A/N : Wow - I am so popular! I've got so many reviews and I am so proud! Here is the big thankyou list for the chapter 10 reviews - Thanx to CrazyNut2002, Misty White, princess miki, Tianna, Lil' Bunny, Sunkisses643, sapofbks2002, FrannieGurl2006, little-princess, Meg*, jw, WNtrumpet and the two anonymous reviewers too - you guys are the best! Oh, and Meg* - your wish has come true - I am posting TWO chapters at once, but I can't promise I can keep up with doing that everyday! Anyway, this story is nearing it's end I'm afraid, just a few more chapters.

Anyway, here is the ninth chapter...

Disclaimer : For the 9th time on this fic - I am not Meg Cabot!

Even after all this time, Mia still hated giving speeches, and this was to be one of the most terrifying of her life. She stood in the centre of her Grandmere's Plaza room, surrounded by her mother, her step-father, her half-sister, her father (the Prince of Genovia) and the Dowager Princess of Genovia known to Mia as Grandmere.

Mia took a deep breath and began;

"As you are all aware, Michael feels he cannot marry me, and so I need to find a husband so as not to cause a royal scandal when my baby is born" she swallowed hard to avoid being sick, then she continued, "I have found a man who is willing to marry me and with the permission of the people in this room, I will marry that man"

"Why won't Michael marry you Mia?" Holly whined, Helen told her youngest daughter to be quiet but Mia thought it was unfair to leave the child's question unanswered.

"Because Holly, he doesn't want to be a royal like me, but Kenny doesn't mind" Mia realised as she said it that she'd let the secret out in the worst possible way.

"Kenny?" Helen asked her older daughter, "not Kenny Showalter?"

"Would someone mind telling me who Kenny Showalter is?!" Grandmere shouted and Mia could think of no better time than now to bring the aforementioned man into the room. She signalled to Lars, who opened the door and Kenny walked in and went straight to Mia's side.

"Everyone," Mia managed to say, "This is Kenny Showalter, my fiancé"

Everything after that was a blur to Mia. Everyone seemed to like Kenny, especially Grandmere, who was stunned by his smart clothes and perfect manners. It was agreed that Mia and Kenny would be married - Mia remembered that much, but beyond that all details of the afternoon were jumbled and confused in her mind, up until the end.

Mia had paid attention when the topic of announcements came up. Apparently, it was her father, Prince Phillippe, who must announce the marriage and Mia knew it would be on every TV programme and every newspaper front page that she was marrying Kenny Showalter.

What pained Mia now was not that she was marrying a man she didn't love or that she had to bring up Michael's child without him. The thing that worried her was Michael's reaction. When he found out she was marrying Kenny, what would that do to him?

She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't help it. She knew she would probably never know what he thought about it, but she could imagine it, and it wasn't a nice thought.

She had no intention of deliberately hurting him but she knew hearing about her engagement on TV would hurt him, and it would probably hurt him a lot. She thought about calling him but doubted he would listen to her, besides, she would never have the guts to tell him about it, even over the phone.

He would have to find out like everyone else, in two days time when her father announced it to the press and the press announced it to the world.

A/N : On to chapter 10 for the long awaited Michael chapter...