Page 1 of A Royal Arrangement
Chapter One
Rosalie
The words people say hold power.
They can build someone up. They can tear someone down. And sometimes, the words people say can change your life forever.
Today, Rosalie had a sinking feeling her impending conversation with her parents would be one of those moments.
As she stepped into the Findorran Palace, Rosalie took in the familiar sight of tall white marble pillars, between which stood the housekeeper, who greeted her with a curtsy.
“How was the wedding and coronation, Your Highness?”
Rosalie smiled at her. “They were completely magical.”
She continued walking through the halls of the palace, heading to the room where she felt the most at peace—the library. It wasn’t the books she was so enamored with, but the old, inlaid wood chess board sitting on a table in the corner of the room.
It hadn’t been a lie when she’d said the weekend’s events had been magical. But what had started out as a joyous day, celebrating the coronation of Charlotte and Liam in Wistonia, had quickly turned into one of the most anxiety-filled days of her life because of one simple article.
Rosalie arrived at the library and took the eighty-nine steps she knew from memory to the back of the room,taking a seat at the table where the chess board was still set up from the last time she’d played against the palace’s head butler, Niles, before she’d left to be a contestant on a dating competition show,Royally Yours. Rosalie had spent almost every evening of her childhood sitting in this exact chair, learning how to play the game that had become so dear to her.
She wanted to feel grounded before hearing whatever news her parents had to share with her, and sitting at the chess table now, she immediately felt lighter.
Rosalie pulled her phone back out and reopened theRoyal Inquisitorarticle she hadn’t been able to get out of her mind for the past few hours.
Findorra in Financial Trouble
A source close to the royal family has shared that Findorra’s finances have been in shambles for years. The source also confirmed that His Majesty has a plan in place to right the country’s debts. We will keep you updated here as soon as we discover what King Frederick has intended to help Findorra recover.
A knock on a nearby wooden bookshelf pulled her eyes up from her phone screen. She smiled when she saw Niles standing before her. He looked the same as always, wearing his usual black tuxedo, a stark contrast to his bright-white hair, though barely enough of it remained to comb over. Rosalie got up and pulled him in for a hug.
“I knew I would find you here.” Niles smiled down at her with familial affection. “I know it’s only been three months, but it has felt like a lifetime. At least I got to see you on the telly.”
“You watchedRoyally Yours?”
“Of course. I had to cheer on my favorite contestant.” Niles’s grin widened as he patted her arm. “Charlotte and Liam were meant for each other, weren’t they?”
“Without a doubt.” But she couldn’t really think about love right now after what she had read in the article. “Have you seen this?” Rosalie held up her phone screen to Niles.
He curtly nodded. “Unfortunately. It’s been the talk of the palace all day.”
“Mother called me and said she and father want to talk to me. Do you know if it’s related to this?” She waved the phone in the air.
Niles’s face hardened, and he pressed his lips into a firm line. “I think it would be best for you to speak to them. I know they’re anxious to see you.”
The butler’s words only made her heart beat faster and her anxiety grow. He gestured to the corner of the chess table where a glass of iced coffee sat untouched.
“What’s this for?” She eagerly lifted her favorite drink to her lips.
“I expected you to come here before your conversation and thought you might need a pick-me-up.”
Rosalie sucked in a breath.
It must be really bad if he brought me iced coffee.
She closed her eyes and tried to think of a happy memory. Her thoughts roamed back to her time in Wistonia with her friends, playing chess and charades without a care in the world. When she looked back at the butler, her heart steadied. She took a long sip of the iced coffee for liquid courage before handing the cup back to Niles.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him.
