That Royal Bad Ass

9. He's Charming... I Swear It

Ugh, her accent is so annoying...

"I was at a party, my phone was probably still in the car mother," I ground my teeth together in annoyance kicking at the pebbles at the edge of the manmade pond.

"Oh dearie!" oh please, mom... "Oh honey, I was meaning to tell you that you have a very important meeting to attend tomorrow morning at 9 am promptly."

And she hung up. Typical 'Queen Anne'. I know she didn't actually care about my wellbeing and our whereabouts. All she wanted and will want is control, ugh! I balled my hands up into fist—my cell phone still in my left by my ear—I squeezed it tightly as an attempt to disintegrate is with my bare hands.

Letting out a frustrated scream I flung the phone, with all the anger and desperation I could muster, right into the middle of the pond causing ripples to course throughout the darkly reflected surface and a few insect, fishes and frogs to stir. I groaned again digging my hand in my hair pulling violently tight at my roots. I'm going to regret that but I don't care.

Nicola, you are better than this. In ten seconds you will learn to act as expected. You will be the perfect daughter and stop whatever you are starting with this boy. You will go to that meeting. You will be respectful. You will give away your youth and happiness for your country. You will marry Stephen and you will be Queen Nicola Turmaine of Cantura.

Ten seconds Nicola, I gave my roots one last tug,

You will act like a princess. And what does a princess act like?

Nine seconds, I closed my eye and opened them at six, took a deep breathe at five and let it out at two.

One.

I sniffed and spun on my heels walking with my head high and my shoulders back.

I took slow hesitant steps at first then the closer I got to Keller the more confident my strides got, even though I really didn't want to cut him off but... I had to. I cleared my throat to get his attention, since he was now sitting Indian style on the grass, playing a game on his phone, and he looked up at me expectantly, his eyes lit by his phone resembled orbs of amber.

My insides rolled when he smiled at me, I mentally sighed.

"Take me home," I say impassively trying my best to keep my tone and voice as stoic and steady as possible, "And I know you know where I'm staying."

His smile faltered and I swore I saw him flinch, my heart literally tore in half to do this to someone, especially when that someone was so sweet. It physically hurt me to do this; but I had to.

His eyebrows pulled together.

"Okay," he casually said after exhaling and shrugging.

Wow. That was like a punch in the gut. It was almost as if he expect it. Whatever.

I turn in the direction of his car and kept up a steady pace making sure his footsteps were a few feet behind mine before I sighed out of frustration and tugged the ends of my hair anxiously.

I sat in the front seat of his car waiting for him to open his door and sit only but a few inches from him, waiting for the predictable tension and my anxiety to be sensed. My muscles tightened when he opened his door and sat, I just turned my head in the opposite direction my eyes settling on the grass and multiple paths leading to the pond my phone was submerged in.

The whole drive back to my place took no more than a half an hour to get there and yet it felt like an eternity. I had to focus my eyes outside and my ears on the purr of the engine and our uneasy breaths.