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"That's true." Mum gets a look on her face that I know well. It means she's plotting something. After a moment, though, she smiles. "Let's not worry about anything right now. It's Christmastime, and we are all about to fly to Mithoria for the holidays."
And that's what we do. An hour after my mother spoke those words, the lot of us head for the airport where the Mithorian royal jet is waiting for us. It doesn't say "Mithorian royal jet" on the side of the aircraft. It's just plain white.
In a matter of hours, we touch down on the island nation of Mithoria.
We don't get much snow here, so Ella and Lily are slightly disappointed they won't have a white Christmas, but they forget about that once they see the castle. The royal residence seems tiny in comparison to Buckingham Palace or Versailles, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. Montague Castle sits atop the highest hill on the island, its turrets rising into the sky and its flags waving in the wind. The structure looks like something out of a fairy tale, with rounded turrets that have round roofs, and a wall that surrounds the compound, as well as massive wooden gates.
We all managed to fit inside a long limousine—driven by Brakefield, of course. As we roll up the paved road that leads to the gates, Lily and Ella get so excited that Cameron and Amy have to hold them down so they won't leap out the window. No joke. They wanted to climb out and run to the gateway.
"It's just like Cinderella's castle," Lily says. "Are you Prince Charming, Ben?"
"Uh, no. I'm not a prince yet, anyway. I'm the crown prince, which means—"
"Look! Look!" Ella shouts. "I see horses!"
Yes, we do have a horse stable just outside the castle walls. Montagues have always owned horses, and we still keep several on the premises. Only my sister Stephanie rides these days, but sometimes guests want to explore the area by horseback.
The gates are open, waiting for us to arrive. People are waiting for us too. The entire staff has lined up along either side of the courtyard, and my father and sister plus her fiancé, Wesley, wait there too.
Brakefield parks the car in the courtyard.
Ella and Lily want to leap out immediately, but we have ruddy rules about the etiquette of exiting a vehicle. We all wait while Brakefield gets out and opens the door for us. My mother steps out first, followed by me—as etiquette requires. It's bollocks, but I go along with it because I never want to embarrass my family. They believe in decorum, while I'm a massage therapist who has sex in hot tubs.
Once everyone has gotten out of the car, Mum leads us toward Dad and Stephanie.
And the spectacle begins.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sam
I have never experienced this much pageantry in my life. It all goes by in a big blur of waving flags and trumpet fanfares as we walk up a crimson carpet to join the other Montagues. Soldiers holding what I think are ceremonial rifles perform a routine while Princess Olivia takes her place at Prince Leighton's side. As crown prince, Ben stands beside his mother with his sister on his other side. My family and I are encouraged to take up positions behind the royal family.
After some more pageantry, we're guided into the castle.
Maybe I'd hoped for a grand tour of the place, but instead, we're led to our assigned quarters. Yeah, those are the exact words Olivia uses. Ben has the second largest room in the castle, while his sister gets the third largest. Their parents have the "royal chambers" on the top floor. Ben and Stephanie have their own "royal chambers" on the floor just below where their parents sleep. The rest of us are on the floor below the crown prince and his sister, whatever title she has. I didn't catch it if somebody announced her title, or maybe she doesn't have one.
This is all so confusing and overwhelming. My room in Montague Castle is bigger than my entire house back home.
For the next several days, I don't get to spend much time with Ben. He has official duties to uphold, like judging a Christmas ornament competition. The people of Mithoria compete to craft the most beautiful handmade ornaments, and I don't know how he can choose just one. They're all gorgeous. I get pulled into some events too, like Princess Olivia's holiday stroll through the village that lies at the base of the mountain atop which Montague Castle sits. Olivia doesn't just walk by while giving everyone the royal wave. She stops to talk to people, and they clearly love her—not only as their princess, but as just a woman too.
When I do see Ben, it's at public gatherings or during family dinners.
Two days before Christmas, I can't stand it anymore. I need some alone time with my boyfriend, if only to feel his arms around me again. So I do something naughty. I sneak upstairs after everyone has gone to bed and all the lights are off, except for the night lights positioned in every corridor, and I carefully open the door to Ben's bedroom. Once I've slipped inside, I ease the door shut.
A light pops on, spilling its warm golden light through the room.
Ben lies in bed, shirtless, propped up with two pillows. "I was hoping you'd sneak into my room sometime."
"Couldn't wait any longer. I miss you."
"I miss you too." He flips the covers off himself, revealing the fact he's buck naked. "Get your sexy arse over here."
I hurry to the bed and climb onto it, kneeling beside him.
"Never had a woman in this bed before," he says as he moves to crouch near the foot of the bed. "Lie down, please. I need to make love to you."
Do I hesitate? Of course not. I shimmy over to lie down where he had been a moment ago. The bed still feels warm from his body.
