On the other side of the road, a man was standing facing a tall building. From where Amara was, she could only see his back. Amara could not see the person's face clearly even as she arched her neck.
The man was holding a phone to his ear and he had his other hand engaged in raking through his hair. Is it him?
Amara had put that man to the back of her head since that day when Leah mentioned the possibility of him already having a girlfriend. In any case, it was just a chance encounter but right now, she did not know what she was expecting. Was it Rafe? Was it not?
What were the odds that he looked for her for a long time before traveling all the way here?
''Princess,'' James spoke up as he looked at Amara from the rearview mirror.
The man had long escaped her sight and Amara's brows furrowed slightly. It could not be him.
''Today...''
''Wait, stop the car,'' Amara said suddenly. What if it was him?
James immediately stepped on the brakes and the car came to an abrupt halt. Amara did not even wait for James to open the door for her. She opened it herself and stepped outside.
But Amara's face soon revealed a hint of disappointment. The spot where she had seen the man earlier was now empty.
Hence, the princess sulked till they reached the castle.
Amara had just reached the room when she suddenly remembered something, "James, you were saying something earlier?"
James sighed, looking like he was struggling about whether to say it or not.
Amara raised a brow.
"Uh... Princess, he will be here tomorrow. The new bodyguard. I received his information from the royal guards today and I also received his official documents. He is a capable man so in that way, I am relieved about your protection."
Amara nodded slowly. She did not want this day to come but all banquets must come to an end so she had already accepted it.
Still, all that maturity aside, the princess sulked some more.
When she saw James hesitating, she continued to ask, "Is there something else?"
James opened his mouth and then closed it. "It's nothing princess. Good night," he retreated before Amara could question him further.
Leah and Sybella were waiting for Amara in her room to ask what went wrong and when Amara continued beating around the bush, they took it as their cues that they would not get anything out of the girl and left her rook to catch some rest.
Lady Juliette came to attend to Amara only to be sent back "I have grown up now, Juliette. Me scrubbing my back or wearing my clothes should be least of your concern. Don't I tell you that every time I come over?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Lady Juliette responded with the straightest face ever, still looking in the direction of the bathroom. She had even brought together almost four maids.
Amara was part amused and part speechless. After some effort, she finally was able to send the woman and her gang away.
Later that night, as Amara laid in the bed, she could not help but think of the man she had seen on the streets today. Was it Rafe? She wondered.
After going back to New York, she would probably not have another chance to see him. Had he known that when he told her that they would not meet again?
She pushed his image out of her head but then James' words rang in her mind. Her new bodyguard.
Amara buried her face in the pillow and groaned a bit.
In fact, she had a feeling that James had something more to add but again, if he was hesitating so much, it would not be anything good. Hence, she had not questioned him any further.
In fact, when it came to her new bodyguard, she did not have many high expectations. As long as he was a little kind and friendly, nothing would go wrong.
...
Except, the next day, life dealt Amara with an unkind and extremely unfriendly hand. No, her new bodyguard was not in the picture yet but rather...
Amara sat at the head of the long table, the familiar weight of frustration pressing against her chest. The meeting room's high windows let in beams of golden afternoon light, but it did little to brighten her mood. The discussion had dragged on longer than she had expected, her father's advisors speaking in low, measured tones about matters that hardly concerned her. She fidgeted with the bracelet that she had paired with her dress, her thoughts wandering.
Every once in a while, she would be summoned to the royal meeting ever since the day she turned 18. Unlike her brother who was the crown prince, she did not have to attend each of these meetings but the pattern in which she was summoned by her father was unpredictable too.
This time, she had not been asked to sit in one of these meetings and she had forgotten about it. Amara did not like it one bit. She was very much interested in the issues of the country but she did not like all these discussions that led to nowhere. All these heated arguments and crossfires with men, young and old being at each other's throat, only to be unable to bring a change made her find these things dull.
Her father knew it and hence, he limited his summons. But in a royal family, there was always an underlying anxiety. What if things went wrong with the crown prince? What next?
There should be backup. One perfectly trained backup, just in case.
Here, the backup was her.
These officials ran their mouths off till their throats were dry and got her father to drag her into this meeting room as that backup which is why it displeased them more if she made a single mistake or went against a norm.
This bunch of people had protested the most when Amara mentioned she wanted to study abroad. Amara sighed. They lost.