The other two women exchanged amused looks, clearly having heard all about Cate’s young man already.
“He works at the palace here now,” Cate finished with a flush. “So, as I said, I mean to make the most of my time here.”
Natalie raised her eyebrows, startled. “That’s very considerate of Queen Alyssa.”
“She didn’t do it purely from altruism.” Hilary nudged Cate. “We all know Her Majesty thinks there’s a chance her daughter will be staying here in Lanover. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her girl—including arranging for there to be a friendly face among the maids in her new home.”
“Maybe Cate won’t be the only one to decide to stay if the princess does.” Donna giggled. “I’d always heard the Lanoverians were a good-looking lot, and so far they haven’t disappointed.”
Natalie smiled as all three collapsed into giggles. A week earlier, she would have laughed with them and asked them to point out the men they’d noticed. But now she felt removed—unsure if her participation would be welcome while she was playing the role of their princess.
She stood up to leave and then remembered she had nowhere to go. She was already in her room. But so were the three maids. Did princesses always have so little privacy?
She brushed the thought aside and went over to admire the view from the closest window. Her room was located in a prime position with views of not only the palace gardens but the city spread out beyond them. The whole vista was enchanting.
Her awkwardness lifted, her thoughts turning to the welcome reception Leo had mentioned. She needed to make sure she looked just right—like a princess. She had only a short window to make an initial impression on him, and she wanted to take his breath away.
Thankfully her gowns left nothing to be desired. Gwen had gifted them to her with the hope that once she had the wardrobe of a princess, she would stop strategizing to actually become one. But Natalie had never been one to settle for half measures. And it had been a long time since dresses were her primary reason for wanting to become a queen.
She chose a particularly flattering gown that was a perfect mix between formal and relaxed. All three maids broke off their conversation to approve her choice and help her prepare for the evening. As long as she was playing the role of the Arcadian princess, they were committed to ensuring she didn’t embarrass their kingdom with her appearance.
Natalie had spent the last year learning how to put her own hair up into formal arrangements, but it was much easier to sit back and allow Donna to do it. And when she finally sailed out of the room, the last pieces of Natalie’s confidence had returned.
A footman waited respectfully in the corridor outside, ready to lead her to the reception room where the event was being held. Natalie followed him in silence, wondering if she might possibly be dreaming. Could it really all be this easy?
The footman paused inside the door of the reception room, giving Natalie a chance to catch her breath as she took in the grand scale of the room and the sea of unfamiliar faces. Hisringing voice cut through the conversations, announcing Rose’s name and title.
Silence fell as everyone turned to look at her. It held for only a second before fresh conversations broke out in a wave that swept across the room and crashed against her. Natalie smiled in the face of the challenge. She dared any of them to question her royal status.
None of the courtiers who approached her gave any hint of disbelief, however. Instead, they all greeted her with the same empty, impersonal words of greeting. She caught glimpses of curiosity and wary caution beneath some of the masks, but no one broke script with the foreign princess. By the time she’d repeated herself for the thirtieth time, assuring the latest Lanoverian that her travel had gone smoothly, her fixed smile was starting to slip.
A brief break in the endless stream of people gave her the chance to examine the room. She spotted Rose by the refreshment table, her plate piled high and an expression of delight on her face as she bit into a pastry. Rose wasn’t being accosted by an endless stream of people who all wanted to say the same inane thing the previous twenty people had said.
Natalie’s stomach rumbled, and she took a determined step toward Rose. If anyone tried to intercept her, she’d just have to find a polite way to brush them off. But her steps faltered of their own accord as she caught sight of Leo. He stood against one of the other walls, talking earnestly with the older courtier who’d been introduced on her arrival as the duke of Sessily.
Natalie’s stomach gave another soft gurgle, but she shook her head. She couldn’t lose focus. She hadn’t come to the reception as Rose in order to meet the Lanoverian court. She had come there to spend time with Leo, and instead of thinking about her stomach, she should be focusing on the bigger goal.
She just needed a chance to get to know him. Once she saw the real him, she would feel the spark that had been missing at their meeting. It would certainly not be a hardship to spend time with such a handsome man.
She changed direction, moving toward Leo instead of the refreshment table. He hadn’t spotted her yet, but he could hardly rebuff her at a reception held in her honor.
Someone stepped smoothly in front of her, halting her forward progress just before she reached the crown prince. The unwelcome face grinned down at her, the smile bordering on a smirk.
“Excuse me,” she said in the sweetest tones she could manage, her eyes still on Leo as she attempted to sidestep his cousin.
Luca stepped with her, keeping his position between her and the crown prince.
Natalie sighed. “Can I help you, Your Highness?”
“I thought we agreed on first names, Lee-lah,” he said, pronouncing her nickname slowly, his mouth seeming to savor each syllable.
She put her hands on her hips. “I remember making that agreement with Leo, Prince Luca, not with you.”
“But I came to rescue you.” He adopted a hurt expression that didn’t reach his laughing eyes. “Surely I deserve some reward.”
Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Rescue me from what exactly?”
“Hunger, of course,” he replied promptly, gesturing toward the refreshment table. “I saw you eyeing it earlier, so don’t tell me you’re not hungry.”
