I couldn't believe this.

The King was in love with my mom before they married separately. It was also his fault to unite my father and Lily. But I had thought to what he said to Nikolai. Maybe he was trying to get him to realize that it wasn't about the riches. It was about connection. Because he couldn't argue about the bond he had with my mom through the long friendship, because Blue was my longest companion and not in any romantic position.

Either way, I had been kept from so many things. First, the thought that Nikolai was a beast that turned every nightfall and now about my parents and the King's thoughts on the matter.

So I left the castle, making Kelly swear she never saw me leave. I left everything where I found it after crawling up the long slide. With no sign of the stranger in the west corridor, I grabbed my things from Nik's room. I made my way down the side of their roof and jumped into the backyard's patio to escape. I looked around after doing so and only saw the gray eyes of Logan Christophe before he smirked and hid his face with the curtains. So now I was lazily making my way downstairs to my room after walking all the way home.

"What is this?" I heard the twins ask, scaring me. I looked up to see them and Lily in my room in front of the fireplace. Lydia held up the altered dress from the ball. My eyes widened.

"I don't know," I lied.

"Oh really?" Lily asked.

"It was you who snuck out to the ball," Leticia accused.

"It's my senior year," I reasoned. "Haven't any of you realized that I've never been able to anything I wanted and it resulted in me having to sneak out?!"

"That's your own fault," Lydia said. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You're grounded," Lily said.

"For what?!"

"Sneaking out, pretending as if you are of higher class, theft, lying to royals," Lily listed.

"Oh. And being whore," Lydia added.

"Just because you're so desperate to get in bed with anyone of higher class, doesn't mean I am the same!" I yelled.

"Because you are unwanted," Leticia said with crossed arms. I narrowed me eyes even more at her.

"And you are grounded," Lily said once more. She started to walk out with the girls trailing her.

"I'm grounded? That will surely be lifted when one of you needs something from town and are to damn lazy to get it yourself!" I yelled after them. Lily turned around and rose her chin.

"Not only are you grounded, but you're confined to this very room," she added.

"That's been my life for the past six years. Why would it change now?" I snorted.

"Because now, I can declare you from not seeing Prince Nikolai," she said. The twins snickered before racing up the stairs.

"You cannot—"

"I can so," she interrupted. "You're not to see Prince Nikolai, or even speak to him. Any association will come back to me. And I don't think your mother or father will be too happy about it."

That translated into: "If you're seen with him, I'll be sure to destroy something—maybe everything of your mother and father's."

Therefore, I must obey.

Nik's POV

"Hey, where'd you go Friday night?" I asked Amy as she walked into first period, seconds before the bell. I also wondered where she was this morning, because I was supposed to pick her up, but I didn't ask about that. I could just figure she woke up late and go along that I even forgot, myself. She flashed me a look and then took her seat without saying anything. Cold shoulder? I looked to Kelly, who slid notes back and forth to her during class.

"Hey," I said to Amy when class ended and we all stood to collect our things and leave. She didn't even look up at me. She just walked out.

"Is this really how love's supposed to look like?" I heard Candace's voice say. I turned to her.

"No one said anything about love," I said first. "And second, what's it to you?"

I didn't let her answer as I walked off. What did I possibly do? She left me Friday—after twenty minutes of being by herself—but I didn't even hear or see her leave! No one did...

I saw Kevin walking by in the halls and I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside.

"What now?" he groaned.

"What's wrong with Amy?" I asked, starting to think that I inquiring him, of all people, was odd.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Why?"

"She's..." I started, but then realized it was of no use to tell him. "Nothing. Never mind."

He gave me a hard look before leaving.

***

"I'm sorry for not calling you this weekend, my father still has my phone from, getting arrested and stuff," I said to Amy as soon as I saw her during lunch's passing period. "But if I had it, I'd been calling you about a dozen times. What happened Friday night? Why'd you leave?"

She didn't answer me. She just looked up at me with her deep hazel eyes that looked...different. They were moist and sad, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. She took in a big breath before walking around me. I turned, watching her leave and walk right past the cafeteria.

"Okay, what'd you do?" Emmett asked me once I plopped into my seat at our table. My face instantly went into the palm of my hand in depression.

"I don't even know," I slurred. I looked over to Kelly. She was busy texting under the table and playing with her food with her free hand. "Kelly?"

She looked up with bright blue eyes in question.

"Are you texting Amy?" I asked. She instantly shook her head. I narrowed my eyes, hinting that I knew that she was potentially lying.

"Honestly," she insisted. "I haven't talked to her. She doesn't even have her phone."

"Wait what?" I asked. It's like I could hear Kelly gulp from a mile away.

"She got grounded on Friday..." Kelly informed. I hit the table and then stood up.

"What happened now?" I asked Lydia and Leticia at their table.

"Be specific," Candace answered.

"For Amy being grounded," I said, missing the part where she was nearly ignoring me completely!

"Her being grounded was honestly her own fault," Lydia said.

"Why don't I believe that?" I replied.

"Because you're so caught up, that you don't understand how she really is," Candace answered. I flashed my eyes to her.

"Shut up," I ordered. "You know nothing about her."

With that, I started to walk out of the cafeteria and to my car. I didn't care if I made it back to school in time for the next period, but I'd attempt to find Amy. So I went directly to Blue's house.

"Hey!" I called as I saw him working on his hay field instead of being in school. He wiped his forehead off with his gloves and jogged over to me.

"Your highness," he greeted with dry humor and a nice nod.

"Do you know where Amy is?" I asked. His face twisted.

"At school?" he guessed. He looked at my impatient face and then realized it. "Obviously not..."

"Well have you talked to her?" I asked. He nodded.

"I talked to her on...Saturday," he answered.

"I thought she was grounded," I reasoned.

"I heard that too, but she was out and about, probably doing chores, I mean, I saw her on their back field and decided to stop by," he explained.

"But she hadn't talked to Kelly...or even me," I informed. I started thinking of my father and Amy's mom. Blue's been her best friend since they were little. I've just recently come up. Maybe, instead of Mr. St. Claire's luck, Amy would choose her long time best friend over me...

"Don't take it to heart," he said after the fact. That'd be hard. "This is her worst grounding, yet apparently. She's not allowed to do anything, but go to school and come home to work on the crops. Other than that, she has her usual chores, but no luxury items, no phone, no friends. No..."

"Freedom," I answered. I started putting two and two together. "Let me guess, Lily is threatening with Amy's parents' stuff?"

Blue shrugged.

"Look. I really got to finish these hay stacks," he informed. I nodded and he returned it before departing.

Although of the lowest class, Blue Christopher was a threat to me.

Amy's POV

I was glad the sun was dying because some of the unpredicted heat would die out, but it would soon grow dark on the field, where I was. I threw down the equipment and sat down on the mound of dirt that accumulated over time.

"Hey," a voice said. I looked over my shoulder to see Blue, who came from the trees that separated our separate fields of work.

"I saved you a seat," I humored.

"Aw, you shouldn't have," he replied as he sat. I laughed lightly. "Prince Nikolai went to my house today at lunch. He was looking for you."

I gulped.

"What'd you tell him?" I asked, preparing myself for tomorrow.

"That I had talked to you on Saturday and you're grounded," he answered. I sat quietly, deciding that wasn't bad. "Can't you just tell him?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked him immediately. "Breaking up with a royal when I was so lucky in the first place to even have him remotely in like of me? No."

"Well it seems like he's well in like with you," Blue commented. "If I were him, I'd wanna be told by you without having to make assumptions."

"Well I can't do that," I reminded. "If only she didn't have my stuff..."

And then it hit me.

"Blue!" I addressed as he started to lose focus and play with handfuls of dry dirt. He looked over, absent-mindedly. "What if she didn't have the stuff to threaten me with?!"

"Like the whip and locks?" Blue asked. I smacked his head.

"No. Like the boxes containing their stuff," I answered. "What if someone just...took it all away and hid it, allowing me to have no restrictions because they can't do anything?"

"Why do I have a feeling that this someone is me?" Blue whined.

"Blue—of all the times I've saved you—"

"Fine," he slurred. I hugged him around his neck and kissed his cheek. "After it, are you going to tell Nikolai that you're through?"

I didn't answer. By then, he'll move on or get the picture. Hopefully.

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