Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(72)

As we descended, I closed my eyes, composing myself as best I could. I was about to meet the most powerful royals in the world. And I was wearing jeans and a pretty knit sweater. I had hardly any makeup, hair down in long, unruly curls, and zero knowledge of etiquette. Oh, and a fresh bruise on my face. Fantastic.

Arbon had not prepared me for this because the royals were not treated that way at the school. I mean, some of the staff bowed and addressed them with formal titles, but for the most part, they were just like any other student.

It wouldn’t be the same here, and my mind was blanking on what I should do. Did I bow? Curtsy? Wait for them to address me first before I said anything?

This was not going to be pretty, and I could only hope they would forgive my ignorance.

“Make sure you tell me when to bow or curtsy and shit,” I muttered to Rafe from the corner of my mouth. “And what fork to eat with.”

“Stop stressing,” was his reply. “You’ll be fine.”

Yeah, right. Story of my fucking life.

The private airfield we landed at was still about thirty minutes away from the palace. Apparently it was hard to get a long enough runway up in the mountains, so the next leg was in a fancy black SUV.

Rafe held the passenger door open for me, and I shook my head. “No, it’s okay, I’ll get in the back.”

Before I could push that further, he wrapped his hands around my waist and basically threw me—somewhat gently—into the seat, and then he… was getting into the driver's side.

Shit. I hadn’t expected that.

Didn’t princes have staff to do shit like that?

“I like to be in control,” he said as way of answering my confused expression.

Our friends piled into the back, all of them rubbing their hands together at the chilly air. We were clearly more elevated than at Arbon, with the huge, snow-capped mountains all around us as the car started to wind along a narrow path.

We eventually moved onto a wider, more established road, and I spent the drive with my face pressed to the window, taking in the absolutely spectacular views.

I’d never seen anything like it, white mist coating most of the land as we ascended into the mountains.

When Rafe’s home finally came into view, I actually gasped, pressing a hand to my mouth. Mattie hadn’t exaggerated; this was the sort of palace fairy tales were written about.

“You grew up here?” I whispered.

The sprawling estate was nestled into a mountain range, and we drove down toward it, giving me an uninterrupted view. It was exactly as Mattie had said, a huge, crystal clear blue spring surrounded one side. The side we were approaching. Steam rose in attractive arcs above that water, and I was already imagining how delicious it would be to swim there.

The palace itself was very white and very modern, with lots of sharp angles, high ceilings, and glass from ceiling to floor so that from the inside, one would not miss any of these views.

It went on further than I could see, and even though it wasn’t like the castles depicted in long-ago movies, it was definitely as large as any of those royal abodes. Security waved us through the gates, and I noted there were dozens of the smartly dressed men and women scattered about. They were wearing the same uniform as those who had crashed the fights.

I averted my eyes so it wasn’t obvious I was checking them out. I knew, logically, that none of them would know I had been at the fights. But it still felt like I should be keeping a low profile.

“You’re safe,” Rafe said, turning the wheel to pull into a large circular entryway. “No one will hurt you here, and best of all, none of the considerable enemies you’ve amassed in your short time in our world can reach you here.”

I laughed. “Very reassuring, thank you.”

When the car stopped, someone opened Rafe’s door, bowing as they did. “Welcome home, Your Highness,” the young man said. He stepped back then, allowing Rafe to exit the car.

My door was opened by a different attendant, and I was greeted as Ms. Spencer. I blinked at his formal tone. “Thank you,” I replied as he stepped back to let me out.

Out into a fucking world that was not for me. But I was going to enjoy it all the same.

Here’s hoping I didn’t lose my head in the process.





Chapter 31





King Felipe and Queen Jacinta were both waiting for us in the formal entry. The entrance had glass walls on either side, one showcasing mountains for days and the other a small section of the hot springs. I couldn’t gawk at that, though. I was about to meet some royals.

Rafe didn’t wait to be introduced, hurrying forward to throw his arms around his petite mother. He was a big guy, and it was clear from looking at his father where he got it from. But his mom, she was stunning, like a perfect doll, standing all of five feet two.

She had black hair like Rafe’s, and her features—eyes, hair, skin tone—were all bronze. Rafe’s dad, though, was the one sporting bright blue eyes. From seeing him on television, I’d always thought his eyes were midnight blue, but they must lighten and darken with emotions, like Rafe’s. Because right now they were quite bright. He also had silvery hair and was a picture of health, looking handsome and robust. He was Rafe in thirty years, and it was a good look.

I was surprised when he embraced his son in the same sort of warm hug, and I was starting to see that this royal family was nothing like the creepy Australasian one.