Surprisingly Royal

👸 Chapter 29: Swim

My jaw drops as I take in my surroundings. We're in a meadow. And not just any meadow—this place looks like something straight out of a dream.

I didn't even know something like this existed in Angellos.

It's unreal.

The ground is covered in fresh, green grass, and the trees are tall and thick, stretching up like they've been here forever. Wildflowers bloom everywhere, adding bursts of color that make the whole scene even more magical.

I take a step forward, still in awe.

"What do you think?" Carlos asks, walking up beside me.

"It's beautiful," I whisper, eyes still glued to the view.

"I figured you'd like it," he says, clearly proud of himself.

I glance over and catch him grinning.

"How'd you even find this place?" I ask, genuinely curious. "You've only been here what—three weeks? I've lived in Angellos my whole life and I've never seen anything like this."

He shrugs with that usual smirk on his face. "Guess I'm just good at discovering hidden gems."

I roll my eyes.

"Okay fine," he laughs. "I was bored one morning, so I wandered off to explore the kingdom. Ended up here."

"And the forest seemed like the best place to explore?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He scoffs. "If I hadn't come into the forest, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?"

"No need to get defensive," I say with a small smile. "Honestly, I'm glad your little adventure brought me here. It's the first nice thing you've done since we met."

"Whatever," he mutters and walks ahead.

"Hey! Wait up!" I shout, trying to catch up before he disappears into the trees.

We stop near a small lake and decide to sit for a bit.

"This place is so peaceful," I say, closing my eyes for a second and letting the calm sink in.

"Yeah... I come here when I'm upset. It helps me clear my head," he admits.

"That's actually really cool," I say, opening my eyes to look at him.

He just nods.

We fall silent for a while. And then, out of nowhere, my thoughts drag me back to earlier. My body tenses without warning.

Carlos notices.

"You okay? Wanna talk about it?" he asks gently.

Okay. Who is this boy and what did he do with the real Carlos?

He brought me all the way out here just to help me feel better. Since when is he this thoughtful? I literally have no idea what I did to deserve this version of him.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to talk," he says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I get it."

I sigh, eyes dropping to my feet. "I found out barely an hour ago that... I might not belong here. Not exactly sure what that even means. I didn't wait around for answers—I just ran."

"Well I think —" he starts.

"I know what you are thinking ," I cut in. "That I should've waited. But what was I supposed to do? It hit me like a truck. I feel like my whole life just flipped upside down. I don't even know who I am anymore. It's—ugh—it's just so overwhelming." I get up, pacing a little.

"I wasn't thinking that, actually," he says, standing with that same annoying-but-somehow-cute smirk. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't throw a chair through a window. You're kinda known for your wild reactions."

Oh. My. God.

"Shut up! I am not wild. I'm sweet and chill."

"You wish," he mutters with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" I ask, folding my arms.

"Wanna go for a swim?" he asks out of nowhere, changing the subject entirely.

"Absolutely not," I say flatly, turning away.

"Oh, come on! Live a little. You're always so serious."

"Drop it. I didn't bring a swimsuit, and I'm definitely not in the mood to go swimming."

"You know you could just swim in your underwear, right?" he says, full-on grinning now.

Ugh. Pervert.

"In your dreams."

"Fine, suit yourself," he shrugs and starts stripping.

Wait. WHAT?!

My eyes go wide as he pulls off his shirt, revealing... way more than I was emotionally prepared for.

Holy crap.

The boy is sculpted like he walked out of a YA fantasy book.

Defined abs. Toned arms. I think I just forgot how to breathe.

I quickly wipe my face, just in case there was drool (ugh) and cover my eyes like the innocent child I am.

Did he see that? God, I hope not.

I hear him chuckle.

"What are you doing?!" I ask, my voice an awkward squeak.

"Taking a swim," he says like it's the most normal thing in the world.

"Without a shirt? And while I'm still here? Where's your shame?"

He laughs. "I'm not naked, and I'm not that shameless, love. Besides, admit it—you enjoyed the view."

I can practically feel my face burning.

Thank God I'm covering it.

"Just go before it gets dark," I mumble, trying desperately to change the topic.

He chuckles again low and smug and walks into the water. A second later, I hear a splash.

"You gonna sit there covering your face all day, or are you joining me? The water's amazing!"

I peek through my fingers and see that the water's deep enough to cover him.

Phew. Safe to look.

After a solid round of bickering and him calling me boring, I finally give in and walk to the edge of the lake.

I slip off my sandals and dip my feet in the water.

And wow. He was right.

It feels amazing. Cool. Soothing. Like it's washing the tension off my skin.

I start to relax... until he does something completely unexpected.