Royal

Six

"How did they already find out?" I demanded and threw this morning's Eurion Times newspaper on the table in front of my dad.

It had been on my desk this morning, like usual, when I got to my office much earlier than I normally would because after last night's events transpired I could hardly sleep. The problem was its front page story. It read:

"One Down, 28 to Go

Just days after the beginning of Princess Camellia's Selection one of the Selectees has already been sent home. Our source close to the situation has told us that after the suitor revealed something personal to the Princess she "became very angry and initiated a loud, public argument with him. While technically it was his decision to leave the palace and drop out of the Selection, the way he was being treated surely made him feel unwelcome there and pressured to leave."
Now we can't help but wonder: is our beloved Princess as sweet and kind as we've always thought? Or is she secretly callous and bratty behind closed doors?"

"We don't know, sweetheart," dad sighed. "I have people looking into it as we speak but for now nobody can figure out how the media got this story."

After I left the room with the boys last night I had gone straight to my parents' room and told them everything. With Marthe's help Yusuf was on a train back to his province by 5 am.

Now it was 8 am and about half the guys were currently eating breakfast in the dining room where I was speaking with my dad.

My head was spinning and I was just so confused. Who would've done this to me? I didn't want it to be any of the guys that were there but how else could this article be possible?

And the headline. It was the exact thing that Calum said last night. Calum, so sweet and funny, one of the people I was starting to feel closest to and one that I was already considering a front-runner in the selection. It couldn't be him, could it?

"I have to go dad," I grabbed the newspaper and practically ran out of the room.

I was slightly out of breath and definitely full of panic by the time I reached his door. It took him at least 30 seconds to open the door that I was furiously pounding with my fist and a shocked look took over his face when he saw me, as surely I looked like a mess by now.

I held up the newspaper for him to see and couldn't even get the full question out. "Did you- how-?"

Calum grabbed the newspaper from my hand and intently read the article. "Please come in, Princess. I feel like this isn't a conversation that needs to happen in the hallway."

"Calum, please," I looked at him as he shut the door. "Please tell me it wasn't you."

"What wasn't me?"

"The person who told the media. Please say it wasn't you."

"Of course it wasn't! Why would you think that?"

"The headline. It's exactly what you said to me last night."

"I swear it wasn't me. And wouldn't you have had to tell them anyways?"

"Of course but not like this. They'd hear the simple, glossed over version from an official source. Not this dramatic exaggeration that makes me look like some silly teenager."

"Hey it's fine. It'll be ok."

"This is serious, Calum. Everyone signed contracts when they got here that included barring them from unapproved contact with the media. When they catch whoever did this they'll be in huge trouble. Not only that but I was starting to trust you and I really don't want to regret that."