Chapter One: The Agreement The school bell roared loudly all throughout the corners of our school. Smiles crept on the faces of my classmates for they knew that they wouldn't be seeing a big, fat F on their paper for two weeks. It was Christmas Break. "Okay, that is all for today. Goodbye and see you in two weeks," Mrs. Anson said to the class. Everyone rushed out of the room without even a single gesture of farewell. I took the time to stop by Mrs. Anson to say goodbye. "Happy Holidays, Mrs. Anson!" "Happy Holidays to you too, Aly. Don't forget to do your projects." "I will," I said and left the classroom. I saw Grey, a friend of mine, standing in front of my locker, giggling while looking at her iPhone. I should probably be guessing that it's a picture of Michael, her long-time crush, or a new heartthrob she's crushing on. "Aly, I've been waiting for years…" a feminine voice said. "Sorry. I just said goodbye to Miss Anson. So, what are you looking at?" She showed me a picture of a black-haired guy with black shades on while reading an extremely thick book. "Isn't that Prince Keith?" "Uh-huh." "Since when did you like smart men?" "Just now." "Oh. What a change," I said. Despite me having no connections with Prince Keith, I couldn't help but feel… heavy. I think Grey saw how my face dropped because she said, "Are you jealous?" "What? NO!" "Oh. Okay. Good, because I'm making the plot of our 'royal' love story," she said. "I thought you liked Michael?" "Kamberly White, for once… please don't put Michael in the conversation when you're talking to me." "Okay." I grabbed my things and we made our way to the gate. While Grey was rambling on how they will meet for the first time, I kept on wondering about what would happen if I really meet him. What do his eyes look like up close? Is he boring and serious? Or outgoing and fun? There was this ticklish feeling in me and I don't know how to stop it. I'm not closing my mind on having a crush but, I'm starting to get afraid on crushing on the wrong person or crushing on a person I know would never come to me. I'm not saying I have a crush on Prince Keith or anything. But, I'm not closing my mind. "Aly. Aly? Kamberly? Are you listening? Hello," Grey said, waving her hand in front of my face. "Oh, sorry." "What are you thinking of?" "Nothing. Just… projects." "Seriously! It's Christmas Break. Stop making 'fighting for valedictorian' a big deal." "It is a big deal." "Okay. But, for now… stop." "Fine." We reached in front of the gate when a blue car stopped in front of us. "Oh, my mom's here," Grey said. "You want to ride with me?" "Nah, I'm good. I have my bike, anyways." "Okay. Well, Happy Holidays! Don't forget me, Aly. Text me," she said while squishing me in a massive bear hug. "Can't. Breath." "Oh, sorry." "Merry Christmas too," I said. "Bye!" "Bye!" And, she closed the door. I walked to the school bicycle parking area and grabbed the only one left. I think I'm the only student here who rides a bicycle in going to school. Despite having no financial problems, my parents just can't seem to hire a driver or something. But again, I remind myself that compared to the people here, we're just a quarter of their wealth. I biked my way to my house while listening to pop songs and trying to think about how I should spend my Christmas break in my house. We eat. We play. We communicate. We get gifts. The usual stuff. I mean, it's all fun but I can't help feel that it's like a broken record. Repeating again and again. I arrived at my house just before the sun had any plans on setting and saw a black car parked outside our house. Great! I suck at mingling. I tiptoed up the stairs and was grateful that my mom didn't know I arrived… not. "Aly! We have a visitor," she said and dragged me down the staircase to the dining area. I looked to see who it was and… I think I should have listened to my mom when she told me to have an eye exam. The Queen. Queen Rosemary Stevenson was sitting there, in front of me. I am hallucinating, or am I not? "Good day, Your Majesty. What… has… brought you here?" I said warily. "Good day. Take a seat." So, I sat. "Anyway, I came here to see you." "Why? It's not like I'm a criminal, is it?" "No, nothing like that. How are you, dear?" "Fine and overwhelmed." "Why?" "Well, the fact that you're here makes me feel… nervous, I guess. Am I in for something big, Your Highness?" "Yes, something great. I am here to… invite you to my son's betrothal." "Prince Keith?" She nodded. "But, why? Am I a bridesmaid?" "No. Higher than that, actually." "The priest?" I said, trying to stop myself from laughing. "No. Actually, you're the BRIDE," she said. "Huh?" I was in total shock. I just stood there with my mouth open, looking at the Queen's face. She was not kidding. It was happening so fast. I couldn't quite process it. Why? As I stood there, I thought about what would happen when we meet, what would happen after the betrothal and what would become of me. All of this got stuck in my head and I'm still 15! I looked at my mom, only to find her looking at me too. I felt like I was stuck in the freezer of complete and utter shock. "Let me explain," the Queen finally spoke. "It was two months ago when King Simon called for Keith. They had a very important meeting, and for the first time… excluding me. It took me about 2 and half weeks to convince Simon to tell me what it was all about. It was that my son, at the age of 17… must choose his bride." "You must have the wrong girl, Your Highness." "But, aren't you Kamberly White, 15 years old and studying at Greenfield Academy. Daughter of Therese White, Miss Congeniality of 1990." "Uh, yes but… pardon me, Your Highness. Your son is still a 10th grader and I'm still an 8th grader. We're still in high school. How are we supposed to manage this?" "My son has accelerated to College, Miss White." "But, isn't that the same thing?" "Don't you have a suitor or a boyfriend?" "By far, Your Majesty… I'm NBSB." "Excuse me, what is NBSB?" "No Boyfriend Since Birth." "Oh. But, you're not his only choice." "What do you mean?" "You see there was a… poll. We voted for at least three eligible girls from all over the country for him to choose from and marry. All of the officials took part in choosing. It was so… frustrating. Reading biographies over and over again. So, yes… there are two others plus you. "And, I'm the last one." "Precisely. Recently, the Prince has met the other two but… no such luck. He doesn't feel anything." "Oh, that is kind of hard." "That's the point. I don't want my son to marry just because has to. I want him to marry for love. Because my dear, the heart is something you can't teach to love, it just learns by itself. And, by how it looks right now… I think you're his last hope." "What happens if… if he doesn't feel anything for me?" "Then, he has to marry the Duchess of some other country. Which, my dear, is someone my son doesn't like." "But, I'm still 15. I'm too young. What if I can't handle it? And, you haven't even heard what my parents have to say?" "We wouldn't choose you if we know you couldn't manage it." My mom held my shoulder and looked at me in the eye. "Kamberly, it's okay. Whatever your decision is, I'll support it. I know you're too young for this but the Queen is right. They wouldn't choose you if they know you couldn't handle it. Being engaged to the Prince, it isn't just about the marriage. There are the people you have to look after. Even if, I was just a beauty queen… Even if, I didn't really had a royal crown… I know how much responsibility it holds. I know that you have waited to make a difference for too long. I know you feel like you're life is a broken record. But, now is the time for you to finally decide your fate. Because, in the end, I won't be the one who'll regret everything you did, it's you." "You have to at least try. For me. For your family. For the country. For the Prince. And, for yourself," the Queen said. Part of me wanted to say no. Part of me wanted to say yes. I mean, who couldn't say yes to a Prince? And, who couldn't say no to bashers? I feel like my soul is being ripped apart. After what seemed like forever, I said the stupidest thing I could ever say… "Okay, I'll try. But… no promises, Your Highness." "Thank you so much," the Queen said and hugged me. "So, when is he coming?" What can I do, I already said yes. I was so stupid. I got so carried away with my mother's message. It was like I was going to run for president or something. "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow? Why so sudden?" "Don't let love wait. Because love is like an impatient customer, once you don't entertain it immediately… it might never come back again." Well, what can I do? My life is so messed up. I'm going out with someone I barely know starting tomorrow. If I were some crazy Prince fanatic, I would've said that let him marry me tomorrow but no… I wasn't. "We'll make sure he's safe, Your Highness. We'll treat him well," my mom said. "Thank you." A guy in a black tux came out of nowhere and whispered something to the Queen. When he left, the Queen said, "I am sorry. I couldn't stay any longer. I need to catch my plane home." "Okay. Thank you for coming, Your Highness. Take care," my mom said. The Queen stood up and I led her to the door. She squeezed me tightly in a hug and said, "Thank you for giving my son a chance in love." "You're welcome." "Be strong. I'm rooting for you," she said. And before I got the chance to ask her why, the guy in the black tux closed the car door. And they drove off. I turned around and saw my mischievous brother at the front door. "Aly has a boyfriend. Aly has a boyfriend. Aly has a boyfriend," he said teasingly and ran back inside. "We haven't even started yet," I sighed and went in for dinner. What have I gotten myself into?