Checkmate.
Lennox’s arms tightened behind his back, his gaze not landing on anyone. “No, sir.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“You agree to be Ms. Sutton’s personal guard?”
Lennox’s jaw strained, a nerve popping in his neck. “Yes, sir.” He tipped his head in a bow, resentment and rage stroking his words.
Alexander nodded, touching the paper on his desk. “I do not want to see an incident like this again.”
“Yes, Father.” Eloise stood up from the chair, sensing his dismissal.
“I’ve got work to do. Theo, I want to see you in the afternoon meeting.”
“Yes, sir.” Theo bobbed his head, his hand curling around mine, tugging me toward the door.
“Pleasure meeting you, Your Majesty.” I bobbed my legs, my words rushing out as Theo and Eloise dragged me from the room.
“Bloody hell, El,” Theo hissed the moment we got out. “That was close. He knows that’s a fighting club!”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes, brushing her glossy hair over her shoulder. “You freak out so easily. He’ll never figure it out. And if he does?” She shrugged. “So what? What is he going to do, ground us?”
Being second-born gave her a lot more freedom than Theo.
Hearing steps behind us, Theo whirled around to his ex-guard. “So sorry, mate.” He went up to Lennox.
Lennox’s hazel eyes dug into me. Blaming. Accusing. I glared back. I didn’t want this any more than he did.
“Though it’s not like anything’s changed.” Theo patted his arm. “Wherever she is, I’ll be… so it will be exactly like you are on my watch.”
“Exactly like that.” Lennox’s gaze was still set on me, his scruffy jaw rolling with irritation. The intensity of his stare had me glancing away. “If you excuse me, Your Highness, I now have a meeting with the PR team.” Because of her. Unsaid, but completely felt. Lennox bent in a goodbye, turned on his heels, and strolled down the hall.
“Fuck, he’s hot.” Eloise sighed.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Don’t worry, big brother. Hazel has already taken dibs.”
“Ugh. No.” Theo rubbed his head. “I don’t want to know that.”
The siblings started strolling away, but I stood there, watching the back of the man who was now was in charge of keeping me alive.
Dalton moved in my eye line, a smirk on his face, his eyes going to Lennox’s retreating figure, then back to me.
“Shut up,” I growled, only making him laugh as he walked away.
At every turn, I kept pulling the short straw.
What were the chances this guy would protect me from a bullet? It seemed more likely he’d push me into one.
Chapter 10
“We will need to close all your social media accounts and open new ones so we can control the content.”
“What?” I rubbed my damp hands down my jeans. For the last twenty minutes, I had been locked in the office with just a few of the house’s PR team. Four people sat around the room, typing and talking around me like I wasn’t actually there.
“All personal pictures will need to be vetted.” Chloe opened a folder, flipping through papers with a slight frown on her face. Her assistant, Millie, stood near with a tablet, stabbing and scrolling through it. “It’s better to start from scratch than going through all your accounts.”
“Most of my content is animals, my two friends, and some of my family.” I knew this was coming, but it still prickled the back of my neck. All my social media was wholesome because Uncle Fredrick had drilled it into Landen’s and my brains to keep a polished exterior for the public.
“And all of that will be up for debate, ridicule, and censure, no matter how appropriate you think it is,” Chloe replied, tossing a folder at another member of the team. “Every detail of your life is going to be dug up and put up on display to be shredded. We want as little as possible for them to rip apart.” She looked up at Millie. “Get a statement from Kelly, Theo’s PR. What they want his message to be.”
Millie nodded, tapping harder at her screen.
“The moment you step out as the prince’s girlfriend, everything changes. They will move in like vultures, ready to pick you apart, and if you want to stay whole, we need to control the message from the beginning.” She opened another packet, flicking through the pages. “The image we are putting out there will be shaped and cultivated by us. Not the press. You will no longer do any posting yourself. We will be doing everything for you now.”
My life was no longer my own.
“Theo mentioned to you that I want to get my own flat?” I swallowed back the lump building in my throat. I needed even the tiniest bit of freedom.
“He did,” she answered curtly, not going on as she turned to the side. “Thomas?” She addressed another employee. “Is her new mobile ready?”
A guy in his mid-twenties with pasty skin and glasses unhooked a phone from his laptop. “Yes.” He slid the device to her. “Downloaded and ready to go.”
Chloe picked it up, tapping at it before handing it over to me, open to a calendar. “This is your official RH mobile. It is protected and programmed. Please use this for all your communication. Your latest changes in your calendar of events will be updated there.”
I nodded, noticing how packed the dates already were, especially after the gala where we were officially coming out as a couple. Almost every day was filled with something. The walls moved in around me; the need to run outside into the fresh air itched my limbs. The desire to go riding, to gallop across the green rolling hills, burned the back of my throat.
“I’m in the process of interviewing an assistant for you, but she won’t officially be hired until you and the prince are engaged.” She flipped through a folder, her words nonchalant. The tension in my gut braided up my spine. “Until then, they will be acting as an informal aide, keeping you on task and message.”
Message?
My relationship with Theo didn’t feel real, like we were two dolls being moved and dressed in the way the royal house wanted.
“All the things in red are events you must attend. Orange is for charities Theo is part of, and it would be beneficial if you were with him. Yellow are events and activities Prince Theo must attend, and again it’s good if you would show a united front. The starred ones are meetings, fittings, private dinners, and instruction.”
“Instruction?”
Chloe touched her flawlessly smoothed blonde hair. Not even a strand would dare come out of the low tight bun. She was tall and lean, dressed in a knee-length black dress and heels with a red blazer. She was picture perfect for the “message” of the royal house, meeting the same standard as the Queen and Eloise. Conservative, elegant, and reserved. So many things I didn’t feel I was. Maybe those on the outside would disagree, but I preferred animals to people, jeans to dresses, riding boots to heels, pizza to lobster, and loose, long tangled hair to being perfectly coiffed.
“I know being raised as a baroness you’ve had some instruction on manners and etiquette, but the royal house is another level of traditions and customs. Things that have been in place since the establishment of this kingdom. Protocols a novice could break without even knowing.” She tugged at the edges of her jacket, pressing her red lips together. “Dinner etiquette will start later this afternoon after your fittings. Dresses will be picked for you for the formal events. We want your introduction at the gala to be seamless.” She moved to Millie, handing her a few files. Without a note of instruction, Millie took them with a curtsy and left the room. “Your world is here now. Your message will be the same as Theo’s until you become duchess, then you can start thinking of charities of your own you want to be the voice for. Of course, only if they are first approved by the royal house.”