Suddenly Royal
Page 60
“I’ll send you some homework.”
“Alex, you still haven’t taught her anything else?” Cathy was watching us carefully. “So, the only words she knows in Lilarian are chicken and stuffed?”
I heard Rose snort but she quickly turned it into a sneeze. Felecia looked like she was trying not to laugh.
“I need to know more than that?” I winked at Cathy.
“It will certainly make your reinstatement ceremony more interesting if that’s all you know.” She giggled.
“Would certainly be entertaining,” the queen offered. “Alex, if you’ve promised to help her with her Lilarian, you need to do it. What is on your schedule for the next few weeks?”
“FBT work, a trip to the mines, the normal stuff.” Alex wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Actually, Samantha is going to be doing some work with the FBT. I could help with her Lilarian then.”
“That’s perfect.” Felecia nodded her head like she was confirming an order.
“I really need to get to my property.” I tried to not sound annoyed. When was I ever going to get to see my new home?
“We’re going this weekend,” Alex said. “I won’t need any help with the FBT for at least another week.”
“Oh, are you going with her to Rousseau?” Felecia looked up, interested.
“Yes.” He didn’t offer an explanation and the queen’s thoughtful gaze turned to me.
“Let me know if you need to rearrange your schedule, Alex.” Felecia smiled before looking down at her plate. That was the first time I felt like she was working something and I couldn’t help but wonder what.
“That’s great, Alex. I’m sure Samantha will appreciate having a friend along for the ride,” Cathy interjected.
“A friend will be appreciated amongst all this change,” Rose said primly.
“You have had to adjust to a lot this week,” Felecia said. “I think you’ve done wonderfully.”
“Thank you. I have to admit that I’m flying by the seat of my pants.” A woman cleared the plates. I was starting to understand why Alex loved hamburgers so much—the fancy food lost its appeal after your eighth straight meal of it.
The rest of the lunch was filled with chitchat. The longer I talked to Felecia, the more comfortable I felt. She was a quick thinker, directing the conversation easily but not leaving me feeling like she wasn’t listening.
By the time lunch was finished, we were all laughing and I’d even joked with the queen. Alex had one arm thrown over the back of his chair while he teased Cathy about her collection of frog figurines.
“Frogs? Why frogs?” I leaned forward and propped my chin on my hand.
“It started when I was little. They’re cute and green.” She shrugged while Alex and Rose laughed. “And then it just exploded. Everyone would bring me frog figurines when they came back from a trip.”
“She still has all of them.” Alex shook his head.
“They’re special! You guys got them for me. What am I going to do? Throw them away?” Cathy glared at him.
“Your closet looks like a frog shrine.”
“I don’t know where else to put them.” Cathy shrugged.
“So, you have hundreds of frog figurines stuffed into your closet?” I laughed. “This gives the whole frog-prince thing a new meaning.”
“Oh, hush.” Cathy laughed.
“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed lunch, I have to go.” Felecia set her napkin on the table and stood up. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you better, Samantha.”
“Yes, ma’am. Same here.” I stood up.
“We’ll have to do it again when you come back.”
“I’d like that.”
Once Felecia left, Alex stood up and smiled down at me. “I hear you have portraits tomorrow afternoon.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Aren’t those normally done in the morning?” Cathy asked.
“I asked them to move it to a later time.” Chadwick chuckled under his breath and I shook my head. “Okay. I begged them to move it to later. I’m not a morning person and didn’t think it would be appropriate for me to be glaring at the camera in each picture.”
“Not a morning person?” Alex asked.
“I can get up and do what I need to do, I just don’t want to talk to anyone while I do it.” I shrugged. “Just takes me a little while to warm up.”
“And a lot of coffee,” Cathy added. “Or so I’ve heard.”
“It’s not a very well-kept secret.” I sighed.
“Speaking of the portraits, you still need to decide if we’re doing them inside or out.” Chadwick raised an eyebrow. “I believe it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”
“Lilaria has the strangest weather.” I frowned. “I guess we’ll do them inside.”
“What are you wearing?” Cathy asked.
“I’m going with the black dress from the other night.” I caught Alex’s eye. I didn’t want to admit that I had chosen that one because he had said he liked it.
“That dress looks great on you. Have you had any jewelry delivered? It’s customary to wear family jewels.” Cathy watched me thoughtfully.
“The Rousseau family had three tiaras in the royal vault and Samantha prefers to wear her mother’s earrings,” Chadwick supplied. We hadn’t talked about the tiaras, but I had said I wanted to wear Mom’s earrings.
“Alex, you still haven’t taught her anything else?” Cathy was watching us carefully. “So, the only words she knows in Lilarian are chicken and stuffed?”
I heard Rose snort but she quickly turned it into a sneeze. Felecia looked like she was trying not to laugh.
“I need to know more than that?” I winked at Cathy.
“It will certainly make your reinstatement ceremony more interesting if that’s all you know.” She giggled.
“Would certainly be entertaining,” the queen offered. “Alex, if you’ve promised to help her with her Lilarian, you need to do it. What is on your schedule for the next few weeks?”
“FBT work, a trip to the mines, the normal stuff.” Alex wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Actually, Samantha is going to be doing some work with the FBT. I could help with her Lilarian then.”
“That’s perfect.” Felecia nodded her head like she was confirming an order.
“I really need to get to my property.” I tried to not sound annoyed. When was I ever going to get to see my new home?
“We’re going this weekend,” Alex said. “I won’t need any help with the FBT for at least another week.”
“Oh, are you going with her to Rousseau?” Felecia looked up, interested.
“Yes.” He didn’t offer an explanation and the queen’s thoughtful gaze turned to me.
“Let me know if you need to rearrange your schedule, Alex.” Felecia smiled before looking down at her plate. That was the first time I felt like she was working something and I couldn’t help but wonder what.
“That’s great, Alex. I’m sure Samantha will appreciate having a friend along for the ride,” Cathy interjected.
“A friend will be appreciated amongst all this change,” Rose said primly.
“You have had to adjust to a lot this week,” Felecia said. “I think you’ve done wonderfully.”
“Thank you. I have to admit that I’m flying by the seat of my pants.” A woman cleared the plates. I was starting to understand why Alex loved hamburgers so much—the fancy food lost its appeal after your eighth straight meal of it.
The rest of the lunch was filled with chitchat. The longer I talked to Felecia, the more comfortable I felt. She was a quick thinker, directing the conversation easily but not leaving me feeling like she wasn’t listening.
By the time lunch was finished, we were all laughing and I’d even joked with the queen. Alex had one arm thrown over the back of his chair while he teased Cathy about her collection of frog figurines.
“Frogs? Why frogs?” I leaned forward and propped my chin on my hand.
“It started when I was little. They’re cute and green.” She shrugged while Alex and Rose laughed. “And then it just exploded. Everyone would bring me frog figurines when they came back from a trip.”
“She still has all of them.” Alex shook his head.
“They’re special! You guys got them for me. What am I going to do? Throw them away?” Cathy glared at him.
“Your closet looks like a frog shrine.”
“I don’t know where else to put them.” Cathy shrugged.
“So, you have hundreds of frog figurines stuffed into your closet?” I laughed. “This gives the whole frog-prince thing a new meaning.”
“Oh, hush.” Cathy laughed.
“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed lunch, I have to go.” Felecia set her napkin on the table and stood up. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you better, Samantha.”
“Yes, ma’am. Same here.” I stood up.
“We’ll have to do it again when you come back.”
“I’d like that.”
Once Felecia left, Alex stood up and smiled down at me. “I hear you have portraits tomorrow afternoon.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Aren’t those normally done in the morning?” Cathy asked.
“I asked them to move it to a later time.” Chadwick chuckled under his breath and I shook my head. “Okay. I begged them to move it to later. I’m not a morning person and didn’t think it would be appropriate for me to be glaring at the camera in each picture.”
“Not a morning person?” Alex asked.
“I can get up and do what I need to do, I just don’t want to talk to anyone while I do it.” I shrugged. “Just takes me a little while to warm up.”
“And a lot of coffee,” Cathy added. “Or so I’ve heard.”
“It’s not a very well-kept secret.” I sighed.
“Speaking of the portraits, you still need to decide if we’re doing them inside or out.” Chadwick raised an eyebrow. “I believe it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”
“Lilaria has the strangest weather.” I frowned. “I guess we’ll do them inside.”
“What are you wearing?” Cathy asked.
“I’m going with the black dress from the other night.” I caught Alex’s eye. I didn’t want to admit that I had chosen that one because he had said he liked it.
“That dress looks great on you. Have you had any jewelry delivered? It’s customary to wear family jewels.” Cathy watched me thoughtfully.
“The Rousseau family had three tiaras in the royal vault and Samantha prefers to wear her mother’s earrings,” Chadwick supplied. We hadn’t talked about the tiaras, but I had said I wanted to wear Mom’s earrings.
