Royalty, Romance Novels + Secret Attackers

The Night Before

Its the day before THE day and you can feel the excitement in the castle. There's just a certain buzz around. My family members have arrived and had already settled into their rooms. Last minute details are being finessed as everyone eagerly awaits tomorrow. Besides that, the day passes as normal, despite the fact that it drags on. An unfortunate detail, considering I just want to get this ceremony done and over with.

Lucy wishes us luck and threatens a great many things if anything should go wrong, all in the same breath, as she leaves for the night. Tomorrow she'll board The Sapphire that'll take her to the cold Alaskan waters up north. I easily brush off her warnings. Her impending wrath will be well worth the fun.

At dinner, my parents wish Gus and I good sleep for the day ahead. I'm not sure if my mother expects any trouble tomorrow. She doesn't comment on it, so she may just assume I had given in. She'll be in for a rude awakening come tomorrow.

Hm, good sleep, I could use that, I think to myself.

I wish Gus goodnight and head to my room. When I get there, Gia is waiting for me, anxiously bouncing on her toes. She squeals when she spots me and grabs my arm.

"Tomorrow's the big day, so I have a surprise for you! Come in!" She pulls me inside.

Eight other women cheer as I enter, a few of them I recognize as mutual friends.

"Surprise! It's your bachelorette party!" Gia screams, kicking off the screaming of the other women.

I cover an ear against the abrasion and fake a smile. "Great!"

"I invited some friends, I have games planned, snacks, and a special surprise at the end." She grins at me mischievously.

Again, great.

I plop down next to one of Gia's friends that I recognize, Lianna. She gives me a soft smile.

"So, how's the nerves?" She asks.

"They had been fine, but now they're starting to ramp up a little," I absentmindedly respond as I watch Gia float around, fixing drinks and games, wondering if the surprise is actually what I think it is.

She squeezes my hand. "I can't tell, you're good at hiding it. This is all so exciting. And to have a royal wedding- I'm jealous."

She'll probably be less jealous come tomorrow, since I'm not exactly having the princess trope wedding she's expecting.

Gia claps her hands, gathering everyone's attention.

"Ok, girls. Let's start with Mario Cart." Gia exclaims, reaching for the remote and starting up the tv.

I nod, exhaling. Fine. Normal. I can do this.

Gia stuffs a remote in my hand as the race starts up. I accidentally press a button as I take it, which causes my character to spin in a circle and start the race late. I hit a few boosters to try to catch up, but the added speed during the sharp turns, just causes me to keep crashing into the walls of the course.

I grit my teeth and try to focus on the game as my mind keeps wandering over to Gia and her surprise.

She wouldn't. Would she? I wonder.

I cringe when I once again crash poor Mario into the wall.

She's my best friend. Surely she would know not to-

My train of thought is interrupted by a cacophony of noise. The girls cheer when we near the finish line. Demure Lianna wins the race and she playfully gives a bow at the cheering of the other women. I, however, come in dead last.