"Okay, now I'm getting a little worried," Kaden says.
"Wait, where's Emilia?" I ask.
"Here! Wait up!" Emilia shouts.
"Have you seen Arthur?" Kaden asks her.
"No, and I've been looking for him all over! It's not like him to hide from people unless we're playing hide and seek," Emilia replies.
"Have you checked his room?" I ask her.
"Yes. He isn't in there, though," she replies.
"Okay, I might know where else he could be," I say.
"Where?" inquires Emilia.
"In the secret library," I answer, "I'll go check."
I run to the secret library and open the door. Sure enough, Arthur is sitting in there.
"Why are you hiding in here?" I ask him.
"How are YOU not? It's embarrassing," he replies.
"What's embarrassing? The magazine article?" I exclaim.
"Yes."
"Seriously?"
"Umm, yeah?"
"Haven't you ever had the media do that before?"
"No..."
"How?"
"They've never bothered me."
"Never? Not even once?"
"Yes?"
"Wow, you have a sheltered life. On my sixth birthday, I got a white pony. When I went out for a ride, the media took pictures and thought it was an endangered species. They wouldn't leave me alone for MONTHS!"
"Really?"
"Not even the worst they've done. When Kaden and I started fencing, one of the paparazzi snuck into the palace and stole our custom-made épées to write an article on. We were stuck using huge ones until new ones could be shipped in, and they kept falling on our feet. They saw the scratches and made it look like some big scandal."
"Wow Illéan paparazzi are crazy. How do you deal with it when they do stuff like this?"
"Just ignore them and keep your head held high. I refuse to let them get under my skin and give them the satisfaction. It's my own way of winning against them."
"How on Earth do you do that?"
"I know it will all blow over eventually, and it's a matter of royal pride. If we look ashamed, the media wins. If we maintain and air of confidence, we win."
"I'm just not used to this. The paparazzi basically leave my family alone and report other things instead."
"Well, I've grown up with the paparazzi being annoying. We pretty much just ignore them as well as we can. If it's brought up on the Report, it's just another game we have to beat the media at."
"Okay..."
"Come on, don't let them see you running and hiding."
"Deal. But seriously, the media here is insane."
"You kinda get used to it after a while."
"I hope so."
