Chapter 0484 The next morning, I awoke to a knock on the door. Beside me Elva began to rub her eyes.


    I hadn’t indulged in too much alcohol, unlike some of the other girls, but I still felt a pressure in my head, probably from having stayed up toote.


    I wanted to turn over in bed and ignore the knocking, but if Elva was already waking up, I knew any attempts to return to sleep would be futile.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    With a groan, I rolled out of bed and headed to the door. Any annoyance I felt that morning immediately vanished the moment I opened the door and saw Charlotte standing there.


    “Surprise?” she said, smiling.


    “Charlotte!” I excitedly pulled her into a hug. We hadn''t been apart all that long, but seeing another familiar face here warmed my heart. Charlotte had be such a good friend, I was I always happy to see her. “What are you doing here?” I “Prince Nichs asked me toe,” she said. She gently returned my hug.


    “To escort your new wardrobe.” I pulled back from the hug, and noticed there were quite a few servants standing out in the hallway, each holding suitcases and bags.


    I immediately stepped to the side, and like a parade, the servants brought in the suitcases and unpacked them until the drawers and closet were full of new dresses and shirts and pants. Even


    underwear and swimsuits were included in the mix. €? Elva fully awoke in the excitement and rushed to give Charlotte a hug of her own.


    When the servants had gone, and all the clothes were in their ce, Charlotte and I sat down to talk while Elva yed with her toys.


    “How are things back at the pce?” I asked her. There was a small table at the corner of the room with two chairs.


    We sat there now, sipping from cups of coffee.


    “Mostly quiet,” Charlotte said.


    “Though not without the usual drama.” She sipped her coffee.


    “Lilliana has been particrly vocal about your inclusion on this trip, while they are forced to stay behind. Olivia,


    meanwhile, has been taking advantage of the absences by having daily tea with the Queen.” &? - Of course she was. Olivia was ever the one to watch out for. She might have stood back while Bridget took the forefront of everyone’s attention, but that woman would never give up. If she couldn’t make headway with Nichs himself, it made sense that she would attempt to sway his parents instead.


    It was a solid n, I supposed. I doubted how sessful it would be, with how much favor the King and Queen regrly bestowed upon Bridget. But I couldn’t fault Olivia for making the best of an awkward situation.


    We continued talking.


    “I received the calltest night, about putting together a new wardrobe for you. I thought to pack up your things from the pce, but the message said all new, to be delivered straight to the ind. And I was to facilitate their delivery.” “I didn’t need all this,” I said.


    Charlotte smiled at me a little. “The message was clear. Prince Nichs wanted the best for you.” I knew Nichs was behind all this, but to hear to what lengths he went to for me...


    I lowered my head to hide my smile.


    Charlotte yawned a little. “With all the excitement, I haven''t been to sleep yet p ?


    This rmed me. “You need to get some sleep!” Charlotteughed a little. I could see now the bags under her eyes. “Maybe for a little while.” We split ways then. Charlotte went to the servants quarters assigned to her to sleep. Elva went to make sandcastles with the nanny. I went searching for Nichs, to thank him for such a generous gift.


    It didn’t take me long to find him. All 1 had to do was descend the staircase. He was standing in the hallway near the bottom, arguing with... Nathan? When had he gotten here? Standing behind Nathan was a camera crew. They weren''t filming yet, but they were arranging their gear like they meant to soon.


    “This is supposed to be a getaway, Nathan,” Nichs argued. “A reward for a job well done. There weren''t supposed to be any cameras here.” “The King has made the decision, Prince Nichs,” Nathan said. He was respectful enough, but his tone had an air of dismissal, like his words were enough to end all argument. Maybe they were. Or should have been.


    But Nichs continued to press. “It’s hardly a reward if we have to keep being on guard all the time.” “you expect thepetition to simply... take a week off while you are here? And you believe the ratings would return after that break?” Nathan shook his head. “Be realistic, Nichs.” “1 am realistic,” Nichs snapped.


    ?phen you''ll know that the opportunity to see the princes and candidates in their swimsuits would only help to draw viewership to thepetition,” Nathan said. “We cannot pass up this opportunity.” “1 still don’t =” “What''s the harm?” said a chipper female voice. Bridget walked out of the kitchen, a coffee in hand and stepped nearer Nichs. She wore a big charming smile, her eyes bright and full of life.


    How was this the same woman who had passed out on the beachst night? Even I had a small hangover! How was Bridget immune? She seemed as cheery and energetic as she had the first day I met her! Bridget turned her smile on Nichs.


    “None of us have anything to hide.


    What does it matter if the cameras are here?” She said the words kindly enough, but even I could hear the slight threat underneath. None of us have anything I to hide. She suspected the opposite was true, if her outburstst night was anything to go by.


    The tiny voice inside of me wondered if Bridget herself hadn’t helped influence the arrival of the cameras. Perhaps Nichs hadn’t been the only one to have made the call home. Maybe Bridget herself called to suggest that the cameras would be weed here.


    ?She makes a good point,” Nathan said, and Nichs grimaced slightly.


    ?1t seems I have no choice,” Nichs said. ? Nathan nodded. “The King knows what’s best.” Realizing I had stopped on the stairs to tantly eavesdrop, I tried to subtly begin walking again, descending the staircase.


    At once, all three sets of eyes turned to look at me.


    Nathan dismissed me at once, turning toward the camera crew, likely to direct them further.


    Bridget lifted a brow at me, but otherwise didn’t react. Her smile remained unchanged, until she sipped at her coffee. Whatever had taken hold of herst night — likely the wine — had long left her, and she was fully in


    control of herself once more. I wondered if I should be afraid of that.


    Only Nichs let his gaze linger. At first, his expression was as hard as it had been while talking to the others.


    Yet, the longer we looked at each other, the closer I came down the stairs, the more his face shifted to one of...


    apology.


    I gave a small smile in return. He needed to know I didn’t me him.


    None of this was his fault.


    But any hopes I had about us pretending to be other people falling in Jove all over again flew right out the window.