The-Sinful-King-By-Claire-Contreras-PDF

It was sophisticated and chic. Joss wore a dark purple slip
dress that tied on the side to accentuate her waistline. I was
grateful she’d chosen a short black slip dress and gold
strappy heels for me. I would’ve probably worn a ball gown
on principle that I was dining at the palace with the queen.
Everyone looked very much like they were at a cocktail party.
There were no obnoxious hats, though I really wanted to
wear one myself, or over-the-top gowns. It occurred to me
for a second that maybe my mother was wrong about the
royal family. Maybe they were normal people with
extraordinary circumstances. Maybe they invited people like
us to dine with them, not because they wanted to remember
their place, but because they longed to be in ours. It wasn’t
such a far-fetched idea. After all, the grass was always
greener on the other side.
The rest of the table started filling in. The chairs across
from us were still empty and my heart pounded a little
harder at the possibility of Elias sitting there. I was starving,
but I knew if he sat across from me, I wouldn’t be able to eat
my meal. My stomach was already in knots as it was. My
attention turned to the door as Elias walked in talking to his
brother. The Princess of Austria followed. And lastly, the
queen. I kept my eyes on her. She glanced at me and smiled
wide, waving a hand at me. Despite my shock, I felt myself
wave back. She sat at the seat beside the head of the table,
leaving that one empty. Prince Aramis sat in the seat directly
across from Joss. Prince Elias sat in the one across from me.
The Princess of Austria took the one across from Thomas. I
looked down at my plate, which still had an ivory napkin
folded over it.
“Did you see Benjamin Drake?” Joss whispered, leaning
over.
“How could I not?” My eyes widened in excitement. “Did
you meet him?”