PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(20)

Olivia stood beside him and opened her mouth to scold him when she saw the lines on his face and the tense set of his jaw. “Did something happen in there?”

“While you were out here flirting with a noble? No, nothing at all. Just my father putting me on show, like always. Nothing important.” Her lips thinned at the harshness of his words, and she turned to leave. He grabbed her hand. That one touch sent her nerves singing, and she felt another similar touch elsewhere. “I’m sorry. I did not mean that towards you.”

“I know,” she said and squeezed his hand before he let go. She turned to face the bay and watched the waves roll in far below them. “Will it really be that bad for you?”

He shrugged and rested his chin on his folded hands. For a second, he looked like a lost child who just wanted his wish to come true. “An arranged marriage? I don’t know. My parents had one, but I guess I’m not as willing as they were.”

Olivia blew a strand of hair from her face. “I don’t think I could do it.”

“Luckily, you won’t have to.”

“No?”

“No. Just me. Unless I die, you won’t have to worry about taking over,” he said and gave her arm a nudge. “You get to just be Princess Olivia of the Isle of Bijoux and probably live out your days in Nebraska where no one will bother you.”

She didn’t know what to say. The first few days around him had been nothing but jokes and smiles, but this was a different side of Quincy. He clearly wasn’t happy, and she had no idea how to cheer him up. The music played inside, and she glanced over her shoulder and saw couples dancing. They looked spectacular in their gowns and jewels, and suddenly, she wanted to be in there, smiling too.

Pushing back from the balcony, she grabbed Quincy’s hand and pulled. “Come on.”

“What… Where are we going?” he asked as his lips twitched into a smile.

“You owe me a dance,” she said with a smirk of her own. “Let’s go! The dinner is almost over.”

“Why do you want to dance with me?”

“Maybe I want to see the looks on all the other girls’ faces,” she said.

Quincy gave in and let her pull him back into the dining hall and onto the dance floor. As he placed his hand at her waist and took her hand in his, several of the other couples made room for the pair. Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw several girls frown, though many smiled at Quincy moving so gracefully across the floor. She was just happy she’d ditched the shoes because otherwise she would’ve stepped all over him.

One girl in particular glared with notable hostility. Gigi. Olivia wasn’t sure how she knew it, but that one was going to be trouble for Quincy. She hoped he could handle it.





Chapter 7


A few days had passed since the dinner, and Olivia was itching to disappear into her room so she could paint. Every day since, there had been something she was needed to either attend or oversee, and it was getting annoying more than anything else. Each time she had to let Allete dress her up, and her personal servant was not exactly giving Olivia an easy time about it either.

“I’m sorry,” she said for the fifteenth time.

“Those sandals were perfect and where do I find them? Hidden in a linen closet like they are nothing but useless adornments,” she complained and shook her head. She told Olivia to close her eyes as she did her make up. “Honestly, miss, you cannot do things like that.”

“They were just sandals,” Olivia defended. “I can’t walk in heels that high!”

“Then perhaps you should practice. When you are officially a princess, you will have to wear heels like that. No questions asked.” Olivia opened her eyes to see Allete glaring at her. “And not every dress will hide your feet.”

As she walked away, Olivia rolled her eyes and moved her mouth to mock Allete, who turned around at the perfect moment. Olivia had the decency to look apologetic.

“You are lucky you have pretty feet,” Allete muttered under her breath as she turned to the wardrobe and sifted through the sandals and heels there. “Many women do not.”

“I don’t think anyone is going to stare at my feet.”

“You’d be surprised what they stare at, miss.”

“Ew, really? They’ll take pictures of my feet?” She glanced quickly down at her freshly manicured toenails and frowned. “That’s just creepy.”

Allete smirked as she told Olivia to sit back down so she could put her sandals on. “You are wearing a skirt today, so no losing your sandals.”

Olivia started to promise she’d keep them on until she glanced down at the violet, strappy sandals she held in her hands. “Those are taller than the last ones! Are you trying to get back at me for it? Really, Allete, I’m sorry. I don’t want a sprained ankle.”

“You have to learn, miss,” Allete said as she strapped them on. “Besides, they look beautiful, no?”

She couldn’t argue. Allete pulled her up out of her chair, and Olivia used all her muscles to keep herself upright as she took one step and then another. They were more of a wedge than a heel, at least, so she didn’t feel like she was going to slip and fall going down the stairs. That didn’t mean she liked them, though. Maybe she’d have a talk with her mother, while they were at lunch, about changing the required footwear for the princess.