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1 Month Later – 8th June

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The whole of the country cannot stop talking about tomorrow, and it unnerves yet excites me. I don't think I've ever had this much confused emotion going on in my brain. I also don't think I've ever been to a hotel so extravagant before. We're in The Royal Apartment in The Goring Hotel in London. Charlotte said it's her favourite hotel, and the suite is only ever reserved for royalty – or people okayed by the monarch to use it. Dad, Annie, Patrick, and Gemma are all in rooms paid for by the crown downstairs, so I have the entire suite to myself.

The TV in the lounge of the suite is on while Annie and Gemma drink champagne. The master bedroom of the suite is where I'll be sleeping, and the staff converted the second bedroom into a dressing room for me where the dress is hanging, shoes in the box, and jewellery in a box. Queen Charlotte has lent me a tiara – my first one – that I will get to keep now for use, along with a few others she has planned to loan me.

Tonight, the Palace is hosting a gala for all the members of other royal families and political heads invited to the wedding. People I haven't even met before or would ever dream of meeting like the President of the United States, Spanish royals, and members of the British government. Luckily, neither Kai nor I have to go. He's spending the night in one of the royal houses around Buckingham Palace so he can sleep and get ready. His best man is his cousin, Prince James, who's currently fifth in line because of the losses in the family.

"This is nuts. We've done seven practices. They still want more?" Patrick sighs as he sits down on the sofa with a glass of whiskey.

"Don't drink too much tonight. You've got the biggest wedding ever tomorrow," Annie warns.

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and apparently, according to this online poll, all the women are looking at me as a bachelor. Thanks, sis!" He's joking, and we all know it, but the rehearsals have been way too much today, even for me.

"We don't need to do any more rehearsals. The military is doing a run-through so they know the timings perfectly down the streets of London. It's also mainly for the public who are camping out, so they have some sort of entertainment. There's also one just before dawn breaks tomorrow, that's mainly for the carriages and whatnot," I mention.

"They put a screen up outside the door of the hotel," Gemma mentions and points to the TV. "Why?"

"So people don't see the dress as I walk out of the hotel. We want the first glimpse of it to be when I get out of the car at the abbey," I mention and stare at the screen. The whole Commonwealth – and the world – is going nuts for this. The Commonwealth has a day off, every TV station is showing the wedding, and people have been camping out on the London streets for a week. 

London has shut the roads off for the day. People have been producing t-shirts, hats, banners, and all sorts of memorabilia. Schools have been celebrating. The charities Kai and I have been supporting have even got in on the celebrations – and also been invited to the wedding – and most shops have chosen to close or at least show the wedding on TVs at the time.

When we got to the hotel, people have been camping outside of that, too, so I've been going down on and off to shake hands and take photos – which I've been warned isn't protocol, but I don't care. I know Kai's been sending me photos of people outside the palace and where he's staying, and he's been doing the same.

"When are the flowers coming?" Gemma asks.

"Eight in the morning," Dad says as he stares at the schedule. We had it written down so we know what to do and when – this whole thing has to be done with military precision, so nothing goes wrong.

"The news is even speculating on the flowers – they say you'll probably have myrtle because it's royal tradition, but they're wondering what else will be in it," Gemma says.

I sip my tea and sit on the sofa. The apartment we're in overlooks the Goring Gardens, which, in the middle of London, is a rarity. Luckily, I can't hear the crowds from here, so I'll be able to sleep tonight.

"They've also been speculating on a honeymoon," I say. "But the truth is, with the baby on the way at any point, we decided not to go on one for now. Abroad, anyway. We're going for a weekend in Bath instead. Right near a hospital, still in England, and yet still a getaway. But we're not saying anything to the press."

Gemma melts as she sips on her drink. "That's so romantic!"

"As for the flowers, we're having purple tulips. They mean perfect and true love. I'm also going for Myrtle, yes – it's been in the royal bride's wedding bouquet for more than one hundred and fifty years, and Charlotte asked me to keep it in. Apparently, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter – also called Victoria – carried it on her wedding day. It's meant to mean the innocence of a bride, but it's now just tradition."

Patrick laughs. "Everyone can see this bride is no innocent woman."

"Patrick, that's my daughter!" Dad scoffs.

"Dad, she's clearly not a virginal bride! Come on! This is the whole reason she's here!"

"Please, stop talking about my virginity. This is weird!" I plead. "The whole of the Commonwealth already is. It's weird. Back to the flowers, please!"

Gemma smirks. "That's so sweet, though. The flowers, I mean." She and Patrick share a quick laugh, and I notice the flash across her eyes of desire. She thinks she can hide her crush on him, but I've known it for years. Part of me wants to play matchmaker, but it's not my place. Patrick never talks about women or love or anything like that with us, apart from his ex-girlfriend he brought home for us to meet when he was eighteen.

I go into the bathroom and turn the bath off. It's eight in the evening, and after eating a ridiculously amazing and filling three-course meal, I just want to rest in the bath and have some peace.

"The bath is ready," I say, sort of hinting that they all leave to give me a few minutes on my own.

They take the hint and give me a kiss each before leaving. My dad stands and is last, telling Annie he'll be down in a minute.

"Sweetheart, can we have a moment before you go to sleep tonight? I want to talk to you on our own."

"I actually wanted us to have some time on our own before the crazy really begins as well. Tell you what, I'll have a bath and get in my pyjamas and I'll message you to come back up?"

He nods and gives me a kiss on the cheek before walking to the door. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

"Love you, Dad."

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I sink into the bath, putting the TV on. The hotel installed a TV in here, along with a brand new four-poster bed just for my stay. I put the news on and have a bath table over me with my phone on and a cup of tea, along with my book I know I probably won't read because of the news. More and more people are camping outside London, and even gathering around Windsor Palace, where they've put a big screen up so people can watch the wedding. It's an honour people care this much, and I think that's why I find it strange: to myself, I'm not special or amazing or good for anything, but it seems to the people, I'm a breath of fresh air. 

I did some reading earlier on the internet and some people believe the monarchy is out of date, and while they thought Lucy and Michael were good, some people looked to Kai to freshen the institution up – I guess because he's always felt the spare, he never really followed all the rules and that's what people loved. 

Then bring in me; an everyday person and add her in, who isn't perfect, tumbles and stumbles, and, well, people find it relatable and more modern. I relate to the people, and that's what I've found so far, and really, that's why they care. A government is the voice of the people – whether the public agrees with them or not – and the monarch serves the people, so as a representative of Hugh and Charlotte, and about to marry the next in line, I serve the people, and the people want someone relatable and likeable.

It's just very weird: because I decided to have one night unprotected with Kai — who didn't tell me who he really was — I'm now about to marry and be next in line to the throne. Sort of. I'll be Queen if Hugh and Charlotte decide to name me queen consort, otherwise, I'll be Princess Consort – or just Princess.

Instantly, as if by magic, and he knows I'm thinking about him, my phone rings.

"Kai?" I answer and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Peach. You okay?" He sounds so relaxed and happy, it's almost alien to hear, which is sad. Though his excitement has been slowly building over the last few weeks, the general stress of settling into life as the next in line, plus the wedding planning and sorting for the baby has been insane. He's been stressed and less excitable than usual, but it seems to be back.

We've finally got the nursery in the cottage all sorted and decorated. We chose to keep the sex hidden for now – not even we know – so we kept the nursery a nice baby blue and pastel yellow after I ruled baby blue can be just as good for girls. At the same time, we decided to accept the money in the trust fund my dad kept for me, and then paid off Patrick's debts before gifting it back to my dad. After a while, he finally accepted. Patrick took a while to accept the money because it was from my mum, but he eventually got his head around the fact I wanted to do it for him.

"Yeah, just extremely exhausted. Lying in the bath, watching the news. How about you?" I run a hand over my bump as the baby starts squirming around. It seems to love me being in the water, and I feel like a submarine.

"Missing you mainly, but about to go out and meet the people. There's literally no room around here for all the people camping. They've even got their own system with random people about how to get food and drink. I've just ordered a bunch of takeout pizzas. When they arrive, I'll take them out with a ton of bottles of water. They're out there singing together. It's loud, but it sounds like fun."

I laugh. "I'll watch out for that on TV. There are people out here, too. I went to meet them earlier."

"Peach, I can't wait for them to announce us husband and wife tomorrow. This time tomorrow we'll be Duke and Duchess of Hampshire and you'll be Princess of Wales as well."

I smile. "I can't wait either. You're going to love the dress."

He chuckles. "I will, but I think I'll prefer it on the floor."

"Kai!"

I can hear a knock on the door on his end before some muffled noises. "Better go, Peach. Pizza is here. Phone me later?"

"Of course. Have fun. Love you."

"Love you too."

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I get out of the bath after a while of watching Kai and Jamie both outside where he's staying, handing out boxes of pizza, and water bottles and meeting a ton of the people lining the streets. They're all in good spirits; some people with tents and disposable barbecues. People are in t-shirts with mine and Kai's images on them, Union Jack flags are flying everywhere. The news even tries to get an interview with Kai, but all he says to the cameras is that he's excited about tomorrow, and that's it. The palace has said no explicit interviews, yet the media keep trying – I suppose it's their job.

When I'm dressed in pyjamas and made a pot of tea, my dad knocks on the door of the suite. The footman lets him in and we both hug each other before he sits down on the sofa.

"Hey, sweetheart. You okay?" Dad asks.

I pour us both a cup of tea. "Yeah. I'm just... tired. Nervous in case something goes wrong or I say something stupid. Heck, what if I copy the vows wrong or trip up the aisle or whatever?"

"You won't, Mila. You'll do amazing. Even if you do one of those things, there'll be people there to help, and people won't care. The public loves you, and they've seen you trip and say things out of royal protocol before. I trust you'll be fine, Mila. You're going to make a wonderful princess, duchess and wife. Most of all, you are going to make an amazing mother."

I have to sniff and sip my tea to stop the tears from falling. No tears, Mila, or your face will puff before your big day.

"Talking of your mother. I wanted to give you this—" He pulls out a small black box. Immediately, I know what this is. In the box is a silver ring with a few sparkling diamonds on the front of the band.

"Dad—"

He shakes his head. "I still have her engagement ring, but I want you to have her wedding ring. I've been keeping it for this very moment, plus it's your something old. Your mother... she absolutely loved you, Mila. You were our miracle. She would've loved watching you mature and grow and become a mother and a princess." He laughs and wipes his left eye. "When she was pregnant with you, she predicted you'd grow up and become someone who would help people – like a nurse – but neither of us would've predicted this outcome. But you're amazing, Mila, and I can see the pure love you have for both Kai now, this job and the baby. Your mother was so proud of you from the minute she got that positive test to the minute she passed. She would be now, as well. You are amazing."

I don't try and stop the salty drops from rushing down my cheeks now. "Dad, that's... so lovely."

"She might not be here anymore, but she will always be with us, in everything we do. The fact you've gone for purple... the way you've incorporated a similar wedding dress style... sweetheart, she'll be looking down and be so proud of you." He wraps his hands around mine. "I know she will because I'm so proud of you now. Everything you're doing may have been a different path from the one you originally chose, but this path is amazing for you. I'm genuinely in awe of you."

"Dad, don't, you don't need to say all this," I whisper.

"Mila, you're getting married tomorrow – to a prince. I know you were never my property and you won't be his, and I know you'll still see us and love us and all of that. But it still feels like I am losing you a little bit to the people, you know? You'll be busier than you used to be, and not in the same city." He kisses my forehead. "I just want you to know how much I love you. You lit up your mother's life, and you light up mine every damn day, sweetheart."

"Dad," I whisper.

"And a word of wisdom: marriage doesn't change much, but it changes the little things. My marriages might not have been to royalty, but one thing that I know will be the same is that it'll be harder to leave, so you fight for it more. But don't take it for granted. Despite everything, you're marrying him because you love him, so remember that. Even if you trip tomorrow and say some other idiot's name instead, I don't care. No one will. But the most important thing for you to remember is that I love you and no matter how old you are, married or not, I will be here for you whatever happens, whenever and wherever, and I will be on your side even if you're in the wrong. Just don't tell Annie that."

We both laugh.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too. So much. I can never say this enough, but I am so fucking proud of you. You're going to be fantastic at everything you do; you always have been and always will be. Your mum will always be with you in everything you do – you're just like her. Kind, funny, gorgeous, amazing and smart."

He says nothing more, because he's said it all, and the silence that follows says it as well. We both fall into each other's arms and cry it out. It's not even sad tears, it's just overwhelming and happiness. Whatever happens, I know Dad – and Annie and Patrick – will always be here for me, even if I fuck this up. 

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