Regal Games

Lucia found herself sitting outside beside the pool. She was alone as the sun set and darkness began to take over the night. She could bet that no one was missing her. Not Caroline who was in her cloud of bliss. Adela did not seem to like her and her mother was keeping her father busy. The princes… They were being entertained. Her mother would make sure of that. This meant that she had until dinner to be alone.

She reached a hand into the pool and brushed the surface of the water before drawing her knees to her chest and putting her now wet hand over them.

"I can always count on finding you in the shadows," A voice she recognised said.

Her heart rate picked up. She slowly looked up and her gaze landed on Prince Michael. He was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. A simple pair of sandals separated his foot from the slip-proof flooring specially created for the pool areas.

He hunkered down next to her and studied her face.

"Why are you here?" he asked her.

It was a genuine question.

"I need to be alone," Lucia told him and put her head down again.

She was not in the mood for protocol. She had no energy for it. And they never followed protocol when they were in the shadows.

Prince Michael lowered his royal bottom to the ground. They were now sitting side by side but facing the opposite direction. They only needed to slightly turn their heads to look each other in the face. But they didn't do that. Prince Michael leaned back and turned his gaze to the darkening sky. Lucia turned her head away from him and fixed her gaze on the surface of the water bobbing in the pool.

No one spoke for a while. It was like the old days. They both knew the other was here even though no words were spoken. The last of the sun finally sank and the orange that had been on the horizon disappeared. Prince Michael lowered his eyes and looked at Lucia in the darkness. He could not help but wonder why she had come here. He had looked at her from afar before he'd decided to make his presence known.

She had looked so lost. He'd wondered what had happened that had put that look on her face. She'd always been the thoughtful one who put too much on her shoulders. She'd also always been the one who was left out in the shadows. Always watching from the sidelines, never saying a thing but taking in everything.

At first, he'd thought she only did that at parties but he'd soon noticed when she started to do that with her family too. He realised how lonely she was. Maybe she isolated herself on purpose or her parents were too busy fussing on her older siblings to notice when she was left out.

However, through her odd desire to hang in the shadows, she'd been the closest person to him. Until she had left and he had been alone again. He had realised then how much of a silent friend she was to him. He had found himself scanning the shadows hoping to find her. He never did. He thought he did once when he'd run into a crying Adela but although they were sisters, they were not the same.

The lights suddenly lit up and Prince Michael blinked as his eyes tried to adjust. Lucia lifted her head and began blinking too. She knew that she needed to wash up for dinner.

"Dinner will be served soon," she told the prince, "Please excuse me."

She got up and Prince Michael hastily did the same. She rushed past him and towards the house. He watched her open the sliding doors leading to the dining room, cross the threshold and begin to slide them shut. As she did so, her gaze went to him. He did not look away and so their gazes met and for a moment they were just staring at each other. She blinked and then hastily turned away from him. He did not take his eyes away from her until she disappeared around a corner and out of sight.

He blinked and then looked at the pool. Wondering what about her had changed so much. She had grown into a beautiful and graceful young woman. She had not lost her charm. But she had somehow managed to acquire new shadows in her eyes. He feared that her current need to be alone was driven by something more than just being a loner.

Before she had left, she had watched the world around her. But now… Now he feared that she came to the shadows to lick her wounds. What had happened to her?

Had she faced backlash from what he did three years ago? He had noticed that she was more formal with him. She hid behind the wall of etiquette. She did not smile at him or even look his way unless there was a need. Should he ask her? How would he begin? Three years had passed since she was sixteen. Maybe that was it. Maybe she did not know where to place him with the time between them. Had he been wrong in thinking that they were friends? Sure, she was much younger than him but should there be an age restriction between friends? She had avoided calling his name without the title.

He walked over to the patio and settled on the sofa. The place was lit so the people inside the living room could see him if they looked his way. There was no one in there. He turned his head and his gaze landed on the tranquil water in the swimming pool. He did not notice when Adela stepped into the living room and spotted him. She hesitated for a moment before she squared her shoulders and started after him.

Nothing alerted him of her presence until she slid the door open. He jerked his head in her direction and he let out a breath when he saw her.

"Good evening, Your Highness," she curtseyed before moving to take a seat opposite him.

"Drop the formalities, please," he responded automatically.

She would be his sister-in-law soon. They were alone so there was no need for formalities. He saw a smile grace her lips and she went to sit opposite him.

He turned his gaze back to the swimming pool. She studied him. An odd look in her eyes. What was it about her that he did not like? She wondered. He was open and friendly with Lucy. He liked Caroline and treated her like a little sister. He was friendly with Leroy. So, what was it about her that made it hard for him to like her? She had tried everything. It had taken Lucia leaving for him to acknowledge Adela's existence. What was it that he saw in Lucia that he did not see in her? How was she lacking?

It hurt that his reaction to her was why she was not good enough for her mother. Why was she not good enough for him? She had tried to blend herself into the perfect princess. She knew all the rules of royalty. She knew what would be required of a crown princess. The queen had complimented her more times than she would like to count but for him, she always came short. Why? What did she need for him to see her as a good match? Why did he have to look at her younger sister? Why not anyone else?