Princess Hope

chapter six

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It has been almost two months since Andra was back in Great Britain. She was able to maintain her life of anonymity in Cardiff with a new deal between her family and the Press in which the latter would have access to her graduation from UWC and they would have a sit-down interview with her after she finished her IB, also included was a photo call before the graduation. It was quite the bargain so they agreed.

Being back in Cardiff gave her relief; some kind of comfort if she were being honest. In London, everything seemed like a blur with the fast-paced palace life she used to watch on the sidelines when she was younger. Her Royal patronages were announced, then the real work began with her attending three private fundraising galas. The two weeks she spent in London before returning to school felt like a lifetime. She was thankful she was away from all the hustle and bustle of her royal life.

"Hope Alexandra Victora Elizabeth," Elysée Archibald, her American roommate, was ecstatic when she entered the room. "Damn, I'm still not used to having a Princess as a roommate. You have a visitor!"

"Who?" Andra turned to her, brows knotted.

"He's outside. I told him he could come up here but he wouldn't. He's hot." She said.

"He might be an abductor for all I know. Did you ask his name?"

"Of course, your highness. He said his name is Joachim de Belgique. He has a very hot accent too," Elysée said, imitating Andra's accent which was distinctly similar to the Queen's. "Overflowin' with testosterone if you ask me."

"Joachim de Belgique? He said that was his name?" Andra asked, but she didn't wait for an answer because she ran out as fast as she could. Her schoolmates stared at her as she passed by but more were curious about why she was running. Or to whom she was running.

She slowed down once she saw him. There he was, standing under the sycamore tree across the Castle. She knew he instantly spotted her because he waved at her, and that was when she realized she was still wearing her lacrosse uniform and her hair was tied into a loose ponytail. She was beyond embarrassed.

"Hello, you." Joachim grinned widely. He was wearing his school uniform but he was clearly a long way from school. However, he felt so much joy seeing her after months. He wanted to contact her as soon as he got back to Worcestershire but his nerves always got the best of him. Today was different: he woke up a little braver and decided to take the train going to Cardiff.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in amusement. She was flustered but she was also surprised to see him in the flesh. At her school of all places!

"I came to see you." He blurted.

"I- oh, wow," she blushed. She poked his cheek with her index finger. "You're really here. This isn't a hallucination or anything."

He caught her hand and giggled. "Yes, I'm really here. How have you been?" He asked.

"I can't believe—"

"Okay, you're still processing," he chuckled.

Andra's cheeks burned more when she realized that his hand was still holding hers. She didn't pull her hand back. She liked it. She felt happiness, excitement even, and she couldn't fathom why. Sure, she has some kind of attraction toward the Belgian but she never thought it to be... too much.

"Should I curtsy?" Andra said while she was processing the fact that Joachim was in front of her.

"I'm the one who should bow, Your Royal Highness," he said, making her roll her eyes. He was grinning as he looked at her disheveled state. He certainly wasn't expecting her to be wearing her lacrosse uniform, soaked in sweat and dirt, and her hair all over the place. But it was a view he wouldn't exchange for another. "Have you processed my presence here, Hope?"

"This is a surprise, Joachim. A good one," she added when she saw him open his mouth too, she assumed, say sorry. "What on earth got into you, and you went all the way here? Do you have a car with you—oh, no? You rode the train to get here, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. It's not as difficult as you think. I got here alright with my friend, James. He's over there actually," he let out a small laugh to lighten up her mood. He noticed the disbelief on her face. "It was a fun commute, and I do it most of the time back in Brussels. No need to worry."

"How did you even get out of Malvern College? They should tighten up their security if it's so easy to slip out," she said.

"I had to ask a few favours from friends to get out, and it all worked well. Anyways, how are you?" He asked so she could turn her attention to another thing.

"I'm alright—covered in dirt but otherwise, alright," she replied, but she was bothered by the fact that Joachim commuted to see her. "You know what, my PPOs and I will drive you and your friend back to Malvern College."

"I will agree under one condition."

"What is it?"

"You won't bring up my big adventure until it's time for us to go," he simply said. Andra hesitantly agreed. He pursed his lips. "You just finished playing lacrosse?"

"Yes, I have lacrosse practice every day after classes. We finished early today since we have a match tomorrow," she answered. "This isn't how I usually present myself, but someone showed up unannounced."

"I didn't think I could too," he giggled, being reminded of his failed attempts to contact her. It was Amedeo who always encouraged his feelings for the Briton. He needed a shove to get himself in front of her and it worked. "I came here for you. I wanted to contact you months ago but I've always been a kind of chicken when it comes to my emotions. I never take risks because, well, it's bad for people like us."

"What are you trying to say, Joachim?" She asked with a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"I'm trying to say, badly, that I came here to see you because I like you. I think it is more than that, but I don't have much experience with love so I couldn't say if it is that." He said breathlessly.

Andra found herself snorting. "Wow, you're bad at this!"

"Like you're any good either?" He laughed. "Would you like to... I don't know, watch a movie with me?"

She decided she wasn't going to give him an answer right away but before a minute, Andra couldn't stifle a chortle. "Only if you allow me 10 minutes to get ready because this is not..." she gestured at her clothes.

"Sure, no problem! I'll just wait here," he said.

"Great!" She exclaimed.

Joachim watched as she ran back inside the Castle. His friend, James Percy, approached him and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

"You are a dead man, de Belgique," James said amusedly. He shook his head when he saw the foreign prince smile with his eyes still trained on the Castle. "A bloody smitten dead man."

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A/N: We hit 1k reads! I am so happy and honored that you continue to support Princess Hope. Thank you so much for reading this story. So, I'm proud to announce that starting next week, I will be posting new chapters every Thursday and Sunday. xoxo