The Prince That Got Away ( A Royal Romance Novel )

The Annoying Commoner Pt. 2

Seven Years Ago...
Louis's POV:-

My hands are sweaty, and I constantly battle the urge to hide somewhere. I walk behind my parents as they both wave to the crowd and shake hands with some of the people in front. There's a barrier between the dense gathering of citizens on both sides. There are also security guards who make sure no one jumps over the partition. A woman sobs with joy as my parents smile at her. If only she knew what they were like at home, she probably wouldn't have wasted standing in the sun for hours just to catch a glance of them.

The crowd roars at the sight of my parents and cameras are flashing everywhere. The elections for the crown prince will be held soon. They will decide who gets to sit on the throne once the Queen dies. The winner would be officially recognized as heir by the Queen and he will be given greater power in government affairs. During this time he will learn all there is to know about how the country runs, preparing him for the time when he will become the monarch himself.

I have all of this information drilled into my head by my parents. They have made it clear that after my father becomes king it will be my job to prepare myself for the next election. The crown has to remain within our family. Those were my fathers' exact words. The thought of so much power fills me with both excitement and dread.

I am not too good at handling other people's attention. I have already been labeled as a 'quiet child' by the media. The other day I heard my parents fight about an article that had labeled me autistic, whatever that means. I did Google the term but the results were all complicated psychology stuff and I lost interest before delving into it further.

My father doesn't have a lot of competition for the election. Most of the Queen's cousins were either killed during the Civil War. Or they forfeited participating in the elections. Many thought being the ruler of the country was a dangerous job. Father called them cowards who were still haunted by memories of the rebellion which massacred many of the Royal family and its supporters. In short, that just left my father and his brother to be pitted against each other.

The elections are all that my parents have been able to talk about for the past couple of months. We also have to attend loads of events together as a family, since the public likes these sorts of things. It's why Uncle Albert isn't as popular as my father, since he's not happily married with legitimate children. All I know is that I am tired of us playing the role of a perfect family.  I just want to go and curl up with a book while I am stuffing myself with a bar of dark chocolate.

I just stand behind my parents awkwardly until I catch sight of her. She's in a navy blue frock with pink flowers embroidered on them. It's really pretty, and her dark brown hair is tied back with a pink ribbon. She's slightly tanned, and her cheeks are pink due to standing in the sun. In her hands is a tiny bouquet, probably for one of my parents. Her brown eyes are filled with nervousness as she looks in the direction of my mother and father. They move right past her, not acknowledging her. Her face falls, and I can't help but feel sorry for her.

Just then, she looks up and smiles at me. Her teeth are a little misaligned, but I think it's the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. The next thing I know, I am moving towards her. I take the bouquet from her and even shake her hand. I am shocked at my behavior. I rarely initiate conversations, but with her, it seems natural.

" What's your name?" I ask her, but before I hear her reply, the scene rapidly shifts to another one, like it always does in dreams. We are done with today's event, and Father is pleased with how good his speech was. He tells one of the guards to open the sunroof of our bulletproof range rover. I see him stand on the back seat of the car and peer out of the opening in the roof of the vehicle. He waves, and the crowd cheers. Then chaos erupts.