The Royal Trip

Ten

Ainsley walked through the castle looking for Richard. By asking a couple of workers about him she was able to find him in his office. Ainsley knocked on the door knowing this was a marked off zone on the map. "Come in." Richard said from the other side of the door. Ainsley took a deep breath in walking into the office. Richard was standing in front of his desk looking at papers with his back towards the door. "Helga, I know you mean well, but everything is going to be find with Ms. Pierce and Ms. Johnson."

Ainsley furrowed her brows. "What is she saying?" Ainsley asked, making Richard turn around.

"You are not who I was expecting."

Ainsley nodded. "I picked up on that." Ainsley paused for a moment looking down. She wasn't exactly sure she wanted this to happen. Ainsley looked back at the open door behind her.

"Something wrong?"

Ainsley looked back over Richard shaking her head. "No, I'm avoiding Helga. I'm not supposed to be in this area."

Richard chuckled as he nodded his head understandably. "Hega's a hardass, but she's good at her job."

Ainsley lightly chuckled feeling like she was going to jump out of her skin. "I went looking for you because I would like to take you up on your offer. If you still are offering it, of course."

Richard smiled. "Alright. Let's go." He set the papers down and Ainsley looked slightly confused.

"Right now?

"You have plans?"

Ainsley lightly shook her head. "No, but I thought you would."

"My schedule is clear."

Ainsley let out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Okay, should I change?"

"It's just a museum and a trip around the city." Richard pointed and Ainsley scoffed.

"Yeah, and if you weren't royalty, I wouldn't change."

"You look perfect."

Ainsley felt her entire body tense up slowly nodding her head. "Alright." Ainsley turned on her heels walking out of the office with Richard behind her.

Ainsley sat in the back of a car with Richard. He would point out landmarks as they passed them, but she couldn't seem to get herself out of her own head. The guilt that she was betraying her best friend on a trip that was all her idea. "You seem nervous." Richard pointed out getting Ainsley to look away from the window.

"Why would I seem nervous? Whaaat?" Ainsley tried and failed to play it off.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with your friend, Katie."

"Why would you say that?" Aisnley questioned.

Richard lightly chuckled. "Come on. I may be a prince, but I know when I'm being hit on." Richard pointed out and Ainsley sighed. "Katie is nice, but if I wanted someone to want me just because of my title, I wouldn't have stayed with my ex."

Ainsley nodded. "She means well."

"I know." The car stopped and Richard stepped out of the car holding the door for Ainsley to follow him. Ainsley looked behind them noticing two men stepping out of a black SUV. "Security."

Ainsley looked over at him. "For a museum."

"Well, as you pointed out earlier, I'm royalty." Ainsley smiled at him and they both walked up the large steps leading to a large window with so many glass windows.

Ainsley listened to Richard as he talked about everything he knew about Cosna. She found it remarkable how much he actually knew off the top of his head. She noticed the way his eyes lit when he talked about his country. There was so much pride and love in voice.

Richard looked back at Ainsley noticing how she was staring at him with a light smile on her face. "Don't smile at me like that." He said, taking Ainsley out of her own head.

"What?" Ainsley asked, unable to stop the chuckling.

"Because I don't know what it means." Richard stated and Ainsley lightly shook her head as they continued on.

Behind the museum, there was a beautiful yard with flowers and a giant fountain in the center. Ainsley sat on a bench near the fountain waiting when Richard walked over with two hot dogs in his hand from the vendor not far from where they were. Richard handed one of them to her. "Be careful our picture is being taken right now." Richard said and Ainsley looked around. All she saw was the vender at his cart.

"Who?" Ainsley asked.

"Trust me, they are out there and tomorrow's paper is going to read 'Cosna new king has found his Queen'." Ainsley laughed. "What's so funny?"

"The idea of me being Queen." Ainsley shook her head. "I would never be able to handle it. I can barely take care of my own life."

There was a short silence between them. A comfortable one. One that felt familiar. "So, tell me something." Richard said breaking the silence and Ainsley looked over at him.

"What do you want to know?"

Richard shrugged. "Anything. What do you do? What are your hobbies? Do you have a pet snake?"

"Out of all the pets in the world, you come up with snake?" Ainsley chuckled.

"Blake had one. Until it disappeared. He still thinks Sienna did something to it."

Ainsley nodded with a large smile on her face. "I'm a waitress, I like to bake, and no I don't have any pets, but if I did, it would be a dog."

"Good choice." Richard agreed. "You like to bake?"

"Went to culinary school." Ainsley nodded.

"You went to culinary school?"

"Yup." She popped the end of the word nodding her head again.

"If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you do anything with it?" Richard noticed the judgement in his voice when it came out. "I meant no disrespect." Ainsley slightly laughed and Richard slightly shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm turning into my mother."

"I didn't take any offense and your mother seems lovely. Haven't seen much of her, but I'm a good judge of character." Ainsley let out a deep breath looking down at her hands. "After my mom died a year ago...well, I say that but it's almost two years now. I just lost all...motivation. Everything just kind of fell apart."

"I get that." Richard nodded. "When my father died, everything changed. We changed. My mom took over more responsibilities, I went from traveling the world to coming back home, Blake got more reckless with his partying, and Sienna...barely smiles anymore." Richard slightly smiled. "Except for when she talks to you."

Ainsley shook her head. "That was no big deal."

"If you knew my sister, you would know what a big deal it was." Richard corrected her and Ainsley laughed taking another bite of her food.

After a long day together, the car pulled in front of the castle and reality seemed to set back in with Ainsley. A knot formed in her stomach. Richard went to get out of the car and Ainsley quickly took his arm. Richard looked at her with concern. "What's wrong?" Richard asked and Ainsley let out a deep breath.

"I need a favor and it's not going to sound very good." Ainsley admitted moving her hand away from Richards arm.

Richard let out a deep breath looking down. "You don't want me to tell Katie."

Ainsley couldn't find any words that would justify that idea or make it sound any better. She just nodded her head and Richard returned the same action before getting out of the car and walking away. Ainsley sighed watching him walk back into the castle.