A Christmas Prince

ii. asshole, at your service.

The reporters start leaving the palace, and I follow. I try to be as incognito as possible. I walk around the palace while everyone else is jumping back into the vans to go back to the hotel.

I quickly climb some steps to find workers, going into the palace, and I take it as my opportunity to get in. After climbing some stairs, I come by a door and I open it, revealing a lonely corridor. I quickly hide my press badge beneath my scarf, and take in the eminence of the palace.

"Wow..." I take out my phone once again, and it vibrates, signaling I got my new fake ID from Andy. I ignore it and start taking pictures of the palace. I see a literal knight in shinning armor piece and I just have to take a selfie with it. I'll probably post it on Instagram later. I take several more pictures of the armor. Amusing as it was taking photos of the grandiosity of the palace, a voice called me out and I immediately put my phone down.

"May I help you?"

I look up to see a tall man questioning me, and for once in my life, my charm fails me.

"No. No. I mean yes... I'm the new tut—"

"Ah, American."

"Excuse me?"

"You must be the new American tutor for Princess Emily."

"Yes that's me, Martha Anderson."

"Very good, follow me please."

Holy! I'm in! Oh my god!

I follow the man, and to make matters less stressful later on, I present my ID.

"Columbia University?" He said impressed.

"Yes, I graduated a year ago." I really did.

"Impressive, Mrs. Averill will want to speak with you." He said, I put my phone away and kept following him. We stop in front a staircase with a woman giving directions to a young man. "Mrs. Averill?" The woman turns around, "Princess Emily's new tutor has arrived."

"Martha Anderson?" The woman comes up to me.

"That's me, nice to meet you." I extend my hand to greet her.

She ignored my hand, "I thought your agency said you weren't available till the first of the year."

"I wasn't, but then my last assignment ended early," I said, my confidence coming back.

"So you thought you just show up... here, two weeks early?" She questioned me.

I, however, didn't falter, and kept my confidence up. If this woman could sense I'm not who I say I am, I'm in trouble. So I decide to play it up a bit, "I apologize for not informing you, but I can leave if it was a bad idea..."

"The queen did mentioned she wished someone would occupy the princess over the holidays." said the man who had surprised in the corridor.

See, bingo!

"Her last tutor left abruptly," the man told me.

"What happened!" I asked curiously.

"That's no concern of yours," said Mrs. Averill.

"Something about a mouse in her bed," said the man, with a small smirk.

So this princess is a handful?

"Come with me please," said Mrs. Averill, and I followed, "where is your luggage?"

"At the hotel," I responded.

"I'll have somebody fetch it for you."

"No worries, I can get it myself."

"I'm surprised you were able to find a room with all of the press in town," she commented, "parasites the lot of them."