It's a long flight, and I sleep for most of it, my body needing more to recover from the night before. When I wake up there's food, and there's Maxwell, who does not stop talking from the minute my eyes open.

'Say goodbye to New York and hello to Cordonia,' he grins, for the third time that hour.

'I can't believe this is actually happening,' I say, for the tenth time that hour.

'The ladies at court are going to eat you alive,' Drake tells me matter-of-factly, not deigning to look at me as he says it, which rubs me up slightly the wrong way.

'Yeesh, don't scare her Drake. You okay, Riley?' Maxwell asks me.

'I'm terrified. And excited. But terrified,' I say, and he smiles.

'You won't last a week. This is a waste of time,' Drake says, looking determinedly out of the window. I glare at him, willing him to be nicer to me.

'I don't know why you're being so grim about this,' I retort, and he pulls his gaze away from the window to look at me. Even when he's looking at me scathingly I can't help but dig my nails into my palms in my lap.

'Look, no offence, but I've seen girls like you come and go. It never ends well. Not for you, not for Liam, not for the royal family,' he tells me, and I raise an eyebrow.

'Riley's not some crown chaser,' Maxwell frowns, which I think is pretty funny because for all he knows, I could be.

'I'm just here for the free holiday. Besides, Liam's not really my type,' I say, shrugging, and now it's my turn to look out of the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Drake looking at me incredulously.

'Hah,' he scoffs, as though he very much doubts me.

'I'm serious. I don't go for rich boys, much less royalty,' I tell him, choosing the moment to look back at him matter-of-factly. It might be my wishful imagination, but I think he smiles ever so slightly. His frown softens, at the very least.

'Hey, look! You can see Cordonia out the window,' Maxwell, who appears not to have heard our exchange, says from the other side of the plane, and I climb across to peer out.

It's gorgeous. The water turns from a deep navy blue to vibrant turquoise as it hits the coastline, which runs as far as the eye can see. Sand turns to lush green countryside going inland, and then there's the sprawling citadels of colourful houses, splashed at intervals across the green, expansive canvas of land. In the middle of the centre citadel sits a huge palace, with even huger grounds.

'It's beautiful. Like something out of a fairy tale,' I breathe, and I almost hear Drake rolling his eyes behind me.

'Are you ready?' Maxwell asks.

'As I'll ever be, I guess,' I reply, right as the pilot asks us to put our seatbelts on to prepare for landing.

We get through the airport in record time, and there's a car waiting to pick up us and our luggage out the front. My eyes can hardly move fast enough to take everything in as we drive. Everything is so beautiful, and Maxwell points out famous landmarks as we go.

Drake sits in silence, looking out of the window, fingers tapping against his thigh impatiently.

After about half an hour, we arrive at some very fancy looking iron gates, which we have to wait at before they are opened and we can go through.

'The royal palace. Welcome to your home for the next few weeks,' Maxwell grins, watching my jaw drop as we pull up to the front of the palace. I'd known it was huge; we saw it from the plane, but it really is massive.

'This is where I'm staying? You didn't mention that I'd be staying in a palace!' I exclaim, not entirely sure why I seem to be complaining.

'Most of the nobility live here while the social season is underway. Including all the ladies vying for Liam's hand,' Maxwell explains. The car stops, and I rush to get out and see the building better.

It's magnificent. Huge marble stone pillars, wide arches, stained glass windows; it has the lot. 'Living under one roof makes it easier to attend the rose ceremony later,' Drake says sardonically, and I hear Maxwell tut.

'He's kidding. At least about the roses. Anyway, I'll show you to your room,' he says, gesturing for me to follow him.

'My bags...' I say.

'Someone else will get them. Come on!' he calls over his shoulder, already halfway to the front door. Drake slings his bag over his shoulder and starts walking backwards, away from me.

'See you around. If you're lucky,' he says, before turning and striding off. I smile at his back, and then, ignoring Maxwell, wheel one of my suitcases after him through the front entrance.

The inside is possibly even grander than the outside. A wide, sweeping staircase dominates the entrance hall and a huge chandelier hangs from the ceiling, dripping with diamonds.

'Riley, you don't have to,' Maxwell scolds me, taking my suitcase off of me before we start up the staircase.

'So... what's the deal with Drake? Why is he so jaded?' I ask, craning my neck to take in the detailing on the ceiling. There's a mural up there... somehow.

'Oh, don't mind him. Drake's never really fit in here,' Maxwell tells me.

'He's not used to courtly life?'

'Well, he's a commoner. He's always been a bit of an outsider here, even if he is Liam's best friend. And part of the King's Guard.'

I absorb this information in silence, wanting to ask more about him but also utterly enraptured by the palace. There's too much to look at.

'Your room's here in the west wing. In case you need anything from me or my brother, our rooms are just a couple of doors away,' Maxwell tells me, walking me down endless, wide corridors.

'I didn't know you had a brother,' I say, struggling to keep up with him even though he's got my suitcase.

'Yeah, an older brother. His official title is Duke Bertrand Beaumont. As the eldest son, he's the heir and I'm the spare. You'll see him tonight; he'll be excited to meet you. This is it, here's your room!'

He pushes a door open to reveal a large, fancy bedroom. The four-poster bed is probably bigger than my entire kitchen back in New York.

'Holy shit,' I say, and Maxwell chuckles.

'As a royal guest, you're spared no luxury,' he tells me, wheeling my suitcase into the room.

'So nothing's stopping me from clearing out the mini bar?'

'No mini bar, but the staff here will get you anything you like,' he smiles.

'Sweet,' I smile.

'So! I'll let you settle in before your big debut tonight,' he says, taking a few steps back. The room suddenly feels even bigger without him in it.

'Hang on... my what?' I ask suddenly, turning back to him.

'Sorry, I keep forgetting you're not used to all of this. The first event of the season is tonight: the masquerade. It's the ball where all the suitors will be presented to the prince, as well as to the king. The ladies competing for Liam's attention will be pulling out all the stops,' Maxwell tells me, before shooting a sceptical glance at my suitcase.

'I'm guessing it's too much to ask if you've got a fancy ball gown in there.'

'I packed some dresses...' I say, my heart dropping in my chest at the thought of everyone else in ballgowns and me in my dress from Zara.

'Well, I wasn't sure, so I made you an appointment at the palace boutique. You'll find something in there!' Maxwell says, and I suddenly feel a lot better.

'Thanks! I'll check it out.'

'Remember, tonight is very important. It's your chance to make a first impression on all the influential people at court and to stand apart from everyone else!' he says, and I nod.

'Okay. So no pressure?'

'Exactly,' he grins. A man arrives with the rest of my luggage behind him, and places it at the foot of my bed.

'Thank you so much,' I say, and he blinks before smiling at me.

'You're welcome.'

Maxwell hovers by the door, and suddenly I'm terrified to be left alone for the first time since I saw him across the street... Was it really only nine hours ago?

'Maxwell, before I go to the boutique, could you help me out with getting started on renting my apartment? I have no idea...'

'Yeah, of course! Do you have a laptop? I think I saw you pack one.'

We sit and go through websites and make some calls for a couple of hours, and Maxwell orders room service.

Two hours later my apartment is on the market, if not already rented, and it's starting to get dark outside. 'Okay!' I exclaim, pushing my laptop lid shut.

'To the boutique?'

'To the boutique! Should we take some of this...?' I gesture at the various plates and platters that we've left scattered across my bed, covered in crumbs.

'Riley, you don't have to do anything while you're here! Think of it as staying in a super fancy hotel, okay?' Maxwell says, and in that moment I can't remember why I ever doubted myself coming here.

'Sure, I can get behind that,' I grin.

'Great, now let's go and find you a dress for tonight!'

I follow him out of the room and down several more hallways, then down a flight of stairs.

'The palace boutique!' he finally says, gesturing towards a doorway which looks more like a storefront.

'Just put anything you get down under House Beaumont, don't worry about it. I need to go and unpack and get changed, but once you find something you like, take it back to your room to get ready and I'll meet you there at, say, half seven?' he asks.

'Sounds good,' I smile, wondering how on earth I'm going to find my way back to my room.

Maxwell waves and saunters off, and I walk into the boutique. It's very elaborate and grand; there's gold everywhere, and the dresses... I dread to look at the prices on any of them. That doesn't stop me from running my fingers across them as I walk past a rack, though.

Walking through to what I assume are the changing rooms, there's no one in sight.

'Hello?' I call, starting to feel a bit nervous. It's very quiet.

'Oh!' someone yelps, and a curtain is swiftly drawn.

'Ah, sorry! I didn't realise...'

'No worries! To be honest, I don't even have an appointment, I just snuck down here to see if there was anything left for tonight...'

A pretty brunette woman emerges from the changing room in a gorgeous, black, sparkling dress. 'Hi, I'm Hana. I guess you're here for the masquerade, desperately searching for something to wear?' she asks.

'Yeah, I'm afraid so,' I smile. She smiles back, and my nerves simmer and fade away.

'The seamstress is running late, but I could show you around. The boutique has the most gorgeous gowns,' she tells me, gesturing out of the changing room to the racks and racks of dresses beyond.

'I just- I was struggling with the zip. Could you help me?'

I step forward and she holds her hair out of the way while I pull the zipper up for her.

'Thanks!' she says, turning around and walking over to one of the many floor length mirrors lining the walls. I catch sight of myself in my work uniform next to her and cringe slightly.

She smooths the dress down and looks at herself in the mirror. 'Ah, this dress is perfect! Now what about you?'

'I'll take a look,' I say, and she follows me out to the main part of the boutique to help me look. Eventually I unearth a flawless red dress, which looks as though it might be my size.

'Oh, yes! It's stunning, try it on!' Hana gasps as I hold it up.

I re-enter the changing rooms to try it on, sighing in satisfaction when it fits perfectly. Surely it's a sign about... something.

'How do I look?' I ask Hana, stepping out from behind the curtain. Her jaw drops.

'Hotter than fire, look!' she exclaims, moving me so that I'm in front of one of the mirrors. The dress doesn't leave an awful lot to the imagination, a minidress in disguise, but it does look good.

Not bad for a waitress, I think, putting the mask over my eyes. Hana puts hers on too, and grins at me.

'I think we've found our dresses,' she smiles.

We get changed back into our normal clothes and check the dresses out with the boutique owner who has finally appeared, and is profusely apologetic that she wasn't there to help us. 'I guess I'll see you later this evening then,' Hana says as we step out of the boutique, cradling our dresses.

'I guess so! Where's your room?' I ask her.

'West wing, how about you?'

'Me too! Great, we can walk together, I'm bound to get lost,' I say, and she laughs before leading me up the staircase.

I say goodbye to her in the hallway over from the one leading to my room, and then re-enter the huge bedroom which is mine for the foreseeable future. The door closes behind me, blocking out the sounds of the staff getting ready for the evening's event which had been echoing up through the floors, and suddenly it's very quiet.

As Maxwell had promised, the bed has been cleared and tidied, and even my suitcase has been pushed neatly up against the bed.

I check my watch: six pm; one and a half hours before Maxwell comes to collect me. That's time enough to start getting unpacked and get ready.

Before I do anything else, I place the dress carefully on my bed and put some music on. Loud. It's probably not conventional; I can't imagine any of the noble ladies getting ready in such a way, but I need something to take my mind off of... well. Everything, right now.

The time flies by alarmingly quickly as I'm getting ready, and so getting unpacked has to take a back seat as I hastily start prepping my face for make-up and trying to find a place to plug my hair straighteners in.

At half seven on the dot, Maxwell knocks on the door.

'Hey, great outfit! You look amazing,' he beams as I open the door to him.

'Thanks!'

'Are you ready to go?'

I don't give myself time to think about it.

'Yeah! Let's do this,' I say and he offers me his arm.

'M'lady.'

I giggle, slightly hysterical, and take it, allowing him to lead me off down the corridor, trying not to think about how weird it feels not to have my phone on me in a pocket somewhere.

'Are you nervous?' Maxwell asks me, steering me around a member of staff who is pushing a large cleaning trolley up the hallway.

'I'm excited! And nervous. Should I be more nervous?' I ask, listening with sudden trepidation to all of the voices echoing up the stairs from the entrance hall.

'You'll be fine. Don't worry!' he says, squeezing my arm as we reach the top of the grand staircase. We start descending, and the hall below comes into view, filled with masked figures in fancy outfits. I'd been worried about my outfit being too extravagant, but now I see that I had nothing to worry about.

'Everyone's looking,' I whisper, and Maxwell chuckles.

'Well, it's your big debut, no one knows who you are! And you look fire in that dress.'

We get to the bottom of the staircase and I cling on to Maxwell's arm like a lifeline as he steers me expertly through the crowd into a small line leading further into the palace.

'Okay, so when you enter, you'll tell the herald your name and title so you can be announced,' he says, peering over people's heads into the room beyond.

'And... what is my title?'

'You don't really have one, but since my family is sponsoring you, then you could technically be considered a lady. I should have asked, what's your last name?'

'Brooks,' I say.

'Not as classic as Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, but it'll do,' he grins. The queue is moving quickly, and soon enough we're at the front. The herald looks over at me expectantly, and I say, 'Lady Riley Brooks,' the words sounding foreign as I say them aloud.

They sound even weirder as the herald announces them to the entire room beyond, which turns out to be a grand, sprawling ballroom which I have to descend another sweeping staircase to get to.

Maxwell is announced and walks in behind me, smiling when he catches sight of my awestruck expression.

'I've just got to talk to Bertrand for a sec. You'll be okay on your own right? Just mingle,' he says, and a flicker of panic sparks in my chest. I quickly douse it, looking around for someone I know or, failing that, a table with alcohol on it.

'Mingle. Right,' I nod, and Maxwell strides off. I do a quick scan of the room and spot Drake standing alone off to the side of the room, looking effortlessly handsome in a dark suit and like he'd rather be anywhere else.

I walk over to him, trying to look like I belong, noting the earpiece in his ear. The King's Guard, Maxwell had said. He looks up as I approach, giving a stiff nod. 'Good evening,' he says tightly.

'So you do have manners,' I smile.

He does the best double take I've seen in a while, my smile widening as he actually goes slack jawed for a moment.

'Riley?' he asks incredulously, tilting his head as though that will allow him to see me better.

'You didn't recognise me,' I say, a statement rather than a question, turning to stand next to him and look out across the room. He looks almost affronted.

'I... was caught off guard. You clean up well,' he tells me, looking sideways at me. I can't seem to stop smiling.

'A compliment too?'

'I– looking the part doesn't mean you're going to be welcome here, you know,' he says shortly, folding his arms and looking away from me, across the room.

'Charming,' I reply, following his gaze. The room is filling up now, more and more masked figures entering the room and descending the staircase as the herald announces their names.

'Huh. Compared to most of the people here, I'm your best friend,' Drake tells me, nodding to a group of masked men in suits as they pass.

'I believe you,' I say.

'First smart thing you've said,' he replies, and I frown, looking back at him.

'Thanks,' I say, my tone indicating that I am not, in fact, thanking him. He looks back at me, seeming to realise that he's crossed a line.

'Look, I'm not trying to be... I'm just trying to help,' he says.

'You have a very peculiar way of helping,' I reply.

'I'm just saying the things that I wish someone would've told me a long time ago.'

'Right. Well, I'm going to get a glass of champagne,' I say shortly, not letting myself look at him before I walk off, hoping that I look more confident than I actually do.

I feel suddenly very out of my depth. At least Drake had been someone I knew, even if he was being rude to me. I push the thought away, and remember what Maxwell had told me. I have to mingle.

Walking towards the throng of mask-clad faces, I keep an eye out for any familiar faces, and eventually, mercifully, spot Hana chatting with some other ladies.

'Hello again! I'm glad you made it,' Hana says as I approach them, plucking a flute of champagne off of a passing tray attached to a server as I go.

'Thanks, you too,' I reply, settling into the loose circle they have formed beside her.

'So, what do you think?' she asks, gesturing around.

'It's all so gorgeous, but... a little overwhelming,' I tell her truthfully, looking up at the gilded ceiling (adorned with six gigantic chandeliers) which is practically miles above us.

'I know what you mean. I've been coming to these events since I was a little girl,' she says, her voice sounding a little sad. I take a sip of champagne.

'So... you're saying it never gets easier?'

'To be honest, it gets more complicated. At least as a child I could run around and have a little fun!' she smiles, but it looks forced.

'Who says we can't do that now?' I smile, nudging her, wanting to cheer her up.

'Believe me. It would cause quite a scandal,' she replies, shaking her head. All of a sudden a red-haired lady with rather severe eyebrows pushes her way between me and Hana.

'Pardon me, but I absolutely must steal her away,' she says, latching onto my arm and pulling me rather forcefully away from Hana.

'Hey!' I protest, pulling my arm away.

'Forgive me for being forward, but I've never seen you here before. I always notice when I heralds announce a new name. I make a point to know all the ladies at court. I'm Lady Olivia Nevrakis, Duchess of Lythikos. Lady Riley Brooks... I can't say I'm familiar with your house. It must be nouveau. Anyway, seeing as you're the new girl at court, let me give you some advice. When you're presented to the king, you should kiss his shoe when you curtesy to him,' she says, barely taking a breath while she speaks.

'Really?' I ask, feigning interest. Two can play at this game.

'It's Cordonian custom to show deep respect and reverence for the monarchy. You're lucky I was here to warn you! Otherwise you'd have looked ridiculous,' she chuckles, shaking her head and clutching at my arm as though we're the best of friends.

'Thanks,' I say, and she simpers before walking off. Maxwell takes her place in an instant.

'Prince Liam is here! Ready to see him again?'

'Does he know I'm here?' I ask, suddenly nervous.

'Go talk to him!'

'That didn't answer my question, did it?' I sigh, as he drags me across the room towards a crowd of people which has gathered around what I presume to be the king and prince.