(Um... warnings for most of the previous chapters apply here. It's... bad.)

Lessons were now harder.

He had to learn economics and speech in order to learn how to be a proper ruler. Lizzie's tutor now taught him. He liked to be called Dr. A and would teach Jimmy about everything in the kingdom.

Dr. A used to be Grian's teacher. He had been by Grian's side every since he was a young kid. He had to learn early after all.

Jimmy grumbled under his breath as he scribbled down notes. He decided to take some outside of his usual 'class' so he could catch up to Lizzie's knowledge. You never know when something could go wrong. Especially with a life like his.

"Jimmy? Can I come in?" A knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," he groaned, resting his head on his messy desk. It had gotten worse over the past weeks. More and more cups and bowls had piled up, wrappers covered books and important papers lying about.

It made him sick.

The door opened and from the footsteps, it was his mother.

"Hey," she whispered, walking over softly. She rubbed his shoulder and hummed. "Are you alright?" Jimmy nodded his head, closing his eyes. He was so tired.

He felt slightly guilty however. He should be greeting his mother. She just arrived and wasn't staying for long. Instead, he was just sulking in his room alone.

She picked him up, slightly struggling but she managed it, putting him on his bed.

"How about you just go to sleep early? You look tired." She suggested, petting his hair. Jimmy nodded again, sluggishly getting under the covers.

Before he went to sleep, he heard the sound of a music disk in his record player. The one that Joel had gotten him for his birthday.

---

Waking up is always agonizing.

Jimmy stared up at the ceiling, trying to guess how much longer he could sleep. Twenty minutes? Five? Three hours? He didn't know.

He sighed, sitting up slowly. A headache pounded through his head. His legs swung over the side of the bed.

God, Jimmy really didn't want to get up.

He did however, hating the feeling of sleeping in his royal clothes. His usual silk night wear still were hanging on the edge of his chair. He could easily just change into them and get more sleep. He was hoping Dr. A could be lenient for the day.

Nodding, he made his choice. Standing up, he went over to his chair, groaning at the sway in his vision and the way his knees threatened to buckle. He wouldn't give in though.

Instead of going to his bathroom, he decided to change right there. He abandoned his day clothes and they pooled at his feet on the floor. His nightwear was cold in his back and it was almost relieving in the stuffy room. He sighed, feeling the soft fabrics lightly dancing across his scarred skin.

The music disc abruptly shut off.

Jimmy groaned again, cursing under his breath. He went over to his desk to reset it but with the silence, he could hear screaming in the hall.

The hall outside of his door was where the royal family 'lived' most of the time. All of their rooms lined one side of the hall while windows were on the other. Only personal servants, guards and the royal family were allowed and even then, nobody would be yelling if they wanted to stay in the hall.

Unless, it was one of the royals in the family.

Jimmy cracked his door open slightly, listening.

"He doesn't get to be so lazy, just sitting around the palace all day being pretty while I worked hard to get where I am!" Lizzie shouted, stomping her foot against the floor.

"He is having a hard time, he needs more breaks. He is working just as hard as you." His father calmly said, sounding hurt that Lizzie would even make accusations.

It was a delay before Jimmy realized they were talking about him.

"I worked for years and years! I'm the people's princess and he is just some nobody! The baby of the palace! The pride and joy just for existing! People flawk to see him, they love his concerts, they love everything about him! He hasn't worked a day in his life and he gets to treat everybody like crap!" Lizzie was sobbing now as she screamed. Jimmy could barely breathe. "He acts so entitled when nothing bad has EVER happened in his life! Nobody cares for some nobodies like Grian and I! That's the fucking truth why he ran away! He realized that you don't care about us and now, I'm STUCK in this palace for the rest of my life! Even if Jimmy becomes King, I'm stuck being his brain! He's stupid, he is incapable of everything! He doesn't know hardwork even if it hit him-"

A painful slap was echoed across the floors and ceiling.

Jimmy held his hands over his mouth, eyes wide with tears cascading down his cheeks. He was so shocked that Lizzie proved everything that he thought his seablings believed he was. They hated him. They did more work than him and they deserved everything good in his life.

He needed to be punished.

Jimmy shut his door before he could hear anything else, walking to his abandoned clothes on the floor. Taking the belt that was still stuck in the loops, he took it and cracked it. The sound was loud in the silent room.

He quickly went to the record player, turning it on to full volume.

To hide the sounds of a belt being cracked against his skin.

To hide the continued screaming as his father and sister argued about his life.

To hide the memories of past whippings that left him drowning in oceans of his own scarlet blood.

To hide the sound of children's laughter that echoed in the hall outside.

(Ouch)