Surprisingly Royal

👸Chapter26 : Mischievous Letter

After a while, we wrap up the game, and—no surprise—the boys vanish upstairs to do their own thing without even offering to help clean up.

Bec and Matilda volunteer to take care of the kitchen, so Emily and I handle the living room.

"I think it's getting kind of late," I say, glancing at the time.

"It's only 6:45 pm," she replies in a playful tone.

"You can stay if you want, but I need to get home and check on Mum," I say as I begin picking up the empty bottles from the table.

"I don't recall your mum asking for help with anything," she says, giving me a mildly annoyed look.

"I know, but still it's getting late. And unless you're ready for your parents to give you a whole lecture about curfews, we should probably head out," I say, raising a brow.

She hesitates for a moment, but once she notices the smug look on my face, she quickly snaps back.

"Fine. We can leave. But don't pretend it's about curfew,you're just trying to avoid having a cheesy moment with your new crush," she says, smirking.

"And who might this mysterious crush be that I'm not even aware of?" I tease.

"Oh, let me guess... Fynn?" I add, watching her cheeks turn pink.

"Shut up! I'm talking about Carlos," she says, tossing a cushion at me.

"You've got it all wrong, Em. He's nothing like that to me. Never has been, never will be. I'm just tired and want to go home," I reply, walking into the kitchen with the bottles.

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," she calls after me.

In the kitchen, the girls are almost done cleaning. I dump the bottles in the bin and let them know that Emily and I are about to leave.

They try to get me to stay longer, but I politely decline, and they eventually let it go.

I head back to the living room where Em and I gather our things. I tell her I'm using the washroom real quick.

On the way, I pass by Carlos' room and hear loud music, shouting, and laughter pouring out from behind the door.

I pause for a second, tempted to peek. But after what happened the last time, I decide to mind my business and head to the bathroom.

After that, I rejoin Emily and the girls, and we say our goodbyes.

As we walk out, Emily looks back at the house.

"It's such a beautiful place, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it really is," I say with a small smile.

We get to my house first. Before I can say anything, Emily shoves me inside like it's some kind of mission and completely ignores my offer to walk her home.

I chuckle and pull her into a tight hug before she heads off.

I lock the door and head straight to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat and also to check on Mum, since she wasn't in the living room.

She's sitting at the dining table, holding a paper, looking like her thoughts are a million miles away.

"Mum?" I call out.

She doesn't hear me at first. I call her again, and this time she jumps in surprise.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asks, quickly folding the paper and walking toward me.

I wonder what was on that paper.

"Not long," I reply.

"Hungry?"

"I'm starving, Mum," I say dramatically, clutching my stomach.

She laughs a little and serves me food, sitting down beside me at the table. She asks how my day went, and I fill her in—leaving out the bits she definitely doesn't need to know.

I notice her zoning out a couple of times, and I decide to just ask.

"Mum?" I say softly.

"Yeah?"

"What did the letter say?" I ask, watching her tense up.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Ciara," she says, gently placing a hand over mine with a forced smile.

"Come on, Mum. I've seen how off you've been since you read it. You've barely been present, and I know you. It must be something serious."

She sighs.

"It's just a letter from my cousin. Nothing important."

"What did it say?" I press, ignoring the don't ask anymore look on her face.

Another deep sigh.

"She said she's moving to another continent for a new job."

Hmm. That doesn't feel like the whole truth. But I let the thought slide... for now.

"Well, that's good news, right? She's following her dreams and leveling up."

"Yeah... but she'll be so far from here. She's the only relative we still keep in touch with," Mum adds quietly.

That surprises me. I didn't think her cousin's visits meant so much to her. In fact, she used to always find a reason to cancel them.

Now I know she's not telling me everything.

"Do you understand now?" she asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I nod and pretend to go along with it. "Yeah, we'll be okay."

She gets up and heads to her room. I finish eating, wash my plate, and head to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Once I'm done, I check that the door's properly locked and make my way to my room.

Lying on my bed, I replay everything that happened today.

And just before I drift off to sleep, the last image in my mind is that smirk Carlos gave me during the game.

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