Page 59 of Tabloid Princess

I breathed out a sigh of relief. She was right. There were more A-listers in this room than the Oscars, but she was wrong about one thing. Someone was watching me, their eyes bright and intense.

“Come, Janine must be here with the others. Let’s see if we can find them.” I struggled to walk without stumbling. Paula, Janine, and Ian were in a corner, their eyes wide. Sonya was edging towards the dance floor, her body swaying a little. She was always first on and last off and had no preference for whether she danced alone. Sonya was the backbone of our office Christmas parties and apparently this being a royal ball wasn’t going to change anything. I gave her a wave and she smiled back, but she didn’t release her hands from doing their thing.

“Girls! How amazing is this?” Janine hooked both her arms into one each of ours and turned us to take in the room. Everything adhered to a purple and white colour scheme, although there wasn’t a balloon arch in sight. Huge purple and cream bouquets of flowers sat in the middle of round and spotlessly white tables.

Silver tablewear was spaced evenly across starched white tablecloths.

Then I realised.

“Molly.” I turned to her, my neck straining to reach her ear. “I’m going to have to eat in front of people.”

The situation couldn’t be worse.

Yes, it could.

“Thanks so much for coming.” His low voice rang inside my head as though it had been hot-wired from my eardrums to some deep and painful pit in my stomach.

“Your Highness.” Janine bobbed a curtsey, somehow pulling Molly and I down with her. The woman’s arms were iron. I wobbled on my heels catching a flicker of the prince's attention dart in my direction. “This is amazing. I can’t even express just how overwhelmed I am.” Janine managed to sound grateful and professional.

I turned and smiled slightly at my boss. “Shooopmooop.”

Molly chuckled loudly.

My face, already sweaty and clammy, burned as hot as coals in the depth of winter. “So amazing,” I said again.

I glanced up, finding a gaze of forest trees and leaves dancing in sunlight staring directly at me. “I’d like to introduce you to some people, if that’s okay?” I noticed he was asking—not something he seemed to do that often.

Molly and I both let go of Janine’s arms and we took a united step back. I’d almost turned to Ian when his voice cut in again.

“No. All of you.”

He couldn’t be serious. I didn’t want to be introduced to anyone. Everyone already knew me, thanks to the British press.

Prince Oliver looked directly at me. “It would do me a great honour if I could introduce you all. Then I’m going to give a short speech before dinner is served.”

I held in my giggle; he made everything so formal.

The slightest lift arched his eyebrow.

Janine nodded and stepped up to his side and he guided her with his hand towards a small group stood near the top of the room. The rest of the team walked behind, while I dropped as far as I could to the back of the group.

“Ma’am.” Prince Oliver dropped a bow and I stared in horror at the group he’d guided us to. “Can I introduce you to Janine Hart and her team from Bright Futures.”

The Queen turned, her smile gracious as she accepted Janine’s curtsey and then reached out to shake her hand.

“Your Majesty.” Janine curtseyed again as the King stepped up to be introduced.

“Janine, such a pleasure. Oliver has been telling us about the fabulous work you’ve been doing in the city.”

Janine flushed with sheer joy. “I think His Highness has increased our visibility within the last two weeks more than we ever would have achieved by ourselves.”

The King stepped closer to Janine, his expression one of keen interest.

I couldn’t help but stare at the royal couple. It was impossible not to. Oliver had the colouring of his mother, but while her features were elfin almost, her frame naturally slender and tall, he had the high cheekbones and wide smile of his father.

They were all beautiful. Which to me only highlighted the injustices of life. To be rich, royalty, and to be blessed with the most stunning of looks seemed unnecessarily one-sided.

“Your rehabilitation programme, how does it work exactly?” The King engaged Janine in conversation while the rest of us stood there waiting for some protocol to move the situation on. The queen glided forward slightly and murmured in Prince Oliver’s ear.