Surprisingly Royal

👸Chapter 35: The Truth Hurts, but tea helps

We eat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. Afterward, I help clear the table and wash the dishes while Mom finishes cleaning up the kitchen.

"How are you feeling now?" she finally asks, breaking the silence.

"I'm better" I answer shortly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks gently.

"Not right now... maybe later" I tell her.

"I understand," she says, though the disappointment in her voice is clear.

I finish up quickly and head straight to my room, dodging any more questions.

Once I've made my bed, I hop into the shower. After that, I bury myself in the book I've been reading, hoping it'll take my mind off everything that's happened today.

Sunlight streams through my window and lands right on my face, waking me up. I must've fallen asleep mid-chapter. I can only hope today turns out better than yesterday. And to make that happen, I really need to talk to Emily. If there's anyone I can open up to, it's her.

After a quick shower, I head to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast. Luckily, Mom's not home that gives me a bit more time to breathe before we have *that* conversation.

On my way to Emily's, I bump into some old schoolmates. It's been a while. Since we finished school, I haven't seen most of them. Apart from Emily and a few others who still live nearby, everyone's scattered. some moved to other towns, some left Angellos entirely in search of better opportunities. Seeing familiar faces again is kind of nice.

When I finally get to Emily's place, I knock gently on the door. Her big sister, Melanie, opens up. We exchange pleasantries and she lets me in. I head straight to Emily's room and find her folding laundry.

"Good morning, Em," I say quietly.

"Ciara!" she exclaims, rushing over to hug me tight.

"It's been forever!" she says dramatically, like I've been missing for a year.

"Oh, please. It's only been, what—two days?" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"Two days is forever, girl! I need to see you every day!" she says, hands on hips like she's offended.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," I mutter, not in the mood to argue.

She notices my energy and gently takes my hand, guiding me to sit on the bed.

"Is something wrong?" she asks, worry written all over her face.

"Why do you ask?" I reply, though I already know what she's going to say.

"Because if you were okay, you never would've let me win the last one," she teases, trying to lighten the mood.

I sigh. "Yeah, I guess."

"A lot has happened these past two days, Em. Stuff I never thought I'd have to deal with in real life," I say, and my chest tightens. I can feel the tears threatening, but I push them back.

"Come here" she says softly, pulling me into a warm hug.

We stay like that for a moment, then she pulls away. "Tell me everything."

So I do. I tell her everything. well, almost everything. I leave out what happened with Carlos in the meadow. No need to give her the wrong impression.

I start with the letter Mom got, how I found it, and everything she told me afterward.

"Wait, hold on—are you saying... you're a *princess*?" she interrupts, eyes wide.

"Yeah... at least, that's what Mom says."

"Oh my gosh! I always knew you were special, but this? I never saw it coming!" she jumps up, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Seriously, Em? I just told you my whole life feels like a lie and you're thrilled I'm supposedly some lost princess?" I say, feeling hurt. I stand up, ready to leave.

She grabs my arm. "Wait, Ciara. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make light of it. The princess part just caught me off guard. I didn't stop to think how heavy all of this must be for you."

She lowers her eyes to the floor, her telltale sign of guilt.

"It's fine," I say. "Don't act like the world's ending."

She smiles a little and we sit back down on her bed.

"So... how are you really feeling about all of this?" she asks.

"I don't even know, Em. I'm shocked, angry, hurt... completely thrown. Mom kept this from me for sixteen years. She says it was to protect me, but how am I supposed to believe anything now? Everything I thought I knew, it's all been flipped upside down. She's not even my real mom, and now I'm supposed to just accept that I'm this royal kid from a place I've never even heard of? It's not fair. I went to bed praying this was just a bad dream... but it's not. And now I have a week to prepare for what's coming."

A tear slips down my cheek.

"Don't cry," Emily says softly, wiping it away. "What do you mean by 'what's coming in a week'?"

"The King is coming to take me *home*. That's what the letter said."

"That's so sudden. So, like... you'd be leaving Angellos? Forever?" she asks, her voice small.

"Only if I agree to all this, which I'm not planning to. I'm not ready for this change. I don't even want it."

"I never imagined you leaving," she says quietly. "And I feel so dumb now for getting excited about it, like it was some fairy-tale moment."

"Well, you don't have to imagine anything, because I'm not leaving. I belong here with you, with Mom, with everything I've ever known," I say, gripping her hand.

She squeezes mine back. "Are you sure? Like, have you really thought about what happens if you say no? What if there are consequences?"

"I have thought about it, and honestly, this is the only decision that feels right. And didn't you just say you didn't want me to leave?" I say, giving her a look.

"Of course I don't! But still... I keep thinking about your real parents. What if they never wanted to let you go? What if it broke their hearts?"

"That's not my issue, Em. If they really wanted me, they wouldn't have given me up in the first place. And they definitely wouldn't have stayed away for sixteen years."

"But Ciara—"

"No buts, please. Let's just drop it. This whole thing is exhausting."

"Okay... You know I'll always support you no matter what. I just don't want you rushing into anything and regretting it later."

"I get it. And I promise I'll think about it. But honestly? I don't see myself changing my mind."

I stretch and fall back on the bed. "Now enough about this. I need tea. And cookies. Preferably a lot of both."

"Ugh, fine!" she laughs, getting up.

"You want anything else?" she calls as she heads for the door.

"Nope, just that," I reply and decide to follow her to the kitchen.