The Princess Guard

Chapter Nine

The Past

"I've never spoke to anyone about this..except for my publicist and it's just..." the small brunette trailed off as I held my hand up.

"If you don't want to tell me you don't have to. My guard has said nothing, I only assumed you two know each other by how you reacted to seeing him." I spoke reassuringly and she nodded, biting her lip nervously.

"It's okay, really. I need to." She sighed, rubbing her hands together.

She looked off like she was reminiscing.

"I met him two years ago, in the Westard kingdom. I was visiting to expand my designer line to them. I had stopped in a coffee shop, not a lot of people there knew who I was. I wasn't really known back then yet." She smiled a little and I made a mental note of where my guard was from. It was rare for anyone to change kingdoms.

"He was sitting in the corner reading. He caught my eye instantly. He was charming and so..enchanting." She spoke dreamily and rested her chin on her hand.

"We talked for hours. I ended up extending my stay just to see him more, and the kingdom accepted my offer for their stores. I thought when he learned that I was up and coming he might change. But he didn't. Not for a second." She frowned and a guilty look crossed her face.

"We started dating, I got busy with my company and could only visit him so much. He handled the distance well enough, I did too.. until I didn't. I strayed. I strayed a lot. Almost every time I went somewhere new..we had been together for a year. He was always faithful to me. He always offered me help. He was perfect. Everything I didn't deserve.. I never came clean to him until he found out through the media. I always concealed my trips to Salem, so we wouldn't be pestered with the paparazzi. I never considered pictures of me leaving other boys houses in the morning would come out like they did, but it did."

My eyes widened slightly at her confession.

"I broke his heart. I chose my work over him, time after time. We started arguing. I told him he would never be able to catch up to me, that he wouldn't amount to much." Her voice died into a whisper, tears brimmed her eyes.

"I was so selfish. Yet all he did was honor me. So many times he could've taken the low road and he never did. My publicist tried to bribe him after we broke up, for fear he would let it all out and ruin my image. He turned the money down and that was the last time I had ever spoken to him or seen him. I was fighting with him about taking the money. I pleaded with him not to ruin my life. I'll never forget what he said 'I don't need the money to convince me not to tell everyone who you really are. I will not stoop to your level.'"
She sat up straight now and rubbed the corner of her eyes.

"Seeing him now was just so unexpected. You're in extremely good hands, Princess." She smiled at me a little, seeming to perk up.

"I feel better though, talking about it. It's in the past, and I guess it just pains me to think of how he must think of me. I really did love him." She stood up which I guess ended the conversation.

"We all make mistakes, it's learning from them that we have to do." I spoke quietly, wishing this would stop here.

I didn't have questions. I didn't want to know anymore than I did now. I didn't want to hear about their love or how she completely ruined such a good thing.