Hand-Me-Down Princess Read Online Free PDF Page B

hanger and arranged her dress on it.
    She reached for the closet door when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. That’s when she realized she hadn’t taken off the tiara Prince Malachi placed on her head during the ceremony. Could she remove it without somehow ruining it? When they’d retreated to the little room, someone had repositioned it and attached it to her hair. With a bit of careful probing, she found the pins holding it in place and breathed a sigh of relief when they were easily removed. She laid it carefully on one of the empty shelves that lined part of the closet.
    That done, she took as deep a breath as she could still ensconced in the corset, and headed back into the bedroom. Prince Malachi had shed the red vest and talked on the phone in rapid-fire Italian. He smiled at her as he walked into the closet, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. One more reason to feel inadequate she supposed. He likely spoke several other languages, not just Italian and the native Mevendian variation on English. If you dropped her in the middle of Italy or Spain, she might be able to find the bathroom. Her high school language teacher had despaired of ever teaching her more.
    Jessabelle spent the next few minutes looking around the room. If the closet was twice the size of her bedroom, the bedroom was nearly as large as the house she’d grown up in. It seemed like it at least. A screen hung down in the middle of the room. It looked as though it could be retracted into the ceiling and seen either from the bed or the sitting area off to the side. On one side of the bed, the door to the closet stood open. A door on the other side remained closed. To the bathroom perhaps? Her eyes slid over the bed to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Heavy drapes waited to be drawn and block out the early morning sunlight.
    With one hand she pushed them further out of the way. As she suspected they didn’t overlook the capital city of Erres below, but rather the forest beyond. Currently covered by snow, she imagined the view would bring her comfort over the years to come.
    “It’s a great view, isn’t it?” Prince Malachi’s voice didn’t faze her. “That’s why I chose this apartment. I love this view, and you can see further from the top floor than the one below this. I hope it’s okay.” She could hear concern in his voice. “There are a couple of other vacant apartments we could choose from if you don’t like it.”
    Jessabelle shook her head. “It’s fine. I like the view.” What would he do if she said she hated it and wanted to find a different apartment or a different residence all together?
    “Here.” She turned to see Prince Malachi wearing khaki pants and a dark blue button-down shirt, while holding out a beautifully wrapped box. “It’s not really from me, and as wedding presents go, it’s not all that great. The head of security gave it to me to give to you, but I hope you’ll find it useful.”
    Had he gotten her an actual wedding present? Why hadn’t she thought to get him one? But what would she have gotten him if she did? Instead of obsessing over it, she took it from him. “Thank you.” He seemed to be waiting for her to open it, so she carefully slid a finger under the gold ribbon, working it over the corners of the box. Her father always hated the amount of time she took opening presents. Would Prince Malachi snap at her for taking too long like her father regularly did? She glanced up to find an amused smile on his face, but she didn’t go any faster.
    When the paper finally slid off she set it on the desk next to her, and she got a look at the box. Much like any other paperboard box, this one was gold in color and had the royal family crest on it. Jessabelle set it on the table next to her and removed the lid. A folded piece of paper rested on top of the tissue. She opened it.
    For Mevendia’s Newest Princess
    Short. Sweet. To the Point.
    Jessabelle set it off to the side and opened the tissue