Royal Academy Diaries I

Between The Lines ⚜ Ch. 3

That night, Gia went back to the dorms to wait with the others for the mail. By the time she returned, there was already a stack of letters on the table next to the door. She saw stamps for Sarawak, Romania, and Wales, but nothing from Italy. With a sigh, she brought them in.

Moments later, her roommates returned.

"The mail is here!"

Sumalee was the last to come in. "Oh good," she smiled, taking not one but two letters to her bed.

Gia grabbed a catalogue instead as the other girls eagerly opened their mail. She tried to ignore their giggles and happy sighs, but it wasn't working. "Have you seen this month's fashion guide? It's so modern and chic. You all should take a look."

Having had just about enough of the princess's diva nature, Sumalee said, "Maybe you should take a look in the hall again for those missing letters you've been waiting on all year."

One of the girls gasped quietly, and Gia threw down the booklet. "If that's your position, I think I'll go where the air is clearer." She stood and marched angrily out of the room, fighting back tears.

There was still a good hour left before curfew, and she went to find her boyfriend. Typically he didn't like hanging out in the boys common area (the girl's was usually tidier), but she decided to check anyway.

And she quickly wished she hadn't.

Sitting across from the fireplace, she saw a young man who was undoubtedly Zolton kissing a princess named Milica.

The scene played out for a few seconds before her mind fully processed it. "How could you?!" she shouted.

The guilty couple quickly broke apart. The other princess just smirked, but at least Zolton looked shocked and horrified. "Gia... I can explain."

"Explain what?" she asked bitterly. "How you've been sneaking around behind my back? How you never actually cared about me? How you played me just so you could have another snogging partner? No, I don't think your betrayal requires any explanation."

With that, she spun on her heel and ran back to the girls dorms, tears streaming down her face. When she got there, she almost ran into Magda.

"Mag! Oh Mag, you won't believe-"

She could't believe that her friend held up a hand, her expression unamused. "So you found out. Finally."

Gia stared at her in confusion. "Mag..."

The girl shook her head. "Don't cry to me, princess. You're nothing but trouble and drama. I should have walked away a long time ago, but I actually pitied you. I'm done." She brushed past the stunned princess.

"What...? Why does everyone hate me?" Gia sobbed.

"Well you're not wrong," Magda shrugged. "I'm not particularly fond of you. The truth is I never was."

The princess looked after her with genuine confusion. "Why? I... I'm a lovely person."

Magda smirked. "Yes, lovely and shallow and selfish. The only person whose feelings you cared about was Zolton, and even then you only cared if he liked you. Which obviously he didn't."

"What about everything I did for you?" Gia asked, choked with tears. "I introduced you to Derick, I bought you clothes- you know my father doesn't allot me much money."

The girl looked at her for a moment and shrugged. "You got me what I wanted, I guess. And now that I have it, I dont need you. Goodbye, princess."

Gia watched her leave, sobbing at the realization that the two- no, three people she cared about most had left her in the dust.