The Hidden Luna Queen (Maeve and Xaden) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Maeve POV

The moment the store clerk caught sight of Prince Xaden, it was like she transformed into another person before my eyes. All distaste and scrutiny completely vanished from her powdered features, instead replaced by a bright smile ready to charm like her life depended on it. After all, it didn’t seem very often royalty walked through her doors.

The amount of two–faced people I’d ever met was truly astonishing… and sad,

“Welcome to our humble boutique, Your Highness,” she beamed.

I tried to hide my displeasure. The stark difference in treatment was almost comical.

Xaden nodded politely. “Thank you, but please don’t pay me any mind–I am only here to accompany this stunning woman right here.” He turned to gaze at me. “Once we finish here, shall we move on to another shop!”

“Oh, but sire!” she interjected fervently. “We have so much more where that came from. If you loved that dress, I can bring out more that are just as lovely!”

“Really?”

I had no interest in watching her try to suck up to royalty. I sighed. “That’s-

“Sounds marvelous. Let’s get started.”

The clerk grinned. “Great! I’ll pull out some of our best clothes.”

As she disappeared into the back, I leaned in close to Xaden, fidgeting with my hands. “I don’t feel comfortable shopping here, Xaden,” I admitted softly. “She’s only being generous now because you’re here. Let’s just go somewhere else.”

He seemed to pick up on my nerves, however, and gently grabbed my hand

“Don’t you worry,” he said with a smile, kissing my knuckles. “Just focus on enjoying yourself, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

My brow creased, unsure what he meant by that. If I’d learned anything in the last few days, it was that Xaden had a side of him that was frighteningly capable of being quite cruel, and if provoked, he would not hesitate to unleash hell on those he deemed worthy of receiving such treatment.

The question was… what was he going to do?

When the clerk returned with armfuls of hangers with clothes, I was ushered into a large, nearby changing room. After a few minutes, I emerged from the room wearing one of the dresses she had brought out for me.

It was fairly modest, but the quality was on par with the dresses I would always see Sarah wear. The fabric clung closely to my skin–tight around my bust and arms, but it flared out in a mess of tulle around my waist, falling just above my knees. The delicate shade of purple didn’t look as nice as the gray dress from earlier, I thought, but it enhanced my pale skin and dark hair rather well enough,

Maggie cagerly expressed her adoration for the dress

I glanced over at Xaden for his thoughts and saw him making conversation with an older, white–haired woman, looking serious.

As soon as I caught his attention, his eyes lit up. “That color looks exquisite on you,” he remarked, full of admiration, enticing the other woman to look me over. “However..” he said slowly, pondering over something, “I’d like to see that dress with a nice pair of shoes.”

The clerk was quick to bring out a pair of champagne–colored heels. “Will these do?”

“Perfect,” Xaden said, appeased. “Let’s try those on.”

She stooped down to her knees and readily helped me secure the shoes on my feet, even going so far as to make sure they did not cut my feet and that my toes fit comfortably. The shoes, I thought, were a lovely compliment to the shade of purple.

“That’s exactly what it needed,” he said. “Could you also bring out some jewelry to match? I want to see the outfit in its completion.”

Xaden sighed with a loud clap. “Now that’s more like it!” he exclaimed, but he was not yet satisfied. “I want to see

He would ask to see another expensive, glamorous dress on me, paired with shoes and jewelry. Even if he expressed sound approval for the outfits the saleswoman put together, he would have her fetch something new to try on me, whether it was shoes of different colors and sizes, or different earring or necklace designs

He relentlessly ordered her around the store, while I stood there… almost like a doll.

Something glinted in his eyes. “The gray dress I was going to pay for earlier.

The moment he said those words, her face went white. I could see the humiliation and disgruntlement written as plain as day across her face in angry little creases, but still, she maintained as bright a smile as possible for Xaden. “E–Excellent choice, Your Highness,” she stammered, shaking with restrained emotion. “Will that still be-?”