Realms #1)

No Contact

M y space might have been Pre - Uni , but it had still been modernized.

There was a welcome kiosk in the vestibule. And someone was in it, ringing up to my flat.

I turned to the bed display on my nightstand and saw it was before seven in the morning.

Okay.

I could see one of my friends hearing about my chat with Prince Aleksei and showing up to get all the hot deets, but I wished they’d waited another five hours…or just sent an excited text comm.

Not wanting to give whoever it was a visual of me lying in bed, I didn’t answer the ring on my nightstand display.

I shoved the covers aside, feeling foggy and vaguely nauseous from lack of sleep.

I shambled to the door, calling, “ Okay , okay, I’m coming!” even though another part of the warehouse’s modernization had been sound and scent proofing, and whoever was visiting was two floors down. I waved a hand in front of the display beside the door, and ordered, “ Activate camera.”

The blank window shifted to a digital of Allain , the prince’s whatever he was.

I stared at the display.

“Meow!” Comet demanded his breakfast.

Allain moved and the ringer went again.

Through stiff lips, I ordered, “ Engage welcome.” I then said, “ Can I help you?”

Allain tipped his head back so I received his full face in the camera.

“I come at behest of the prince.”

Behest?

Who talked like that?

Yeesh. This dude was a trip.

“It’s early. I’m in my pajamas,” I told him.

“It’s seven in the morning, most of the Realm is either at school, at work or on their way to work.”

“Lucky me, I work from home and make my own hours.”

Sometimes.

“We can carry on this conversation with me in the vestibule, or you can allow me up,” he parried. “ Your apparel is of no consequence to me. However , the prince does wish for me to leave you with something.” A pause before, “ I won’t be long.”

Could I get out of this?

If I refused him entry, would royal guards come storming in to force me to talk to this guy and accept whatever the prince wanted to leave me?

I didn’t suspect they’d go that far.

No, what I said next was all about my infernal curiosity.

“Allow entry.” I watched Allain move into the stairway after my command gave him access. “ Open door,” I finished.

The locks could be heard disengaging and my door slid into its side panel.

Not long later, Allain marched in, his gaze moving swiftly, taking in his surroundings, before he turned to me.

“Mistress Laura ,” he greeted.

Not that crap again.

“Really, you can call me?—”

While I spoke, even if I hadn’t had the opportunity to say many words, he opened the leather satchel that rested against his hip and pulled out a tablet.

And he interrupted me when he shoved it toward me.

Automatically, my hands moved to take it, but I nearly bobbled it, for the instant my hands were close, he let go, so I had to catch it.

I stared, knowing it was DY5000XX , the most expensive tablet on the market and one I’d been wanting to buy, even if I knew I could never afford it.

The resolution of the display was second to none. The computing was warp speed. The memory capacity was astronomical. Every design I drew could be stored on one of those tablets, even in 3- D and with motion simulation, regardless of how memory-heavy they were, without slowing its processing.

It also had send, receive, pic, vid, magnifying, telescopic, holo, tracing and tracking capabilities.

Yes, I said holo capabilities!

“The password for that tablet is ‘pink,’” Allain informed me.

“ You can change it to what you wish after you gain entry. Your schedule is in the calendar. It took some doing, but you’ll be with Madam Garwah for training.

She’s by far the best, knows centuries of royal etiquette, and she trained Queen Calisa herself. ”

I said nothing, just stood in my jammies staring at him.

He continued speaking.

“Considering you have employment, classes will be in the evenings. They will, of course, be interrupted by any engagements made with you by His Royal Highness .”

I felt my brows wing up, but I still could find no words.

Allain pulled out another tablet. It wasn’t a DY5000XX , but it wasn’t shabby either (if you’re curious, it was a DS3500Pro ).

“Now, I have a few things that need to be sorted,” he declared.

I opened my mouth, to say what, I had no idea, but it would be something regarding asking after what the heck he was on about.

He got there before me.

“It’s established you have no dealings with your parents.”

My middle swayed back like I’d been hit by a wave.

How did he know that?

He looked from his tablet to me. “ However , you haven’t officially filed for no contact. Do you wish to do so?”

I didn’t even have a chance to open my mouth (not that I would, I was still stunned), before he went on.

“And before you answer, it’s recommended by the Palace that you do.

Your sires have no offences on record, outside your father being flagged by His Majesty’s Revenue Department for underpayment of taxes.

Your father fought this. He lost. He filed his official displeasure, which is, obviously, on record, but he was refused reevaluation.

He then missed the three initial payments, until incarceration was threatened, and then he began paying.

This isn’t good, but it isn’t dire. However , we’re operating under the assumption that, since you have not logged time with them, and they have also not logged time with you, there’s some issue that’s lasted at least thirteen years.

Rather than there being an attempt at reconciliation, considering what’s to come, which makes you vulnerable to emotional manipulation due to lofty connections, we recommend an official filing. ”

Logged time?

Boy, I was seeing I might need to message my province rep to share my displeasure about the Trace and Log Law which allowed the government to collect data on where your crafts went, as well as any Palm , tablet and portable comp units registered to you, because really… it was none of their danged business.

Sure, when the whole thing went down, they’d said they’d only use this data during criminal investigations, and then only after a magistrate provided a warrant after receiving probable cause.

But obviously, that was not the case.

Allain turned his tablet toward me and carried on. “ You can do that by signing here, and it will be filed, retroactive to the date of your seventeenth birthday, so they, or anyone who might dredge up the order, can be under no mistaken impression about how you regard them.”

“What’s going on?” I finally asked.

His dark brows formed a heavy V between his eyes, and he repeated, “ What’s going on?”

“Yes. Why are you here? Why are you invading my privacy, physically and otherwise?”

The V got even heavier, but it was added to an expression on his face that did not hide he thought I was a moron.

“Why? Obviously because the prince intends to court you.”

What?

Whoa!

My mouth dropped open, and such was my shock, I didn’t close it.

“Naturally, as that’s the case, you’d be vetted,” Allain continued.

The words were squeaky when I asked, “ The prince intends to court me?”

Allain crossed his arms on his broad chest, still holding the tablet, and declared, “ He made that clear last night.”

“He did not.”

“He most certainly did.”

“When?”

Now he appeared like he didn’t think I was a moron, but instead, maybe touched.

“The moment you walked into the club.”

Oh my gods.

Prince Aleksei had been staring at me from the moment I walked in.

Shit, the heat coming off you is mately .

And he’d marked me!

I hadn’t even met the male and he’d marked me !

My voice sounded choked when I noted, “ He’s very decisive.”

Allain uncrossed his arms from his chest and proffered his tablet to me again, muttering, “ Get used to that.”

“I will assert the fact he did not make it clear he intended to court me,” I stated.

“He did.”

“Did not.”

“He very much did.”

“No, he did not!” I snapped.

Definitely he thought I was touched with the way he was regarding me, and the manner in which he asked, “ Do you…not want him to court you?”

Of course I did. It had been my heart’s desire from when I was six years old. By all the levels of hell, it was every girl’s heart’s desire.

And… I didn’t know.

He was arrogant and elitist.

And what could come of it?

Not much.

Though, the champagne was pretty awesome.

And, of course, the small fact the prince was ludicrously gorgeous.

“Well?” Allain prompted impatiently.

I threw up my hands. “ I don’t know. It never occurred to me this was in the cards. Our conversation was strange, at best.”

Though, the bedroom comment was not at all veiled.

I just thought he was playing games with me.

“It was short,” I went on. “ And then it was over very abruptly.”

Allain sniffed. “ He does not relay his innermost thoughts and feelings to me, but one can assume he did not expect to meet you last night, and he had other plans he couldn’t avoid. So he made his intentions known, and now I’m here to move things forward.”

What an astronomical trip, sending your lackey to “move things forward” with a female you intended to court.

“What if I don’t want things to move forward?” I queried.

He gaped at me.

Honestly?

I could see that reaction.

I drew breath into my nose and straightened my spine. “ I can’t make this decision on the fly. I need time to think about it.”

He dropped his gaze blankly down to his tablet, mumbling, “ We have other things to go over.”

“You can share all about how you invaded my privacy when I’ve made my decision,” I announced.

His attention returned to me, and his eyes narrowed. “ You do know I’m talking about Prince Aleksei , don’t you?”

“Of course I know that,” I replied curtly.

“This makes an odd kind of sense,” he said like he was talking to himself. “ It would, of course, be an unusual female.”

“I’m not an unusual female,” I retorted.

“ I’m actually a very usual one. I’m just not used to people digging into my life, waking me up in the wee hours of the morning for unexpected visits and telling me what to do.

Nor am I used to princes of any realm sending their…

no offense, but whatever you are to share with me they want to court me.

” I decided to drive one of my points home.

“ Again , in the wee hours of the morning.”

All of a sudden, his demeanor changed from churlish and perplexed to the dawn of understanding, a light twinkling in his eyes.

“I will inform the prince that you need time to consider his suit. When shall I tell him he’ll have his response? Twenty -four hours? Forty -eight?”

I shook my head.

I wasn’t even sure I was fully awake. I definitely hadn’t had enough sleep.

And I absolutely was in no state to make a decision like this.

Seriously, me and the gals would need a lot more than two bottles of wine to get through this mess.

Though, truthfully, I knew their answers.

Catla, an unqualified YES !

Gayliliel, a less loud, but still unqualified yes .

Monique, a definitive, yes , with the addition of, why in all the realms did you take even a second to answer affirmatively ?

But, with regard to the pursuit of Prince Aleksei — I never thought I’d think this, and if I did, I would expect when I thought it my brain would catch fire— I wasn’t so sure.

“I’ll know when I know,” I replied. “ Is there some way to get word to you?”

“My contact information is on your tablet.”

“Great.”

“As is His Royal Highness’s . Direct access, office and Palm . His assistant’s information is also provided, and if you can’t get to him directly, she’ll get him for you. Her name is Muriel .”

She’ll get him for you .

Like, I was important.

Like, all I had to do was reach out, and he’d drop everything and take my comm.

The tablet in my hand suddenly felt like it was too hot to hold.

“Really?” I breathed.

“You will need to talk to get to know one another,” he remarked.

My gaze drifted down to the tech in my hand.

Allain tucked his tablet back into his satchel and made his way to the door.

Woodenly, I shifted to watch him go.

He stopped at the still open door and turned back to me. “ One warning. Prince Aleksei is not a man to wait on anyone’s whim.”

I wondered if Princess Anna found that out the hard way.

I nodded.

“This is most interesting,” he murmured.

He could say that again.

With that, he disappeared.