Princess Hope

chapter twenty-eight

Andra took her deepest breath and tried to put a smile on her face. "Of course. That will be fine."

Andra tightened her clasps on her clutch as the last set of double doors opened.

"It's so good to see you again!" Amedeo instantly enveloped her in a hug. "How long has it been?"

Andra smiled. "A couple of years. It's great to see you, Ame."

"You're a doctor now, aren't you?"

"Yes. 2 years now, actually."

"Amedeo, don't hog all of her attention! Hello, mon cher. I missed you!" Maria Laura exclaimed with excitement.

"I missed you too, Laura." She said honestly.

"Oh, wow. It really has been too long." Astrid, her ex-boyfriend's mother, said.

"It really has! How have you been, Astrid?" Andra asked.

"I've been well, dear. We've missed you! How are you? Are you dating anyone?"

"I'm doing well. Busy most of the time. And yes, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh la la, who's the lucky guy, Andra?" Maria Laura curiously asked. "For how long? How come I don't know?"

"We've been discreet." She laughed.

Amedeo also turned to Andra in curiosity. "Why? Your family doesn't approve?"

"They love him. If anyone asks, we'll definitely admit it. We just don't flaunt our relationship."

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Andra felt everyone's eyes on her at the same time the doors opened.

"Hugh." She answered.

"Lucky him." An all too familiar voice said from behind her.

Andra slowly turned around. "Hello, Joachim."

"Hello, Andra." Joachim greeted. He had a smile on his face but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's been years."

"How have you been?" Andra managed to ask despite the heaviness of the atmosphere.

"I'm doing well."

"That's great..."

"I think we better proceed as scheduled. You have no time to waste, am I right Andra?" The King inserted.

Everyone in the room knew how badly the two ended their relationship. It was a pity, actually. They thought Andra was a good influence on Joachim because he started to care about his education and his reputation. But as much as they liked her, the other side was not as thrilled about Joachim.

"It was nice seeing everyone again." She said.

"It was great to see you too, Andra," Amedeo replied before she exited the drawing room with the King for their audience.

Andra and the King and Queen Mathilde took a couple of photos as a formal part of their audience. The rest of the time was just catching up with each other and discussing Andra's more active role in the British Monarchy, her charity works, and her career.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Royal Highness, but we have to leave for our next engagement." Iris, her deputy private secretary, whispered to her.

Andra turned to the couple. The King instantly knew what it meant and stood up. "Well, thank you for giving us a visit, Your Royal Highness." He formally said, shaking hands with Andra. "We will see you again at the state dinner, of course."

"Yes, of course. Thank you very much."

There were some photographs taken before she exited the room with her staff and some of the AP covering her whole tour.

"Are you all tired?" Andra asked everyone as they walked.

"No, Ma'am. Are you tired?" A journalist from The Guardian asked.

Andra wasn't at all comfortable with the paps but she did have a small space in her heart for the group of journalists she travels with. They were good people.

"If any of you wants to rest up, please inform Iris immediately so she could arrange your transport to the hotel." She kindly replies.

"You move, we move, Your Royal Highness!" Another journalist jested.

"Alright, everyone." She chuckled. "I'll see you all at the Belgian Red Cross!"

Andra entered her car followed by Iris and PPO Greenie. She exhaled the breath she has been holding as soon as the car exited the gates of the Palais Royal. They headed to the British Ambassador's residence where they will be staying for the whole duration of the tour.

"Ma'am, your room is ready. You can take a rest. We will prepare for the Red Cross charity event at 1 PM. Your arrival is scheduled at 4 PM." Iris said.

"Thank you, Iris. Please make sure that the correspondents are treated well at the hotel they are staying in." Andra empathically said.

"Noted, Ma'am."

Andra went into the room prepared for her, and she flopped down on the bed. The train ride was tiring, but what really drained much of her energy was meeting the Belgian royals after all these years.

"Pardon me, Your Royal Highness." Iris was frantically knocking on her door. "I'm sorry, I know you should be resting, but His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Joachim would like an audience with you.

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