─── ♔♔♔ ───
The first thing I notice when my eyes open is how light it is. It's almost like everything is white like I'd expect heaven to be.
When I was small, my mum believed in God, heaven and hell, and all about angels. She never told me about it until I was old enough to ask questions. She kept her prayers silent and to herself, though every Sunday she would go to church by herself.
When I asked her about it, she told me that when she and Dad got together, he told her he respected her belief, but never believed himself, so she went to church every Sunday. Though he didn't go, he always went with her to Christmas and Easter services, until they had me and he'd look after me while I went. He always did everything he could to support her, and they respected each other's values.
Mum told me when I asked that for her, her belief wavered while she and Dad were trying to have kids – she lost two pregnancies – but then when I was born, she believed again. That's why they called me Mila – the meaning in Spanish is miracles – I'm their miracle baby after their losses. I went to church a few times with her after that, but I couldn't find the belief within myself, however, the values my mum held in things like be kind, love thy neighbour, and that sort of thing, I've always kept and believed in.
I like the thought of believing in a higher power, but I just can't seem to believe in God in the natural sense. Angels, however, I've always thought might be real, but more in the after-you-die kind of thing.
Religion and belief have always made me stumble and confused. Many values are cemented in yourself when you're young, but this one thing I find is a forever changing thing. As a to-be princess, I have to be seen to believe in the Church of England, as I'll be a part of the family that's head of the church – I think that's how Kai described it. It's a strange phenomenon.
As my eyes adjust to my surroundings, my hearing kicks back in and a steady beep, beep, beep fills my ears, along with some distant talking.
"Peach?"
Kai's here. I can hear him, and after a second, he appears in my line of sight. His hair is dishevelled, he suddenly is wearing glasses, and he's shed his suit jacket.
He seems to be an angel right now. Maybe he always has been since our eyes met in the dark of the nightclub. Even then he seemed lighter than anyone else and has been since that night.
"Hi," I say, though my throat is sore and my voice hoarse. My eyes take in my surroundings. I'm in a hospital bed. The room is a fancy side room, and there's a massive window to my left that looks out over the greenery.
This isn't an NHS hospital, that's for sure.
"What happened? Last I remember, I fell down the stairs at the museum," I ask.
Kai exhales deeply and sits down on a rather fancy-looking leather chair beside me. "Peach, you gave us all a fright. You fell down the stairs, had a seizure—"
"Is the baby okay?" My hands instantly fall to the small bump.
Kai nods. "One of the first things they did was a scan. I didn't see it, but they've assured me the baby seems fine. They said they'll do another one for us when you're awake. But you had a seizure, they think from the shock and a bit of concussion. They're keeping you in to observe you both, but it seems it was just a one-off."
I glance around my body. There's a cannula with some sort of fluids going into my hand, a blood pressure cuff around my left arm, and I'm still in my dress from the event, but covered in a couple of white and blue blankets.
"What's the stuff in the IV?" I ask.
"Fluids, I think, just to keep you from being dehydrated. You were out for a while, so they're just being cautious." He stands from the chair and approaches me. Kai's hand intertwines with my right one.
Everything stills for a moment; all the noises outside the room drown out, the beeping dissipates, and our eyes meet. It's just me and Kai, hands together and something unsaid flying in the air between us.
"I was so scared," he whispers.
"It was me... being a clumsy idiot again."
A faint hint of a smile lights up his face. It sets off some sort of reaction, like when a firework is lit, and my nerves all explode and light up the night sky. Any medicine I may have needed is no longer relevant because Kai's expression of pure joy and amusement fixes me. He is my angel, he has to be. Despite him putting most of this into motion by being an idiot, he's making everything better in my life: the baby, royal life, the cottage, promoting my family being around as much as they can.
"You're not an idiot. Clumsy? Absolutely, and I think we might need to give you more etiquette lessons, and no more heels! But you're anything but an idiot," he replies.
I chuckle and look away as the door opens. A nurse walks in, smiles, and heads straight to the portable ultrasound in the corner.
"Your Highness, you're awake. I thought I heard chatter in here," she says. "Hopefully, Prince Kai mentioned that your baby was fine when we checked on your arrival."
I nod as Kai sits down. "He did. Am I able to go home? What's going on?"
"The doctor will be in as soon as I'm done here," she says.
With nothing more, she sets up the ultrasound and I reveal my bump. After a few seconds, when she's put the probe over my stomach, she turns the screen to show us. Kai's hand slips back into mine as the sound of a heartbeat emits from the machine and we see the baby on the screen, moving around happily.
"Look, it's sucking its thumb," the nurse says and shows us with a laugh. "We're not concerned about anything. But if you've shown no signs of bleeding or pain, that's definitely a good sign! It's too early to tell the sex yet, but everything looks healthy."
I watch the little baby swimming around in there without a care in the world. It's amazing to see, and the heartbeat going at a ridiculous rate compared to mine. Everything seems well in there.
Kai's eyes go between me and the screen, and his hazel eyes glow like a halo. They're full of hope and love, and it's the most humbling thing to see.
"Okay, I'll get the doctor. He's in with another patient right now, so it might be a little while," she says before taking my observations and moving out of the room.
"Our baby, Peach! It's okay. I'm so relieved," Kai whispers.
I smile. "Happy birthday to me, huh?"
He chuckles. "One way to tell me you didn't want to spend the afternoon with me! I'm joking. Your family is on the way up, but I've let them know you're okay. The news is obviously on it. There are journalists outside and people already gathered, but they're easy to get rid of."
I fall silent for a moment. "Kai, why do they keep calling me Your Highness? We're not married yet."
He shrugs. "They already consider you a princess and duchess. It's a good thing, really. The palace won't call you that until we're married, but they won't correct the people either. It's just the public's way of accepting you."
"The gifts? Why?"
He grins. "Again, it's the public saying they love you. Like when people send celebrities gifts – same principle. They love you, Peach."
I nod and slump down in the bed. There's a small TV on the wall opposite, so I find the remote and switch it on quietly. The news is literally live outside the hospital grounds – a private one in London where I've been told I will probably be giving birth when it's time. It's like when Lucy had her kids and the press parked outside here for days while waiting.
"It just feels weird how I've literally gone from a no-one to random strangers caring so much about me, simply because we had sex one night."
Kai snorts. "Welcome to the wonderful world of the royal family. Peach, this is how it will be now. It becomes second nature eventually. This is going to sound weird, but as much as you can try to see it as a good thing – the public love you. They're out there now, buying birthday gifts and waiting for you outside museums and calling you unofficial names because they care."
I shrug. "It's still weird."
"Who was your favourite singer as a child?"
I arch an eyebrow. "Britney Spears."
He laughs. "I guessed that right. Okay, but... growing up, if she fell on stage, or when she had her breakdown, did you care? Did you watch the news?"
I nod. "I was scared for her."
Kai points like I've made his point for him. "Exactly. You cared about her because she was your favourite. It's the same principle here."
I shrug in response and continue watching the news.
─── ♔♔♔ ───
After half an hour, the doctor has been and gone. I can be discharged as soon as my fluids have finished, and they get some blood tests back, which they've just sent off. We've diverted my family to meet us at the cottage, so it's just me and Kai until we leave. The news has been on non-stop, with the media and public still waiting outside for us.
"How are we going to get out of here, by the way?" I ask.
Kai shrugs. "We just walk out the main entrance and the car will be waiting for us. If we try to escape without the media seeing us, we leave them hanging. A lot of our reputation leads with our relationship with the media. They won't expect an interview or anything, but us simply walking out and getting into the car will leave them satisfied. Don't even have to pose or anything like that. For the media, they can be respectful if we just give them the bare minimum."
I nod in response and sigh. Outside is sunny, yet the trees are swaying in the breeze. "Happy birthday to me!"
"Peach, we can still have a nice evening. The chef can still make dinner, we can still have cake. There's still tomorrow or the weekend to do whatever you want," Kai says.
"Fair." I nod. "It's just freaking typical it happened today while at an event. Summary of my life, right?"
He laughs. "I mean, if you're wanting honesty, then yeah, you seem to have the worst luck with royal engagements."
I feign offence and put a hand on my chest. "You're so rude, Prince Kai!"
He grins and shifts his chair closer to the bed. "Right, so I kinda lied earlier when I said I'd give you your present later. I carried it around with me all day, and I've been waiting for the perfect moment to give it to you."
I arch an eyebrow. "Okay, why does this feel ominous?"
He sits down and gets out a padded brown envelope from his jacket. "This is your birthday present from me. You don't have to pretend to like it, or whatever, but I thought you might like them."
I take the envelope where he's written 'Peach' instead of my first name in typical Kai fashion.
"Thank you," I whisper.
He looks away as I carefully open the envelope. It's A4 size, so whatever it is isn't small. When I open the envelope fully, I find three pieces of artist's paper. I carefully pull them out and place them on my lap.
"Oh... wow." I look closer. All three are handmade drawings in colour, of... me. The first one is a close-up of my face but with the body of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. My favourite Disney princess. I've got the same hair colour I have in real life, plus a tiara on my head.
The second drawing is of me in the dress I wore for our engagement photos, along with the engagement ring. There's a smile on my face in the picture, and I'm next to a drawing of Kai as well.
It's the last drawing that gives exactly what this gift is about, away. The last drawing is of me in the blue dress I wore on the night Kai and I met. My hair is tumbling down the sides of my shoulders, and all around me is what looks like drawn lights, almost giving me the halo effect of an angel. There's a drawing of a peach, too. Clearly, he added that with the intention of giving me this drawing.
But it's clear: Kai has drawn these. No one else would know what I wore that night, or to draw me as Ariel.
"Kai—did you draw these?" I ask. We both know that I know he did, but it starts the conversation off.
He nods. "I did." He can't look me in the eyes, though. "I've been drawing since I can remember. While I'm not that great at maths or geography or whatever, I'm good at history and art. Not great for a prince, right, but I'm fifth in line, so I get away with it."
I don't laugh at that, because he's wrong on so many levels. "Kai, these are amazing. I'm... I don't quite know what to say. You're an amazing artist. Thank you."
He finally looks at me, and there's a serious tone running through his expression.
For some reason, the room feels warmer, and there's a surge of energy flying between us. Usually, when something serious happens, it turns cold, right? So why is this warm? Why do I want to suddenly fly up from the bed and open the window? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
He shifts the chair again so he's right next to me, a cat whisker's length away from me. His breath fans over my skin, leaving a spring breeze in its wake. It's the perfect feeling: the air is warm with energy between us and yet there's a breeze, so it's not too warm.
I'm in way too deep, but somehow, as my heart pounds like the drum to the heaviest metal beat, I can sense where he's going with this, and I will do anything to keep it going.
"Peach, I feel you know what I'm going to say here, but let me explain myself," he says. "When we got, well, engaged, I'm not going to lie to you, I could've fought a lot harder than I did for this to not happen."
I shrug and put the drawings back in the envelope. "I always knew that fact. You're a prince, you can do what the heck you want."
He smirks. "You've lived long enough in the family to know that's not precisely true. But even so... I think for me, that night, though on the face of it, I was trying to help you, it was secretly a ploy to get you to find someone better... me. It was love at first sight on my part. But who would fall in love with me? A royal. Who wants to be in this kind of relationship where you have to do all this work with the media constantly on you?"
I say nothing.
Kai carries on. "That's why I initially agreed to your terms of raising the baby on your own and giving you money because, though I wanted this, I wanted you to have your choice as well as our child. I fell in love with you on that dancefloor and in bed with you, but I didn't want this to be your life unless you chose it. But when I fucked up—"
"Kai, we're in public."
He shrugs. "I don't care. Let me have my moment. When I screwed it up and told my parents, I kinda just... didn't fight it because I got selfish. Peach, I'm in love with you."
My heart is soaring above me right now in this moment of brilliance. Life has a way of working out, but the problem is we agreed not to do this thing.
He sits straighter. "We agreed not to do this thing because of your resentment or whatever, and I know that, but I guess I just wanted you to know. This life is tough, but I want to do it as a proper family. Screw this fake crap and do it for real."
"Kai, I—"
"If you don't love me back, I get it. I've put you through so much already and it's selfish of me, on your birthday—"
"Kai, shut up for a minute and listen!" I urge. He silences and stares at me in shock. I laugh before continuing. "It's funny. When we were at the ball? While we were dancing together, I realised something. I've fallen in love with you, you idiot. You're annoying because you have a massive mouth and you took my choice from me. But you know what? I'm glad you did. Brayden was controlling. He was basically abusive, and meeting you that night made me realise that. I've never been so glad you lied – sort of – about who you were. I like this life so far. Well, maybe without the constant media presence."
He blinks. "Say that again."
"What that you're annoying?" I chuckle.
"No, no, you know what I mean, Peach."
I grin. "That I'm in love with you?"
He nods and stands up. "Yeah, that one."
"I love you."
He chuckles and opens his mouth, but the door opens and a nurse walks in.
"Typical," Kai whispers under his breath.
Somehow, the sun is now shining brighter than it was ten minutes ago, and I wonder if it's an omen because this has suddenly become the best birthday I've ever had.
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