14th ♕

"Namaste. Welcome to our first yoga class, Princess." Jack slightly bowed his head, hands pressed together. The tone of his voice had changed as well. He was slightly whispering, partly mumbling, and altogether calm.

"Namaste." I did the same, my palms touching as I pulled my thumbs closer to my chest. Adjusting my fitted top, I cleared my throat. I could do this. I could be calm while wearing tight leggings and sleeveless shirt. If only I didn't mention it to Lenora that Jack would be teaching me yoga this morning, I might have ended up with a more comfortable pair of clothing.

"First, we will do exercises for lengthening your lower spine. Lie down on your back, Princess," Jack instructed me.

"Okay," I replied.

"Slowly, Princess," Jack told me. "The purpose of this exercise is for relaxation."

Like what I needed. "And endurance."

"And endurance," Jack agreed, reluctantly.

I needed a thick spine and all for everything that was bound to happen from this day on. Starting last Tuesday, my life was going on a rollercoaster. Each turn was gut tormenting. Each stop was earth shaking. Each green light was breath impeding.

And I never liked rollercoaster in the first place. Why waste your energy and freak yourself out by riding one? Trouble was all there was. But it was trouble everyone's fascinated with.

Right.

Back to yoga.

"We will reduce the tension from your back. Close your eyes, feet apart, hands facing upward, and then breathe deeply. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Breathe very deeply. When you exhale, feel your body relax. When you inhale, feel the energy coming in. Exhale, release. Inhale, gain energy."

I'd probably never get over Jack being the yoga guru. From a guy who stood six feet and three inches tall, with defined body contour, was actually part of the royal entourage, and who'd easily knock over someone with a swing of his fist, this was beyond first impression.

I focused on relaxingly breathing. I didn't dare lose one set. It might ruin this whole thing. I never had that much time to spare for yoga, much less give away sleep.

Inhale. Exhale.

Energy. Release.

The soft music coming from Jack's phone was tranquil, and it made my body relax instantly. Up to the next second, wherein I remembered Jack's gift. And the picture.

Yoga. I should go back to yoga.

Inhale. Exhale. Why didn't I try this before?

Well, the obvious reasons were money issues and lack of knowledge about such existence of relaxation procedures. I was now aware why Jack was so calm and composed. I could hear the birds chirping from afar. A soft wind swept across from where we were, i.e. the fourth floor terrace. The sun hadn't came up that fully. I could almost feel its heat on my face, like an awful lot of energy coming at me.

"Feel the floor beneath you. Enjoy the relaxation, joy, and happiness," Jack continued saying.

"Joy and... happiness."

"George?" a voice called out, disrupting my forthcoming relaxed mind and body.

I slowly opened my eyes. "Yeah?"

"Good morning. You're also into yoga, no?" It was Art, of course. He was holding the morning papers in one hand; the other one held a cup of coffee. We should have had avoided the fourth floor, where his room was located. Why didn't I think of the backyard lawn?

"Good morning, Your Highness," Jack greeted him.

"Hi," I muttered, hastily getting up from the floor and adjusting the way my clothes eagerly hugged my torso.

"Mind if I join?" Art asked, sipping coffee.

Obviously, yes. I would definitely mind.

"Maybe some other day, Your Highness. It's almost six o'clock. Breakfast will be served soon, and I believe you two should get ready," Jack told him. Jack was such a nice person for knowing beforehand. How could I even explain what was going on with me to Art? To the person who had flipped my plans upside down.

"Tell me when's the next time," Art said, tucking the papers under his arm. "I'll head back to my room first. See you later, George."

"Sure," I replied. When Art was out of sight, I said to Jack, "Thanks for that."

"Anytime, Princess." Jack started wrapping his mat. "We should head down for breakfast."

"I wonder if they already got over the news," I muttered, as I was picking up my own mat.

"The First Royal Kiss," Jack said, turning the pages of his own newspaper while we were walking. "I can say that they haven't."

"Right. What did they say this time?" I asked.

Jack started reading, "The First Royal Kiss. The happy couple celebrated the start of their promising life together by sharing a kiss last Tuesday, down at the beach shore. Prince Arthur was the perfect gentleman, leaning down to give the soon-to-be princess a sweet kiss on the forehead. We cannot wait for what's in store for them. Wedding bells, perhaps?"

"They all got that from a kiss on the forehead?" I felt my heart beating out of sync. I'd never dare think of wedding bells.

"You're still young, Princess. I'm sure they won't put you in such situation yet," Jack kindly told me.

"You're right. I rest my case." I smiled, admitting defeat. Nobody did that nowadays, even if they happened to be betrothed by the kingdom. "Jack, my closet's still locked. Lenora took the key with her, afraid that I might ditch these clothes. I'm not sure this get-up is appropriate for breakfast with the most important people of this country."

"That is true, Princess. I'll see if I can do something about it." Jack entered my room, heading to where the locked closet was located. He sized up the opponent—the padlock. His muscles tensed as he held both ends of the chain. With one deep breath and a pull, the padlock helplessly fell to the floor.

"I'm so in awe on how you could do that and yoga." I eagerly clapped my hand in amazement. Jack only smiled. "It must have been amazing living a life like yours."

"I can't guarantee it's preferable. A man can get lonely at times. I'll let you pick your outfit, Princess. Make sure it's to die for." Jack knowingly smiled. "Ms. Lenora will have a say if not."

"And for breaking her padlock, I need to make up for it," I added, holding up a finger. "Do you happen to know how to fix this back, though?"

"I'm afraid not." Jack shook his head.

"Okay then, let's just figure that one out later. The closet looks fine to me."

"I'll be outside waiting, Princess," Jack told me.

So now, I was up to picking up something to wear for breakfast. People here actually dressed up for mealtime. I started to get homesick. I missed Mom no. 2. With her, breakfast was sitting with our hairs tied in a bun and a shirt that could easily be mistaken to be owned by my father instead.

At home, you also got by without a bodyguard leading you to the dining hall. Not that I disliked Jack, of course. He was one of my favorite human beings in the palace.

"Am I wearing the right thing?" I asked him.

"The dress is beautiful, Princess."

"Glad I didn't mess up. I seriously thought the colors looked off."

"Princess, you're wearing all black," he pointed out. "The shoes can be of any color."

"Hey, you're right. Lenora told me that."

"I overheard the whole thing," Jack added.

"It's the most uncomplicated dress in my closet. No wings, feathers, long trains, or anything." Spotting Hero coming straight to me, I excitedly shouted, "Hey!"

Hero happily greeted me, snuggling close. The other female workers in the palace always avoided him, mostly because Hero barked at them in a fierce way. I felt insulted whenever Hero did that, actually. I got those stares from them, as if questioning my true gender based on a dog's instinct. Seriously, I knew that my chest had already stopped growing right when I hit puberty, but they didn't have to act as if I had none at all.

"Hey there." Someone lightly bumped to my side.

"Yo." With Hero around, there would only be one person alongside him. Or the other way around. Of course, Hero was alongside Art.

"Bridge would be thrilled to hear a yo early in the morning," Art laughed.

"I haven't put on my princess-in-training attitude yet. She's not around..."

"Good morning." A person came out of the dining hall, holding her own cup of coffee. Her hair was still down, slightly dripping wet. In less than an hour, those golden strands would be tied up for sure.

"Good morning," I said to Bridge with a bright smile. See? Princess attitude on. "What a lovely day it is. I'm thrilled with everything we're going to do today. Productivity and great smile coming along."

"Don't start with me early in the morning, Georgiette." Bridge grimly smiled, instantly seeing through my mask. "This is going to be an all right day without your forged enthusiasm."

Art couldn't help but laugh.

There was that tinge of smile on Jack's lips.

"Let's get moving. Move faster, everyone," I said, entering the dining hall. As soon as I stepped inside, I finally composed myself.

King and Queen alert.

After brief greetings, breakfast was served. I had a cup of coffee first, nimbly biting my toasted bread. This Thursday, the only agenda I knew was the press conference. It was scheduled at two in the afternoon. There was plenty of time left in between.

"The First Royal Kiss," Bridge said in between bites.

I inhaled deeply.

"Not bad." Lenora joined us for breakfast today, so there was someone Bridge stood shoulder by shoulder with. Mostly, it involved matters about the girl they were preparing to be the next princess.

"How's the response?" the Queen asked.

I was faultily stabbing my bread. Could we not talk about this while Art and I were here? I'd never get used to this. The rest of the team always acted like Art and I weren't even in the room.

"Pretty good, Your Majesty," Lenora answered, sipping her coffee. "The crowd is just waiting to save the date."

Wedding bells, of course. Why would anyone miss that?

"The articles are good, I have to say. The two actually managed to pull out a stunt like that, as if exactly knowing what the crowd wanted," Bridge replied. They should blame Art. I didn't do anything. I hardly participated. Well, not that they knew when I had actually put in some effort. It was well-kept in an oath of secrecy.

"How did you two come up with that sunset kiss?" Famy bluntly asked, despite the people sitting on the table with us. They were special guests for breakfast, since the Queen had an appointment this morning. Breakfast was her only available time to get a briefing on how things were going regarding me being the princess-in-training.

The king raised an eyebrow, still reading the newspaper. He was smiling, a sign that he wasn't abhorred. Good. If his quizzical eyebrow raising was for what Famy had said or for what he had read, nobody knew.

"Anyone?" Famy asked again.

I lifted my head. "Were you talking to me?"

Famy nodded.

I kicked Art's leg. He was sitting on my right. He should answer that question.

"Ouch," I heard him slightly mutter.

"So?" Famy asked once more.

"Can we please not talk about it?" Art asked instead.

"I agree with that. Let's leave the rest of the story to them. They're giving away too much for the sake of everybody else. Why not let them keep the answer to that to themselves," the Queen intervened as well.

"Please stop asking useless question, Famy." Lenora glanced at Famy's direction. "I'm partly to be blamed for your behavior."

"Okay." Famy, almost instantly, composed a comeback smile. Too blameless. "I'm sorry, Your Highnesses."

"So, moving on," Bridge said. "We've got a press conference at two. You two can have some time for yourself this morning. I suggest not ruining anything. I highly expect good behavior. We've gone through so much trouble shifting the tide. Do not dare ruin it."

I caught Art's eyes, whispering, "Trouble."

He leaned in closer. "You asked for it, Princess."

When did I not these days?

"Oh, my gosh. They're so sweet." Famy couldn't help herself.

"We were just talking," I said in defense, appalled.

"And leaning," Lenora went along with the teasing.

"Stop harassing them. They did a solid kiss on the forehead. They're not ready for anything," Bridge figured out.

Ha. Ha.

"Oh, let me take care of the stray cat." Jack went across the room and randomly picked a stray cat that no one even noticed snuck inside the palace.

We all stared at Jack, as he took the cat out of the scene.

No one said a word about the kiss after that.

"Can I get out for a while?" I asked, as breakfast was nearing its end.

The King and Queen had already excused themselves a few minutes ago. Unlike us, they had a lot of things to do, with or without a kiss in the news. The dream team was all there was left in the dining hall. We had half a day to create a dubious working plan.

"Where?" Bridge asked right away.

"To the shelter. I'll be going with Jack," I told her.

"One won't be enough if Art's going as well," she answered.

"I'll go get her dress for this morning. Follow me, Famy." Lenora got up from the table, as well as Famy.

"I have something going on this morning." Art stood up on his feet, placing a hand on my right shoulder. If he could feel me catching breaths, I wouldn't know.

"Where?" Bridge held him back. "Why do you two always refuse to stay put and not do anything?"

"It's not that important. Hardly catch an attention or two," Art answered.

"You're just going to take a secret walk with Hero, aren't you?"

"I might meet a princess, who knows?" Art laughed, sneaking a glance at me.

"How many do you need?" I asked him back.

"One," he said, eyes fixed on mine.

Which was very sweet of him, I must admit.

"Oh... okay," I mumbled.

His warm hand pressed on my shoulder before he left. Maybe on that day, I'd miss this as well. Accepting things before they started was all I could do. Like the saying, you already got a foot out the door while everything was happening in front of your eyes.

I should never hold on, anyway. I better not dream. There was too much reality going on that happy ending was clearly obscured.

♔~♕

The trip to the shelter was uneventful, compared to my recent life. With a violet, oversized sweatshirt and jeans, I barely stood out. There was also the baseball cap that finished up the disguise. Jack and I, basically, looked like father and daughter strolling down the road.

"Pete?" I started calling for him. I had used the back door to get in. Abram had actually instructed me to use it if I was going to drop by, saying that his blood pressure spiked up whenever I'd brought a thousand people with my every visit.

I saw a few of my previous workmates, greeting them casually. And yes, Abram had also prohibited them from making a scene whenever they saw me.

Which was an absolute relief.

Everyone, well, except for Donna. "I love you so much, Princess!"

"Gee... thank you," I muttered in response, helping her pick up the bucket she had dropped in excitement. I was surprised that days and so later, she hadn't gotten over it.

"But since you're here in a secret visit. I won't tell a soul." Donna zipped up her lips.

"Thank you. I do mean it," I replied. "I mean, I'm hardly ready for a thousand spectators."

"Got it."

"Have you seen Pete?"

"He's with Dog," Donna said.

"Oh," I said, pondering, "I didn't see him there. I'll go back. Thanks."

"Anytime, Princess!" she shouted, deafeningly.

I waved a hand. "Sure, thanks."

"Pete?" I slowly walked to Dog's kennel, hopeful to locate my friend. I got all morning, so I wasn't in any form of a rush today.

For a change.

After a minute, well, I did locate him all right. Only that he was busy. Turning around—and feeling mischievous—I gave them some privacy. I was thinking of slipping away quietly, but Darcy noticed me standing near them.

With a mouthful of discomfort, she exclaimed, "George!"

Hiding a smile, I tried to look passive when I turned around. "What is it these days? Kissing festival?"

"I saw yours on the front page, though," Pete said, with Darcy blushing deeply beside him.

"Compared to a good friend walking right in the moment?"

"Uh-huh. This better be good." Pete sounded threatening. "Good enough reason for your barging in."

"Sorry for... um, you know, the distraction. Unlike yours, unfortunately, that was where our kiss had landed. Not too private, like always."

"Seeing the front page, it seemed like you liked it anyway," Pete casually teased me.

"Why? Because I didn't kill him while he was doing so?" I evenly said.

"Stop teasing her, Peter." Darcy placed her hand on his chest.

"Let me have a guess, Georgey," Pete said.

"About?"

"To why you're possibly here during your only free time. Lately, I could hardly talk to you without getting interrupted by a sudden emergency meeting or fancy dinner or make-up sessions."

"I'm just here to see my friends. Hello, guys," I replied, putting my hands inside the pockets my sweatshirt. With a laugh, I added, "You're just annoyed with me, Pete. I didn't know you were busy. I swear, I would have picked a better time instead."

"Very funny," Pete replied.

I stepped backward. "I'll head back. We'll talk some other day. You're clearly upset. And Darce, thanks for not dumping him."

"I've thought it over," Darce told me, a good old blush was steady on her face. "And I'm actually glad that I did. Happy for you as well."

"I know this will happen sooner or later," I said, shrugging. "My friend's kind of hard to resist. And I'll disappear right away. It was nice seeing you two and talking a bit."

"Hey, stay. We could talk," Pete tried calling me back.

"Yeah, right," I chortled.

"I'm serious."

"Next time," I replied, sneaking out of the shelter. They needed to be alone. New couples. Couldn't get enough of each other.

Jack unlocked the backdoor. "Were you going to ask them about Art?"

"Somewhat," I vaguely responded. Pete was the only person I could think of, who'd be remotely interested to tell me the truth. But seeing that he was having a good time with Darcy, I could wait.

"Your Highness," I heard Jack say to someone. He was the first one who got out of the backdoor, so I guessed a royalty was there. With no sirens or screaming fans, my bet would be Art.

And when I got out the door, Art was surely there, sitting on the curb. Hero was sniffing around. When Art was alone like this—conceptually—the entourage were scattered around the corner in a very strategic manner; they were also wearing casual clothes.

"You're absolutely a stalker." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm disappointed, Your Highness."

"I didn't know you were here." Art leaned back, his hands supporting his weight.

"Right."

"Care to join me?"

"What? Sitting down there? On the road? With the risk of being spotted and getting mobbed?"

"You saw up to that?"

"It's my mind functioning normally," I said, sitting down anyhow.

We sat there, for several minutes. Surprisingly, nobody found us in this almost barren road. There was this one guy who was riding a bike, but he didn't recognize us, either.