CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Wednesday, January 18th
"Alyssa?" I asked, staring out the tinted windows of the car on the way to another fitting for my wedding dress.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Alyssa asked, looking up from her ever-present clipboard.
"I know you don't like me or anything- don't try and deny it." I cut it when she tried to say something, shooting her a look and she sighed. "But... When-when Grandfather... When he's-when I'm on my own." I couldn't say it, I couldn't admit it. "Will you still help me? Will you be... Will you be my assistant or whatever it's called? Will you help me?" I looked at her with my big blue eyes and she sighed again.
"It would be an honor, Your Highness." Alyssa whispered and we both smiled at each other before she cleared her throat and went back to her clipboard.
"Do you think we'll win? Me and Shane?" I asked after another few minutes.
"I don't think so." Alyssa denied and I frowned. "I know that you will succeed." I smiled and turned back to my window.
"Your Highness, we have arived." The driver said through the seperation window that was currently open and I sighed.
"Hurrah." I muttered dryly, unbuckling my seatbbelt and getting out before someone could open my door for me. Honestly, I felt like I never did anything for myself anymore. "So what are we doing today?" I questioned as I walked into my quarters and everything was already set up; more tape measures, fabirc samples
"We're going to start testing fabrics and styles today, Your Highness." One of the dress-makers replied.
"His Majesty requested a simple white gown." Alyssa reported as I put up on a pedestal and swarmed by designers. "Do not go overboard, we want to be able to see the Princess when she's wearing it."
"Your Highness, if you could please remove your clothes and put this on we can begin." One of the designers - or someoen working with them - said, handing me a short, silky, white little dress.
"Why?" I eyed them distrustfully.
"Because we thought that was better than straight-out asking the Crown to strip." Alyssa said from her seat and I frowned and grabbed the dress, walking to one of the sub-rooms in my quarters.
"Not much better." I muttered when I had the dress on, it was silky and soft and felt like air caressing my skin. But, it barely came to my thighs, and if it was any lower I'd need to have little black censor dots in some very private places. I tugged at the bottom of the dress, which only managed to make the top of it go down even more, so I pulled that up and I really couldn't win with this dress. It was too short and too low, there was no middle ground and no trying to fix one because that only made the other more of a problem. "You got anything that, oh, I don't know... Covers more of me?" I frowned as I walked out, though I had to admit, it did assentuate my long legs.
"Perfect!" On guy exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging over and forced back onto the pedestal.
"Oh, that shade goes perfectly." One person commented as they all stared at me and I felt uncomfortable standing there in barely anything. It was one thing to accidentally where only a towel in front of Shane, but these were complete strangers who didn't love me and who I didn't love.
"Maybe we'll go with a push-up." Another person said, reaching up lifting my breasts.
"Hey." I jumped away, glaring. "Watch where you're touching." I snapped. Great, now I was being groped as well. Have I ever said that I hated these fitting sessions? No? Well, I do. I hate them.
Princess Miley
Saturday, January 21st
"Hey, Grandfather." I smiled sadly as I sat next to his bed. King Altiyan had been moved from the infirmiry and was back in his own quarters in his own bed, but that didn't mean he was any better. Alyssa said it was more a making him comfortable thing by now.
"Goodmorning, Miley." Grandfather smiled pleasently.
"How are you feeling?" It was more of a pleasentry at this point, but I still hoped.
"Like my granddaughter worries far too much." He replied and I sighed, he hadn't answered yesterday either. "How many votes are still needed for the change?" He changed the subject completely.
"Eighty-four." After Marcus' speach last week we got 23 votes bringing the total up to 35. "Four more weeks like last week and it'll be a done deal." I only needed 21 votes a week for four weeks and it would be over. I'd be able to marry Shane. "I've been thinking though." I bit my lip nervously and Grandfather raised an eyebrow at me. "You-you know about Hannah, right?"
"Most certainly." He confirmed; so much for the secret.
"Maybe it would be better to come clean about everything?" I shrugged, I'd heard some girls at school talking about Hannah the other day, about how they didn't really think she was sick and that she couldn't handle the pressure and turned to drugs or something and was now in rehab. I didn't want my fans to think that, I didn't want anyone to think that I did drugs, or that it would be okay for other girls to do drugs just because they thought that I did. "About-not just about Hannah, but all of it; the mix-up and everything." Honestly, it wasn't this families fault, or my family in America's fault. It was the fault of the nurse who made the mistake.
"Do you realise, Miley, what you are saying?" King Altiyan asked gravely.
"That it's the fault of the nurse who swapped us and that I'm trying to live three lives here, and one of them is going to be out as soon as I make any sort of international news, and then it's only a matter of time until Hannah is out too." I pointed out and he sighed. "I figure if we do it on our terms we have a better chance of controlling it than if we wait for a headline that'll only lead to rumors, hate, and distrust." Grandfather sighed and closed his eyes for a second.
"It is entirely up to you, Miley, only you can know when it's right for you to reveal yourself." He said, looking straight at me and I knew what that meant; the same thing it meant when I was 11; it's my decision and I have to live with the consequences, good or bad. "Just remember, though, that as for right now and the next several weeks you want to be in favor with Parliment."
"Right." I nodded, no telling how Parliment would react to finding out they'd been lied to be a 15-year-old who is going to run the country.
"Now, I am sure you have things you would rather do than sit next to an old dying man on a fine Saturday." Grandfather said and it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, scoot over, we're watching a movie." I instructed, getting out of the chair and climbing up onto his bed that was almost as big as mine. "Like I'm gonna give a day with my grandfather." I rolled my eyes.
"Mister Gray isn't on duty today?" He guessed with a slight smirk and I blushed.
"He's hanging with his little brother." I shrugged, settling back and he let out a shakey laugh that thankfully turn into a cough this time.
Princess Miley
Sunday, January 22nd
"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to Parliment, I'm Princess Miley and I'll be your Royal rep for today." I cooed into the microphone come 9:00 AM Sunday morning, doing my best airline attendant. "The main exit is to the front of building, directly opposite, and emergency exits can be found at the double CRS Agents at regular intervals across the wall." I continued and I heard a couple of chuckles that made me smile. "Today's in-Parliment entertainment will be me doing an airline attendant impersonation, and I would like to thank-you all for choosing Cyrus Parliment and I hope you have a happy, safe session." I leant back and there was laughter and claps before I looked down to my notes. "Okay." I said when the sound died down. "Today we are reviewing the..." I quirked my eyebrows at the words in front of me. "The lunch menu for Prince Arthurs Prepatory School for the third and fourth terms of this year." I looked up in disbelief. "Seriously? That's a Parliment thing? Can I suggest choc-chip pancakes?" I asked, becoming excited by the last one and there were a few more laughs.
Two hours later and we had arranged the school lunch menu for the last two terms of the year - including choc-chip pancakes and ice cream every third Wednesday - and it was time to move onto the open floor. Since no-one in Parliment seemed to ever want to make a motion for anything it was once again straight to my petition.
"Okay, we've had a good day so far, what do you guys say we wrap this up nicely with a change in the Constitution? It'd really make my day." I joke and let out a slow breath. "Okay, look, I know now isn't the time to joke, and especially not about this, this is my future; this is weather you guys let me marry the man I love or if you make me marry someone I don't love, who doesn't love me, and is only on the marry list because people hundreds of years ago deemed that a certain type of person made for better breeding." I had everyones serious, rapt attention. "What makes better breeding? We're people, not horses, you can't make a purebred Prince or Princess by making me have a certain persons child. If you can trust me to run an entire Monarchy that consists of not only Cyrus, but twelve other countries as well, then why can't you trust me to fall in love with a good man?" I pleaded before I sighed. Someone stood up and just about eveyrone turned to look at him in unison.
"With all due respect, Your Highness, may it please the Crown, but how can we be sure that man you have chosen has the best interests for the Cyrus Monarchy?" He spoke and I frowned.
"Not everyone who spawned from people in this room had the best interests for the Monarchy; one of them tried to kill me and he was one of the prospective Grooms for me." I pointed out and there were murmurs, but Lord Ecklestein stayed silent, much unlike the day of his sons first trial. "He's a part of the CRS, he didn't get in on his parents, he got in because the King decided that he was good enough to protect me, the King determind that he had the best interests for the Monarchy when he apointed him to my personal detail." I sighed again and sat back, Shane had today off as well, but he'd be back tomorrow. Seven people all got up at the same time and there was actually a line at the box for them to sign the individual contracts of agreement.
"Very good, Your Highness." Alyssa praised when Parliment was let out of session and I looked up from where I'd started to doodle on the edge of my notes as the hall emptied.
"Thank-you." I said, packing everything up and getting ready to leave. "Is twenty-eight good for one day? How long does it usually take? Do they usually pass?"
"The most votes a motion had for one day before today was twenty-three, Your Highness, I do believe you are doing very well." Alyssa reported and I smiled before I paused for a second.
"But... I got twenty-three last week." I said slowly and she just shook her head and started walking away.
"Exactly." She said as she left and my smile returned.
I'll start writing the next chapter when I get 5 reviews please?
And also check out my sex-filled Joe/Miley 3-shot called Sex, Love, & Rock 'N' Roll. It currently has the Sex and the Love parts (love instead of drugs) and Rock 'N' Roll is tomorrow.
And no, I haven't forgotten about my Miam one, I did start it, but then I lost inspiration because it's a very specific one that I'm writing, but I will start again soon and then it'll be up for your reading pleasure.
XOXO
Peace, Love, Miley!