Playing Princess

Playing Princess 2.16

Part II

“Despite that King Carlos is not widely approved by many Spaniards and constantly faces oppositions who disapprove of the restoration of the monarchy, he continues to rule Spain to this day.”

“Thank you, Astrid.” The teacher gave a dismissive nod and I sat back down in my seat, taking my powerpoint with me.

I could hear a couple snickers directed at me and it took all I had not to shrink back. I still wasn’t used to be looked down upon, not when I was held up so high back in Aldern.

My teeth started gnawing on my inner lip as the fourth person to do the Windsor family took the front of the classroom with a vibrant poster plastered behind her. I’d been gone for just over a month and yet, the class had only just started presenting the historical monarch projects that week. It was a miracle I finished in time, even with Kyle’s help. I zoned out, unable to concentrate as my thoughts reverted back to Aldern, like it always did.

Aldern.

The word sent a pang through my chest, a yearning to be surrounded by people that treated me with respect, unlike Greenwood.

I glowered at the backs of everybody’s head and they wouldn’t ever notice. The perks of sitting at the back of the class. I wished Kyle was there with me.

When the bell rang, I couldn’t have been more grateful for the shrill noise in my ears. I swept my things into my arms and shoved my way through the rush of students.

“Astrid!”

Kyle caught up to me before I made it to the library, much to my surprise. He looked rather flushed in the face as he gasped for breath. I stopped, letting him catch his breath.

“Are you going to sleep in the library every day?” he rasped out dryly, grasping my shoulder for support.

I pulled him out of the rough flow of snobbish rich kids, giving anybody passing us by a dirty look. “Have I got anything else better to do?”

“Eat,” he suggested, shooting me a pointed look. “I know it can’t compare to what you had in Aldern but you can’t starve yourself by being a hermit. You still have to tell me what went on. I followed the news like a hawk and even then, it wasn’t enough.”

The most I gave was a shrug and a muttered response. “Nothing much happened.”

Except I was rejected by my own twin sister and told to go home, I thought bitterly. Thoughts of Izzy, seeing her face recently on the web made me feel . . . jealous. I didn’t want to admit it but it was jealousy I felt when I saw her in the media. With her recent popups in the news lately, it was a miracle nobody had managed to figure out I was an identical twin of the Aldernian Princess.

“Come on,” Kyle whined, tugging at my arm like a dog would its owner when it wanted to play. “Please?” He clasped his hands together and pouted like a little boy. For somebody so smart, he sure was childish.

“Nothing interesting happened,” I grunted, stepping out of his way and back onto my route for the library. “I just stepped in as Izzy and now I’m back.” It’s like no time had passed since I left, I thought wistfully. Mum took care of my absence like a breeze.

“That’s not what your little scandals said,” he teased, catching up to me and adjusted the satchel on his shoulder. “Or more like what your brother was up to and you were just an accomplice.”

I grimaced at the incident with the hotel. “Please don’t tell me you saw –”

“The thing with that fashion designer?” Kyle smirked, nudging me playfully. “Now I know that’s not what a princess does.”