Young Royals Season 3 (Version 3)

73. Headline

A few days later...

Simon sat at the back of the bus listening to music and staring out the window. He expected that Ayub and Rosh would be getting on in the next few stops.

Linda had insisted on taking Simon to school but he refused and reassured her that his friends would be there at least part of the journey if anything happened. And he promised to call her if he needed help.

Things had been tense between Simon and Linda, but once he'd confessed to the headmistress and been expelled, she praised him for doing the right thing even though it was hard, and her anger seemed to subside somewhat at least.

Simon hated to think he'd disappointed his mother so deeply that it would change her opinion of him forever, but it felt like she could eventually forgive him.

It would be his first day back at Marieberg after taking some time to prepare himself for the return to public school. The worst, he thought, was that he'd be surrounded, and possibly confronted, by a new group of people who'd seen the sex tape.

He was nervous but knew that Rosh and Ayub would have his back. Then suddenly he remembered that Marcus still went to Marieberg too.

He was shocked that he hadn't thought of it sooner and quietly groaned to himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

As he thought about it, he realised he'd practically forgotten that Marcus existed. He felt a little bad, but only for a moment, because it was absolutely true.

Marcus had helped Simon realise it was useless to try and forget Wilhelm, and it helped him recognize what he didn't want in a partner, but otherwise that "relationship" had been inconsequential. It had only made him feel uncomfortable, objectified, and hypocritical.

When Marcus had basically told him he liked the drama of being a victim among rich brats...Simon had been hurt at first, but then he thought Marcus was delusional.

When Simon first got to Hillerska, he'd tried to make friends with the boarders but they'd treated him like he had the plague, so he gave up eventually, that is, until Wilhelm had introduced himself.

Simon still liked to remember how sweet and nervous Wilhelm had been, so nervous he almost dropped his fork.

Whenever he thought about it lately, it struck him how that moment had changed his life.

It hadn't all been positive. If he were given the choice to never go through the sex tape, the break-up, and everything the Royal Court had done to try and separate them, but in exchange he would never meet Wilhelm, he knew he would go through it all again without hesitation.

As long as he knew that he could be with Wilhelm when it was all over, he felt he could go through almost anything.

A smile played across his lips as he watched the town go by.

His phone buzzed in his hand and he nearly dropped it.

8:10:12
Sara: Hey, Simon, have you seen this? (Attached Link)

Simon clicked the link, confused that Sara was sending him something random this early in the morning.

"Administration of Elite Boarding School, Hillerska Skolan, under Inspection for Endangering Minors and Violating Students' Rights"

Simon's mouth fell open and he inhaled sharply. He began to skim the article. It had been published on the news site earlier that morning.

"This is the boarding school that Crown Prince Wilhelm attends, as did his brother, Crown Prince Erik, and their mother, Her Majesty Queen Kristina."