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          "I'm home," Rose murmured as she entered her house and closed the door behind her. She crawled into the living room, but stopped to pick an umbrella that fell off from its stand. It wasn't raining today, but why was it here?

           She realized that something wasn't right, so she barged into the living room; another big surprise. The living room was entirely different from the last time she saw it. It was trashed; crumpled papers, discs, magazines, files were scattered around. The big old red couch was turned upside down. Someone broke into her house, she knew it. 

        "No." she mouthed, dropping her backpack onto the hall floor, charging into the kitchen. As same as the living room, it was ruined. Broken cups and plates, tins and boxes scattered on the floor and the kitchen table; cabinet doors were left open.

         Something bad happened here. "Mom! Dad! Ethan! Jace!" She shouted to them, but no one replied. Then, Rose heard a voice a crying voice. "Mom," she recognized it and raced for the stairs.

       She pushed open her parents' bedroom door and found everyone there - her parents, Jace and Ethan. Her mother was crying on the bed, her arms wrapping her knees with her husband beside her, trying to calm her down.

         Jace and Ethan were sitting on the sofa bed, opposite to the bed, sulking and looking down. Rose crept toward the bed and sat on it. "What happened?" she asked in a worried tone. No one said a thing. She turned herself to her brothers. "Jace? Ethan?" she demanded.

       "The landlord came just now," Jace started. "Well, not just him. He came with two big men," he continued, hands at the back of his neck. "He said that, if we don't pay the rent by next week, we have to vacate the house. Told us that this is just a warning," he cleared his throat.

            Ethan looked down, didn't dare to add anything. Rose sighed. They hadn't been paying the rent for months. She cupped her face with both her hands, trying to think of something.

         "We'll sleep in the shop," her father croaked, his arm wrapping his wife. "It'll be alright guys," he said, obviously lying.

         Jace got up to his feet. "Nothing's going to be alright, dad!" he snarled. "We're doomed and you know it,"

           Tom looked down and realized that he is true. Rose inched closer to her brother, trying to calm him down. "Dad's right. We'll figure something out, Jace," she said, backing up her father.

             "Figure something out?" Jace sneered. "Rose, we've already had the solution. You have to marry that Prince and then we'll be fine!" he suggested.

             Rose gave a sharp look. "I can't believe that you're still thinking about it!" Rose shouted back, her voice cracked.

       Jace looked away from his sister, feeling guilty to her. It was not that he never cared about her, but they had no choice. They were desperate.

          "Jace, don't push her," Jen said, her throat dried because of her tears. "She doesn't want to. Let her make her own decision. She's old enough. We'll think of something else," she explained and Jace shrugged. Jen climbed out from her bed and hobbled to the door.

         "Now, let's clean up the mess," she said, her hand on the doorknob. She turned it and went out of the bedroom.

          Ethan jumped from the couch and followed his mother. Tom inched closer to Rose, who was still looking down. He put his hand on her chin and raised her face.

         "Don't worry, honey. We won't push you. I just want you to be happy," he said, smiling weakly. Jace snorted, and burst out from the bedroom.

          Rose looked at her dad, her eyes reddened. "But Jace's right. Where are we going to get the money?"

          "We'll think of something," Tom suggested, sniffed his nose. He tapped Rose's back. "Your mom gonna need help downstairs," he grinned and rose to his feet. He walked to the door and raised a hand to her.

           "I'll be there in a minute. You go first," Rose drawled and his father left her alone in the room.

        She sighed and wiped her tears. Why had all this happened to her? She pulled her hair up into a lopsided bun and went downstairs.

            She swept the broken glasses and plates from the kitchen floor while her mother was arranging the tins and boxes back into the cabinet. The boys were tidying the living room and other parts of the house. She threw the trash into the dustbin before she faced her mother.

           She pulled a deep breath. "I'll marry him, mom," she made a decision. Her mother pretended like she didn't hear her and arranged the cans onto the cabinet.

                "You don't have to if you don't want to Rose. You're not responsible for this," she said as she slides a can of beans into the cabinet.

           "No mom. I want to. I know how desperate we are and Jace was right. Maybe this is the solution," Rose sputtered. Jen closed the cabinet door and crawled to her only daughter. She put her hands onto her shoulders.

           "You're a good kid honey. Always were," she praised. "But I want you to be happy,"

           Rose shook her head, hot tears trailing down her cheeks. "I'll be happy if you're happy," Rose croaked. Her mother pulled her into her embrace.

           "Thank you," Jen said in tears as Rose shook her head.

~~

           It was Friday. The day where Rose would be having dinner with the Royal Family of Andorra at the castle. She was sitting in front of her dressing mirror, in her room with her mother behind her, doing her hair. Rose sighed as she saw her own reflection in the mirror.

          Her eyelashes had been curled, mascaras coating them; her lips were layered with thick red lipstick, and her body was covered with a strapless red dress; her mother's, and a white cardigan covering her shoulders.

           "Mom, can you just make it simple?" She pleaded as her mom braided her hair. 

          "Simple? You're meeting the Royal Family!" Jen squealed as she continued braiding her daughter’s hair. "Put these on," she pointed to the silver hoop earrings. Rose shrugged but approved of her mother's suggestion.

            "Done!" her mother chirped and put her hands on her shoulders.

           "You look beautiful!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on her cheek as she watched her daughter's reflection. Then, they heard a car pull up in the driveway. That must be her limo. Yes, her limo.

             She descended the stairs gracefully, careful not to wreck her dress or stumble because she was wearing four-inch heels (also her mother's). Tom opened the door and there, stood a man wearing a black tuxedo, ready to escort her to the dinner.

             "Miss Humphrey," he greeted, numb tone. He was still wearing a black shade even though it was 8 o'clock at night.

'             Sick,' Rose commented in her mind. She waved a goodbye at her parents and walked out of the house.

              "Have fun!" she heard Jace cheered for her.

             "Bring home some fancy food for us!" Ethan added. Rose turned to them and they were waving cheerfully and excitedly at her.

            The bodyguard opened the limo door for her and she climbed into it. "Wow," she said in awe when she got into the limo. It was huge; two times larger than his uncle's old Sedan. There were glasses of water; wine, she thought and a bowl full of popcorn.

           On her right, another bowl of candies and left, a stack of chocolates. 'Ethan and Jace would be jealous,' she thought as the bodyguard shut the door and the limo flew instantly from there.

            After about half an hour in the limo, Rose was bored. There were only a few chocolates left and the bowl of candies was half full. The limo finally came to a halt, and the door was opened once again.

            "We are here, Miss Humphrey. Welcome to the castle," the man welcomed her as she got out of the limo. In front of her, stood the official castle of the Royal Families of Andorra.

            Her mouth fell open as the castle was huge. It was almost 80 feet tall and painted in white, gold and some of the buildings in chocolate. It was beautiful - like the one she had seen in the Cinderella story book. 

             Rose rubbed her eyes, making sure that this wasn't a dream. The man showed her the way and escorted her to the Grand Hall. Gold and white wallpapers layered the wall; a large chandelier hung up on the ceiling and golden flowery vases lined up the hallway (everything was in gold).

            'This is where I'll be living!' she said to herself, in awe.

            They finally stopped walking when they reached a room; big oak doors in front of her. Her mouth was still open as she observed the castle.

            "Please wait inside the Banquet Hall," the bodyguard pushed the doors open for her. "The Royal Family will be here in a few," he said, still, sounded lifeless. She nodded and skated into the room.

             The Banquet Hall was huge - even larger than her house. Long tables were set in the middle of the room, another huge chandelier hung up on the ceiling; and roses lined up at the side.

          "Please have a seat, Miss Humphrey," a woman, wearing a maid suit welcomed her. She had pulled one of the chair for her and Rose slid into it.

        "Thank you," she murmured with a warm smile. The woman bowed down before left the room.

            Rose swung her legs back and forth; her hands were brought together as she was bored. It had  been more than half an hour of waiting. She looked at the table; 10 spoons, 5 forks and 2 knives lined in front of her-different sizes and shapes.

             She picked the spoons-middle-sized but then put it back to its place. She wondered which one she would have to use. Her hands holding the side of her face. 'I'm dead.'             

            The doors finally cracked open and she heard a trumpet sound. Rose stood up and straightened her dress.

         A man; broad-chested, pointed chin, fair skin and tall entered the room first; King Edward Larston. Following from behind, a middle aged woman, beautiful, brown hair and was wearing a flat pink long dress; Queen Carla Larston.

          The last person to walk into the room was an old lady wearing a bright yellow hat and smiling generously at her; Former Queen Meredith Larston.

           Rose rubbed her sweaty palms together. "What should I say?" she cursed in her mind before she bowed down like a princess, as it was the only thing that she could think of.

            "You must be, Miss Roseline Humphrey," the King greeted her and took his place at the middle of the table. He was smiling which made Rose felt a little relief. "Please, have a seat, young lady," he welcomed. The old lady smiled at her and slid into a chair.

          Rose smiled at her before she looked at Queen Carla. She wasn't wearing any smile, instead she was observing Rose carefully - every inch of her. She took a chair next to the Former Queen. Rose sat back in her chair after everyone was seated. 

              The King's eyes then set on the big old antique clock, hung on the wall opposite to him. It was almost nine o'clock. "Where's Prince Seth? He's supposed to be here by now," he asked and looked at his wife. Rose played with her thumb, under the table, looking down.

            "I'm sure he'll be here soon, your Highness," she said, smiling warmly. Queen Carla then turned her eyes to Rose. "Why don't you introduce yourself to us, Miss Humphrey?" she said, sounding slightly sarcastic. The others nodded as agreement.

          "Er-" Rose stuttered, eyes downcast. "My name is Rose Humphrey... Erm - full name is Roseline Jennifer Humphrey. I have two brothers - I'm the second in the family and I'm studying in Maximillian Art School," she gushed, looking up at the royals. Her fingers were trembling - her whole body was.

            A sweat trailed down on the side of her face. "Oh, Shit!" she said to herself as she saw the sweat.

            The former queen laughed at her. "Oh, dear, don't panic! We just want to know who you are," she grinned. Rose let out a small laugh and looked down.

               "Maximillian Art School?" King Edward repeated. "The same as Seth then. He took Filming course there, how about you?" he asked as the door creaked open again. Four maids, holding trays in their hand came in.

          They served the meals on the table;  loads of it. A lobster, salad dressings, a turkey with sauces on it, baked potatoes and some creamed spinach. Rose's eyes widened as she observed the food.

           The King cleared his throat.

            "Oh-sorry. Um... I'm taking ballet," she answered his question. "With scholarships help, of course," she said truthfully. She won't be lying about herself.

             The King nodded. "Dig in, my ladies," he said as he took one of the forks and knives and help himself with the lobster.

          The Queen and the Former Queen followed his footstep while Rose was puzzled. She observed the cutlery that they would pick. "Oh, that one!" she chattered to herself and took the similar fork and knife as they were.

           Queen Meredith saw what she was doing - she chuckled. 

            The doors swung open again and a handsome, young man walked into the Banquet Hall. He was wearing a smart white blazer; underneath it a pink shirt and he wore a light chocolate pants. Prince Seth entered the hall and startled the moment he saw Rose.

         "You?" he said, puzzled. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking at her sharply. He then turned his eyes to his parents and grandmother. "Don't tell me that she is the..."

             "So, you know each other?" King Edward asked, putting down his cutlery. Seth glared at his father, lifting his hands up. "No, she's the girl who spilled her coffee on my shirt," he explained. "Wait, she's the girl that grandpa asked me to marry?" he asked, crinkling his nose and frowning.

           King Edward nodded, lifting his cutlery once more. Seth's mouth fell open and cannot believe in what just he just heard. The clumsy little girl is his future wife?

              "Would you at least sit, Seth," Queen Carla said firmly. Rose looked down and was afraid to face him. She shouldn't have come, she shouldn't have agreed to this marriage.

             Seth sighed before he took his seat, beside Rose and placed the napkin on his lap. He looked at Rose, and admitted that she looked beautiful, different from the girl who spilled coffee on him. He shrugged off before he started eating his dinner.

            After they had finished their dinner, the maids served them some desserts; vanilla ice-creams with cherry toppings. The best vanilla ice-creams that Rose ever tasted. King Edward put down his spoon as he finished eating his dessert.

            "So, tell us more about yourself, Miss Humphrey," he asked.

           Rose dropped her spoon; Seth shook his head. "Er- me? Well, I love ballet.... And painting and cooking, I think," she stammered. S

            Seth raised an eyebrow, flicking his eyes to her. "You're into ballet?" he asked, sarcasm hitting every word.

           "Yes, Prince Seth," she answered, sounded annoyed. "Why'd you ask?"

           "Nothing," he said indifferently. "It's just that you don't have that ballerina's body," he let out and observed Rose, up and down.

           "Seth!" Queen Carla snapped. The others shook their heads and Rose clenched her fist, trying to calm down.

            "What? I'm just saying," he scooped his ice-creams, like he didn't say anything wrong. King Edward stared at his son before turning his eyes to Rose.

              "I'm sorry. He didn't mean it, Miss Humphrey. You are a beautiful young lady," Edward said apologetically, praising her. 

              Rose's cheeks reddened before she heard Seth snorted. "Stupid guy!" she cursed under her breath and her fists clenched. She had never met anyone as arrogant as him. She got an idea.

             She kicked his leg. "Ouch!" Seth groaned and looked under the table.

             "What's wrong, Seth?" Meredith asked him, full of concern. Seth rubbed his leg before he realized that Rose was grinning. "Did she just kick me?" he muttered in his mind. He wouldn’t let himself to be bullied by this clumsy girl.

           He kicked her leg as hard as he could. He scored.

          "Ouch!" Rose moaned, loud enough as her voice echoed. She rubbed her leg and glared at Seth, who was grinning broadly.

          "Is everything okay here, Seth? Miss Humphrey?" King Edward asked, in a weird tone, now that two people screamed. He looked under the table.

           "Anything interesting down here?" he asked, checking under the table. Queen Carla and Former Queen looked under it too. Rose pointed a finger to Seth's nose. "I didn't kick you that hard!" she grumbled.

         "Oh, really? I'm sorry then," Seth smirked. 

          "Nothing's down here," Queen Carla said as she straightened her body. The others nodded and stared at Rose.

           "Er-it was just a reflect. I got that quite a lot," Rose explained, smiling innocently. She frowned when she heard Seth laughed.

            "You'll pay for this, Prince Seth Larston!" she promised to herself. She wouldn’t let anyone bully her, especially not someone as bratty as he. 

              King Edward cleared his throat. "Before you go back to your home, Miss Humphrey, I have a question for both of you," he announced, sounded more serious than before. "First, I want you, Roseline, to answer it," he looked at Rose.

             She nodded.

            "Do you agree with this marriage?" he blurted out. Rose was silent for some moment. Seth was looking away; Queen Carla was looking sharply at her and Former Queen Meredith waited her answers patiently.

          " I ..." Rose started and paused, "Agree, your Majesty," she spat it out. Seth was shocked. He thought she wasn't going to agree. Queen Carla shut her eyes, disappointing while Meredith smiled warmly.

          "Very well then," he said, numbness tone and turned his eyes to his son. "And you, Seth. Do you agree on this?" he asked the same question.

            Seth looked away, he was going to say no but then, he remembered about his grandfather. How he had hoped him to be a great man and king, how he was hoping that he'll fulfil his dreams and how much he cared for him.

          He shut his eyes, pulling a long deep breath. "I'm in," he said instantly. Rose closed her eyes-disappointed. At least, if he rejected the marriage, she could use that as a reason for her parents. Not only Rose was disappointed; Queen Carla was too.

          "Then, it is settled," King Edward concluded. "The wedding will be held by the end of the month," he decided and looked at them both. "I'm happy that you both made the right decision. Your grandfathers would be proud of you," he smiled.

          But neither Rose nor Seth was wearing any warm smile, instead, they were looking down. Queen Carla was too.

            "I can't believe that you're finally getting married," Meredith squealed. She was happy that her husband's wish would come true.

            King Edward smiled at his mother before looking again at the big clock. "Now, it's almost midnight. You should get home by now," he said at Rose.

            Rose nodded and climbed out from the chair. "Thank you for the dinner, Your Highness," she thanked and bowed down. The King nodded; Queen Carla too, but she was looking away.

           "It was nice meeting you, sweetheart. Seth, send her to the limo," Queen Meredith said warmly, ordering Seth.

           He shrugged before he gave in with his grandmother. He slipped out from the chair and walked out of the Banquet Hall. "Good night." Rose wished and followed Seth from behind.

             As they walked in the hall, Seth suddenly stopped, turned himself facing Rose. She stopped walking, ready to listen to what he was going to say.

            "I don't know why you agreed but don't you think that I'll be nice to you, even though you’ll be my wife," he started, warningly. "I'm doing it for my grandfather and one day, when everything is forgotten," his word trailed off. "I'll divorce you,"

           Rose was shocked. They haven't got married, yet Seth is already planning to divorce her. What a great guy? Rose moved closer to him, their head almost bumped, "Listen here, pal. I'm doing it because of my family too, and don't you ever think that I like you because I don't. I hate you," she snapped.

          "I hate you too,"

           "And I don't care if you wanted to divorce me later or what. I just don't!" Rose continued and stormed away from there. She was so pissed until she couldn't even look at his face.

           "Hey, simpleton," she heard Seth's voice calling for her. Rose frowned and stopped walking. 

              "You're heading in the wrong way. The limo's over here," he said, pointing to a corner next to him. 

               "Damn it!" Rose cursed under her breath, turning back. She walked pass him and didn't even look at him. The driver opened the limo door for her and she burst into it.

           Through the tinted window of the limo, she saw Seth, his arms wrapped to his chest. Then the car flew away from there and Seth vanished from her sight. 

~~

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