Rags to Riches. Really? (1st book of Really? Series)

Chapter 26

"As I stated before, Your Highness, you will need to get used to getting bowed to," Annabella said before she looked at her tablet, "and that goes for you five, as well." She looked at my siblings, and I held back an eye roll and a scowl.

"It's going to be hard for us, Ms.," Georgie said and looked at her with innocent, wide eyes, and I held back an eye roll. "I do apologize for it, but we ar- were on the same level as them or lower. We were barely going by as it is, which is why Mira works the hours she does. She wanted to make sure that we did have a stable childhood, or at least enough."

Annabella pressed her lips into a thin line and stared at my brother with a blank look on her face. She didn't say a word while she looked at him, her gaze unnerving, and Georgie shrank back until he was next to me.

"He's right," I said, and she pulled her gaze from my brother and to me. I set my jaw and moved a bit forward so that I was in front of them. "If you saw how we lived, then you would know what he meant."

"We didn't have that much food," Jenny said softly, "nor did we have a way to make sure that food wouldn't spoil because there were times when we didn't have electricity."

"We've had to wear our coats indoors most of the time because it was too cold," Micah added, "and sometimes sleep was hard to come by."

"So, ya, we aren't used to this. We don't like being bowed or curtsied to, even if we have to get used to it," River said. She looked at me and then at Annabella. "I think that the only time Mir has only ever been bowed towards is when she is about to do karate or taekwondo or something along those lines."

"Unfortunately, that is something that you all will have to get used to, especially when you are back at Erinshire," Annabella said again before she cleared her throat and looked at her tablet.

River frowned before she looked at me, and I set my jaw while I looked at her. Silently, she asked if we were moving, and I set my jaw tighter.

'We'll talk later,' I said, and they looked at each other before they looked at me and then looked at Annabella.

"Must I remind you all again that you all are royalty," Annabella said while she still scrolled through her tablet to look for something. "There are going to be some things that you do not want to do and things that you can't say. However, to save face of the crown, then you are going to follow the rules and abide by those laws."

"Must we remind you that we have lived in squalor our whole lives?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. "The rules that we followed mainly deal with not waking our "mother," get good grades in school, and try not to die from cold or hunger. Our apologies for not knowing anything differently and trying to adapt to something very different."

"Why don't we show you around your new room, Your Highness," Suzie said and curtsied, and Beverly nodded. "And maybe have you put down your bag here?" She gestured to the end of a bed bench. "We can put it up for you, if you like."

My grip on my bag grew tighter, and I set my jaw. "I can worry about this in a bit. Thank you, though," I said, making sure that my voice wasn't as hard as I would like to have it.

Suzie's eyes grew wide while Georgie jabbed me in the side with his elbow, and I had a feeling that I had been a little harsher than I liked. "O-of course," she said with a small stutter while she looked down. "My apologies, Your Highness." She curtsied again, and I pressed my lips into a thin line and stayed silent.

"Hmph," Annabella said while she pursed her lips in annoyance. "You all can do what you want. I have some important business to attend to. You are permitted to stay here or in the courtyard. Do not venture any further without anyone knowing. Is that understood?"