𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝

Hell and opened doors

Leaning my head against the cool glass of the car window, I peered out at the bustling crowd gathered outside the palace gates. They were all eagerly taking selfies and gazing at the building as if it were the eighth wonder of the world.

I couldn't help but wonder if they would still admire the palace as much if they knew what really went on behind those walls. If they knew the true faces of the people who lived here.

Probably not.

As we pulled up at the gates, the crowd turned to stare at us curiously, not even trying to hide their gazes. I felt for once grateful for the tinted windows of the car, shielding me from their prying eyes.

The guards quickly opened the gate, allowing us to pass through.

As soon as the car came to a stop, I quickly reached for the door handle and stepped out before any of the guards could make a move. One of them was standing just a few steps away, with his hand raised in the air as if he was about to open the door, but he froze in confusion, having a perplexed look on his face when he saw me step out on my own. I flashed him a sweet smile, trying to hide my nerves, and stepped onto the pavement.

I gazed at the massive building ahead. Not even the bright colours and all the decoration could fool me anymore.This place was undoubtedly deserving of the title "Hell." It only needed a massive banner that read 'Welcome to Hell' to complete the picture.

John's hand landed on my shoulder with a comforting weight, pulling me out of my trance.

I regained my senses and made my way towards the open doors.

Damn it, the doormen were faster than me this time.

Hesitating for a moment over the threshold, I entered it reluctantly. Not even a few seconds in, and I stumbled back from the power of someone colliding with me, that only a bull could have.

"Aurora, I missed you." Yeah, turns out it wasn't a bull but my older brother, Henry.

He gave me such a tight bear hug that I thought I might explode.

If it wasn't Henry and I didn't have an image to maintain, I might have kicked him.

"I can't breathe," I gasped, and finally, he let go of me.

I looked at my older brother. His appearance hadn't changed that much apart from his hair, which seemed to be a bit longer.

Although one year may seem like a relatively short period, it felt like an eternity to me. Henry and I were incredibly close, and the mere thought of being away from him for even a few months was enough to make me feel emotional. This was actually the longest amount of time that Henry and I had gone without seeing each other.

"Come, let's go to Leon." Henry said, sounding just like a child on Christmas. I chuckled at his enthusiasm, and we made our way towards Leon's study.

Stepping into the room, my eyes were immediately drawn to Leon, who was hunched over the desk, his attention focused on some papers spread out before him. With the sound of our entrance, he looked up briefly before returning his attention back to the papers. And then he made a quick u-turn, as if just realising now who's there.

"Aurora?" He seemed bewildered.

Wasn't he the one who called me just 2 days ago?

He's slowly, but surely turning into a workaholic.

Despite his confusion, Leon stood up and awkwardly hugged me. I patted him on the back. Not really knowing what to do. When we were young, we were pretty close, but with the time there was a distance between us that felt impossible to bridge.

"Hello Aurora."

As soon as I heard my father's infamous voice, a shiver ran down my spine. His tone was cold, distant, and unemotional, making me feel uneasy.

With a sense of dread, I turned around and slowly lifted my gaze to meet his, just to find his face to be as cold and distant as his voice.

Better get over with it.

"Hello, father," I gulped.

Alex Kingston might have been in his fifties, and some would even describe him as a nice, kind-hearted man, but for me, he was the man I feared the most.

"Good, you're back. There's still a lot to do for Christmas," he said and then walked away.

Technically, it was progress. Last year, after Henry and I returned from a three-week holiday from the States, he welcomed me back by saying, "Looks like hiring bodyguards was a good idea. Not a single bad headline."

-

We just finished dinner when Father made an announcement that caught me totally off-guard.

"Be ready at 11 tomorrow. There's a knighthood ceremony." And with that being said, he left the room without giving any further information. Leon - being the dutiful son he's - followed him.

Unlike him, Henry stayed there with me and later accompanied me to my room.

"Whose knight ceremony is it?"I asked him genuinely, curious.

Henry began to answer, "He's quite famous, actually. And before you ask, he's an athlete. His name is-" but was interrupted by a maid calling him.

"Your Highness, the crown prince was asking for you."

Henry grimaced at that. "Sorry, I've got to go."

I gave him a small smile, knowing how things worked in this household. If the crown prince wanted to talk to you, you don't say no, even if you're his own brother.

Henry kissed my forehead and then walked away.

Athletes- were they really the only one left in the whole world to be knighted?