(A/N): Million thanks to my awesome beta RandomatGedz! She rocks :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, however, I wish I owned Edward!

Living Royal

Chapter Twenty Seven

"So what are we going to do now? Should we just go back?" Bella asked.

"No, didn't you hear what I told my father? We're going to enjoy this vacation no matter what. I'm sorry that some things got in the way, but I'm still taking you to Paris. I promised." Edward responded.

His father had been gone for a few hours and they were still sitting on the couch in their hotel suite debating whether or not to go back to England right away. Bella had felt that it would be better to go back and deal with the consequences right away, while Edward wanted to wait. He said that they'd have to deal with the same mayhem no matter when they go back so they might as well enjoy their trip before getting back.

"Know what? I have an idea." Bella declared suddenly.

"Now I'm scared." Edward joked.

Bella punched him playfully. Edward caught her fist and kissed it.

"Alright, I give. What's the idea?" He asked.

"How about we save Paris for later? For our Honeymoon?"

"That's not a half bad idea." He smiled at the thought of their upcoming nuptials. "But are you sure you don't want to go now? We can still go again on our honeymoon if you want."

"No, I think it would be more special if we went together for the first time then. What do you think?"

"It's more than fine by me." He shrugged. "But we'll still stay here a few more days before we go back." He said, leaving no room for argument.

"Edward," Bella sighed. "Why are you so hell bent on not going back right away? What are you afraid of exactly?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." He stressed crossing his arms and pouting adorably.

"Know what I think?"

"What?" He continued to pout.

"I think you've gotten so used to disagreeing with your father and rebelling against him that sometimes you tend to disregard the fact that he's right."

"He's not right!"

"How do you know that? Let's face it Edward, your father knows more about facing the media than both of us put together. He's had to deal with it much longer than you or I ever have. What could be so bad about listening to him?" Bella implored him.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair contemplating her words. He knew she was right and he hated to admit it.

"Since when are you on Team Carlisle?"

"I'm not. I'm on your Team, always." She leaned her head on his shoulder. Edward relaxed immediately. It always surprised him how a simple touch from her could relax him so much.

"I just think that maybe just this once, you should listen to him." Bella went on.

Edward lifted his arm and drew Bella close. "Okay, we'll go back to London tomorrow.

"Really? I didn't think you'd give up that easily. I thought I'd have to take more…drastic measure." Bella stressed the last part as her hands started wandering.

Edward wondered how Bella hadn't realized that he would never be able to deny her anything. He just wouldn't be able to. He'd give her the moon if she ever asked for it.

"Mind taking them anyway?" Edward whispered.

"Nope." Bella smiled as she touched her lips to his.

The next morning they both packed and headed to the airport. The plane ride back to London was filled with tense silence, both of them were extremely nervous and unsure of what to expect when they get back. They made a point to avoid watching any TV or look at any newspapers after they saw their engagement announced in the paper the other day.

The car ride was slightly better as Edward held her hand comfortingly.

The moment they entered the Palace, Queen Esme was there to greet them enthusiastically.

"Oh, my babies! I'm so happy for you!" She hugged them both at the same time. "I'm so glad the secrets out and now we can officially start planning the wedding."

"Uh, mum, Bella and I still haven't talked about when we want to get married yet." Edward tried to argue.

"Oh, never mind that. You can decide while I plan."

Edward glanced at Bella to gauge her reaction. She nodded slowly at him, telling him that it was alright.

He sighed, "Alright, mum. You can start planning, but Bella has to be included in everything. Please, try to remember that it's her wedding too."

"Of course, I will remember that! Now, Bella," She turned so suddenly to Bella that the poor girl was startled. "We need to go shopping for your wedding dress. And by shopping, I mean that the royal seamstress will be here to take your measurements and ask about what your vision is for the dress."

"Um, sure, alright." Bella stuttered. Bella didn't really have a 'vision for the dress' as Esme had put it. She wasn't one of those girls who sat around planning their wedding since they were five years old. Not that there was anything wrong with that, she just didn't see the point. Back then it seemed settled that she would marry Jacob someday. If only she knew the truth.

"Oh, and one more thing." Esme said.

Edward rolled his eyes, while Bella thought 'Now what?'

"Your engagement ball in tonight." She announced.

"What? Mother, when did you have time to prepare a ball on such short notice?" Edward asked.

"Oh, you know I love planning these things. They're not such a hassle as they used to be when I first became Queen." She turned to Bella. "Oh, that's right we're going to have to teach you about that my dear. You have an awful lot to learn. I'm afraid I don't envy you there."

Bella looked really embarrassed. She didn't want Queen Esme to think that she was happy to take over her place. They were still far off from that.

"Mother, we're really tired. " Edward interjected, trying to save his fiancée. "Can't this wait?"

"Nonsense, your engagement ball cannot wait. Don't worry, I only invited a few people, so you won't feel uncomfortable."

"How many is a few?" Bella asked cautiously.

"Oh, about two hundred or so." Esme answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Bella felt like she was about to faint. Fortunately, Edward sensed that and immediately wrapped an arm around her, supporting her with his weight.

"Alright, mother. We really need to rest now. I'll see you later." And he supported Bella all the way up to their room. But before they could get to the safety of their own bedroom, King Carlisle was there right in front of them, walking down the stairs.

"Oh, you're here. Great, you're just in time. Go freshen up before your interview, it's in one hour."

"Hello to you too, father." Edward muttered sarcastically. Bella squeezed his arm in an effort to stop him from saying anything further.

Thankfully, King Carlisle went on his way as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Maybe this was a regular occurrence with them.

They reached their room without any further delay. Their bags had already been put away, having been unpacked by the maids. At least that was one advantage of being a royal; you never have to unpack your own bags again.

Bella went over to the bed and threw herself on it. Edward did the same beside her.

"How long do you think we have? Is it enough for a nap?" She groaned and buried her head in his chest.

"Afraid not. We only have fifty minutes."

"Wow, are you always this punctual?"

"It comes with the territory."

"We should get ready." Bella said.

"Yes, we should." Edward responded.

They stayed exactly where they were for a few more minutes just staring at the ceiling until they finally managed to haul themselves out of bed and started getting ready.

James knocked on their door just as Edward put on his jacket and Bella was applying the finishing touches to her makeup. He led them to the room where the interview would be held. Edward squeezed Bella's hand as he noticed it was shaking.

"It's going to be alright." He whispered to her comfortingly. "If they ask any questions that you don't feel comfortable answering then just look at me and I'll take it from there, okay?"

Bella nodded, silently.

They entered the room together to find two other people there; the interviewer and a photographer.

"Good morning, your highness." They both said and bowed a bit, obviously not sure how to greet Edward exactly. Bella thought it was funny and it actually made her feel better that she wasn't the only person there unfamiliar with protocol.

"Good morning," Edward smiled. "I'm sure you know my fiancée Isabella."

Oh yes, they had to use her full name now. No more Bella.

The other two men nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, of course we do." The interviewer said. "It's such an honor to finally meet you." He smiled at Bella.

"The pleasure's mine," Bella replied.

Bella and Edward sat down and the interview began. They asked them fairly normal questions, like how had they met and when did Edward propose, the significance of the ring…etc.

It was over in thirty minutes, thankfully. They took a few photos of both of them together after the interview part was done. Bella was extremely proud of herself, she'd done really well. She'd answered all the questions directed at her without so much as a stutter.

"You did great, babe." Edward hugged her after the men had vacated the room.

"I know right? I think I'm going to be a kick-ass princess."

Edward laughed, "You already are."

After that they had to go change again for the engagement ball because the first guests would begin to arrive soon.

Esme had picked a gorgeous dress for Bella to wear along with shoes and appropriate accessories.

They got dressed and made their way down just in time to greet the very first guests to arrive, more and more guests trickled in after that. They all offered their warm congratulations and to Bella's surprise they all seemed genuinely happy for them, well except the occasional teenage girl who felt it necessary to glower at Bella. She didn't really blame them, she'd be jealous too.

It all went on like this until Rosalie arrived…along with her parents.

Rosalie's mother looked just like Bella had imagined her. She was gorgeous, blonde with blue eyes. She was one of those women who aged gracefully.

Esme was more pretty though, Bella thought. Because Esme had an inner warmth that shone and that could not be duplicated. The woman in front of Bella now was so cold that Bella literally felt a chill run down her back. Her face was so emotionless and blank that Bella wondered how Carlisle ever fell for her supposed charms.

Rosalie's father though was the exact opposite. He was handsome, yes, but where his wife was lacking in emotion, he was full of them. He actually hugged Edward and kissed Bella's cheek in greeting.

Rosalie looked miserable, probably due to the fact that Emmett had gone back to Afghanistan and wouldn't be there tonight. Even Bella missed him. He would've known just how to diffuse this awkward situation.

After the forced greetings were done with, they finally made their way inside the ballroom to enjoy the actual ball. But before they could take one step inside Bella heard someone calling her name. She turned around and was surprised to see her parents standing there, in Buckingham Palace, dressed in evening clothes, which Bella knew they hadn't done all their lives.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?" She went over to hug them.

"You didn't really think we'd miss a day like this did you, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"The Queen invited us," Renee announced proudly. "She sent us their private plane too."

Edward stepped forward to greet them and then led them inside to the ballroom.

They both danced and laughed and enjoyed their time. Alice and Jasper had thankfully been able to make it on such short notice and that did wonders to calm Bella's jittering nerves.

Bella and Edward sat down for a moment to rest; they'd been dancing for almost an hour straight. Bella looked around the ballroom until her eyes rested on her soon to be mother-in-law. Esme was sitting at the King's table talking to Rosalie's mother. She looked like she was close to strangling the woman.

"Remind me again why your mother invited them?" Bella asked Edward as she watched poor Esme being forced into conversation with her husband's ex.

"They're nobility. We have to invite them to any royal functions. It's protocol. I warned you about stuff like this. Sometimes we're going to have to do things we wish we didn't have to." He rubbed her hand soothingly.

Before Bella could reply, King Carlisle made his way to the podium holding a glass of wine indicating he'd be giving a toast.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, "He began. "We're all here today to celebrate my son's engagement to the wonderful Miss Isabella Swan." Everyone clapped dutifully.

Carlisle went on and on about how happy he was for his son and his fiancée. You'd never know how opposed he was to their relationship. Then his speech took a different turn, about how Bella had a lot to learn until she would be a fit Queen and how Edward also needed proper guidance if he was going to take the throne anytime soon.

"Un-fucking-believable." Edward hissed. Thankfully only Bella could here him.

"Edward, calm down. Please don't make a scene." She whispered urgently to him. "Just wait until he's done, please."

He did wait, but the moment Carlisle's speech was over he pushed his chair back and stormed out of the ballroom. Bella followed him quickly into the hall.

"He's still trying to fucking mold us into his idea of perfect. I won't let him do that anymore!"

"Edward," Bella tried to interrupt.

"I mean, I thought he'd really changed." He continued his tirade.

"Edward!" Bella yelled desperately trying to get his attention. It worked. He finally stopped pacing angrily back and forth and looked up at her.

"Can we please just get through this ball first and then worry about your father later? Please? People are going to notice our absence." She begged him.

Edward took a few long breaths trying to calm himself down. He reached his hand out to Bella. She laid her hand in his and he immediately pulled her close. He inhaled her scent and breathed out slowly.

Bella rubbed his back soothingly.

He let her go a minute later when he felt that he was calm enough. The walked slowly back in.

The hours dragged on after that with neither Bella nor Edward feeling like dancing or doing anything at all. Finally the last of the guests had left. Edward quickly dragged Bella back up to their room before they had to speak to either of their parents. Bella knew that Esme would give her parents comfortable accommodation for the night before they had to fly back to Forks tomorrow.

Edward stormed inside, ripped his tie off and threw it on the bed.

"I can't believe I ever trusted him for a moment." He muttered angrily.

"But, Edward maybe he has a point. We do need to learn a lot before we can be in charge of the whole damn country."

"No! I won't allow his royal bullshit to rob you of the chance of having a normal life."

"Edward, in case you haven't noticed, flying around Europe in private airplanes and spending the summer in the South of France is not really considered normal. Not by my standards anyway. Nothing is going to change the way we feel about each other, definitely not a bunch of interviews or some reporters and paparazzi. None of it matters to me, and it shouldn't matter to you either. Besides, all you father said was that we have an interview."

"I'm just tired of all this."

Bella felt her blood boil at Edward's words.

"Oh, you're tired? Really, Edward? Because all I seem to be hearing lately is whining and complaining about every single thing that's going on."

Bella wished she could take those words back the moment she had said them.

Edward stood stock still staring blankly at her.

"Edward, I-"

'No," He interrupted her. "You're right. You need a break from all my whining." He turned around and left the room closing the door softly behind him.

Bella sat on the edge of the bed.

What had she done?

(A/N): THERE WILL BE A HEA :D Just needed to let you guys know. The angst won't last for long, I promise !

So, there! Let me know what you all think!

Bella's engagement ball dress is on my profile.

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