Royal Treatment

 Fair enough, it's adequate constructive criticism  although at the end I'm not certain whether you're reading it because you find it so bad it's entertaining....
Or if you're reading it because it's a guilty pleasure 
in my defense, if you read the disclaimer on page 1, I do explain it's going to be ridiculous at times as it is an otome story format, and otome (maiden) games and the like are set up like this...  but I'll carry on, so please do read on 

 

I turned to the brown-haired man. “Prince von Adler did ask me first, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline Prince Kirtak’s invitation,” I said, my hand gripping the door handle tightly.

The man bit his lip slightly but straightened up and gave a gentle smile. “I understand. Prince Kirtak thought it might come to this. Have a wonderful afternoon, Ms. Werner.” He then departed.

Christophe’s lips twitched upwards in a hint of pleasure. “Ms. Werner, if you would please find yourself downstairs within the hour, we will depart for Azolla Pier.” With that he bowed again, and walked away down the hallway.

I closed the door and hurried to the shower. While it was warming up I checked my email. I hadn’t received any instruction from Werner. Though strange, I thought nothing of it. After my shower I got dressed, wearing a knit top and a long skirt. Pulling a long wool scarf about my neck I put on my coat, grabbing my purse as I headed downstairs.

Christophe opened the door to a long silver car adorned with Thiamat banners and ushered me inside. The car drove for a while until at last we pulled through two wrought iron gates and arrived at a side of the pier I hadn’t seen before.

“These are the royal docks,” Christophe explained as I gazed out the window at the giant sparkling boats in the icy water. “They usually aren't accessible to the general public.”

I saw in surprise that the ice had been broken up and cleared away from the harbor, leaving plenty of room for the boats to cruise around in.

Christophe seemed to read my mind. “The Delphino kingdom employs boats specially designed to break up the ice. Don’t fret; the yachts will be able to travel quite far with no interference.”

Feeling somewhat abashed at Christophe's eternal patience, I looked down at my hands until the car came to a stop. The driver opened my door and helped me out. Christophe exited as well and began walking towards the docks. I followed him, not wanting to be left behind.

“His Highness is expecting you on Ouroboros.” Christophe stopped walking then and pointed forward.

Standing in the frigid waters was a long black yacht, with swirling silver trim almost like shimmering scales along the bow. I could see the beautiful script marking the boat Ouroboros, with a dragon circling about the name. I suddenly felt a sense of trepidation.

As I advanced towards the boat, I saw a shadow come onto the top deck. Prince Siegfried stood at the railing, leaning over slightly to watch my approach. He was wearing straight black pants and a sweater, looking quite different from his normal uniform. I had never seen him so relaxed before. His face seemed to soften as I ascended the ramp.

“You came,” he said a little breathlessly, taking my hand to help me onto the deck.