The Princess in Forest Green

Chapter 9-The suitor day

I woke up the next morning and undressed my dress. I see my skin was imprinted with the vines. I take my corset off, and I feel as if I can breathe again. How did I even sleep with that on? I get on a light pink dress with white ruffles.  

"Good morning my princess." I hear from the door, it's a loud booming voice, I whip around to see the 6'8 man standing there. "Um." I stutter, he walks into the room with me, ducking under the door frame. I walk back to my desk. I hit the chair making me jump a bit. 

"Did you sleep well?" He says pushing a hanging pot out of the way. "Yeah, oh what's that? I think it's my father. Let's go." I say making my way don't stairs. I practically run down the stairs and hit Jackson making us both fly back.

"Sorry." We both say at the same time. He gazes into my eyes, and we both hear the man walking down the stairs making me break eye contact, I start running back down the stairs. I turn to the breakfast hall and sit down. A 50-year-old man sits next to me on my right and a 6'8 man on my left. 

Noah comes with his father into the room, with a cut on his lip. He didn't have that last night, I examined his face for to see his eye swelling up a little bit. He sits across from me, and my dad sits with my father. 

I share a smile with him. 

"You know, I have like over 100,000 pounds back at home." The 6'8 man said to me. "Oh," I acknowledge. "Oh goodness, I have so much more than that Princess Keira." Said the old man cutting an egg in half. "Yeah, but you can't protect her." Laughs the 6'8 man. I hear a grunt from the old man. 

As more suitors walk in, they all try to win my favor. The only one who wasn't was Noah. We shared an occasional laugh and smile. The waiter comes over and takes my plate, she accidentally bonks me in the arm with my plate, it barely even hurt. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry my princess." She apologizes. "Oh, It-" 

The 6'8 man stands up, making the poor girl look small. "Did you just hurt her?" He asks angrily. The waiter looks at me and then at him. He raises his fist to hit her. "Stop!" I yell at him standing up. "She didn't even hit me, she's ok!" I see the waiter run off into the kitchen. 

"Sorry, my princess." He says sitting back down. I groan and sit back down. Noah looks at me wide-eyed. 

"Keira, why don't you show the suitors around?" My father asks me. No, I just want to go to Madrid. "Of course father," I say backing out of my seat. I see my mother smiling as she patted her stomach, she will give birth in a month. 

I start walking out of the room and everyone is following. "Uhm, well this is the breakfast hall, and that's the nonfictional library," I tell them. I poke my head in and show everyone inside. "Uh, moving on. This is the banquet hall, we usually host dinners in here." I note walking away. I show them the enormous kitchen and then move on to the east side, the bedrooms. 

"Well, so these are the guest's rooms, aka yours." I add, "And these are the full-time rooms, my baby sibling to be, room, my room across the hall, and my parents down there." I point to the final room. We walk back down the stairs and I show them the servant's rooms, and then show them the rest of the library. I bring them outside to the garden.

"This is my favorite place, my friend Jackson and I stay out here for hours at a time," I say picking up a rose. "Can we move on from stupid plants?" The man who was 70 years old says. He stomps on a rose that he pulled off, don't flip out, don't flip out. I slam my eyes shut.

"Yeah, sure I guess," I snapped. I open my eyes again and start walking away furiously. 

------------------------------------------

An hour later, the tour finally finished. I hate every single one of them. I run to the library to catch a break. And get away from all of them. I hide behind one of the shelves of books. I sigh and look over to see Noah, "Oh, uh sorry." I say getting up. He's wearing a tailored suit, that was loose. 

"Oh, I was just trying to catch a break from my dad." He says putting his book back. I laugh a tiny bit. "I hate all of them," I whine leaning on the bookcase. "I don't like them either. One of them tried fighting me earlier." He laughs. Probably the 6'8 guy. "Sorry," I smirk. We hear the door open and slam shut, the short man with a bald spot walks in, "Princess Keira?" He calls out. 

We both squat down, hiding from him. "I know your in here!" He conveys singsongy, "Are you hiding?" I cover my mouth to not scream, this man is terrifying! Noah grabs my arm and we travel quickly across the library. He's looking behind each bookshelf. 

I feel as if I'm in a horror movie! "I can hear you, Keira, come on I just want to have fun!" He calls out again, "Keira, where the hell are you!" He yells slamming his hand against a bookcase, creating a large echo throughout the room. I look over at Noah who is terrified as well.

"Keira, I know what your dad does, don't make me tell him you're ignoring me." He says slamming another bookcase, the sound rings in my ears. Noah's hand finds mine and we hold each other hands. 

"We'll be ok," Noah whispers, I see a short figure growing on the bookcase in front of me. "Go hide!" I whisper to him. He shakes his head, "Noah go!" I half-whisper. He hesitates, "I'll be around the corner, be safe." He runs around the corner and hides behind a shelf. I pretend to be looking at a book. "Ah Keira there you are." He declared, and he opens his arms for a hug. Is this man for real?

I don't open my arms, "Oh Keira, your just a bit shy. I'll fix that." He comes and wraps his arms around me. I can barely see over his head, I pat his back signifying to let go. I feel his fingers trailing around my back and bottom. "Uhm, ok," I say trying to pull back. He doesn't let go. I feel him getting handsy. 

"Uhm sir, no." I spit, "Oh Keira you know you want this," He says untying my dress. He pulls my sleeves down. "I said no!" I yell in his face. He pressed his face against mine, I try to scream but he punches me in the face, he presses his lips against mine and started pulling my dress down. 

BAMN! The man falls to the ground, he groans trying to stand up, and I pull my dress back up. Noah runs over to me, I look down at the man on the ground with a book next to his head. I grab Noah's arms, and he pulls me away from him and out of the library. I sob into his arm, "Keira, are you ok?" He says pulling me into a small ballroom. "Yeah, yeah." I stutter, wiping my eyes. He pulls me close.

"It's ok to not be ok sometimes. I'm sorry for leaving you." He whispers. I press my hand to where he punched me in the face. "Oh," He sighs, I let go of him and try to fix my ripped sleeves, "You want to go to the garden?" He asks. I honestly don't want to leave this room. I never want to see that man again.  

"Sure I guess." I blurt. He studies my face, "We don't have to," He assured me. I shrugged. He sits down on the empty ballroom floor, I join him. "I'm sorry about what happened." He adds, "It's not your fault. It's the men who think they're entitled." I boast. He nods in agreement, "Sorry it took me so long to throw the book. He was never in the right place." He says moving his feet to an invisible beat. 

"It's ok, nothing happened, you kinda saved me in a way." I laugh a tiny bit. He smiles at the ground, "Sorry today got screwed up." Noah says looking back up at me. His hazel eyes were hopeful, "Yeah, it was already going to be a bad day. Are you leaving today?" I ask him. "I don't know yet. Your father letting 3 suitors stay that he thinks is a good fit for you." He sighs. "Ah, my father makes the choice not me. Of course." I groan, and he laughs.

A knock on the door, I jump back a bit as the door opens. It's just Sylvia, the housekeeper. "Hello, Princess Keira, your father requests you in the banquet hall for dinner. You to Prince Noah." She says winking at me and then leaving.

He stands up and holds his hand out pulling me upwards. I fix my sleeves once more and leave the ballroom.