Suddenly Royal(46)

The thought of searching for my own name crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Just the idea made me shudder. I closed the laptop and stuck it in my carry-on bag. Staring at the ceiling, I tried to turn my brain off, to stop thinking about the pictures and how terrible it was to imagine someone selling images of your intimate moments. Rolling onto my side, I punched my pillow, trying to get more comfortable.

He had told me he shouldn’t chase me. Was this what he had been talking about, not my questionable heritage? Did it matter?

I was asking myself that question a lot when it came to Alex. I still wasn’t sure of the answers.





No Pumpkins Here.

Cinderella Leaves for the Palace in a Shiny Gulfstream.

—Minnesota Daily





The three hours of sleep I had managed to get did not go well with my hatred for mornings. All my stuff was piled into the cars waiting outside and I was looking around my room for any last-minute items. My outfit was dressy yet casual—jeans, riding boots, and a comfortable shirt with a big chunky scarf—since I knew the press would be taking pictures. Jess was standing by the door holding my new black pea coat and looking a little misty-eyed. Tears this early in the morning were scary.

“I’ve got your coat.” Jess sniffed and I looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Oh no.”

“You’re going to need it. I checked the weather and it’s snowing there.” She sniffed again. “Don’t want to get sick right when you get there.”

“Jess, don’t do this.” I shook my head, frozen in place.

“I know that good-byes aren’t your thing, so I’m just going to give you this and then go to my room.” Sniff. Hiccup.

“C’mon, you’re killing me.” I felt the skin around my eyes tighten and I blinked quickly.

“I’m going to miss you.” She thrust the coat out in front of her.

“You’re going to come see me this summer, right?” I didn’t take the jacket. “This isn’t good-bye forever.”

“But I’m going to miss your grumpy morning face and the way you double-check all the dishes I’ve cleaned.” She pouted.

“Bert’s grumpy in the morning, you’ll be fine.”

“Am not.” He grunted.

“Right. Not grumpy at all.” I shook my head. Jess gave up waiting on me to take the jacket and threw her arms around me anyway. I hugged her back, knowing it would be a while before I got to see her again. No one else would understand me the way Jess did. I squeezed her a little tighter and then let go.

“I’ll send you a souvenir. Maybe one of those little figures that’s pooping in a lawn.” I hugged Bert too and turned quickly to walk out the door. The news vans that hadn’t left in the last few days were still there, the reporters standing on the curb with cameras and microphones.

“Sam! Sam! Are you excited about going to Lilaria for the first time?”

“Are you going to stay in Lilaria?”

“Are you and Prince Alex an item?”

“Samantha! How do you feel about being America’s Duchess?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the last comment and looked over at the reporter. “America’s Duchess?”

“Our very own royalty! What do you think?” He seemed elated I had found his comment funny.

“I’m a grad student.” I shook my head and ducked through the open door of the car. It was weird that I had gotten used to having a driver already. Even though my truck was a pain in the butt, I did miss the old thing. Bert and Jess were going to use the truck to move the rest of my stuff to my dad’s house and then leave it there.#p#分页标题#e#

The trip to the airport was surreal. We passed some of the landmarks that had been part of my life for the last ten years, buildings I had known forever, it seemed. Vans full of reporters and cameras followed us at a respectable distance—thank goodness. I’d hate for them to photograph the tears that were running down my cheeks.

Duvall had come to escort me and I was starting to wonder why I was being protected by the head of the detail. Thankfully, he hadn’t said anything about my crying, just handed me a tissue and turned back to the front of the car. As we neared the airport, I checked my bags again to make sure I had everything I would need. It was pointless because I had already checked twenty times while at the house. The anal retentive in me was satisfied, so I sat back and wiped at my face to make sure there was no moisture left to betray my emotions.

When we pulled up to the drop-off point, there was a huge area blocked off by a police escort. Alex was standing at the curb, smiling and chatting with a few people wearing press badges. I wondered how he could look so chipper talking to the people who would just as happily post embarrassing pictures of him. When Duvall exited the front seat, Alex excused himself with a wave and came over to my car. I put on a small smile and let him help me out.