#Chapter4
I briskly walk out of the restaurant just as I notice the large limousine pull up, this one having my castle's flags versus Bane's castle flags.
As I exit the empty eating establishment I notice a handful of paparazzi running towards us.
Crap.
/"Princess! Princess! What happened between you and Prince Bane?!/" I hear one yell
/"Princess, why are you leaving thirty minutes after your date, Prince Bane?!/" Another one shouts
/"Princess, it's rumored that Prince Bane broke up with you and this is why you two are leaving separately. Care to comment?!/" Another rushes out
Ugh!
Why does this sidewalk have to be so long?
It is practically the same size as a two way street!
I am halfway towards the limousine when my bodyguard quickly hops out of the driver’s seat and runs towards me.
Luckily Genevieve reaches me just as the paparazzi approach us.
My best friend wraps a strong arm around me and pulls me into her side, strategically using her body to hide me from the camera flashes.
/"Princess! Princess! Princess!/" I ignore the eager adults as I practically ball myself up against her chest
One second I am blinded by bright flashes and the next I am sliding into the clean vehicle, the door shutting behind me.
I make sure to lock the door while I wait for my bodyguard to make her way around the large vehicle, moving closer towards the partition as soon as she slides into the driver's seat.
/"I literally cannot thank you enough/" I thank my friend as I take a seat on the couch closest to her
She laughs as she carefully pulls away from the curb.
/"You shouldn't thank me just yet, your mom is pissed at you/" she informs me
Ugh!
I forgot about that.
/"Do not remind me,/" I groan out
I notice that her brown hair is falling out of her hat and furrow my eyebrows.
Oh no.
I hope that no one saw this.
Nobody in the castle knows that Genevieve is a girl besides me.
There's is this stupid rule where only boys are allowed to be guards and bodyguards, meanwhile men can choose whether to be knights or continue being guards.
It is a complicated, but frustrating, rule.
/"Are you aware of your hair falling out of your cap?/" I quickly change the subject
The brunette remains silent as she comes to a complete stop and checks for passing cars before pressing the gas again when she notices that there are no cars.
/"Can you fix it for me? I'm driving/" she asks
I roll my eyes at her.
/"Would you like a head massage?/" I curiously ask her with a smirk before removing her cap
Genny loves head massages!
Though I have no clue why, she just does.
Her gorgeous brunette hair tumbles down and piles itself around her shoulders due to the limited amount of space.
/"Yes,/" I notice her give me a look of gratitude in the mirror
/"I'm going to need one tonight too/" she sighs
I smirk amusedly as I run my fingers through her hair, more specifically near the base of her hair so that I am giving her a thorough head massage.
I hope that this does not distract her from driving.
/"Is there any reason you would need two head massages in one day?/" I ask her with a genuine tone of voice even though there is an amused smirk resting on my lips
The brunette unconsciously leans her head into my touch,
/"You remember how I told you about my mom being six months pregnant?/" My best friend asks me
I hum as a way of silently saying 'Yes'.
/"Well due to the pregnancy she has been hungrier than normal and it's starting to affect the rest of the family,/" she begins to inform me
I make sure to carefully listen to her, wanting to give her the best possible solution.
/"She's on maternity leave, meaning that my father and I are currently the only one's bringing in the money,/" she continues
I nod my head even though she cannot see me due to her eyes being on the road.
/"While we're bringing in just enough for the bills, we're heavily struggling in the food department/" the brunette sighs out as if she has been stressing about this topic all day
Which I assume she has been.
/"Why did you not tell me sooner?/" I ask her with a genuine tone of voice
The brunette sighs again, taking a smooth left turn.
/"You know that I don't like bothering you with this stuff,/" she admit
I furrow my eyebrows at her.
What?
/"You're busy enough with your coronation planning, swarm of eligible bachelors and your upcoming eighteenth birthday,/" she lists off
I instantly get nauseous at the thought of all of the Princes in Aurora visiting the palace just to see if he is an acceptable match for the crown.
None of them care about me.
Like, truly care about me.
The only thing on their mind is either the rare fantasy that they could one day rule an entire kingdom or the repulsive fantasy that they would get an opportunity to sleep with me.
I almost throw up at the second possibility.
As if I would sleep with one of them!
None of the Prince's who have approached me so far have caught my eye.
They all look...the same?
I just want a Prince who genuinely adores me for me.
Not for the King's crown.
Not for any sexually related activities.
For me.
/"The last thing you need to be worried about is my family struggling/" my best friend assures me
I stop moving my hands, keeping my fingers in her soft tresses.
/"I love your family, I would sacrifice everything for them,/" I promise her
Genny is silent, not entirely knowing what she wants to say.
I smirk with amusement at this.
I carefully move my body so that my head is poking through the divider, my lips resting a few millimeters beside her earlobe.
/"I find it cute that you care about me though/" I tease her
My best friend chuckles at my joke.
I gently smile against the space behind her ear as a way to not burst into laughter before sitting back down in my seat.
She is silent for a few moments before speaking out again.
/"You shouldn't say things like that/" she vaguely tells me as she takes a right hand turn
I glance out of the windshield only to notice that we are pulling up to the castle gates.
Shit.
/"Why?/" I ask her as I gather her hair up at the top of her head
I make sure that her brunette tresses are in a tight ponytail, my fist acting as the hair tie.
Due to us quickly approaching the gates I choose to simply twist her hair into a cinnamon roll, tucking the ends of her hair underneath the bun.
Well, this will have to do for the meantime.
This temporarily keeps the bun in place without a physical hair tie.
I quickly remove my hands from her hair and cover it with the hat that she had on earlier.
Once I have the hat back on her head correctly I adjust my body's position so that I am completely in the back of the limousine, none of my limbs being in the drivers pit.
Whew.
A breath of relief releases itself from my body just as the limousine comes to a halt, my body relaxing against the leather seats.
That was a bit too close for my liking.
Genevieve presses the button that lowers the window on her side of the car.
She does this as a security precaution.
All of the limousines in Aurora look the same, meaning that anyone could somehow duplicate our flags on the limousine and attempt to sneak into our castle.
This security precaution scans the drivers face and runs it through our database.
If the drivers face matches an employee in our database then they will be granted access to enter through the gates.
However, if their face does not match an employee in our database, and they are deemed a threat, then not only will they not be granted access, but they will be taken to the cells for questioning until they are inevitably executed.
I would love to say that the second option never happened, but that would be a lie.
It has happened more times than I care to admit, mainly from paparazzi.
A few moments pass before I hear a quiet beep.
/"Good afternoon/" a guard unenthusiastically states as he presses the button that opens the gates
The large golden gates ease their way away from each other.
My best friend patiently waits for the gates to open halfway before smoothly easing the large vehicle through them.
I feel my heart pound in my chest as the time flies by.
One second Genny is pulling the limousine through the golden gates and the next I am being escorted inside of the castle.
I do hope that my mother has calmed down since we last spoke on the phone.
If I am being honest the last thing I would like to do is stay in my bedroom all day.
I want to help the maids with the planning.
I like helping those around me.
It does not take Genevieve and I long to reach my mother's office.
Once we do my bodyguard respectfully knocks on the hard oak door.
The two of us wait until we are granted access to enter.
/"Come in/" I hear from the other side of the door
I am the one who turns the doorknob and walks into the office, Genny waiting outside beside her office door.
My heartbeat is so amplified that it is in my ears.
Well, I guess that I should prepare myself to be yelled at.
I quickly shut the door behind my body before briskly making my way towards her desk.
I stop once I am a few feet in front of it.
I instinctively furrow my eyebrows at her when I notice that her chair is turned around so that she is facing towards the glass window, the back of the chair facing me.
/"Hi mother/" I greet the woman with a dull tone.