Suddenly Princess

Chapter 28 - Princess Stress

By the time we arrive in Chirnova it’s almost four in the morning. Needless to say, I was pissed off when I was woken up and dragged off the plane—with ten guards surrounding me.

My escort was bigger than usual—five cars; two in front and three behind… and motorcycles on either side of my car. It’s unnerving.

I’m relieved when Kassy and I are finally back in my suite.

“Okay, well you can get some rest if you like,” she says as the maids, Katia and Jane hurry in to unpack my bags. I give her a grateful smile and flop back onto the bed. I don’t even bother to change or dismiss Katia and Jane. I’m passed out in a matter of seconds.

When I wake up, I’m greeted by Kassy again. The grimace on her face tells me she has bad news.

“There were two more bombings while you were sleeping, Your Highness.”

“Where? When? And how many times do I have to tell you; please call me Anna?” I ask, groggily getting out of bed and walking towards the bathroom.

“Anna,” she says, making me whirl around ungracefully. My eyebrows crease when I see the tears rimming her eyes. She says, “The second bomb that was detonated here destroyed the statue of your father in Regency Square. It killed ten people—injured over thirty others.”

My eyes widen, my jaw hangs loose and my body feels glued in place. I try to process the words as maids rush in, making my bed. A flurry of movement envelops me as Garret, Bryant and Val enter.

“The Prime Minister is waiting for you in the dining hall,” Kassy says, wiping away one stray tear. “You’ll be hosting a news conference with him later today—and we’re trying to arrange a visit to the bomb sites within the next week.”

With that, she scurries off, leaving me to deal with my three little Musketeers.

I mumble, “Someone blew up my dad…”

I’m surprisingly calm about it. Well, that is until the press mentions it to me. Whenever those damn reporters question me about my parents it pisses me off. Ben says they’re all just waiting to see who can get me to cry and tell a sob story first. Well, I’m not going to let them have their crying and sobbing. I’m going to be a stubborn bitch.

Garret digs through one of the wardrobes. Bryant sets up his hair products on the vanity, while Val does the same with her makeup kits. None of them look like they want to say much of anything; solemn grimaces are all I see on their faces. So, I head into the bathroom to shower.

Even though, as I’ve learned, it’s not a very private place for a Princess—since my prep team is constantly scurrying in and out—I still manage to have ten minutes of peace and quiet… before Garret is yelling at me to get out or I’ll be running late. He’s lucky I’m normal and not some over-privileged society girl or else he’d be fired by now.

Once they’re done doing my hair and makeup I slip into a casual pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a purple v-neck. I tug on a black blazer and that’s about it. Though, I do request to wear my mother’s cross and bracelet.

It’s chaos in the dining hall. I look up from my phone to see advisors rushing around Chuck like bees to a hive. When he sees me he waves me over. However, I have to stop for a moment as his assistants pause to curtsey and bow.

I sigh and whisper, “Carry on.” They do. I still can’t believe people actually still do that. It’s quite annoying having to tell people when they can leave the room; when they can sit blah, blah, blah.

“I just thought you would like to be filled in,” he says over the chattering of secretaries and publicists.

I nod, “I heard there was another bombing.”