here is the next part to this series! :) thank you to all my amazing reviewers who have kept this going! i'm serious. thanks a bundles. i said i wouldn't update between the 1st and 14th, but my boyfriend has family. lol. so, yes. :)

anyways, here's the prologue to the newest installment, The Royal Treatment! it's full of romance, humor, drama, and even surprises. haha. but, it's all good, even better than before! i hope you enjoy. :) reviews still aren't required, but they would still be greatly appreciated! :) thanks for reading this far, and i hope you continue to enjoy this series. actually, i really hope you enjoy it even more!

oh. the song from the epilogue of Recovery was Don't Forget to Remember Me by Carrie Underwood.

so, without further ado, the prologue to The Royal Treatment.

They, they come.
The fog, it lifts, the shadow shifts.
A win, within.
The lanterns have been lit.
So slip, the night.
So start this race
your nameless place is gone, I know.
It's only flight.

I can feel this running close.
I can feel this sinking in.
Can you feel this moving in?

I took a deep, relaxing breath as I continued pacing around my room. "No, no, no! I understand that it is kind of short notice, but things are kind of crazy. I have to get this. You don't understand. If this wedding isn't perfect—"

"Look, madam, I'm sorry," he interrupted in a rather rude tone. "I simply cannot book myself up like this. There is going to be a royal wedding coming up faster than any of us imagined! Surely they will call me, the best baker in the entire country. If it were any other time, I could do it for a large price, but I can only book for the wedding."

I grit my teeth together in frustration, wanting nothing more than to strangle this man and chew him to pieces. But, Jessie's words kept echoing in my mind. "In public, you have to be nice and pleasant. Everyone must love you, and no cursing. Nothing bad."

"If you would stop being so rude, I was trying to tell you that I am the bride of the prince of England," I said courteously, making all kinds of faces as I politely handled this matter. "But, if you're too busy, I'll just take my business else—"

"I am so sorry, Princess!" he interrupted me yet again. "I had no idea! This is all so crazy and so hectic! No one even knows your name! How was I to know?"

"You could try listening," I helpfully offered.

"Right," he said quickly, remorsefully. I knew that if I was anyone else, he wouldn't give jack shit. "I am so very sorry. How about we make a deal? Simple cake price for the most beautiful masterpiece I have yet to create."

I smirked, truly loving this power I had. It wasn't gonna get to my head, but it was kinda fun. "Alright, deal. I'll be there in a few days to see the progress."

"How old are you anyways?" he asked curiously. "So many wonder, since Prince Seth is only eighteen."

I chuckled softly before smirking pointlessly. "Sixteen. Now, good day, sir. I have important matters to tend to. Bye."

Without anymore hesitation, I hung up, not even bothering to wait on his reply. Instead, I massaged my temples gently, took a deep breath, looked at the empty room around me, and began gathering my thoughts.

Married...to Seth...in only seventeen days.

I stood from the bed, letting my phone slide from my hands and into the floor. I didn't look at it to make sure it was alright, but instead headed out the door and into the crowded, loud living room full of people I didn't really care to see.

They don't know who I am. They don't care about me until now. Now that they hear I'm about to get married, at sixteen, the gossip begins, and they begin caring about my life.

I couldn't hear anything but muffled, crowded noise. Lots and lots of people making lots and lots of sounds—gibberish, really.

But, when I saw Seth, everything else seemed to disappear. This boy was all that mattered to me anymore; had been for a while.

In the middle of this crowded room, he's the only one I see. He's the only one I hear.

And then, his eyes moved up to spot me, and when that damned smile spread across his lips, I almost melted again. I don't know what it is; something about that smile that gets me every time.

Without another choice, I smiled back, my cheeks burning a little. For whatever reason, I was flushed, and I just wanted to hold him.

"Hey," he said brightly before throwing his arms around me and lovingly hugging me. Gently, he kissed my forehead and leaned back against the wall behind him. "How'd it go?"

I scowled bitterly up at him. "I had to be nice and polite. He was an ass, but I had to pretend that I liked him and that I still wanted to get a cake from him. I couldn't tell him I had to."

"You didn't have to," he disagreed. "Who told you that you had to?"

"Jessie," I said honestly. "She said he's the most important baker in the country, and he was necessary, or important people would frown on me. All kinds of garbage I didn't understand, but instead of asking her to explain again, I just went with it."

He sighed too as his hands began to rub up and down my arms in a tender way. "Politics. Sorry I have to drag you into them. But, don't worry, my love. It'll all be better one day."

"When it's just you and me traveling the world," I agreed as another unstoppable smile graced my features. "Yeah, I know. I can't wait."

He, too, smiled again. "It'll be fun, and all of this will be worth it; I think so anyways."

"It will," I assured him. "I'll make sure of it."

The look he got on his face as I said that made it obvious, to me anyways, that he had had a fantasy where a similar scenario occurred. So, now that I said that, he went back to it and added some more intimate, graphic details.

Sam suddenly came into the picture, punching his arm lightly. "Not now, Seth. This is the after Thanksgiving party. Wait until you two are alone in the room. Then, if you so choose, act it out."

"No way," he said firmly, shaking his head. "We've worked too hard to be good. We're not throwing that away now, no matter how badly we want to."

She smirked. "Well, good, but stop thinking about it. I actually came over here for a reason. Your honeymoon is all set and good to go." She beamed at us. "You'll never guess where you're going."

I knew the answer already, because I knew Sam. So, I replied, after rolling my eyes, "Rome."

Her shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Y-Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"I know you," I reminded her with a shrug. "Sorry, love. But, thank you. It'll be amazing."

"Damn right it will be," she giggled. "But, be careful, okay? You never know what'll happen. And, you'll be on the other side of the world—it'll seem anyways—from us, so just take it easy. Let us know if things get suspicious."

I nodded. "I know the drill, Sam. Believe me. It's been shoved so far into my head that I might just shit it out very soon."

She made a disgusted face. "No, Ari. Don't do that. It won't be in there if you shit it out. Hold it in."

I just scoffed a little before looking up to Seth, whose eyes weren't on me at the moment. Actually, they were on Daddy, who wasn't even ten feet away. It was like, in that moment, they connected, and they shared a secret.

And I didn't get it, but it made me happy knowing that they were close enough to do this, knowing he was approved enough to have that kind of bond with Daddy.

A month was all I had left—around a month anyways. Then, I was gonna be the bride in the biggest wedding of the century. Word just started spreading around England, after we set the date—yesterday. So, now, it was only a matter of time before things at school got beyond crazy.

But, we were ready to go through the madness together; no matter what happened and no matter what Lindsey threw at us.

Because, no matter what anyone says or does, we're in this together until Jesus comes back and takes us home.

And that was how it should be.