Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS
A SEXY ROYALS NOVELLA
By Claire Contreras
PROLOGUE
1 year ago…
Pilar
“Your father is dying.”
My older brothers and I exchanged a grave look at those words. It wasn’t a surprise or a shock. His health had been declining for years, and it was only a matter of time before it happened. None of that made it any easier to prepare for. My mother was stoic even as she laid the news out for us. She once said she’d learned the trait from watching my father. In the silence of his chambers, I tried to form a chant inside my head. “Long live the king!”
It was something people said in pubs while drinking, outside of the palace walls during ceremonies, and in the form of a salute when they met my father. My father. The King of France. The one who was slowly deteriorating in the room next door like many kings before him.
We were well-taught and knew the history of our sovereigns, as well as the ones in my mother’s homeland of Spain. The one constant in all of those stories was death. Death by plague, death by combat, death by cancer, but always death. However timely or untimely it may seem. Yet when faced with it, we weren’t sure what to do. When confronted by it, we all felt the same thing those outside these walls felt. Even if we didn’t show it on our faces like my mother. On the inside, we wept and trembled. We were scared. We felt hollow.
My eldest brother, Elias, took my right hand. My other brother, Aramis, took my left. We squeezed, the three of us knowing that this would change the course of our lives forever. We were the only ones who could possibly understand what the other was feeling, allowed ourselves to wallow as our mother stood with her back to us, her head held high as she looked out the window.
“He wants to crown Elias before he goes,” Mother said, her voice shaking. “He wants to be here for that, at least.”
Elias’s hand tightened on mine. He hung his head as if her words had delivered a blow. I knew they had. One thing Aramis and I did not envy was that Elias was next in line. The idea of being king may seem exciting to some, but we knew the reality of it. The proof was dying in the next room.
“The doctor is giving him six months,” Mother continued. “You will all be on your best behavior in the coming weeks. Your father does not want anyone to know about this yet. Not until everything is ready for the coronation. That means you may take your short holiday as you normally do, but no scandals this time. We do not have room for missteps. Elias, you’d do well to use this time to reflect. It may be the last time you’re able to do that. Aramis, I beg you to be discreet. Please, no tabloids. Pilar, you’ve never given us any grief. Please keep it that way.”
She turned and faced us. It was then that we saw her grief-stricken expression and bloodshot eyes. The three of us moved closer to each other, huddling in as if to prevent anything from coming between us.
“This is what we’ve tried to prepare you for your entire lives. Don’t let us down.”
CHAPTER 1
Pilar
“How hungover are you?” my best friend and personal secretary, Joslyn, asked as she opened all of the blinds.
“Very,” I croaked, throwing an arm over my face to shield myself from the sun. “Don’t worry, no scandals on my end.”
“You sure about that? The chef spotted Benjamin Drake leaving your villa just before five o’clock in the morning.”
“What?” I sat up quickly with a gasp. “No.”
“Yes.” She raised an eyebrow. “I take one night off, and you go out partying without me?”
“I…” I shook my head. “I went to a Hookah bar and then to the club beside it…” I tried to recall memories from last night. “I…yeah, I definitely spoke to Ben. I think we may have danced.” I shut my eyes momentarily. “I was extremely drunk.”
“And you’re on medicine.” Joss shot me a heavy stare. “You know better than to mix things like that with alcohol.”
“Fuck.” I brought my hands to my face and wiped at my eyes. I’d completely forgotten that I’d taken the medicine the doctor had given me for the sinus infection I no longer had. It had been my last day of taking it. “How could I not remember spending the night with Benjamin-bloody-Drake?”
“How indeed?” Joss sighed as she sat on the edge of my bed. “You must have made a good impression though.”
“Why do you say that?”
“His people called me an hour ago. He wants you to accompany him to a gala next week.”
“Me?”
“Yep.”
“Why me? I don’t even like public appearances.”