Suddenly Royal

“I have school and my dad.” I shook my head. “I have a life here, and they want me to just drop it and become someone else.”

“That’s stupid. You’d still be Sam! Take your dad with you. I’ve always heard they have great healthcare over there. I mean, it’s not perfect, but Lilaria is one of the leaders in new healthcare treatments.”

I sighed. Did everyone know about their healthcare but me? “Yeah, they told me. I need to talk to Dad. I don’t know if he’s even up for that trip.”

“How did your family end up in the States? I mean, you had no idea you were royalty.”

“Apparently we defected when there was an uprising. Our family was a target, so they left in the middle of the night with no word and went into hiding.” I shrugged. “They left everything, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. You know my great grandfather was a gambler, so I guess it’s no surprise we have no money left. What upsets me the most is the fact that Mom never told me.”

“Maybe she didn’t know.”

“I’ll never find out.” I looked back at the TV and grimaced. They were using my school ID photo. Oh, bad-hair days. “I guess I need to get dressed if someone is on their way here.”

“You better text Prince Charming back too.”

“Would you stop with the nicknames?” I stood up and stretched.

“No way. I’m having too much fun.”

I flipped her the bird on my way back to my room but she just laughed. We’d known each other for too long for it to be anything other than a joke. When I closed my door, I looked at the phone in my hand. Quickly, before I overthought it, I texted him.

Me: Thank you for the heads up. I probably would have walked right out into a reporter.

Immediately my phone dinged back.

Unknown: I should have been ready for this, I’m sorry. Duvall is on his way with your truck. Please be careful today.

I frowned. Why would I need to be careful? And I couldn’t imagine having to second-guess my every move, trying to figure out how it would be perceived by everyone. I set the phone down on the dresser and grabbed some clothes out of my closet. I hesitated for a minute, wondering if I should worry about what I was wearing, but decided to stick with my normal stuff. It would be stupid to get all dressed up when I would most likely be cleaning cages later. Besides, maybe if I acted like there was nothing different people would leave me alone.

I grabbed my favorite jeans and a plaid shirt and pulled my hair up into a ponytail before taking a minute to text my dad and let him know I would be over after school to talk about something. I’d call, but he often slept late. Grabbing my bag and shoes, I headed for the living room. Bert was sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal.

“Hey. Would you mind giving me a ride to school? I’m not sure if my truck is up for it.”

“Sure.” Bert looked away from the television. “Are you worried about people giving you a hard time?”

“Nah. I guess they might ask questions, but it’s not really a big deal.”

“You don’t think it’s a big deal?”

I shrugged and sat down next to him. As I was lacing up my work boots I heard a knock on our front door. I started to go for it, but Bert stopped me.

“Let me get it.” Bert walked over to the door and peered out the curved window at the top before opening it a little ways. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Duvall. His Highness sent me for Lady Rousseau.”

Bert turned to look over his shoulder at me. “Were you expecting a Duvall, Lady Rousseau?”

I rolled my eyes. “Please see him in, Sir Bert.”

Bert stepped back and Duvall entered our tiny home. He was wearing his black suit and the little earpiece again. He walked directly toward me and produced my keys and two file folders.

“Good morning, Lady Rousseau. The duchess sent this for you to look through. She thought you might have more questions about your family. And Prince Alex sent the other folder.”

“Good morning.” I murmured the words as I immediately thumbed through the smaller folder from Alex. It was articles about the healthcare in their country, reports about chemo and cancer drugs that weren’t available in the States. Had he put this together himself? Or had he asked someone else to do it? Did it even matter? No matter how you cut it, he had sent me information he knew would make me want to go.

Everyone was watching me as I flipped through the folder, so I cleared my throat and closed the file. “Thank you for bringing these and my truck. I guess I’ll get it fixed later.”

“I believe the starter was broken. His Highness had it towed to a shop last night and fixed early this morning.”

“Oh.” I would have fixed it myself—paying for a garage was out of the question. I’d have to borrow money to pay it off. “Who should I pay for the repairs?”

“Prince Alex has already handled all the repairs, my lady.”

“What? And stop calling me that.” I frowned at him. “Please. I’m just Samantha.”

“As you wish.” Duvall nodded his head. “When is your first class?”

“Um, in an hour. Why?” I could feel my eyebrows drawing together. Could I have a moment to breathe? I was still processing the fact that Alex had paid for the repairs.

“I wanted to let the team know when we were leaving.” Duvall walked a couple of steps away and spoke into his shirt sleeve. Literally, into the cuff of his shirt sleeve the way the Secret Service does.