"What the hell?" Rose howled, her hands slamming onto the coffee table. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "So, you're saying that my grandfather and the prince's grandfather arranged our marriage?" she repeated their words, her eyes sharp on them.

       "Yes, Miss Humphrey," one of the men replied. He was black haired, middle-aged and wasn't as tough as the other bodyguards. "That's what the late King George Larston's last will was; to see his grandson to marry his best friend's granddaughter..." he said, pausing for a moment before he gave a warm smile. "That’s you." 

         "Oh, God..." Rose stood up from the couch and circled around. She turned her eyes sharply, towards her parents and brother, who hadn’t stopped giggling and high five-ing each other when they heard the news. "Will you stop doing that?" she howled, hands on her hip.

        "I'm not going to marry him. Not for you, not for the King!" she made up her decision, which made her family gasp. Her mother tip toed towards her, and placed her hands on her shoulders. She gestured her towards a corner. 

            "What are you talking about, Rose?" she whispered as slow as she could, so that the bodyguards wouldn’t hear them. "This is the chance to change our lives! If you agree, you will become a princess! Isn't that what you wanted?" Jen Humphrey exclaimed, her hands wrapping around her daughter's shoulders.

        Rose frowned. She never thought that her mom would do this to her; selling her own daughter!

      "That was when I was nine years old! Mom, I can't believe that you're into this!" she screamed out loud. Mrs Humphrey gasped and covered Rose's mouth using her hand. They turned themselves towards the crowd and realized that they were staring at them. "Everything's alright!" she lied. 

          "Have some tea, Mr Jameson," Tom Humphrey offered him some tea, to distract him from looking at the pair of mother and daughter. The man nodded and took the cup from his hand. "KEEP QUIET!" he mouthed at them as Mr Jameson was busy sipping his tea. He then faked a smile, pretending like nothing happened behind him. 

          "Darling, please. You know that we're desperate right now. We have to vacate the house if we don't have the money to pay the bills. And the shop is doing awful since teenagers like ice-creams more than sandwiches!" Mrs Humphrey pleaded. She held her hand, "You've said that we'll figure something out. This is it, Rose. This is something."

            Rose looked down. She didn't have the heart to say no to her mother but this, this was way too big. To get married at the age of 19 is a big deal. It would destroy her dream to become a ballet dancer and get into London School of Ballet. The place where she had been dreaming to go since she was just a kid. That was her ultimate life dream. And now, she had to let go of everything?

           "Please, Rose. Do it for us," her mother beseeched.

           Rose lifted her head and looked at her mother. 'Why me?' she kept repeating these words, whispering to herself. 

           She motioned toward the couch and took her seat. Tom inched closer to her and her mother joined them, sitting at the other side of the couch, sandwiching on it.

            Now, Rose was stuck in between her parents, that kept staring at her, waiting for her answer. She even thought that her parents were more excited than the man called Mr Jameson, who embraced himself as the King's most trusted confidante.  

             She brought her hand together, and cleared her throat, "The thing is, I need some time," she spoke. "I need to think, Mr Jameson. This whole thing... Its..."

             Mr Jameson smiled. "Very well, Miss Humphrey. We'll give you a few days to think about this," he tolerated. "But, the Queen and the former Queen want to meet you. They want to know who is the lucky girl that has been chosen to become the Prince's wife,"

                Rose gasped. 'What? The Queen wants to meet me? What do they want from me? Are they going to kill me because of my grandfather?' she thought to herself and started to sweat.

                 Mr Jameson realized that she was starting to panic. "Don't worry, Miss Humphrey. They just want to meet you and get to know you better. That's all," he assured. 

           "Oh, okay then," Rose said, still panicking. She cleared her throat again. "When?" she asked and hoping that it would be next week or even next month.

            The man smiled (he never stopped smiling) "How about this Wednesday?" he suggested. 

          Rose sighed. 'This Wednesday? The next day after tomorrow? Are they nuts?' she thought. She pulled a deep breath, "I'm sorry but I have a ballet class on that day," she said apologetically (which she was not) and continued, "But I'm free on Friday."

            "Very well then," Mr Jameson said as he rose to his feet. He stretched a hand out to Tom and he shook it. "I'd better get going," he grinned and then turned himself to face Rose. "May I have a private talk with you, Miss Humphrey?" he asked.

         Rose glanced at her parents awkwardly. "Sure," she said slowly and escorted the three men in tuxedos to the front door. She turned the doorknob for them, and followed Mr Jameson to his limo that was parked in the driveway. 

         "Miss Humphrey," he started when they reached his limo. "They're something that you have to know. I'm a good friend of the late King, well, he trusted me and I'm sure that all this happened for a reason. I hope that you will make the right decision," he said, sounded a little beseeched. "And if you marry Prince Seth, the Royal Family has promised to help your family’s financial problems. This house will be yours forever," he said raising his hands up in the air. 

         "I need time," Rose said. "This is just too big," he cupped her hands on her face. Mr Jameson nodded, understanding her situation. One of the bodyguards opened the car door for him and he climbed into it.

          But before he could shut the door, Rose stopped him. "Wait. I have a question," she said eventually.

          Mr Jameson looked at her tentatively and waited.

          "So, does Prince Seth know about all this? This whole marriage thing?" she asked out of curiosity. She wondered how he would react and did he agree on this. Mr Jameson didn't say anything for a second before he said, "I'm sure he'll be informed, Miss Humphrey. Nothing to worry about." he grinned.

       "Okay," Rose said slowly as Mr Jameson shut the limo's door closed. Seconds later, the limo drove away from there, leaving the stunned Rose alone, in the dark. 

~~

         "I'm 19, mother! 19! How can I get married at nineteen and I still go to school!" Seth ranted as his parents told him that he must marry a unknown girl. He got up to his feet and looked away from his parents. "Plus, I don't even know who is she? She could be a whore or stupid..."

            "Watch your mouth Seth," Queen Carla snapped. "You're talking to your parents. Where are your manners?" she had never seen Seth this angry. He had always been an obedient and young gentleman.

       Being the Crown Prince and now have to marry someone he never knew, must have stressed him. As a mother, she wanted the best for him. Seth turned himself to his mother and frowned. "Manners? Mother, do you think I could still have my manners now that I'm being forced into some stupid marriage?"

         "Seth!" his father thundered. "Watch your mouth, young man or you'll be punished!" he warned and got up to his feet. "She is your grandfather's best friend's granddaughter and for what I've known, she is a fine lady. Good grades and manners."

            Seth snorted. "Still, you've never met her, father." Seth turned himself to face his father. "I'm sorry but this is just way too big for me father. I'm still 19, I want to graduate first before actually thinking about marriage," he said and looked away, to the window.

          King Edward motioned closer towards his only son. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Seth, I know this is big. But this is your grandfather's final wish. He wanted you to get married to this girl. Do it for his sake, Prince Seth." he begged.

           Seth shrugged. He never wanted all this. He never wanted to become the Crown Prince. Seth flipped his shoulder, walked away from his father and stormed out of the meeting room, without even saying good night to his Queen and King.

~~

            The next morning, her cell phone rang again - and like always she would press the snooze button. Only that this morning, she didn't even want to go back to sleep or pull her cover and use her pillow to cover her ears. Her eyes refused to shut since last night.

             She climbed out from her bed and dragged herself out from her bedroom. The moment she opened her bedroom door, she jumped.

                Her older brother, Jace was standing in front of her bedroom, wearing a big broad smile. "Good morning, Princess Rose!" He chirped and pulled her for a hug.

             Rose sighed; he must have known from her parents or her stupid little brother. Jace hugged her so tightly until she couldn't even breathe.

          "Oops, sorry. Got over-excited!" Jace said as he let her go. "Mom's making a special breakfast for you! Chocolate-chips pancakes with extra chips, scrambled eggs, tuna sandwiches and some waffles with marshmallow toppings! Your favorites!" he let out the good news.

           Rose who was still delirious, ignored his word. Jace then pinched both her cheeks, "I'm so proud of you, little sister! You're a future queen!" he squealed.

          "Stop it!" Rose whined and got his hands off her face. "I've never said that I'll marry him Jace, so don't be so excited," she said, pushing him out of her way. She descended the stairs and shuffled toward the kitchen.

           "Wait!" Jace stopped her from walking. "What do you mean? Are you crazy, Rose? This is huge!" he said and his mouth widened at the word huge.

            "I know but I just don't care," Rose said, rolling her eyes and pushing him again. She walked through the hall, into the kitchen.

         Everyone was there. Her little brother and her parents; and Jace who hadn't given up to persuade her into the marriage. She slid into one of the empty chairs and was shocked to see the kitchen table. It was full with food; everything that Jace had mentioned were there, prepared especially for her.

            "Mom, why'd you cooked all this? I thought we were broke?" she frowned.

           Her mother slipped into a chair beside her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Anything for the princess, isn't it?" She chattered and glanced at her husband. Rose's father giggled and smiled at her. 

            "I can't believe this," Rose said, shaking her head.

            Jace took a seat opposite to her. "Think about it Rose. You can have everything you want! Anything!" Jace said in awe, eyes looking up and his arms enlarged. "We could be rich!" he said in a evil villain tone.

           Ethan put down his video game, interested in his brother's words. "So you mean like everything? Even the new PSP?!" Ethan joined the conversation.

               Jace nodded and wrapped his arm around him, "Even the limited edition, baby!" he squealed and that made Ethan's eyes widen. "We'll rule the world," Jace screamed and they embraced each other.

         Rose slapped her forehead. Why did she have two dumb brothers? She sipped her milk and took a bite of her pancakes. She didn't feel like eating, after all that happened to her. She flew away from there and could still hear her brothers talking, about what will they do if they have all the money.

            Ethan wanted a new PSP, while Jace wanted a car. She looked down to her feet and felt sad that her brothers were so selfish. They only thought of themselves.

            The saddest case was, her parents were too. They agreed to the marriage proposal in a blink of an eye. Well, the fact that their house will be mortgaged soon must have made them think that way.

            After she had her shower, she slipped into her typical clothes - baby blue halter-top and blue denim skinny jeans. While other ballerinas in her school would be wearing skirts or dresses, Rose preferred denim jeans. (She was the only ballerina in school who wore pants)

            She grabbed her backpack from her bed and dashed out of her house. "Goodbye, Princess! Take care of yourself!" she heard her father shouting. She shook her head, and without turning back, she continued her walk to the bus stop.

           "What? Seriously?!" That is how Lily reacted when Rose told her everything that happened last night. Everyone was now staring at them as she screamed out loud. They were having their lunch in the cafe. But Rose still didn't have any appetite to eat.

           In front of her, on the tray; chicken salad with a drizzle of olive oil, a box of milk and a cup of strawberry yogurt on the side as dessert; still untouched. (In Maximillian, only healthy food was served - organics)

              Lily took both her hands into hers. "You're joking, right?" she smirked. Rose have guessed that it would be hard for her to believe this.

        "Why should I? I was hoping that this is just a nightmare! Those Men In Black of Prince Seth came to my house last night, along with the King's most trusted confidante," she told her.

            Lily's nose crinkled as she mentioned about Mr Jameson. "Before the King died, he told him his last wish, and guess what? His last wish was to see his grandson marry his best friend’s granddaughter!"

       "You?"

        "Exactly!" Rose gushed. "Stupid, isn't it? We're just 19 and we've never talked to each other. Yes, I know who he is but does he even notice me in school? I don't think so, Lily." she continued, with a sense of sarcasm.

            She took a deep breath and then took Lily's hand. "Slap me, Lily. Tell me that this is just a dream," she said, sounded lifeless. "The best part is my parents agreed and those faggot brothers of mine is thinking, what they want to buy when I got married to Seth,"

         "Oh, Rose," Lily drawled, squeezing her hand. "There must be another way," she continued, soothing her friend.

         Suddenly, Lily's back was tapped; Cassidy was standing behind her. "Hey, guys!" she chirped as she slid into an empty seat beside Lily.

          "Guess what? Prince Seth is in a bad mood today. He howled at a student who tried to take his photo and he'd never done that. He would always ignore them and let them take his photo, but today, he seemed different. He looked really troubled," she told them in a sad tone. 

         Rose and Lily exchanged looks. Prince Seth has been informed about the arranged marriage, she supposed. And he's clearly not happy with it - neither was Rose. Who would be, if they were forced into a marriage at the age of 19?

            As Prince Seth's number one fan (that's what she called herself) Cassidy would always be the first to know about his mood, his meals, his news and even when he went to the toilet. That's how obsessed Cassidy was about Prince Seth.

            Now, Rose just had another problem. How is she going to tell her best friend that she is going to get married to her prince charming? Rose cleared her throat. "Really?" she blurted. "Does he really look that angry?"

         "Very," Cassidy assured. "He always looked moody but this time, it's different. He didn't even greet his friends when he walked toward them. He just slammed himself onto his chair, put on his headphone and ignored everyone," she told them.

        Rose gulped.

        Is the Prince really that angry? She couldn't imagine what would happen if they bumped into each other. Probably, he would kill her for ruining his life.

       Wait; does he know who his future bride is? Rose climbed out of her chair, pushed it in, "Hey, I gotta go," she said and skidded away from there. She couldn't look at Cassidy's face, she felt guilty towards her. 

        "What's wrong with her?" Cassidy asked as she took a cookie from Lily's plate. "She looks weird, the same as Prince Seth," she munched the cookie. "Guess that today's everyone bad day, isn't it?" she continued, her mouth full.

         Lily said nothing. She was thinking hard about her friend.

         She couldn't imagine what would happen to her, if Rose agreed to the marriage. She always knew that Rose wanted to be a successful ballerina. But she also knew about her family's financial problems. Most, was cost by her father who stays at home, while her mother works. Rose was lucky enough that she earned a scholarship to study here, in Maximillian. 

        Rose limped in the hallway, heading to her locker. "Sorry," she apologized as she bumped into a boy. She couldn't see anyone around her as she was thinking hard.

         She opened her locker, took out a book and beamed at a picture of a ballerina that she had patched on her locker since she got it.

          It was her dream. Ballet was everything to her. Hot tears started to fill in her eyes and one trailed down her cheek. She wiped it off, and continued ruffling her locker. She shut the locker and took a deep long breath. "Everything's are going to be alright," she whispered to herself.

        She continued her walk in the hallway and stopped at a coffee machine. She took out some coins from her wallet, slipped it into the hole and pressed the 'Black Coffee' button.

          The coffee was served after a few seconds. She never liked coffee, but when she was stressed, she loves to drink it. She sipped the coffee, her throat crinkled and burned - the thickness of the coffee enthralled her. 

          As Rose dragged herself through the hallway, she wasn't looking at her front. Suddenly, she bumped into another guy and the coffee spilled onto his shirt. She looked up, gasped and was shocked to see her future husband, frowning.

            She just spilled a cup of coffee onto the Crown Prince's shirt. "OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry!" she said apologetically and grabbed a tissue from her backpack. She wiped the coffee from his shirt and glanced at him. He was angry, she was sure.

          Seth pushed her hand from his chest and took the tissue from her hand, harshly. "Stop doing that! It won't come off," he bellowed, so Rose stopped and hid her hands behind her back.

        "I'm really sorry," her voice cracked, almost inaudible.

           Seth put his hands on his hip, "Do you know how much this shirt cost?" he asked, thundering every word. Rose shook her head and looked at what he was wearing. White cotton button down shirt, now, with a black coffee spot on the chest. 

     "Five hundred dollars," he said, leaning closer to Rose. She inched back a little as Seth was too close to her.

      'Oh shit! What I've done! Oh shit!' Rose cursed in her mind. 

         "I'll pay for it," Rose said, almost inaudible. She didn't even dare to look up at his freaking mad face. It was that scary.

        Seth snorted. "Yeah, like that's going to happen," he sneered. He pointed a finger to her nose, directly. "You..." his words trailed off.

          Rose closed her eyes, praying hard to herself.  'I'm so dead... I'm so dead...'

          Seth realized that he was wasting his time. Plus, this girl did look scared.

         'Good,' he thought to himself as he smirked. Seth shrugged and dashed away from there. He banged as hard as he could on Rose, as he walked pass her.

          "Ouch." Rose bellowed and rubbed her shoulder. She turned her back and saw Seth walking, like nothing had happened (the fact that he bumped hard into her) and kept rubbing on his black coffee spot on his shirt.

              'Bastard!' Rose mouthed slowly, watching Seth turned to a corner, vanishing from her sight. Rose clenched her fist. She has now realized that she is going to marry a brat.

            But then, now she knew, that Seth didn't know who his future bride would be. Would he be surprised when he found out his future wife is the one who spilled her coffee onto his Emporio Armani shirt? 

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