A swarm of press was waiting for us the moment the limo pulled around. I needed a few moments to find my momentum. Sebastian and Leonardo's voices were just background noise at this point. As I looked out the window, I immediately noticed the people in bright attire and big hats parade through a throng of press reporters jockeying for interviews behind a line of velvet stanchions.
How could my mom do this? It was a very intimidating sight. At the risk of letting my fears get the best of me, I decided to power through my anxiety and just get this over with. Sebastian gave me a reassuring smile before he opened the door for me.
'This is your stop, my lady', he said.
'You're not coming with me?', I said and gulped. He shook his head.
'Okay... but where should I go after I'm done with the press?'
'Just continue down the red carpet and search for the pink tents. All the ladies vying for Harper's hand will be in that section. Good luck.'
'Pink tents. Got it.' I slid out of the limo, making sure my knees and feet were together so that I don't accidently flash them. I barely made it two steps before a bunch of reporters approached me. A flurry of microphones nearly hit me in the face. I decided to swallow my fear and faced the press with the most genuine smile I could muster.
'Who are you? Can you please introduce yourself?', one of the reporters asked me.
'Lady Emma Wilson, sponsored by House Novak', I said proudly.
'So what's your story?', a male reported asked.
'Yeah, tell us about yourself', another one shouted from the back.
'I am...the adventurous American lone wolf who... met the prince in the most unexpected set of circumstances.'
'So you and the prince know each other?', a female reporter, dressed in a dark, designer suit asked. The only reason she stood out to me was because of her American accent.
'Yes, we do', I said in short.
'Do you think that affects your chances against the other ladies?'
I didn't want to badmouth any of the other girls, but I had to show that I was a strong opponent. 'I think that at the end of this journey, one of us ladies can become a queen. It may as well be me', I tried to sound political.
'We've heard rumors that you're the prince's favorite. Would you like to comment on that?', another reported shouted from the back.
'Prince Harper and I have grown close to each other over the past couple of days, and I think that there's a chemistry between us that is undeniable', I said as I remembered some of the moment's from last night. I couldn't help but blush.
'The American sweeps the derby red carpet', I heard one of the reporters murmur as he was typing on his phone. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
'Lady Wilson, as an outsider, what do you think of Astonia?', said the American lady in the designer suit, who's name tag read out Hanna from "Poise". I understood the hidden meaning behind her question immediately.
I took in a deep breath before I answered her. 'Astonia is a beautiful country with a rich history and an even richer future, I believe. It's hard to look at how beautifully the architecture and nature go well together without being awestruck. I'm telling you, if things don't work out between Harper and I, maybe moving to Astonia wouldn't be a bad thing.'
She smiled and nodded her approval, and the rest of the press generally seemed to be impressed with me. It was easier to breathe now.
'Last question. Hypothetically speaking, if you know there's a low crop yield form the Astonian pear orchards, what would you do about it?', she asked another question. Hanna was not easy. I wasn't either.
