Early the next morning, in the middle of a hangover, I found myself seated between Roberto and Edward. Roberto had almost run for the seat beside me, even though he still refused to look me in the eye, and he'd plonked himself down there. Edward was a great deal more graceful about this- he'd sunk lightly onto my other side.
Somehow this reminded me of something. Hadn't a similar situation happened before?
"I've been thinking over your speech on the difficulties of life for a commoner." Prince Joshua spoke up.
He didn't say this with any trace that he was joking and I gaped at him. Speech? Did he mean my rant in the house when we'd been hiding?
"And I have done research into the neighbourhood you were raised in. This area was close to the city and was seen as a reasonably expensive place to live. Explain to me- why would your neighbours live in such an expensive neighbourhood if they couldn't afford such a location?" Prince Joshua seemed almost demanding but I saw a trace of confusion there too. Had he been thinking about this all this time? Even gone to the trouble of researching it all!
"Um."
"This is something I am also interested in. Explain what you meant." Prince Keith demanded. He hadn't even been there.
I found myself stared at by all six Princes. I wished I wasn't feeling as hungover as I was.
"Are they unable to understand how money is distributed throughout their daily life?"
"No, that's not it." He seemed a little judgemental and I tried to ignore that. I had to assume- given that they all seemed to have pen and paper- that I was supposed to teach them about this. Okay then. "They lived there for the same reason a number of low income families did. The school."
"The school?"
"You can't go to that school unless you live in the area around it." I explained. I tried to think this out, how to explain it, as they seemed unsatisfied with this answer.
Prince Joshua demanded, "There were no other schools for them?"
"Of course there were. All over the place-"
"Then why risk starving their children or being evicted. This makes no sense!" Prince Keith must have been more or less filled in about my 'speech'. "This shows a lack of education in budgeting."
"This school," I ignored Prince Keith and Prince Joshua, glad that the other Princes had remained quiet and were happy to listen, "-was the best public school in the country. It even rivalled several of the private schools for richer children and it was well known that some richer families preferred this public school because of that."
"Aren't public schools all the same?" Wilifred asked.
"Apparently not." I wasn't sure why there was a difference. "I'm not an expert in funding, just from what I experienced, but when my mother took me around searching for a good high school, they were all different. Some of them had out dated equipment, or the teachers weren't as good, or they wouldn't have as many classes or experiences, where as others with more funding tended to have state of the art equipment or great classrooms, great teachers, that kind of thing. That's why so many families would move into the zone designated for this city high school- it was the very best and they thought that if they could hold out financially for a few years, go without whatever they had to, their children would get the best education and the best chance at getting into University."
Prince Glenn spoke up, voice lower, clearly thinking on this, "And there's no opportunity for them to attend this school from further away, outside the school zone?"
"I think there must have been. But if you didn't live local the government didn't pay for part of your tuition, making it much more expensive, and they'd be just as badly off. Only the teenagers might be travelling for up to two hours a day to get to school and that'd cut away their time at home to study, so..." I hesitated. "I guess for them, and for us, living near the school meant we could save a little more money, spend more time at home, and if someone struggled... well, we tended to help each other."
"I see."
I wasn't sure I'd explained it all that well but at least they seemed to understand, they all were taking notes, and I shifted, self concious about this. It might seem strange to you but for us it was the same old story. Families renting in the area just so their kids could attend the best school. Mum and the other parents used to joke about it being a 'five year diet' because they'd really go without everything. Public transport was good enough in the area for the parents and family to avoid cars, so less fuel was used, it was normal to buy from the second hand stores, and they'd eat less..."
"And loose weight."
"Exactly."
"That explains the poor heath figures for lower income families." Prince Joshua was gazing at a graph,pushing it aside, frowning. "I imagine they would have preferred to live in an area with lower rent costs should there have been an adequate school."
"Well, the teenagers never missed out on food, just the adults. Us teenagers rarely ate good stuff anyway. But ...probably, yeah. The other schools weren't bad... but..."
"Naturally they decided to give their children the very best." Prince Keith muttered. "At expense to themselves."
"So ensuring that every public school meets a specific standard..."
They had gone quiet all of a sudden and I sat there watching them. They were taking it seriously.
"Then fines for not meeting those standards..." Prince Keith muttered. "Or closure if they refuse to comply."
"Wouldn't work! You'd just make the problem worse, force schools to close, and more students having to crowd into other schools." I exclaimed.
"Explain?"
"Well..." I sighed and tried to think. I really felt hungover and sick. "The issue is also funding. If a public school has less funds from a government, they have less money to spend on improving their schools, and can hire less teachers. When you have too many kids in one class and the teacher's overwhelmed, or if the school's too crowded, of course things are going to get worse. If you start fining them for that, if schools have to close, then suddenly there's several hundred kids having to crowd into nearby schools, and once again. It's too crowded, not enough equipment, not enough teachers, and we're back to the same problem as before."
"I see what she's saying." Prince Edward said softly. He frowned. "Is a smaller class size preferable?"
"Sure, if the school can have enough teachers. The good school I went to, that city school, they had hired enough teachers and had the facilities to ensure that we had only about fifteen students per teacher ratio. But the other schools we visited, it wasn't unusual for there to be up to thirty students per teacher. Sometimes more."
"Of course. The level of education and guidance would drop, equipment overused, a teacher overworked." Prince Glenn seemed to get it before the others. I wondered when he'd finished high school... couldn't have been long ago. If he'd ever even attended. "Such an environment would make for very low rates of satisfactory results."
"I think that's enough to consider." Prince Joshua decided. He was still writing though, his eyes on paperwork, clearly dedicated to this problem.
It was kind of touching, actually.
"Why are we discussing schools anyway?" I felt sick, shutting my eyes a moment, frustrated. Hadn't they ever felt this bad?
"Are you all right?" Edward asked softly, leaning closer, a hand finding my arm. "You seem very pale this morning."
"I must not be as good with alcohol as your Highnesses." I admitted and smiled weakly. "But I am fine. It'll pass."
"We have to work." Prince Joshua muttered. "Why wouldn't we ask such a question?"
"Education may be one way to improve feelings towards Royal Families." Edward explained as he patted my hand. "It may seem strange but given the delicate situation in each nation- we are genuinely grateful for your insight."
"Drink water." Roberto, for the first time all day, spoke up. His eyes were a little bloodshot as he pushed a glass of water at me. It was half empty. Had he already been drinking from it?
"Roberto, you should not offer a lady something you've already half used. Here." Edward elegantly poured me a glass of my own.
I found myself being stared at by them both, Roberto shoving his half drunk water at me, and Edward offering his with a gentle smile, Roberto shoving his a little closer to me... and it was close to being tested. Huh. This was... this was a little awkward.
"Enough. The poor woman." Wilifred shook his head as he took both glasses. "You're too sick for this today."
"Probably." What he meant by 'this', I wasn't quite sure, but I was relieved that he was at least on the 'leave the hungover woman alone' side. I sighed, rubbing my forehead, wishing I hadn't drunk so much last night. Everything was still hazy.
"At least you didn't reach the level of Roberto last night." Wilifred added, his eyes going across the table to Roberto, who frowned.
"I wasn't so bad!"
"You ran into the lilac grove and started to undress yourself." Prince Keith glared at him. "I did not organise that party last night for your dates just so that I could get an eyeful of your royal behind. If you do such a thing again I will not search for you- I will leave you cold and naked until the morning."
"I had to … run. There were ladies present!" Roberto protested. His eyes met mine and he looked flustered, crossing his arms, adding, "Phia was present."
"You stripped?" I blinked. That I hadn't heard. Or had I? Last night was a bit fuzzy. "Wait. Were you running around naked?"
"It was warm last night, so I took off my jacket, and my tie, and then undid a few buttons... and I … I was feeling restricted. Alberto started to chase and I... it was a natural reaction!" Roberto resembled a tomato with hair now, and stood up, adding, "I don't need to explain! Running made me warmer I... I... clothes weren't comfortable..."
"Drank too much." Prince Joshua finished for him. He fiddled with a pen, restless, gazing down at the notes he'd taken.
"Not the first time." Prince Keith added.
"Not the first time you've run either." Wilifred added. He seemed amused and added, "And you're causing poor Sophia to blush."
"Well. I need... to lie down. I drank too much myself." I used the best excuse I could to escape. Oh god. He was. I'd pictured Roberto running stark naked through the gardens and I was red. I turned, careful on my crutches, nearly slipping over as I left with as much dignity as possible.
It probably looked like I was running for it. Oh well.
"Sophia."
Oh. Prince Keith. I heard him and paused, hesitating, wondering if I should pretend I hadn't heard. But when he called again, impatient, I sighed.
"Hi. Sorry. I thought you were done." I tried to smile as I re-entered the room and settled back down.
"Of course. The casual banter was not necessary." Prince Keith shot Roberto a look who held up his hands.
"Wasn't me."
"It wa-"
"Anyway." Prince Glenn cut over Keith, sitting up straighter, and gazed at me. "This is about your Father."
Oh. I should have been expecting this. "Yeah?"
"You will need to walk and grow strong." Prince Glenn gazed at my leg through the table. "I think it may be important."
"I thought we agreed she woul-" Roberto started but Glenn cut him off.
"That's not important. In a week we'll explain to you our decision." Glenn met my eyes.
I had the sudden feeling that I really might need to get involved more than I'd thought I would. "Um. Okay. I'll have to go for a walk more often then."
"Exactly." Prince Keith spoke up. "In fact- I'm going to allow you to explore Liberty a little more. There will be tours arranged for you to assist your energy being returned to norma-"
"No!" We all jumped as Roberto suddenly stood up, his face red with angry, a hand grabbing onto my shoulder. "I voted no. You're not using her."
"Using me?" I stared at Roberto but he'd suddenly pushed my chair backwards, wheels skidding, knocking my crutches over as he more or less planter himself between me and the others. It took no more than three seconds to get it. Bait. They were hoping to lure more people out. My half-brother had been killed before they'd had a moment to question him. "I'm bait. For the next week. That's it, isn't it?"
"No, because I voted no." Roberto looked like he was about ready to shove me right out of the door on that wheely chair. His breathing was fast all of a sudden. "You throw Phia at those women, you nearly drop her down a hill, get her drunk, flirt with her, get her called all kinds of unflattering names, but... but …"
"Roberto-" Wilifred stood up, slowly, voice very calm. "The rest of us voted yes."
"I have no intention of allowing this woman, the closest link to that man we have, of vanishing from our protection." Prince Keith narrowed his eyes. "It will happen."
Roberto shook his head. He was shaking, I realised with shock, his arm literally trembling as he stood there. "I … am not going to allow that. Not even if you tied me-"
"This is not worth my time." Prince Joshua muttered. He scowled at us, arms crossed, impatient. "Why are we even going to pretend? I have work to do. This game has to end."
"Joshua..." Edward warned softly. "You agreed."
"No, I didn't. It's not amusing." Prince Joshua stood up. "Roberto. You're feeling romantic attachment for Sophia. Sophia. You're romantically attracted to Roberto. If you're going to enjoy a romance behind his marriage, I don't care, but please stop using our precious time to play this game. I have work to do. Hurry up and kiss...or whatever it is romantic couples do to arrange such a thing."
Roberto froze. I froze as well, stunned at Prince Joshua's bluntness, as he vanished out a side door.
Glenn sighed, Edward sighed, Wilifred flopped back down, and Keith threw up his hands.
"Game up." Wilifred seemed genuinely disappointed, if a little amused, as Prince Joshua stormed out of the room. "Thanks, Josh."
"That was fun while it lasted." Edward agreed. He winked at me, clearly amused, adding, "I'm surprised by Prince Joshua's bluntness."
"Time to leave them alone."
They all left, one after another, leaving the two of us alone in the room together.
"...romant...tic?" Roberto breathed out. He'd gone stuff, his back still to me, and didn't move even after the door had shut behind them.
My entire body was shaking too, face flustered, because... they were right. Roberto wasn't a friend. I wanted to do more than cuddle. It was obvious, it always had been, but … but I wasn't sure I was happy that I had to face it like this. Or the reality of it.
A romance behind his marriage.
I wasn't going to do that. I … even if he was interested. Was I? That was even if he'd … even if he …
"Roberto, I... I..."
"Is it true?"
Why did his voice sound so … harsh? I should have felt happy. Right? I'd just realised I was in love with someone. This was a good moment. I was supposed to be skipping through daisies. All I could think about was those times we'd laughed, and snuggled, and teased each other, the times I'd been unable to resist touching him, or when I'd wanted to kiss the daylights out of him, or...
"I guess so." I admitted. I felt sick and this time it wasn't related to the hangover.
Before I could say anything else, like 'just kidding', or a joke, teasing, whatever, Roberto had snapped, "Why do you have to ruin it?" and he left. He didn't even turn around. He just stormed out the door and left me there, a good metre from my crutches, the heavy silence crushing everything I'd kept there for a chance that it was returned.
Ruin it? Our friendship? Had I?
Once I'd gotten my hands on the crutches I made my way as quickly to the room, head down, breathing in and out deep in an attempt to stay in control of myself. It felt like Prince Joshua had just whacked me in the chest with a bat, my heart hurt, and now that I understood why, I couldn't even pretend to be happy with it.
I passed by those women, one of them throwing a snarky comment about … I didn't know, ugly hair, or shoes, or something, I didn't really notice, and instead of ignore her, I snapped. The crutch whacked into the back of her legs, knocking her right over on her stupid high heeled butt, and she screeched about lawyers, suing, and all kinds of things.
Prince Keith appeared within seconds, demanding to know what had happened, and rather than stick around … I hobbled off.
If my luck got any worse than that'd be the woman Roberto would marry.
I had to keep moving for my room as the urge to smack her rose again. Urgh. I felt sick.
When I got back I found a note on my door.
'Sophia-
The first tour is at six tonight. Please dress appropriately.
Prince Keith.'
So he wasn't kidding about that. What he meant by 'appropriately' I had no clue but I was sure, like always, the maids would have some idea. Maybe they could even tell me where I was going to act as bait.
I sighed, tugged the note off, and went inside. At least he'd given me the rest of the day off to sleep off this hangover and pretend that Roberto hadn't rejected me. Between crying.
Ruined it.