Page 10 of Royally Matched

Chapter Three

Irritation flooded every pore of Max’s body as he let the tailor finish the final touches on the custom suit. Max had tried to explain that he wasn’t in need of any new clothing, but his father insisted he look pristine for the formal royal dinner to celebrate Max’s return home.

That was the official reason for the dinner. The ulterior motives were so that Max would have time to get to know Lily again, and to allow the royal court an opportunity to begin seeing them together. Once that happened, his father had plans to start having them make appearances together in public. Not one moment of their lives, it seemed, was to be left to chance. All of it was being meticulously calculated and laid out for them.

“Here is your pocket square, your Royal Highness,” Patrick said, inserting the white piece of fabric that complimented the black tuxedo he was wearing.

The royal tailor excused himself, leaving Patrick and Max alone as Patrick finished adding the final pieces to Max’s attire—a pair of platinum encrusted diamond cufflinks and a black bow tie.

“Thank you, Patrick,” Max said, stepping out of the dressing room and heading into his sitting area. “How long before I’m required to be downstairs for this wretched event?”

Patrick glanced at his pocket watch, an outdated mode of telling time but one he refused to give up. “You have fifteen minutes, Master Beaumont, before they make the formal announcement of your arrival.”

“I suppose that leaves me little time for anything else. I would be tempted to avoid going at all, but I know that would result in more restrictions.” Remembering it was a party, Max was grateful for one thing. “At least there will be alcohol finally.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were unaware, Master Beaumont. The king has declared the season a dry one. There will be no alcohol throughout the first two months of the New Year.”

“I’m guessing that’s in an effort to dry me out permanently,” Max stated snidely. “It’s going to be an even longer night than I first anticipated.”

“You’ll manage to survive somehow, Master Beaumont; you always do.”

“I would much rather be back on the yacht or at a casino in Monaco.”

“Focus on tonight, Master Beaumont. The rest will work itself out over time.”

Though Max hoped Patrick was right, he highly doubted there would be any chance of him getting away for an excursion any time soon. His father had him under lock and key for the foreseeable future.

Pulling on the bottom of his dinner jacket to adjust it one final time, Max said, “I suppose it’s time to go brave the vultures downstairs. I’m sure they’re just waiting to pick apart my bones.”

“Good luck, Master Beaumont.”

Max nodded before heading out of his suite and making his way to the doors by the entry to the royal dining hall. One of the royal valets was waiting by the door. As soon as the auburn-haired man saw Max, he quickly bowed and said, “Good evening, your Royal Highness. Are you ready for me to make your announcement?”

With a nod of his head, Max consented.

The valet opened the door, stepped forward, and raised his voice loud enough to interrupt the quiet talking that was happening around the room. “His Royal Highness, Maxwell Gerard Beaumont, the Crown Prince of Triola.”

All eyes turned to Max as he entered the giant room filled with over five hundred members of the royal court, Triola dignitaries, and celebrities. As he passed by different groups, he greeted them cordially, each of them reciprocating, until he reached his parents.

“We see you are on time,” his father noted with surprise. “A welcome change from past events.”

“It isn’t like I have anywhere else I can go,” Max stated with resentment. “You’ve made it clear that I must conform, or the consequences will be severe.”

“Don’t think of it as a punishment, but rather an opportunity to become familiar with the country you will run one day,” his father encouraged. “A country you’ve neglected for far too long.”

“That’s enough, Gerard, Max has barely been home two days and you’re already making it unbearable for him,” the queen whispered. “Let’s try to make it a pleasant evening.”

“You should make your way over to your fiancée’s side,” the king suggested, his eyes focusing behind Max. “It seems she already has a group of admirers. You shouldn’t let any of them get their hopes up.”

Max turned around to see what his father was talking about. Sure enough, there were three men standing around Lily. From their unwavering attention, it was clear they were smitten with her. The fact made Max’s blood boil. He didn’t like those men doting on her, and it took a hefty amount of resolve not to march over and stop it.

He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, his reaction to the other men, or his reaction to Lily. Why did it matter so much? He wanted nothing real with Lily.

Even as he tried to convince himself it was true, he couldn’t help butadmit to himself how beautiful she looked tonight in her formal blue gown. It made her golden eyes sparkle. Flashes of how her perfect lips felt beneath his own came flooding back, making him uncomfortable with the desires that flared to the surface.

In an effort to squash any nostalgia, Max reminded himself that she had nearly destroyed him when they were young. He had been completely devoted to her, when out of the blue, she ended things. It had devastated him, leaving him with the inability to trust women afterward.

“Aren’t you going to go over there,” Max’s mother suggested from behind him.

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