Kapitel 24: Getting to Know You
<<Charlie>>
"Breath in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out - good job, Charlie. You shall be alright."
"Why does dad-I mean- father- want me to go out with the devil?! Doesn't he know about me enough?"
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Does he?"
I snapped. "Oh come on, everyone knows Princess Francine!"
Without missing a beat, he retorted. "There is a difference between 'knowing the person' and reading Wikipedia. The princess version of Francine and the Francine whom I know are two different people. The Princess is a more formal and gentle lady while my sister Francine is more fun-loving and can be a little harsh if she wanted to."
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Like a ticking-time-bomb?"
He laughed. "Yes, exactly that."
I stared at my reflection, focusing on my breaths. I was slightly freaking out on the inside because I didn't know how Francine would've behaved in front of Xavier. Would she be nice? Would she be annoying? How would she be around him, knowing he was her to-be fiance?
But then again, was I supposed to be anxious?
Francine probably knew this all along and if she still trusted me with her character, then maybe I guess I had to go with the flow and keep acting the way I was.
Samuel placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry, it's Augustus who should be worried-not you. You're Charlie Robinson-the badass tomboy. You already nailed the first meeting - you can nail this too."
I smirked. "Is that a flirt attempt I hear?"
Samuel frowned. "You and I both know it was a genuine compliment."
"Speaking of flirting, you mentioned you were practicing the pickup lines on me but you never mentioned for whom."
Samuel grinned. "Ah, that my dearest sister, is a secret!"
I whined. "Oh come on, I know it was for Nicole!"
He gasped. "How did you even think that?!"
I glared at him, arms crossed against my chest.
He sighed, running his hands through his chocolate brown hair.
"Fine," He paused, before adding. "It was for her."
I jumped. "YES! I KNEW IT!"
He muttered something under his breath as he walked towards the bed and sat cross-legged. He was being fidgety, running his hands constantly through his hair. It was as if he was fighting an internal struggle. To tell or not to tell.
"You can tell me, you know."
"It's complicated, Charlie. You would not understand."
"I thought you guys weren't looking for anything serious."
"She isn't. I am. But what was the point?"
I blinked a couple of times in confusion. What was he talking about?
Seeing my confused face, he decided to elaborate.
"You see, I am supposed to be engaged to Jamie's sister around the same time when Francine becomes Queen. I can't have Nicole, even if I wanted to."
I sat beside him. I understand that I was the worst person around when it came around to feel but I was always there to make people feel that they weren't alone in this world and that people like us, we're there to help them get through things. Even if I wasn't in his shoes, I saw both sides of the story. Nicole might come off a little flirtatious, however, if she really liked someone- she'd do anything to be with them.
That was one thing I really liked about her.
Among many other things.
"Do you or do you not want to be with Nicole?"
"I do not know." He said, staring at the ground.
"Then know it," I paused when he looked up at me. "Sam, Nic's really close to me. She's family. I don't want you hurting her. So, if you're serious about it- you should work on it."
"What about Jamie's sister?"
I smiled. "We'll figure it out once you decide where your heart lies."
---
"Ah, Princess Francine, you need to forgive me for dear Augustus is still on his way from his morning routine." King Aurelis spoke as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
We were standing at the gates of the castle, awaiting the 'dearest' Prince's arrival. I wondered what he did in his morning routine. Did he do yoga? Or did he go horse-riding?
My vote was for the latter.
Definitely horse-riding!
"How long will your son take to come here?"
I could see King Aurelis felt a little offended by my tone of voice but he quickly replaced it with a light-hearted smile of his. I didn't like the father-son duo since the day I met them. They were like any other royals would be. Arrogant and snobby.
His son had one extra trait in him.
Cold-heartedness.
After standing there in awkward silence for who knew how long, I could see a figure on a horse galloping towards us. I immediately recognized the rider as Augustus Xavier.
King Aurelius's lips curled into a proud smile as soon as Augustus jumped down from his horse. He was wearing a white polo shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. He had a black helmet that he kept by his side.
"Ah, son! How did the horse-riding go?!"
Augustus smiled. "Fantastic father."
I hated to admit it but he looked nice when he smiled rather than always having either a blank face or a smirk. It was at that moment his gaze fell on me. He stared at me in confusion for a few seconds and then turned his attention towards his father.
"What is Princess Francine doing here?" He asked in his thick British accent.
"You could've asked me that directly, you know? You don't have to ask your father that."
King Aurelius and Augustus ignored my statement as King Aurelius took him at a distance that was out of my hearing sight and explained what I was doing here. Apparently, Augustus had no idea that he was supposed to go out with me and in the meantime, we were supposed to get to know each other. It was something both our fathers decided upon and now Augustus was being informed. Even if I was at a distance, I could read his facial expressions.
His smile turned into a frown as soon as the words left his father's mouth and taking a deep breath, he turned to me- replacing the frown with a million-dollar smile.
He smirked. "Shall we, Princess?"
Why did I have a bad feeling about this?
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein