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My new bedroom is twice the size of the lounge in my flat. Well, my old flat now. The bed is a four-poster wooden thing, and the mattress is like lying on a fluffy cloud. My initial thought is that the décor in here is so bland, but Kai told me we can redecorate if I want. The clock beside me says it's one-fifteen in the morning, and I haven't had a wink of sleep yet.

We got to Windsor with most of my stuff by seven this evening, and he showed me around. His bedroom is two doors down, and the room which we agreed for the nursery – eventually – will be one of the bedrooms between us. This cottage is big but also pretty small when compared to the other houses, and obviously the castle, on the land. We have the cottage near a lake that runs through Frogmore, which is in the middle of what they call Home Park – the land of the Royal Family where Windsor Castle is, along with a whole host of other parks, houses and buildings owned by the Crown Estate. The whole cottage is in the middle of this little mini-forest of trees, grass and amazing smelling flowers, so it feels like we're really in a forest, like in a Disney film.

The whole place is secluded, peaceful and homely. The kitchen is modernised yet feels dated to keep with the fact this place is an old heritage protected building, the rooms feel royal and plush but keep the vibes throughout. It's the peaceful cottage in the woods I dreamed of growing up, especially after Mum died. Yet at the same time, it doesn't feel right because it's not my little flat in the city, where I should be going to work tomorrow. Instead, I'll be meeting the King and Queen of England, soon to be my in-laws, and the grandparents to my baby.

I messaged Gemma telling her that I've left and it'll become clear in a few days, but she hasn't replied yet. Patrick kept messaging earlier but he's gone to bed now, as have Dad and Annie.

I give up trying to sleep, get out of bed and stand at the window. I left the curtains half opened when I came to sleep. The privacy of the forest surrounding us feels nice, and the small lights within the trees leave it not too dark. There are streetlights around the land, but they come on with motion sensors.

To go from a bustling city where there is always traffic and noise to this where the only noise is the animals around the land and the noises of the house. The ticking of a clock or the running of water, the movement if Kai is moving around. It's so silent.

Silence is the worst noise of all; it can drive you crazy, say a lot, meanwhile let your brain run wild. At least if there was chaos and noise, it would keep me distracted.

Which is why it doesn't surprise me when there's a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I call.

He opens the door and walks in. "Can't sleep either?"

I turn around to look at him. He's wearing a loose black t-shirt and grey pyjama trousers. It's weird because when I fell asleep next to him in my bed, back in my flat, he was naked. We've seen each other naked, and I distinctly remember how he's defined, the way he looks under those clothes, but somehow it feels more intimate right now seeing him clothed in the dark and knowing he's seeing me in my baggy t-shirt and shorts.

That's weird, right?

"I'm used to the noises of a city, not the quietness of, well, a palace grounds. It's just strange."

He smiles and sits on the armchair to my left. "You get used to it. Or if you don't, I'm sure we can get some noises on the internet or something and play them for you."

I snort and laugh. "Imagine how weird that would be. I think I'll just force myself to get used to it. It's peaceful, I'm just not used to it. Why can't you sleep?"

"Well, I have a new roommate, I've found out recently I'm going to be a father, get married and, well, it's weird."

I nod and perch on the other armchair. Of course, this is all upheaval for me, but until he said those words, I'd forgotten this does affect him as well. Kai might be a prince and all of that, but he does have a life too, and he's also becoming a father, marrying someone and all of that without a choice.

"Does this all bother you?" I ask. "I've been too overwhelmed to actually consider the fact that this affects you too, and I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "It affects you more. Either way, yeah, it bothers me, but not for the same reasons it does you. It bothers me because I wanted you to call me back to go on a date with me. I wanted to be with you for us not because we have to. Sounds stupid, huh?"

I look at the floor. "Doesn't sound stupid. I'm sorry."

"Peach, you don't have to apologise. If you didn't wanna see me, that's no one's fault."

My eyes close and I stand up. I open my eyes and open the window just a little; enough to let in a small breeze. "It's not that I didn't want to. Part of me felt embarrassed – like, I used you that night to make my ex jealous and then slept with you. I thought you might have been pissed off or whatever." I pause. "Should I be swearing in front of you?"

He chuckles. "When we are in this house, on our own, we aren't royals, okay? The only thing I ask is that like anyone, we treat each other with respect, and be honest and open about everything. We might be faking at being a couple, but we're going to be co-parents, and that needs trust and openness. And respect, obviously."

I nod. "Fair. I guess as well as all that, I was just nervous, like how do I navigate that after having sex with a stranger?"

Kai nods and leans forward in the chair. "I mean, that's fair enough. For what it's worth, I was hoping you'd message me. I never felt used or whatever."

"Surely you knew my name; the note was left in the kitchen where a bunch of my post was. You're a prince, you could have sent people to my house or looked me up or whatever. Why didn't you?"

He sighs. "For the same reason as you; I was embarrassed. Especially because, well, I'm a prince. I thought if you knew the truth, you might not want anything to do with me or this life. In my head, it was this idea that if you felt the same, you would've phoned me and by then you'd want me enough to not care about becoming a duchess – princess. Whatever you wanna call it."

I shrug. "We'll never find out now, huh?"

"What happened with the idiot Brayden?"

I laugh. "Nothing happened. He left me a message asking to talk three days after that night, and by then I was in two minds about everything. Sounds cliché, but you made me think about it all. Brayden and I broke up because he was in love with someone else – or so he told me. He kissed her while we were together. But that was after he treated me like shit – told me my body was awful, I dress like crap, my hair needed to be cut in a certain way—"

Kai growls and stands up. "Are you joking me?"

I shake my head. "Back then, I just thought – like most probably would – it was him being proud and wanting me to be my best, but after that night and how good you made me feel, I realised how awful he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd slept around on me, but all I know is that he kissed another girl – I caught them."

"What the—" He shakes his head. "If I'd known all that beforehand, I wouldn't have helped you win him back. Or try to, anyway."

I scoff. "Don't do that. It was my fault. I couldn't see what he was like. Plus, you were what helped me see it."

"No, Peach, I mean, I wouldn't have tried to make him jealous. I would've just made you forget him instead."

I look at him seriously. He's already staring at me with the weirdest expression; it's half between annoyance and seriousness, part humour, part smile.

Is this seriously a flirt right now? Is he flirting with me despite everything?

My eyes roll and I look out of the window again. "That's the thing, Kai, you did make me forget him. It was just a series of embarrassment after embarrassment that made us drift away until this baby came in the middle of it. Sort of."

"Well, maybe we can change that, you know? If we both be open-minded about this, the whole awkwardness thing won't matter anymore. We just move forward. There is a growing baby to think about now, as well."

I groan. "We have thirty-two weeks to think about that and prepare."

"The thing is, Peach, the public will wonder why exactly we haven't been seen out together, why there's a sudden engagement. They'll put two and two together, so we have to think about it now."

"Easy: we've been sneaking around together, you've been visiting me for months in secret, and once you got the crown's permission to propose, I moved in, and we found out we're having a baby at the same time," I answer. "It's only ever as hard as you make it, Kai."

He grins. "I knew there was something about you when we met. You're smart and beautiful. Just like a peach: they look nice on the outside, but once you bite in, you realise how much more to the eye there really is."

I find myself laughing and shaking my head. "You were smooth from the moment we met." Giving in to the slight nausea and tiredness, I lie on the bed.

Kai moves across the floor until he sits on the edge of the bed. "May I?"

He's asking to lie on the bed next to me. Part of me wants to say no because this is a line and it shouldn't be crossed. But it's nice to have a somewhat familiar face. Despite me being used to living alone before today, being uprooted into this new life feels like a whirlwind. Back in Southampton, I had my family not far away. Gemma was down the road and work was not far away. Now, I have no workplace. My family and Gemma are over an hour away, and it's weird. Despite not knowing Kai properly, or for very long, having him in proximity feels comforting.

"Yeah," I say with a nod.

He lies on his back beside me. "Listen, neither of us wanted this when we met in that club: pregnancy, marriage, royal life... but it's here. I'm not saying let's find love and fake it till we make it, but what I am saying is for our child, let's find some common ground and at least try and get on?"

I sigh. "Kai, I think you misunderstand my problem here. It's not the getting on with you – I find you easy to get on with. It's a whirlwind, and I'm not ready to be married to a royal prince. I've been cherry-picked into royal engagements. We made an arrangement, and I was happy with it. My parents and brother are over an hour away, and I'm meeting the King and Queen of England tomorrow. Like, what in the world? I'm just overwhelmed and completely annoyed our agreement got fucked up."

"Before I talk about the serious side—you mentioned step-family before?"

"My dad is my biological dad. My biological mum died when I was nine. Annie and Patrick are both step-family to me, but we consider each other, you know, proper family. I call her Mum sometimes, I call Patrick my brother."

Kai nods. "Fair. As for everything else. If you want, I can ask my parents if we can find your family a home closer if they want. Fitting in with our work, they can visit whenever they want. I know this is not ideal because of our arrangement, and I'm so sorry this has happened. I will – and my parents will get people – to help you settle into royal life. We'll start with small, non-important stuff like meeting people at small events, and we'll help you, Peach. Personally, I think you'll be amazing."

I turn to look at him. He's already watching me with a serious, genuine expression. It makes me feel a little easier.

"You really think so?" I ask.

"I'm not—if I didn't think you would be a good duchess, I would say so. If I really thought you'd be awful, I'd have found a way to do this without marriage. Eventually. Or take the hit for it, whatever. I don't know. But I really think you will be amazing. Plus, an everyday person marrying royalty? You'll gain so many fans. Marriage material for royals is high society or other royalty, celebrities or whatever. Lucy's husband is an Olympic champion and celebrity, and he'll be king when my parents, you know."

Somehow, our hands interlink in the middle of the bed. I don't make a move to pull mine away because his words are zinging down our contact and making me feel a tiny less worried about this.

"I'm sorry you got tangled up in this," I whisper.

He laughs. "I approached you, so I'm the one who is sorry to you. Anyway, I'll let you get some sleep."

"Can I ask something?"

He nods and stays where he is. Our hands aren't holding anymore, and it makes the room colder.

"What about exes and that for you? Why do you look for fun in nightclubs and not date a celebrity or rich girl or whatever?" I ask.

His face falls into a neutral poker face. Clearly not something he wants to talk about.

Shit, Mila, come on.

"Not now," is all he says before standing up. His expression quickly lightens. "We don't have a chef or anything like that, because I haven't ever wanted one. I can arrange one if you want—"

I shake my head. "No, I'm used to doing everything for myself."

"We're meeting my parents for tea around eleven. There's nothing all day because of this, so... yeah. The palace did order some dresses in the wardrobe over there—"

"How did they know my size?" I question. "Plus pregnancy bloat?"

He gives me a cheeky grin. "I looked while packing and phoned it in. If none of them fit, make do, and we'll sort out maternity sizing." He walks to the bedroom door and opens it. "See you in the morning, Peach."

"Night, Kai," I say.

He closes the door after walking out, and I'm already dreading tomorrow. He was meant to make it easier with his words, but somehow I feel worse. 

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