The noise in the club was deafening and getting on Max’s nerves. When Richard had begged him to come along for his stag night, Max had done it thinking he would enjoy himself. Little did he know, all that would happen was that he would end up with a pounding headache and foul mood.

“What’s wrong with you?” Benji Stinson, one of the other groomsmen for Richard, asked with irritation. “I thought Maxwell Beaumont knew how to party. Didn’t know you would end up being the stick-in-the-mud,” he said, slapping Max on the back. “I would have put money on it being Richard but look at him grinding up on that girl on the dance floor.”

Max ignored the breach in protocol, as it was taboo to touch a royal without their permission, and instead said, “I need to get some air.”

As he stood up from the VIP table and left the roped-off area, Max heard Benji mumble to the other groomsman, Bradley Furlez, “Max isn’t at all what he was billed to be in the press. I must say, what a disappointment.”

Normally, being slammed like that would have annoyed Max, but considering the source and what it meant, he didn’t care. It was true, the old Max would have loved all of this, but since returning home, he had changed. 

The combination of taking on the responsibilities of the Crown Prince, developing a real relationship with Lily, and rededicating his life to God, left no room for his old ways. He no longer wanted to live a partying lifestyle or be around people who did. Not only was he content to be king one day, but he wanted to be a devoted husband and Christian. None of those things meshed well with drinking, sleeping with random women, and throwing money around. 

Max stepped into the alleyway, noting his bodyguard was close by, and took in a deep gulp of fresh air. He could still hear the noise from the club, but rather than being an overwhelming pounding beat, it was now a muffled, pulsating beat. 

If Max had it his way, he would leave right now, but he knew it would be in bad form if he didn’t at least stay for another hour. Once he made it another sixty minutes, he could make his excuses to Richard and quietly slip out.

Now that he had a plan, he could focus on that rather than how much he hated being there. A wry smile formed on his lips as he thought about how much his life had changed in only a couple of months. Never would he have thought he would rather be watching Netflix with his fiancée than out partying with friends. 

Just as he pulled the door open to go back inside, he heard the unwelcome voice of Georgina. “There you are, Max. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Is that right, Lady Georgina? And why would that be? I thought I made it clear last time we spoke to stay away from me.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she said with a flirtatious smile as she placed her hand on his chest. “Why can’t two old friends catch up? I mean, you sure have been doing a lot of that with Lady Liliana. What’s keeping you from doing the same with me?”

Ah, it all made sense now. That was definitely Georgina’s mode of operation. She hated being shown up by anyone, especially Lily, so it made sense that she would come after him with a vengeance. She wanted to prove she could get what she wanted, when she wanted it, and take it from anyone she wanted. It actually had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with her desire for social dominance. 

Pulling away from Georgina, Max snapped, “I will not be a pawn for you, Georgina. You need to get it through your head, I want nothing to do with you.”

Georgina pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. “Is this because of Lily? Are you two back together or something?”

“Even if we were, I wouldn’t be telling you. It’s none of your business,” he said, pushing past her.

“That wasn’t a denial,” he heard Georgina shout from behind him. “I guess I’ll just have to go to the press about what I know.”

Max hesitated for a moment, wondering what he should do. Realizing he didn’t care if the press knew about him and Lily, he called Georgina’s bluff. Turning to face her, he challenged, “Go ahead. You do what you think you have to, but I won’t be blackmailed.”

 A look of shock came over the woman’s face, then one of anger, and finally disappointment. “Whatever, Max, you want to act like you’re so different, but leopards don’t change their spots. You’ll go back to your old ways soon enough, and I’ll be there to say, ‘I told you so.’” 

Max wanted to rebuff her statement, but a small part of him worried she might be right. Rather than standing there and arguing with her any further, Max turned around and took off. He couldn’t be around the irritating woman a second longer.

Once back at the VIP table, he noticed that both the groomsmen were now out on the dance floor with Richard. Well, thank goodness for small favors. At least he didn’t have to listen to Benji and Bradley prattle on about their latest sexual conquests, financial acquisitions, and social triumphs anymore. Max could wait out the rest of the hour in relative quiet—minus the obnoxious electronic pop music blaring through the speakers all around him—and escape back to the palace. Maybe if he was lucky, Lily would be still up, and they could spend some time together.

The Primrose Tea Room was elegantly decorated for Margo’s bridal shower luncheon. The tables were set with light pink tablecloths with vintage mixed china. In the center of each table was a pink and white flower arrangement with pearls draped through them. 

The vintage eatery was filled with antique knick-knacks that decorated the flowered wallpapered walls. It was an unusual location choice for a royal party, but one that Lily was glad Margo had insisted on. Both of them got tired of pretentious parties at country clubs and mansions, so it made planning the bridal shower a pleasure for Lily.

Once the final guests arrived—rounding out the number to fifty of Margo’s closest friends—Lily stood to her feet and addressed the group. “Welcome, everyone. I’m so glad you could make it to Margo’s bridal shower. Growing up together, Margo was always looking for her perfect match. Just like me, she was a hopeless romantic, so when she met Richard and they fell in love, it was obvious it had finally happened for her. Today, we are going to shower her with gifts to bless their upcoming union.” Lifting her glass into the air, Lily added, “To Margo and Richard—may their lives together be more than both could ever hope for.”

All the other ladies in the room lifted their glasses as they agreed to the toast. 

Lily took her seat, and the servers came out with the meals, placing them in front of the ladies. They spent the next hour eating and talking about royal affairs, their families, and the upcoming wedding.

As the meal portion of the afternoon was wrapping up, Lily was suddenly ambushed by Lady Matilda Blanchard and Lady Alexa Davidson who were seated at the same table as Lily. She had grown up with both women, all three of their families being part of the royal court. 

“So, we’ve seen you’ve been spending a fair amount of time with the Crown Prince the past couple of months,” Matilda said with a hint of irritation in her voice. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

Lily wasn’t sure how to answer the woman’s probing question. She knew exposing their engagement was off-limits as the king would want to be the one to orchestrate the announcement, but was she allowed to tell people she was involved with Max? 

Rather than answer her directly, Lily said, “My father is an advisor to the king, not to mention Prince Maxwell and I went to boarding school together. Our families thought it a good idea for us to socialize together since we were both freshly back in town.”

“But that’s not the only reason, right?” Alexa inquired. “I can tell by the way you look at one another, it’s more than that. Plus, when you were in boarding school, didn’t you two date for a time? Have you two rekindled something from the past?”

At first, Lily was shocked by the woman’s blunt questions. Then she reminded herself it was common for daughters of noble families to hunt royals—single as well as married—to further their positions. Though a lot of things had modernized over the past centuries, that aspect of royal life had not. It was the whole reason her own parents had pushed her towards agreeing to the arrangement with Max. Even though she knew that this was common, and she would have to find a way to cope with it, it didn’t mean she had to like it. When all of this first started, she wouldn’t have cared that it seemed like Matilda and Alexa were far too invested in Max’s relationships. Now that she had grown to care for Max again, she didn’t like the idea of other women chasing after him.

“The Crown Prince is a good person, and I’m proud to count him amongst my friends.”

Matilda snorted with a roll of her eyes. “See, there must be something going on between them, Alexa, because anyone who knows the prince, knows he’s not a good man or anyone’s friend.”

“You shouldn’t say that about the Crown Prince. He’s a wonderful man.” As soon as the words escaped Lily’s lips, she realized she shouldn’t have said them. The other women pounced on them mercilessly. 

“I knew it; you two are together,” Matilda stated with a wicked grin. Turning to Alexa, she added, “Wait until Georgina hears about this. She’s going to have a conniption.”

“Forget Georgina, wait until the press finds out.” Looking directly at Lily, she stated coldly, “You’re going to wish you never got tangled up with Prince Maxwell Beaumont. No woman ends up on the good side of the press afterward.”

Were they trying to upset her? Or were they warning her off? Perhaps it was both. Whatever the case, Lily didn’t like it. 

Narrowing her gaze at the other two women, she said through clenched teeth. “You both sound ridiculous. Your wild speculations do you both a disservice.”

“So, you’re saying nothing is going on then?” Matilda probed, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair. “Because if that’s the case, you shouldn’t mind if I make an effort to attract the Crown Prince’s attention. After all, if he’s single, he’s fair game.”

Lily placed her napkin on the table and stood up, unable to stay a moment longer around either woman. “If you will excuse me, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

Not waiting for their responses, she darted out of the room and made her way down a side hall of the establishment. Once in the bathroom, she entered a stall and leaned against one of the walls. She needed just five minutes where no one was watching her.

Silently, she prayed to God to help calm her nerves and to give her patience with the other women. She knew it would be difficult being back in the royal court and dealing with the horrible people that ran in her family’s social circles, but this last attack was harder than she imagined.

The door to the restroom opened and Lily could hear someone was entering. A moment later, she heard a woman say, “Can you believe that the Crown Prince is spending time with her? She doesn’t even care enough about Triola to live here permanently. She’s spent the past decade living abroad.”

“That doesn’t bother me as much as how basic she dresses,” another woman said to the first woman. “It’s like she puts as little effort as possible into how she looks. No future queen of Triola should present herself like that.”

“Ugh, I hope he doesn’t plan to marry that sow. Why can’t he see she’s not fit material to be the queen,” the first woman stated adamantly. 

“Come on, let’s get back to the luncheon. Lady Margo will be opening her presents soon.”

The women retreated from the restroom, leaving Lily alone again. Just when she thought she couldn’t feel any worse, she had to overhear that conversation. 

Lily exited the stall and went over to the sink. Looking at herself in the mirror, she analyzed herself critically. The pale yellow sundress she was wearing seemed appropriate when she put it on that day, but now she wondered if she had been dressing poorly without knowing it. She wasn’t much for fashion, and preferred function over style, but she didn’t consider herself a slob. Was she wrong? Perhaps it was time to hire a personal dresser and makeup artist. A lot of royals and celebrities did it, but Lily didn’t like how pretentious it would make her look.

She closed her eyes and started to pray again. The only thing that was going to help her right now was her faith. She needed God to show her what to do, and how to handle all of this.

A moment later, the door opened again, and Lily’s head turned to the side to find Margo entering the restroom.

“There you are. I was looking for you everywhere. I didn’t want to start anything else without you.” She must have noticed Lily looked upset because she came up and placed her hand on the side of Lily’s arm. “Are you all right? What’s the matter? I can tell you’ve been crying.”

“It’s nothing,” Lily stated, pushing away the tears she hadn’t even realized had been falling since the other women left the room. “It’s your day, Margo. Let’s get out there and focus on you.”

Lily tried to push past her friend, but Margo reached out and stopped her. “Oh, no you don’t. You don’t get to push your own feelings aside for me. You’ve always done that for everyone else. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Some women are being catty, that’s all. It’s nothing, we’re both used to growing up in the royal court.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier.” Tilting her head to the side, Margo stated, “Let me guess, this has to do with the fact you’re in a relationship with Max again.”

“Who told you? Was it Richard? Did Max tell him?”

Margo shook her head. “No one had to tell me. I have two eyes, and it’s obvious to anyone that knows the two of you.”

“You can’t say anything to anyone,” Lily whispered. “The king would be furious if he knew I confirmed the fact.”

“Don’t worry about that. Your secret is safe with me. Let me give you a little advice. Though Richard isn’t next in line to the throne, he is a royal. When the other noble women found out we were dating, they were horrible to me. I had to decide whether my relationship with Richard was worth putting up with it, and that’s when I realized I loved him. I would rather deal with a hundred vicious gossiping harpies than be without him, and so I made peace with it. You need to do the same thing.”

Lily thought about Margo’s words. It was true, if Lily was going to be with Max, she needed to accept that parts of it would be harder than being with someone else. She had to decide if she cared enough about Max to be with him despite the difficulties that would come.

“Thank you. I appreciate you sharing that with me.” Lily would have plenty of time to worry about her future with Max, for now she wanted to focus on her friend. “I think we should join the others and open your gifts.”

Margo nodded. “Let’s go enjoy the rest of the afternoon.”