Page 9 of Prince She Shouldn’t Crave (Royal House of Halrovia #2)

Whilst Gabriel understood there was a certain amount of pomp and ceremony surrounding his role as prince, there was something about today that felt off.

The meeting with his father had disturbed his usual early morning routine.

Even worse was the King’s attempt at giving advice, which was unwanted and unneeded.

A fact that Gabriel had made very plain.

Still, it was as if part of him didn’t slot into place.

He sat in the back of a large dark-coloured car with fluttering flags travelling behind a police escort.

Usually, strangers believed he wanted to travel alone.

However, he saw it as wasteful in both time and resources to have a procession of vehicles, one carrying him and the other carrying staff.

He liked to spend the journey to any function preparing with his team.

Talking, strategising. Yet today was a private function at the palace with Lauritania’s King and Queen.

The only person he had travelling with him was Lena. To take more photographs.

Perhaps that was what felt off. In this enclosed space with someone still unfamiliar, whereas his other staff had been with him for years.

She hadn’t spoken much apart from pleasantries, especially not after their conversation earlier about his clothes, where, if he was honest with himself, he might have been a little unfair.

Still, looking at Lena now, he thought she could hardly profess to be expert in all things casual and appealing to ‘younger people’.

Today she was dressed in a conservative black dress.

High neck, skirt below the knee. It could have looked like a nun’s habit except for the three-quarter sleeves showing her golden skin, and the way the dress seemed to perfectly shape to her body.

Her hair in a bun that attempted to look tidy.

However, dark stray hairs fell out of it, framing her face.

Making her look soft, approachable. She wasn’t paying attention to him, looking down at her phone, intent.

For the first time in his life, he was at a loss on what to say.

He simply watched her, nibbling on her lower lip as though she was concentrating.

As if she knew his gaze was on her, Lena blew away an errant strand of hair and looked up at him.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ she said. That didn’t bode well. She’d been thinking when she suggested changes to his wardrobe as well.

‘Indeed.’

‘Have you ever considered having a meeting with business leaders in a more casual environment?’

Most of the time those kinds of meetings took place in a stultifying boardroom somewhere with PowerPoint presentations that flicked across the screen too fast for him to take in, and poisonously bad coffee.

‘You have something else in mind?’

‘I’ve heard you’ve been trying to fit in a meeting with the international youth mental health forum whilst you’re here. I know you go for a run early, before breakfast—’

‘How do you know that?’

He hadn’t provided her with his early morning routine. It wasn’t something he considered necessary. Gabriel didn’t understand why he rather liked her knowing what he did so much.

‘Pieter told me.’

Now that was a surprise. Pieter was a closed book. Not even the King and Queen could get information from him. It was always polite obfuscation. However, Pieter was also an excellent judge of character…

‘When did you ask him?’

Lena tugged at the back of her bun as if adjusting the pins.

‘This morning, before we left. I thought you could have a running meeting. It’s early enough that people should be available.

Plus, it fits because of the benefits exercise has on mental health.

Afterwards you could offer everyone a free breakfast, if you wanted to. ’

‘And you get a photo of me looking casual…’ She was clever. A simple suggestion that didn’t sound manipulative at all, except he realised when he was being manoeuvred. ‘What’s to say I don’t run in a suit?’

She snorted. ‘Because that would be ridiculous, and you aren’t in any way ridiculous. Plus, Pieter would never forgive you for doing that to one of your precious suits.’

Gabe couldn’t help himself. He laughed. Lena’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson. Such a beautiful colour on her. He wondered what her plush, full lips would look like painted the same tone, rather than a neutral gloss.

‘I’ll see if it can be arranged.’

‘I might have already raised it with your efficient private secretary.’

‘Stop managing me, Ms Rosetti,’ he said with a smile. Though he couldn’t be angry about it. He relied on his staff being proactive. Anticipating his wishes and acting on them.

‘I wouldn’t dream of doing so, Your Highness.’

She had a sneaky, self-satisfied grin on her face. As if she enjoyed her little win.

‘What’s on the agenda today, to make me look good?’

He couldn’t miss the rapid sound of her inhale. ‘I think you’re already looking quite…you know…’

She waved her hand about in his general direction. Did Lena think he looked good? That thought left him as satisfied as a cat given a bowl of cream. He shouldn’t tease but he couldn’t help himself.

‘I’m not sure I do know. Please enlighten me.’

‘Yes, well…you look very princely. Exactly like the description on the box.’ Lena nibbled on her lower lip, the slash of pink on her cheeks darkening even further. She was terrible at trying to hide what she thought, or her own embarrassment. He decided to be kind. Change the subject.

‘How was your first picture received?’

Lena blew out a long, slow breath, something like relief. ‘Very well.’

‘By whom?’

‘The public. In the main.’

‘Press?’

Since he’d been running late this morning, something entirely uncharacteristic for him, Gabriel hadn’t had the time to get Pieter to fill him in on the usual news reports before work.

To be fair, Pieter had told him that Lena was up and about extremely early and Gabe had wanted to give her space without her employer around.

People always switched to work mode in his presence.

That was all. No other reason, such as this strange sense of challenge he seemed to experience around her and enjoyed so much, rather than everyone’s usual deference.

Though he guessed challenging the palace status quo was what he’d hired her for.

Lena pulled up something on her phone, turned it to him.

He could catch some of the words, but he was still feeling…discombobulated. Out of sorts.

‘I haven’t got my glasses. Tell me what it says.’

Her eyebrows rose on her forehead. ‘I didn’t know you wore glasses.’

He didn’t. His were a handy prop, which he put on occasionally enough to give himself the excuse that he didn’t have them, should someone ask him to read something quickly.

He just hadn’t worn them recently. Still, Gabe didn’t like to lie.

For some reason, the sensation of discomfort over his untruth was especially acute with her. In the end, he shrugged.

Lena didn’t question his silence. She turned back to her phone screen.

‘“Father and Son Moment: King’s Support Shines in Prince’s Online Breakthrough.”’

‘That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?’

‘It feels condescending to me. Honestly, as if you needed permission to open your own social media account. It’s ridiculous.’

Something about her defence of him ignited a flicker of heat, deep inside.

‘Anyhow, I prefer this one. “Prince’s Social Media Debut: Millions Follow as King Hands Over the Reins.” Though I’m guessing His Majesty will never forgive me.’

Both parts of what she’d said gave him pause to reflect, but he dealt with the one where a sound of uncertainty had infiltrated her voice.

‘His Majesty has no influence here. I protect my loyal staff.’

She smiled, and it was like the sun peeping out from behind a cloud. Bright and warming for a fleeting moment, then it was gone.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘As for the rest, you said… millions ?’

Gabe hated the way that he sounded even mildly interested or surprised, when he’d never cared before.

‘Millions, within the first few hours. Seems you’re more popular than anyone knew.’

‘There are those who disagree.’

‘I’m not one of them.’

Somehow the inside of the vehicle’s temperature seemed to rise, even though it was air-conditioned. Gabe adjusted his tie a fraction.

‘There’s much about the narrative that’s unfair.

My sister Anastacia, for example. She was always thought of as the Perfect Princess.

Then she had an accident. It…’ Crushed her.

How she’d been treated as if she’d been in some way damaged by her scarring.

Even by his mother. ‘It…affected her. She hid away whilst recovering. Hid her scars. Some in the press accused her of being work-shy.’

‘People are cruel. The tabloids especially. But now she’s married, and the press seems favourable again. Then they turned their attention to you.’

Lena’s voice was quiet, sombre. As though she’d had personal experience of cruelty, which he wanted to explore. However, it wasn’t his place.

‘So it seems,’ he said.

The car turned off onto the short but winding road that took them to Lauritania’s palace. Yet somehow, he didn’t want this journey to end.

‘I’ll do what I can to stop it.’

Lena shifted her hand, almost as if she was reaching out to touch without thinking.

He held his breath for the moment her skin met his, but it never came.

She drew her hand back instead. A sense of heaviness weighed down on him.

Why did he crave that touch so much? He couldn’t understand.

Perhaps it was that his family had been in crisis-management mode for what felt like so long, he hadn’t been touched recently.

There hadn’t been the time or the inclination.

Perhaps he should clear a space in his diary for a night or two of adult enjoyment.

Except that didn’t seem to hold any interest either.

Nothing much did.