A/N- At the risk of sounding completely insincere, I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING THIS LONG TO UPDATE! School sucks majorly. But we're not gonna get into that.

Anyways...I'll stop stalling.

Chapter 3

The next morning, I got up and shut myself in my office. I knew that I wasn't going to get two thirds signatures from Parliament to OK my proposal, so I sorted through my own bank account and donated two hundred thousand euros to the library and two million euros to the hospital. It wasn't as much as I had initially hoped, but it would have to do.

I emerged from my office at lunchtime and stretched a little. My side was feeling loads better, but my insides felt like a lump of glue. Lately it seemed like my surroundings were trying to drain me emotionally and I wasn't strong enough.

It was hard to be a philanthropist when everyone else is a cynic.

I walked down the halls with my head down, concentrating on the tiles. Because of this, I bumped into…Michael.

I looked up in surprise. "Oh, uh…sorry."

"Yeah," He muttered. "Sorry." And he walked off hurriedly.

Wow. That was semi…civil.

I whirled around and stared at his fast retreating back. What the hell?

"Mia! There you are! I've been searching the palace for you all day!" I turned back around only to find Lilly running towards me, waving around a clipboard.

"What are you on about now?"

"The Duke of Burgundy! Remember? He was the suitor that Parliament picked out for you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Crap. Where is he?"

"In the parlor. Hans is showing him a room right now."

I nodded. "I'd better get ready." And with that I turned and ran up to my chambers.

From what I had heard, the Duke of Burgundy was a very nice young man indeed; he had looks, manners, personality, and a sense of humor. Girls all over Europe were dying to hook up with him.

I, however, was not one of them.

I didn't like to follow the crowds of rabid fan girls baring their teeth and begging to be his one night stand. I had pride. I had dignity.

I had a country to run.

Which is precisely the reason Parliament chose him.

According to Genovian law, the reigning king has to choose an eligible husband for his daughter. However, in the case that the king is dead and no other close male relatives could make the choice, Parliament was supposed to choose for the princess. As a child, I was horrified to learn that my life was being planned for me and I had no say in the matter of whom I was to procreate with, but as I grew older I learned to accept it.

I at least should be happy that Parliament didn't set me up with a total loser. From what I've heard, this guy's got a little class.

As soon as I was in my chambers, I ran into the closet and threw things around in search for a decent outfit to be seen in by my potential husband.

Finally I pulled out a royal blue pencil skirt that stopped just below my knees, a white, long-sleeved button down blouse and a matching royal blue blazer that stopped mid thigh. I slipped on a pair of high heels and headed out the door.

"Ah, Your Highness," Prime Minister Lukas greeted as he approached me. "This is Edward Grey, Duke of Burgundy."

He bowed as I curtsied. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," He said in a genial tone.

I nodded and gave him a polite smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." I replied.

The Prime Minister gave a grin that I certainly didn't like. "Well I think I'll leave you two alone. Your Highness, how about you give him a tour of the palace grounds? I'm sure he would love that."

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, I have been fascinated by this place ever since I heard of it. Please, tell me, did they really plant that huge display of rose bushes in the front just last year?"

I nodded, pleased that he had taken such an interest in the beauty of my home. "Yes, they did plant those just last year. They were a gift from the Queen of England herself. She said that roses were a personal favorite of hers and on her last diplomatic visit, she was disappointed that there weren't enough."

Before I could walk off, he offered his arm in a cordial way and I took it. Inwardly, I smiled. He certainly did have charm and manners. I think he would make a wonderful friend.

Unfortunately, Edward couldn't make it to dinner, saying that as much as he would love to, he had important matters to attend to that could not wait. I was deeply disappointed, seeing as how I would have to spend another night alone.

I looked around the palace and heaved a sigh. No one. There were over fifty rooms and suites in this whole magnificent structure and only about nine of them were filled.

Throwing up my hands in frustration, I told Lilly, "I'll have my dinner later."

"Aren't you going to have it in the dining room?"

I cast a sad glance at the brightly lit room of lacy patterns and ivory designs. I shook my head and said, "It's a bit of a waste, don't you think?" And with that I ran up the marble staircase and to my chambers, wishing once again that my father were here to share meals with me like he once had.

Lilly continued to poke and prod me for several moments until the patience that I had on reserve finally puttered out. "Please, Lilly. I'm fine. Can I go out now, please?"

She gave me a hesitant once over and nodded. "Alright. But don't exert yourself. Be back before twelve, got it?"

I laughed. "You sound like my mother."

"Or a very concerned fairy godmother."

I looked down at my suit and raised my eyebrows at her. "Strange gown, don't you think?"

She tossed me my mask and grinned. "Knock 'em dead, Cinderella."

I pulled out my Bo staff and climbed up to the rooftop.

I breathed in the fresh air, finally glad to have gotten out of the palace. I began my usual scan for wrong doing and found nothing. Then after a few minutes I heard a strangled yell come from a few streets down.

I hurried to locate the source of the noise and found none other than Michael being surrounded by a gang. I was about to jump down and save him, but then I remembered what Lilly had told me. He was trained in the arts of self defense as well.

"Hey, hot-shot," The biggest thug called in a whiskery voice. "I heard you've been giving some of my buddies a hard time."

Michael said nothing. He just stood there, eyeing them all angrily.

"I don't like people who mess around with my guys," The same voice informed him with a slight smirk in the tone. "Get him, boys!"

Immediately, three of them jumped on top of him, but Michael was ready. He swung the briefcase he was holding and threw them easily into a pile on the side. Angrily, four more guys shot at him, but he dodged to the side and punched the guy nearest him. He blocked a few punches and threw some of his own, clearly gaining the advantage of the large group. It wasn't long before only the four best fighters were left, including the gang leader.

"Well, well, well," He said as he slapped the baseball bat he was holding in his hand over and over again. "Looks like we've got a fighter here." At that moment, the three other guys launched themselves at him. They were quite different from the others and looked like they actually might be a threat to him. So I decided that now would be the place to intervene.

I extended my Bo staff and gracefully landed right amongst the ruffle and threw a few punches to see where I was. I ducked and gave a roundhouse kick to the pair of legs in front of me. When he fell on his back I turned around and immediately blocked a punch aimed to my chest and used my staff to knock him off his feet. As two of the men came charging towards me, I jumped up and landed on their shoulders. As they shook me to get me off balance, I leapt to the ground and kneed one of them in the stomach. While he was doubled over, the other came toward me and I gave him a sharp jab on the side of the head, effectively knocking him out.

I turned to Michael and found him with his arms behind his back and the gang leader approaching his exposed neck with a knife. Quietly, I snuck up behind him and pressed one of my daggers in the small of his back. "Let him go," I murmured in his ear.

"Oh, Phantom Phoenix," He replied with a scratchy chuckle. "I must say, you're quite a match for my boys."

"Let him go," I repeated.

"Alright, alright," He said, amusedly. "Don't get your panties all up in a twist." He lowered his knife slowly and suddenly whirled on me, but I was ready for him. I ducked at his attempt to stab me and gave a sweeping kick. When he fell on his back, I stomped down hard on the hand that was holding the knife and kicked it away. Giving him one last smirk, I kicked him hard in the temple and he passed out.

The last member fell with a thud on the concrete as Michael got up and brushed the dirt off his suit. He turned to me and grinned. "Well, Phantom Phoenix. It certainly is a pleasure to meet you."

I nodded curtly and turned around, ready to scale back up the wall, but I felt a warm hand reach out and grab my shoulder. I turned around in surprise. "Wait, I just wanted to—"

I held up a hand. "No. Don't." I interrupted. "I don't like being thanked."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

I looked away. "I just don't. I don't like drawing attention."

"Well, how about 'I really admire your conviction and your desire to help this country, that's rotting in greed and corruption'?"

I felt the corners of my mouth lift slightly, against my will. "Well, that's very kind of you." He was a really nice guy when he wasn't biting my head off with every word I spoke.

I made another attempt to leave, but he held on to my shoulder. "Is there any chance that I might see you again?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"That's not a good enough answer."

I stood up straight and looked into his dark chocolate eyes, immediately wishing I hadn't. I felt as if the once hard, concrete sidewalk underneath my feet was slowly falling out from beneath me as his eyes bore into mine. I struggled to bring my thoughts into a coherent order and said, "That's the only answer you're getting."

I shook his hand off my shoulder and scaled up the brick wall, trying to shake away thoughts of Michael and his intense stare.

"Who was that?" Lilly's ever present voice asked in my ear.

"Your brother," I muttered back through gritted teeth.

"Oh…did he grovel at your feet?"

"Almost and it was very disconcerting, not to mention a little creepy."

"I thought that would be a welcome change, since he's always giving your civilian counterpart a load of crap."

"I was starting to get used to taking all his crap."

I heard a soft chuckle and she said, "Alright, Cinderella. Time to come home."

I heaved a sigh and whispered in a soft whiny voice, "Do I have to?"

"Don't make me come over there and get you."

When I arrived back at the lab, Lilly immediately checked my wound, which was healing amazingly fast. "Tomorrow, I might even let you stay out until one."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow, what an achievement."

She grimaced as she added some more salve. "So my brother 'almost' groveled at your feet, huh?"

"Worse." I shuddered. "He nearly thanked me."

"Ouch," She said, understanding my whole thing about thanks.

"I mean, how weird is that? During the day, he's just going on and on about how incompetent I am as a ruler and how Genovia's going down the drain because of me, and then at night, he's…he's actually nice."

She looked at me carefully and said, "Well, he assumes that Phantom Phoenix and Queen Amelia of Genovia are two completely different people."

"Everyone assumes that."

She paused, then asked, "Do you wish they didn't?"

I sighed and shrugged. "It's not easy being hated most of your life, you know?"

She nodded.

"And then, at night, people love me. I'm a hero." I looked around the lab. "It's hard coming back every night to this. It's hard, knowing that you could be loved, but you have to go back to being hated."

She held my hand for a little while and comfortingly rubbed her thumb across my knuckles. "I know sweetie. I know."

The next day I was awoken by a gentle shake. I opened my eyes only to find Lilly's smiling face. "You'll never guess what?"

I sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. "What?"

"Boris is visiting! He's coming all the way from New York!" She squealed as she jumped up and down.

I smiled. I had heard a lot about Boris, the internationally acclaimed violinist. When Lilly went to New York in college, they met and fell in love. They were still going out, even with an entire ocean between them. "Oh, that's wonderful, Lilly!" I replied with genuine happiness. "Does he need a place to stay?"

She shook her head. "No, he's staying at the Radisson." She looked down at her clipboard and said, "Okay, you've got a meeting with Prime Minister Lukas at nine, a lunch with Edward, and a game of croquet with him and Baron Straussen's wife, Crystal."

I nodded. "You better get going then. You have to prepare for his arrival."

She bit her lip. "Really?"

"Yeah. Go ahead, I'll be fine."

Her face split into a huge smile and she threw her arms around me gleefully. "Thank you so much, Mia!" And with that she ran off.

As soon as she was gone, I dropped my smile. I would never admit this out loud, but I was so jealous of her. She had someone, someone that she could talk to. Someone that loved her unconditionally.

Oh god, I'm being self-pitying again. I've got to stop this.

I got out of bed and slipped into my bunny slippers, ready to go down to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. I didn't expect anyone to be around really, so I gave a huge yawn, you know, those yawns that cause you to close your eyes and stretch.

When I opened my eyes again, I spotted Michael at the end of the hall. Still not completely awake, I gave him a tired smile and said, "Lilly went off to prepare for her boyfriend's arrival. She's not here, I'm sorry."

He nodded, but his eyes were somewhere else on my body. I didn't exactly have much of a chest, so I don't know what he was looking at.

I was about to walk away when he suddenly asked, "Why are you bleeding?"

I looked down and saw a long cut down the side of my leg. I looked behind me and saw a trail of tiny droplets of blood. Shit, I thought. Must have missed that last night. I looked up at him and gave him the same plastered smile I had given his sister earlier. "I must have gotten it when I was walking through the rose bushes yesterday." I turned around and began to walk to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "To the bathroom to wash this out."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you need any help?"

Whoa. Did he just offer to help me? I stood there, speechless, then shook my head slowly. "No. That's okay, it doesn't look that deep anyway."

He didn't need to be told twice. As soon as I said no, he turned around and walked away.

When I reached the bathroom and cleaned it out, I thought carefully about the strange expression on his face.

A/N- I finally got this out.

As I said earlier, school sucks, I hate it,I wish I could drop out and just spend the rest of my life writing stories but...I can't. So...my frequency in updating seriously sucks now.

As a special treat for making you wait so long so...patiently (?) I have decided TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHAPTER! Yes, that's right. I actually have most of this written down, I just have to go through a very long, very thorough editing process with myself and my beta. We're very perfectionist so please I'm sorry.

As another note, I'm not sure when I will be updating either Most Eligible Bachelorette or My Knight in Shining Armor, I am currently experiencing the worst case of writer's block EVER. But I swear, I will finish it before I graduate high school. (GO '07!)

So...please review for this before going on to read the next chapter. Thank you.