Royal Mess

Chapter Eleven

One month later. 

We were enjoying a pretty peaceful Christmas, for the most part, and I had spent the beginning half of it with my family, and was now with the royals. It was strange, to say the least, but fortunately King Nicholas' thoughts around me had become a little less drastic. He was now ultimately supportive of my choice to keep his future grandchild, and I was thankful for it. 

It would have been a very dramatic Christmas meal, had he not wanted to accept my decision. 

He just smiled at me from across the table, and I managed a smile back. 

I wished that I could say that Nathan and I were on as friendly terms, but unfortunately for the both of us this was not the case. 

It seemed that no, just because you were having a child with someone didn't mean things between you would instantaneously become perfect, and I quickly discovered this to be the case. 

I knew that Nathan was the prince, but did he have to be exceedingly arrogant at times? 

Don't answer that. 

Either way, we decided that we would at least try to be civil, given that it was Christmas, and we were dining with royalty, literally. I wasn't about to let Nathan make me set a bad example in front of them, just because we weren't currently on the greatest of speaking terms. 

Don't get me wrong, we did talk, just not incredibly often. 

I adjusted the golden crown that I had got from a Christmas cracker, on my head, and then moved a hand down to my growing bump. It was a lot more visible now through the fabric of my dark blue dress, as could be expected as I was pretty near half way through my first trimester. This was a matter which still seemed pretty crazy for me to even think about. 

Either way, I was thankful that the morning sickness was starting to calm down, a lot. It had been my least favourite part of the pregnancy thus far. 

The newspapers were still not knowledgeable to the fact that there was anything going on in the royal palace, but here I sat- the evidence that everything was about to change. 

I just tried not to think about it too much. It could get a little overwhelming at times, to say the least. 

I placed my reading glasses on, as the king asked for me to read a joke. 

"What do you call a penguin on ice?" I asked then. 

"What do you call a penguin on ice?" Nathan returned. 

I cleared my throat. 

"An ice skater," I said, "These are terrible," I muttered to myself, but it got a chuckle out of Nathan all the same. 

I just turned to him and managed a smile, he held my gaze for a moment before returning the expression. 

Now, as much as I had seen Nathan as a slight problem in my eyes, he saw me as one in his, too. 

Due to me, he couldn't live his perfect bachelor lifestyle anymore. 

He wasn't going to exactly date girls when he knew I was at home, pregnant, and as much as I had told him that he shouldn't let it get on his conscience, he hadn't felt comfortable with the concept of it. 

Nathan then turned to his mother, Diane, and smiled. 

She looked between the two of us and her own smile began to form upon her face. 

I believed that she still held hope for Nathan and I to put our differences aside and get together, but I can tell you now that was not going to happen.