Caught in a Lie ~ h.s.

♕ XIX ♕

What if we had not fought? Would my father still be alive? Is his death my fault?

"Mary, are you okay?" I jump when a hand comes in contact with my shoulder, but I don't dare pull my eyes from the television screens. "Hey, what's going on?" There's deep concern in his voice, but I can't bare to look at him now; in fact, I feel glued in this position. When I don't say anything nor do I move, Harry places his hands on my shoulders and turns me so he can look at me. "Talk to me, Mary. Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

I don't necessarily remember telling myself to go back to the table, but somehow I end up in my chair, eyes frozen down at the empty plate before me. In the back of my mind I know there's a protocol that I'm supposed to be following, but I'm too much in shook to do anything other than stare blankly whilst the world moves around me. I can vaguely hear Harry trying to talk to me, but his words do nothing to jolt me out of this trance I've been put in.

When a member of the royal family passes, there is strict protocol to be followed by the remaining family members, but even more so if you're next in line for the crown. There's protocols for expected and unexpected deaths, the thing there isn't a protocol for is when the next in line for the throne is MIA. I should be calling Niall, but I can't even blink so how am I supposed to find my phone.

I've never lost someone so close to me before. I lost my grandfather when I was ten, but I was young and we were never really that close so it didn't really affect me emotionally. My father and I, we have our differences in opinion and lately aren't getting along like we used to, but he's still my father, or was.

"Can I get some more water over here?" Harry shouting startles me from my frozen state, but only enough to now hearing a ringing in my ears over the sounds of the world around me. He begins to say my name a few times, waving his hand in front of my face too, but I don't even blink. The one thing that does draw me out of my coma-like state is the familiar face of Niall suddenly standing at the side of the table. Part of me thinks he's just a figment of my imagination, that is until Harry starts addressing him too.

It's hard to explain the role Niall plays in my life to Harry. In the beginning he was just a worrisome friend coming to check on his best mate, and then there was the fiasco where my identity was almost blown and the two met. Luckily, the only identity discovered that day was the one of Niall's true career path.

"What are you doing here? How did you even -"

"Not now." Niall's voice is gruff as he speaks to Harry, the pitch enough to carry through the ringing in my ears. "Mabel," he starts, crouching down next to me so that he can look up at my bowed head. The fact that he just used my real name doesn't register in me either; the name goes straight over my head, "we have to go."

"Why are you here?" Harry doesn't seem to register the fact that Niall called me by a different name either, or maybe he didn't hear it.

"I'm here to take her home. I don't have time to explain it you. C'mon Mabel, let's go." Niall grabs my arm gently, but with enough force to shake me from my stupur.

"Hey, don't touch her." Harry is on his feet in a matter of seconds, hand on Niall's shoulder. It's like I've finally gotten my voice and control over my body back as I stand to my feet so we're all standing. I ignore Harry, turning my attention straight to Niall.

"Is it true?" Perhaps this is all just some sick joke or a misunderstanding. Mistakes like broadcasting the news of the Queen's death have been made in the past, so it's possible. I know deep down that Niall wouldn't be here unless the worst had happened, so there's no doubt that the news was right. The look of remorse on Niall's pale face answers my question and immediately I'm a mess, leaving Harry completely out of the loop as I start to silently weep.

"What the fück is going on?"

"Look, the less you know the better, mate. I need you to sit down and relax." Niall orders my boyfriend, which of course has the opposite effect than his words intended. Niall turns to me and grabs my bag from the back of my chair. "Mabel, let's go. I have to get you out of here." His hand wraps firmly around my bicep as he tugs me towards the exit of the restaurant.

I can hear Harry shouting after us, but Niall is good at his job and gets us outside in a matter of seconds, leaving Harry in a cloud of dust. Three town-cars sit idly outside the restaurant with palace guards waiting at the doors for my arrival. Anyone who knows anything about the Royal Family of Weybridge can tell exactly who these cars and guards belong to. There's already a group of strangers huddled together on the pavement as palace guards hold them back. Once they see Niall guiding me out of the restaurant they go crazy with their smartphones. It's as if the dark wig atop my head, fake glasses on my face, and normal, cheap street clothes do nothing to disguise my true identity anymore. Up until now they did a swell job, but add in a couple of palace guards and a breaking news story and that disguise is immediately void.

"Mary!" I peer over my shoulder just as Niall is shoving me into the back of the middle town-car. Harry comes running outside the restaurant, chest rising and falling heavily as he watches me get put in the car. "What the fück is going on?" He aks, this time shouting at Niall as he rushes towards the car as if trying to save me from a kidnapping, which only alarms the other guards.

"Don't." Niall orders the advancing guards. They freeze in their places, following Niall's next instructions to get in the cars. The glass may be bulletproof, but it's not soundproof, so I can hear everything going on. "Mate, I'm gonna need you to walk away now." Harry looks absolutely astonished, looking down at Niall before into the car at me. I can see the confusion through the blurry tears in my eyes, but I don't make a move to get out of the car and explain myself; I simply sit frozen.

"No, what is going on? I want to see her." Harry tries to push his way closer to the car, but only gets a shove backwards in return. Niall squares up to Harry and even though Niall is shorter by a few inches he makes up for it in demeanor and confidence.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"What are you talking about?" The anger on Harry's face breaks my heart even more than it already is, if possible. I have to bite down on my lip to keep from verbally sobbing out at the scene before me.

This wasn't how I pictured the truth coming out. None of this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to tell him in a private environment and let him ask as many questions as he wants, even allow him to yell, but this wasn't what I had in mind.

"Mary!"

"Her name isn't Mary!" Niall shouts back at Harry, toeing up to the taller man. A look of something flashes before Harry's eyes when he peers into the town-car at me, but I can't distinguish it, I don't want to. "Can't you see that? Put two and two together, mate." Now Harry is in a frozen state, much like mine. He doesn't move; hęll, I can't even tell if he's breathing. "Now I suggest you take a step back, before I make you." There's a moment where I think Niall may strike the confused man, but he doesn't. Harry continues to stare at me and I cower away, unable to look at him anymore, unable to look at the hurt on his features.

This is all my fault.

♕♕♕

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