For a moment, they both stared at each other with horrified eyes.

It wasn’t because they were ashamed to be seen naked in each other’s arms. They were already legally married and it wouldn’t have been a huge scandal or anything of the sort.

It was just because they weren’t expecting anyone.

Byron put a finger to his lips and shushed Candace as he stared at the door. If they remained quiet, maybe whoever was at the door would just go away.

Unfortunately, that was the worst thing to do in the circumstance because whoever was at the door figured no one was there.

There was the sound of the key being turned in the doorway, and then the sound of someone turning the knob.

The door creaked inward.

“Milady?” It was the advisor who was supposed to have arrived with the plans and schedule for the following day’s worth of activities.

There was no response from the Princess. No one was in the room.

She walked into the room, carrying with her a soft leather briefcase and a large white box.

Where in the world would the Princess have gone to? She was supposed to try out the second ball gown for the first dance to make sure everything fitted well before the wedding.

There were also scripted dialogue to be delivered in front of the visuals cameras before and after the ceremony, along with from-the-heart marriage vows that had been written by some of the best scriptwriters. They would have to be rehearsed and memorized so they could be spoken with at least a modicum of realism in front of the visuals.

She clicked her tongue as she noticed the cast-off clothing strewn about the floor.

It wasn’t a slight against the Crown Princess Candace who was busy from morning till night with the wedding arrangements. She was royalty and it wasn’t her job to clean the room.

The advisor was not happy with the servants who were supposed to be taking care of the Princess’ room. This was unacceptable. There were five of them and they only had one job—take care of the Princess.

They were not doing a very good job.

She placed the large box and the briefcase onto the table and went to pick up the discarded clothing.

Walking over to the dirty basket, she threw the clothing in and closed the lid. With a slight turn, she made another quick sweep of the room to make sure that everything was clean and in its place.

She was almost certain that the Princess had returned to her room, but no one was in the bathroom and no one was in the suite. Perhaps she had gone for a walk outside to get some fresh air.

The advisor walked over to the french patio doors and peeked out.

The night air was fresh and cool, lightly scented with the perfume of freesias growing in large pots around the patio doorway. It was a soft gentle night—perfect for a short walk, but no one was out here.

She inhaled with appreciation and closed the door, locking it with an automatic flick of the fingers.

Without further ado, she went to pick up the small laundry basket with the discarded clothing. She needed to make sure they would be washed tomorrow morning, to be back in the Princess’ closet by the end of the day.

Within minutes, she had exited the room, turning off the lights as she walked out the door.

From between the giant broad elephant ear leaves by the side of the french doors, Byron and Candace looked into the room that the advisor had just left.

The woman’s efficiency was truly amazing.

“Did she just lock us out?” Candace whispered with horror.

“What’s more important is that she took my clothes with her.” Byron’s chest began heaving as he started laughing.

They were standing outside, at night, not wearing a stitch of clothing, with a locked door between them and their own bedroom.

“How are we going to get back in?” She covered her mouth with dismay.

Byron was still chuckling. “The lock is not a big deal. I can melt it off with magic, but having all my clothes taken away…” he began laughing again.

Candace gave him a dumbfounded stare which made Byron laugh even harder.

He was about to usher her back inside when they heard the sound of someone walking through the courtyard from one of the other rooms.

It was a male gardener and he was coming straight towards them.

Candace scrunched up her face in horror, even as Byron placed his hand over her mouth.

“Shhhh.” He shushed her and pushed her closer towards the wall.

‘Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. We’re going to be stone statues for a few minutes.’ He muttered into her mind.

‘Okay.’ She responded.

With a touch of magic, he turned their skin and hair into the color and texture of pale marble stone. He also stiffened them a bit so that the night air would not be able to ruffle through their hair.

The gardener was coming closer.

‘Don’t breathe.’ Byron warned into her mind.

Another minute went by and the gardener had walked past the life-size stone sculptures of a naked couple in an intimate embrace. They were standing in the middle of the tropical garden, frozen in the act of making love.

He cast an admiring eye at the beauty of the stonework. Whoever the artist was, they did such an amazing job that the stone sculpture almost looked real.

Almost. He shook his head. All fake chiseled stone.

Nobody in real life looked that good.

All those bulky male muscles. Damn. The guy was so well hung! And the girl—she looked too hot to be real.

As he walked past, Candace had the sudden urge to sneeze. She tried to hold it in but it wouldn’t stay held in.

“Achoo!”

The gardener stiffened and turned towards the direction of the sound. It was most definitely the sound of a girl sneezing.

He peered through the bushes with suspicious eyes.

There was absolutely no one in the courtyard but himself and half-a-dozen sculpted stone statues scattered around the garden.

Suddenly, the gardener felt his hackles rise. This courtyard must be spooked by something ghostly or unnatural.

With a slight shiver, he took off running for the doorway on the other side of the courtyard.

As the doorway slammed shut behind the gardener, Candace and Byron broke down laughing. They held each other up as they melted into helpless peals and chortles.

The sounds of their barely audible heaves and muffled guffaws could be heard throughout the courtyard. Luckily, there was no one else in the courtyard to hear them other than a few scattered stone sculptures and some small birds.

‘Let’s go back inside before another person walks by.’ Byron called out into her mind.

They walked back to the french patio doors and Byron broke the lock with his magic.

As they walked in, he shot two streams of energy, one at the french doors they had just walked through and the other at the doorway of the suite. He had welded the lock mechanisms shut.

Now, no one would be able to interrupt them.

He turned back towards Candace, his eyes sparking with amusement, laced with passion.

“Now. Where were we?”