"Princess Lauren!"
"Your highness!"
"Goodness gracious, should I just throw her out of the window?" The panic in Vivian's voice was evident as she talked to herself, her palm was on her forehead while looking at the sleeping lady.
The inspection officers from the magistrate's office would arrive anytime soon and it would be another problem for Lauren if she would be found sleeping there, in the famous La Fleur brothel, which Vivian owned. Lauren had been friends with the young brothel owner for years, and Vivian knew what trouble it would bring to the princess if she would be caught in another scandal just after her third engagement was announced.
"Lauren, you better wake up now or you will be dead," Viviane shook Lauren's shoulder and it took several seconds before the lady's eyelids finally moved. She took so much alcohol last night that she slept in drunkenness.
"What... what are you doing, Vivian?" Lauren asked, half-awaked. She didn't make it to bed after she collapsed on the carpeted floor last night. She drank her heart out after her father announced her engagement to Lord Merriweather's eldest son, Peterson, which unfortunately was her fourth engagement.
The King wanted her to get married so badly despite how much she despised the idea of marriage and how chaotic her first three engagements turned out. Her two elder sisters weren't even married yet. She should be the last one to tie the knot, but instead, her marriage was being rushed as if it was as important as political affairs. It only proved how much the royal family wanted to kick her out of the palace.
"The inspection officers. They will be here anytime soon. It is not the day of the month yet, but I guess it's because of you. So, stand up now or both of us are dead," Vivian said.
Lauren's eyes widened at the mention of inspection officers. If only Lord Merriweather was very particular with his family's reputation, it could have been a perfect opportunity for her to make a scandal so that Lord Merriweather would cancel the engagement. But the King must have promised him a great deal he couldn't refuse, which meant he wouldn't care what kind of woman his son's wife would be as long as he could keep his end of the bargain.
The King had been doing this for months after her twentieth birthday. Trying to lock her up in a marriage like a good father trying to sell off his daughter. It wasn't new to her though, and she wouldn't be herself if she wouldn't put up a good fight. After all, she was tagged as the rebellious princess. She should live up to her reputation, right?
"Hurry up, Lauren! I think they are already downstairs. You should just jump off the window!" Vivian said frantically, scared for the both of them. Closing her brothel even just for a week was a nightmare for her. If only she could cut her ties with Lauren, she would have done it long ago. But the princess was her only friend who treated her like a sister despite how shady her past was and how unbecoming her field of work was.
Lauren stood up unsteadily. She was in a mess. Her head was aching badly due to the amount of alcohol she drank last night. Her auburn hair was all over her face, the laces of her dress were not properly tied, and she was having a hard time finding her shoes. Vivian found it below the bed and threw it to her, which almost hit her face.
"Do you know that hitting a princess is a crime, Madame Locket?" Although Vivian was just a twenty-four-year-old woman, the people visiting La Fleur had been addressing her as Madame Locket like how she wanted, which Lauren thought sounded too old for her.
"You were not hit. Just almost." Vivian grabbed the black cloak and threw it to Lauren, which hit her face this time. Vivian smiled when the princess glared at her. "My apologies. Now off you go," she said, waving her hand towards the windows.
Hearing the commotion downstairs, Lauren didn't have time to waste. If there was one thing she hated the most when she was in La Fleur, or in the gambling houses she used to visit, it was always the inspection officers. The information must have come from the palace. It was usually her sisters and the queen who gave these inspection men the idea.
Using a sturdy blanket, Lauren went down from Vivian's room, which was on the second floor of the building. The north window was above a narrow alley with no people around. She sighed and shook her head a bit when she felt dizzy after landing on the ground.
She looked up and saw Vivian waving at her before closing the windows.
Hurriedly, she put her cloak on and ran towards the end of the alley connecting to the uptown street. But just when she was about to get close, she stopped when a man's figure blocked the way.
He was wearing an inspection officer's uniform.
She looked back to see if she had another way out, but unfortunately, two bulky guys were standing at the other end of the alley.
She muttered a curse. She didn't see this coming. Just a few people working in La Fleur knew where Vivian's real room was, they made it seem that way so that at times like this, she could easily escape. But this time, they got her. And although she was anxious about being caught and punished, she was slightly amazed that these nitwits finally got her after all the stupid tries in the past.
"I suggest you stop trying to run, Your Highness. You might just strain yourself."
She turned to the man standing at the end of the alley she was close to. When he started walking towards her, she had a better view of his face and immediately recognized him.
It was Sean Devitt, the nephew of the magistrate and the love interest of her eldest sister, Eloise.
Eloise never had the guts to bring up their relationship over family dinners, though. Sean Devitt may have a decent background for an average man, but the Queen and King would never approve of Eloise dating someone who wasn't from a noble family. For them, doing so was a malicious crime.
Lauren hadn't done anything about them yet, not because she didn't see it as an opportunity for revenge, but because she knew sooner or later Eloise's marriage would be taken care of by their matchmaker father, and it would be a perfect time to stir chaos. Besides, why not let their love grow deeper so the wounds would also run deep when it ends?
"How thoughtful you are, Officer Devitt," Lauren smirked, thinking about how she could get even with the man later on. "Fine. You win this time."
"His Majesty has ordered to send you back to the palace."
Lauren's face turned cold. She knew the King only wanted to lock her up so she wouldn't have a chance to plot something against her wedding.