Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

9. Felice and Wilhelm

Felice slipped inside and quietly latched the bedroom door behind her. She leaned back against it, taking deep breaths to try and slow down her rapidly beating heart. Her sprint back from the boys' dorms hadn't helped but she'd gone into flight mode in the midst of her conversation with August and she'd nearly panicked.

Once she'd taken several deep breaths and listened at the door to be sure there was no one following after her down the corridor, she went to sit on her bed and put one hand over her heart as she continued to regain her composure. After a few moments and catching her breath, Felice slipped her hand into the front pocket of her hoodie where she'd been carrying her mobile phone. She unlocked her screen and tapped the red, blinking button.

Eighteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds. She tracked backwards and let it play:

"......any heirs if he's with another guy, and he can barely keep his shit together most of the time. He can't hack it as the Crown Prince or King or anything."

She advanced once more to the same lower register sound wave graphic that indicated a male voice.

"...doesn't give a shit about the Royal Family or our reputation and traditions! That's why I uploaded it!"

Felice stopped the recording and smiled to herself as she cradled the precious phone in her manicured hand. She stood up and moved to the window where she looked out into the near darkness of the campus and, holding her phone like a precious child, almost spoke to it lovingly saying, "Eat shit, August."

She couldn't stop smiling as she sat down on her bed again, then backed up and re-listened to snippets of their conversation several times.

She hadn't decided what to do with the file just yet, except that she absolutely had to back it up in case something should happen to her phone.

She decided to send a message to Wilhelm too.

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The male bodyguard sat in the car and Wilhelm and Simon made their way to the front door with Malin who positioned herself between the strange cars and the boys as much as she could, although they still hadn't noticed any motion yet.

The boys didn't hold hands but once at the door Wilhelm momentarily placed his hand in the small of Simon's back as a way of comforting him, knowing that he had a difficult conversation waiting for him with his mom, and eventually his sister. Simon looked up at Wilhelm, surprised, but smiled at him, then reached over and lightly touched his waist.

Simon tried the doorknob but it was locked. He realised that he'd left his backpack with his keys in Felice's room but decided he'd just have to get it on Monday. He knocked.

Suddenly they heard quick footsteps behind them and Malin turned around to face the intruder and block the view of the boys from behind.

"Kronprinsen! Could we have a photo of the two of you?? May we have a statement about your speech today?!" One of the four reporters could be heard asking. They continued shouting requests behind the boys and Malin held her hand up to make sure they didn't approach the door.

Wilhelm motioned to Simon not to look at them and they soon saw Linda making her way from the kitchen to answer the door.

Luckily the boys were already at the front entrance which would be considered private property.

Linda unlocked and opened the door, then smiled to see the boys together. She greeted and welcomed Wilhelm warmly. She opened the door wide for the three of them.

"What was the noise outside?" She asked Simon.

"Um... reporters." Simon answered quickly without saying more. Linda nodded and gave a surprised but quick "Ah." Then moved on.

Linda took Wilhelm's coat hurriedly and asked if he'd like a drink. He thanked her but declined.

"Wille, feel free to have a seat in the living room. We'll just be a minute.". She went to hang up Wilhelm's coat quickly then motioned for Simon to follow her to the kitchen. She started asking Simon hushed, urgent questions about Sara and her strange behaviour and why she'd come home instead of staying at Hillerska, but Wilhelm couldn't hear much else or Simon's answers. He could tell by the tone of voice that Simon was trying to calm his mother.

Wilhelm went through to the living room and Malin stood next to the window to check on the reporters. Wilhelm looked around the room and felt how welcoming it was, the lighting felt warm and cosy and made everything look soft.

He noticed a few family photos of Simon, Linda and Sara hanging on the walls and posed on a side table. He went to the table and bent down slightly to see a small version of Simon, framed in a winter scene, wrapped in a puffy snowsuit, making a snowman bigger than himself. Simon must have been about five years old but Wilhelm still recognized him easily. He had the same eyes smiling up at the camera, and his curls peaked out from under his woolen hat in case there was any doubt remaining of who it could be.

Wilhelm smiled to himself as he lightly touched the frame of the photo with his fingertip. He looked over and saw an only slightly more recent photo of Simon and Sara sat in front of a Christmas tree, surrounded by ripped wrapping paper and a few toys. They had their arms wrapped around each other in a bear hug and were smiling into the camera lovingly, as if they'd just been laughing hysterically moments before.

Wilhelm felt conflicted. He smiled to see them looking so happy together, and he was envious that Simon and Sara still had each other when he'd lost the person he was closest to. But, he was also concerned that they might never be as close again after what Sara had done. He lightly touched the frame of the second photo too, then made his way back and sat on the sofa where he suddenly felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

Felice- "How are you guys? What happened?"

Wilhelm- "She hasn't reported him. We were lucky. I told her what August would do to Simon but not why yet."

Felice-"Good! Well, I have something for you just in case it comes up again." (audio file attached)

Wilhelm connected one of his ear buds and downloaded the file she'd sent.

He recognized Felice's voice first and could tell it's just a small portion of a conversation that'd been clipped.

--"You know, August, maybe you actually did him a favor by leaking that sex tape. I think people realised how brave he is today, and they'll love him even more because he's a decent human being. It's just...I can't believe you'd leak it just because you're fucking jealous. That's so low."

"Wille has everything and just shits on it! He never wanted to be Crown Prince or even Prince. He slums it with someone like Simon because he has no respect for the importance of the position and doesn't give a shit about the Royal Family or our reputation and traditions! That's why I uploaded it!"---

The recording cut off abruptly and Wilhelm removed his earbud, stared into the distance with his mouth slightly agape, letting a sound between a scoff and a laugh escape. He sat there staring for a moment, letting it sink in what exactly he'd just heard.