Page 45 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

Or she panicked?

Pierre

tell us who she is

Kai

Forget I asked

* * *

KAI

Esmeralda was avoiding me.

I might not have been so annoyed by that fact if it wasn’t for what happened last night. Confused, yes, maybe even a bit upset, but not frustrated beyond belief.

Hadn’t she meant what she said to me? What had she even meant by what she said?

She liked me? Liked me how? Like, like liked me? Or just liked me as a friend?

How was I supposed to know when she hadn’t even bothered to explain before running off? And I’d been too shocked to even react, let alone stop her and get an explanation.

She’d left me with a hundred thundering emotions that made my ears burn for hours after before I exhausted myself thinking and fell asleep. Realisation, confusion, pleasant surprise, disbelief.

Hope that she might be attracted to me like I was discovering I was to her.

But I couldn’t ask her when I couldn’t fucking find her.

I tried not to look for her. But after two hours of shuffling through new policy plans, not taking in a single word I was reading, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to find her and get answers.

Looking on every floor was the only option she’d left me with.

From my unsuccessful trip to the kitchen, I headed straight for the library. Only to find Uncle coming down the stairs that led to the first-floor entrance before the main entrance corridor.

“Kai!” Uncle Arsh said cheerfully. “Where are you off to, boy?”

“The library.” Upon realising something, I backtracked a step. “Were you on the first floor just now?”

“Up the second floor on the balcony, yes. I was. Why?”

“Did you see Princess Esmeralda there?”

“I did. Why? Are you looking for her?”

“Yes.” I resisted the urge to tug at my ear as I tried to think of a legitimate reason. “There was something—this thing she mentioned…”

Uncle raised his brows. “This thing?”

“Yes.” I shuffled from foot to foot. I was shit at lying. “I wanted to ask her more about it.”

Thankfully, Uncle didn’t seem fazed by my rubbish answer. “Of course,” he said cheerfully. “Well, she’s still there. On the second floor, between the wall shelves and middle bookcases under the last window on the left. Right in the corner where your mother keeps the romance books.”

That was…specific. Not that I was complaining.

“Thank you.”

“Of course. See you at dinner. Oh, but go quietly. She was lost in a book, and I accidently scared her by being too loud.”

---