“It’s almost time!” Garret says excitedly as I’m being prepped in what should have been my bedroom at my palace. We made the trip to Chirnova this morning amidst screaming crowds and mobs of people running after the car again. I was shown around by Chuck, who lives just off the grounds with his three daughters and wife. I even got to meet her and the kids. They were so sweet and I even got to hold the youngest one, who just turned four.
But, now I am being prettied up for my people. Wow, did I really just think that way? My people? Oh god.
Garret gives me the clothes to change into (thank god I get to change myself this time). I go into the en suite and slip on the emerald colored shift dress by Belle Baxter (now my go-to designer for almost every occasion). It has a jewel-neck, like most of the Duchess of Cambridge’s dresses. It goes to my knees. I have some trouble getting the stockings on but manage.
Once I step out of the en suite they throw on a white pea coat over it, tying a green scarf around my neck to match the dress. Emerald earrings get pushed into my ears. Someone helps me pull on the black leather gloves. I slip into black ankle booties. It dawns on me that it’s probably going to be freezing outside.
Val touches up my lip gloss. Bryant plays with my hair some more before leaving it alone for good (or so he says).
“We’re on in ten!” Kassy shouts from the doorway. She waves for me to follow her. I do, followed by my styling crew. We meet up with Victor and Ben at the door to the room that has the entrance to the balcony. My distant cousins are also there. They were actually happy to see me when we got here.
They’re mostly a little younger than my parents, with younger kids—there’s one cousin that’s in her mid-sixties though. I have no idea how I’m related to all ten of them, but apparently they’re all I have left. One of them tells me that Aunty Elena might come out of hiding with her family soon. None of them have any idea where she is, and some think she's also dead.
So, I guess my family’s talent is dying or pretending to be dead.
“Ready?” Ben asks.
I nod but it's an unspoken lie. Victor confirmed to the press that Ben and I are engaged and the agreement will be upheld. He’s cleared the air on minor questions. I feel less in control than I have ever before.
“You’ll be the first one out… a few seconds later the relatives will step out and then us,” Victor briefs me.
I nod again as we walk towards the double doors leading to the balcony. I hear the dull roar of people shouting and/or talking very loudly. As I peek out the window from far away I see brillant emerald green and white Chirnovian flags waving in the air. Signs are being held high above people’s heads. Children sit atop their parents’ shoulders.
“And in three,” Kassy counts, “Two… One!”
“The Dove is flying,” one security man mumbles into his shoulder. I make a face at the weird code name, but then remember I have to walk out. The doors fly open, bringing in a gust of frigid air. My hair flies a little. I can only imagine Bryant’s horrified face behind me right now.
I step out on the balcony and cannot believe the sight I see—or the deafening roar I hear, actually. It’s an absolute sea of purple and white. It extends from just outside the palace gates to down the main street. People are standing on the statues. Police are trying to get them off. Flags wave furiously. Screams nearly deafen me. The sun is peeking through thickening clouds, almost blinding me for a moment.
Remember, just keep waving, I hear Victor’s voice in my head.
I raise my hand and wave like Winnie taught me. She would be proud. I wonder if she’s here. I didn’t see her… anyways, back on the subject of the millions of screaming people four stories below me…
YOU ARE READING
Suddenly Princess
Teen FictionAnnaMaria Romanoff grows up with an adoptive family, thinking that her biological parents were working class citizens of the country of Chirnova, who died tragically in a car crash when she was just a year old. It's her senior year in high school no...
