BEST REGARDS (a Niall Horan Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

Barcelona was great fun. Nicky thought that the city had the best crowd and the prettiest sights so far. For a moment she was enjoying the city. That was of course until the thought of Catalana being the next stop worries her.

Niall was so kind. He comforted Nicky everytime he saw her having a glimpse of worry in her eyes. In his heart, his love for her was genuine. A princess or an intern, that doesn't matter to him.

After saying goodnight to the crowd that night, Niall said thank you to the local crew and went to his tour bus. With everything all set, the bus was ready to leave for Catalana. 

Nicky was on Niall's bus. Niall's band was there too. Niall 'invited' Nicky to his little party with the band on the bus. But really, he just knows it'll be a rough ride for her so he just wants her there close to him so he can comfort her when she needs. 

Since Catalana is an island off mainland Europe, the bus would have to charter a ferry to cross the ocean. It wasn't too far from Barcelona so they shall arrive at around 3 a.m. in the morning. 

Nicky looked out at the empty streets. The bus always enter a country very early in the morning to avoid waiting fans. But these empty streets look different. They entered the border and did all their immigration duties. Now Nicky, Niall and all the crew are officially on Catalanan land. 

"I've seen tens of thousands of empty streets during this tour," Nicky said, then turned her head to face Niall, "but these streets are too familiar."

The streets made her reminisce on her childhood days in her home country. When they passed a building that looks like a school, she said to Niall, "that was my old school. And yes, a princess goes to regular school." Niall just nodded as she took him on a trip down memory lane, secretly fascinated by her childhood days. 

They also passed the royal palace, the place where Nicky grew up. Finally they arrived at the hotel. A very fancy one, one of the best in the city. 

What shocked them was there were around 5 fangirls waiting for Niall at the entrance of the hotel. "How do they find us here, I wonder," Niall said when he saw them.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Cause everyone, musicians, diplomats or any famous people who came from abroad, usually stay at this hotel," Nicky explained.

Niall's bodyguards were about to get ready to 'shoo' them away but Niall said, "it's alright Bob, they seem like 5 harmless girls. Some photos and autographs should make them happy. It's a nice day to spread happiness."

Bob did as he's told. Guarding Niall from a distance. The fangirls squeaked when they saw their idol. Niall smiled at them, and greeted them. "Some photos and you girls go straight home and to bed alright. Your parents will be worried."

Niall smiled for some snaps with them. "See you at the concert," he said as he waved goodbye to them and entered the hotel. The girls said thank you to him a million times. 

Nicky went to the lobby reception to settle the rooms. The receptionist immediately recognized her. She was a bit frantic. Thanks to the paparazzi that went viral in Catalana, people were speculating about whether the girl Niall was with in the photo was Princess Nicolette. Though the picture was unclear, the girl looked so much like their future queen.

"Your Majesty," the receptionist said. 

"Good morning, ma'am, please do me a favor of not treating us any differently. Do treat us like how you treat other guests. For the time being I'm here, I am not the princess but Niall Horan's tour manager. And I beg you to not tell anyone about my presence here."

The receptionist nodded in agreement. 

"The room is booked under the name Bart Stevens," Nicky said. Bart Stevens is a random name Niall came up with for hotel bookings. Usually, artists use fake names in order to hide from crazed fans. 

She gave her the keycards and everyone went to their specific rooms. 

Niall was so tired that he immediately went to sleep after taking a quick shower. Before he slept, he texted Nicky goodnight. 

The next morning was Saturday morning so Nicky had to video call Pierre, who was oblivious to the fact that she was standing on the same grounds as he is. She was smart enough to put on a virtual background so Pierre wouldn't recognize the different backgrounds. 

Niall was supposed to go to the venue for sound check. As the left the hotel, Nicky wore a mask, sunglasses and a cap, cautious of her presence. There wasn't a single moment that she could stay calm. She was praying that the immigration officers the night before didn't recognise her. Otherwise they could report her probable presence to the palace. 

Despite her worries, things went well. No one questioned her or anything. After lunch, usually the crew and the band could head out and sightsee the city until it was show time. Nicky and Niall usually tagged along. But it was different this time, and Niall understood. So the both requested the driver to take them back to the hotel. 

When they arrived at Niall's hotel room, they closed the blinds and locked the door. Finally Nicky could take her glasses, cap and mask off. It was starting to get really hot. 

"Being a princess is no joke huh?" Niall said. It was a hot day so he laid shirtless on his bed while fiddling with his phone. 

"It gets tiring sometimes," Nicky said and took the TV remote to watch then news, just in case. 

All the news showed was Niall's concert tonight. They reported how well the tickets sold and showed clips of Niall's new music video. She sighed in relief. She changed to another channel. Royal Report was showing. Royal Report is a program all about what's going on at the palace whether it is politics, economics, health issues etc. 

Currently, the show was showing how well Pierre Winthrop's economic strategies were working. The graph of economic growth seems to grow each day. 

"So that's the guy you have to marry?" Niall asked.

"Sadly yes," Nicky sighed.

Niall took a closer look at the diplomatic looking man on the TV screen. "He seems decent though," Niall said, "why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't hate him, Niall. He's perfect in every way, he's so good at what he does. But I just know in my heart that he's not the man for me. We're so different, like oil and water. I couldn't imagine being married to him."

The news reported that Pierre has allocated funds to support the art industry in Catalana. This was a surprise for Nicky. He was so anti the art industry. Nevertheless she was happy with his generous move. In relation to the previous report, the news showed that people are protesting for the new budget strategy. They are protesting and saying that the art industry isn't something they need and that the budget should be allocated to other aspects, like infrastructure, military, education etc. 

When it was almost evening, Niall and Nicky got ready and went to the venue. Lots of people were queueing up already.

As with the other cities he performed in, he sang well and pleased the audience. He gave what the audience paid for. 

Close to 11 p.m. He stepped off the stage. The crew had supper together backstage when someone interrupted and summoned Nicky. Her heart dropped when he saw the person. He was wearing the official military costume.

Nicky was taken to a private room by him. By now she knows that her cover is blown. 

"Your Majesty," the person said, "the royal family requested to see you next morning in the palace."

Nicky nodded in silence.

"Your father requested to see Mr. Horan too."

Nicky's eyes popped. "He can't!" she exclaimed. She tried to make an excuse, "he has to go to Germany tomorrow for his concert."

"Your Majesty, it shouldn't be long. And I assure you that he will be on the road as soon as he sees the king."

Nicky had no choice but to agree.

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