Sophia's POV
"We're here!" Jordan announced as the car came to a careful halt.
"Yay." I couldn't have sounded more dry even if I tried.
Jordan regarded me with a glare. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Act all unpleasant and bored. People are watching you Sophia. They are watching me. There are over five hundred people here as we speak, all here to welcome you. The least you could do is pretend that you're likeable. Even if it is just for seconds." The driver came down from the car and gently tapped the door. "Can you do that?" Jordan finished and I sighed, shrugging.
"Do I have a choice?"
Jordan reached for the door and gently opened it, but not before reaching out for my hand. A sweet smile was displayed on his face immediately he stepped out.
"Don't forget to smile." He said and I quickly plastered a smile on my face.
We started walking down the red carpet that traveled neatly from the driveway down to the doorway of the palace.
There were dozens of faces. Some smiled. Some frowned. Most just gawked.
Jordan started waving at the people with his free hand. They waved back, it must have been then that someone rose a tomato and threw it straight at my face. The tomato burst, flying into my eye. Shaken and numb, I found myself on the floor.
The guards were quick. They rushed to the area the attack had come from while some rushed to me. Still it was Jordan that helped me up.
The minute the door closed behind us, I threw the hat he had forcefully suggested I wear down the freshly polished floor.
"Stay calm." Jordan said, wiping the remnant of the tomato off my face. I took an angry step back, refusing to do anything I was certain I was going to regret.
"Stay calm? Well, unless you've ever had a tomato thrown directly at your face, do not tell me to stay calm."
He sighed. "Sorry about that."
"I don't care! It's not even up to three minutes since I got here and I'm already getting threatened with tomatoes."
"I never told you it would be a rosy experience. Besides the guards are taking care of the problem outside, can we focus on being a united front before going to meet the maids. They're anxious to meet you, it'll be bad to show them what a spoilt brat you really are—"
"You what what? To hell with all of this, I'm going to my room." I said, determined not to cry in front of him or the two maids who seemed more embarrassed than I certainly was to had witnessed the fight between their prince and his bride to be.
I started towards the stairs with graceful steps at first, but when the tears started falling, I flew halfway there.
***
Someone knocked. I ignored them.
"I don't know if anyone told you but this is my room." Jordan said from the other side of the door.
"Go away."
"I am coming in."
"Don't."
The door opened and he strode inside. I sat at the edge of the bed. Thankfully I had wiped my tears and reapplied my make-up.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You ran upstairs in the middle of a conversation."
"You mean I walked out in the middle of a scolding? Frankly, I would have scratched your eyes had I not fled so consider that a favor."
He chuckled. It was the first time I'd heard him do that genuinely. "I'm sorry. I should not have said all those things I said and certainly not infront of your personal maidens I just... I lost my temper. I apologize."
My eyes narrowed before I could help it. "wait a second, I get my own personal maidens?"
"Erm... Yes."
"Shut up!" Excitement bubbled through me as my legs started swinging forward and backward.
"I beg your pardon?"
"No. No, I didn't mean shut up. I just... I get my own personal maids?"
"Is that the only thing you got out of what I'd just said?"
"Apology accepted, happy now?" I shrugged.
"I want us to look a little bit more... Organized. You are going to be my wife and I want us to be, atleast, be pleasant to each other infront of the staffs and infront of the other nobles. Infront of my mother, that's for sure. Do you think you can do that?"
"You want me to put up a fake life?"
"There's nothing fake about you and I trying to be kind to one another."
"My prince, you have made it clear that you do not like me any more than I like you..."
He looked frustrated. "Then we change that, alright?"
"I will try my best." I said and he gave a small smile.
"Good. I shall leave you to rest here for a while before Dorothy shows you to your own bedroom." He said and started towards the door.
"Could you send her in right now? I think I need to meet her before anything else."
"Very well." He said and walked to the door. His hand was already curved around the doorknob when my next word stopped him in his tracks.
"Why don't we share the same room?"
He turned and stared at me for a while. The look in his eyes as it took me in all over then quickly settled back on my face. "Because I am a gentleman and you are yet my wife."
***
"Dorothy?" I asked as the maid walked into the room. She nodded and quickly curtsied.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Please, call me Sophia."
She looked mortified. "I simply cannot, ma'am. It's against our liberties. But I just say that you are very beautiful and we are pleased to have your here. I will be honored to cater to your needs and—"
"I want you to help me escape." I impatiently cut her off.
"Pardon?"
"Tell me how to get out of here."
"I am not sure I quite understand, my princess."
"I am not your princess. And I know you understand. I want you to help me escape. I would not have roped you in but I don't know my way around here, I seriously have to leave. Like right now." I said. Dorothy's eyes looked like they were going to pop any moment.
"I cannot—"
"Yes, you can. You have to help me. I'll pay you."
"I—"
"Please." I couldn't have sounded more desperate.
She sighed softly and nodded.
"If you take the quick route to guest bedrooms hallway, to the right there's a bedroom that has a very low window. I believe you can jump down without hurting yourself."
"That's the easiest way to get out of here?"
"Yes. Without getting caught."
"You're sure there's nobody there?"
"Absolutely no one." She assured.
***
Except she was wrong. Not about about the low window, I'd been able to jump down. Effortlessly, infact. No, she'd been wrong about nobody being there.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Jordan thundered from behind me as I landed safely on my feet, causing me to loose my balance and fall into the muddy puddle two feet away from me.
He made no move to help me up. "We're you about to escape? Literally minutes after I'd begged you to cooperate with me?"
I sat up, annoyingly aware of the thick must that slid from my hair to my back. No doubt my sky blue gown was now brown. "I didn't make you any promises."
My response seemed to make him more angry. "You are unbelievable!"
"So what? You're spying on me now? Watching my every move?"
"Someone has to do that, obviously. You are childish! Do you hear me? A child! Had Dorothy not made your stupid plans known to me, you would have seriously ran out of the palace? Was that it?"
Dorothy?! That wicked liar. "Yes! Yes, alright? I would have left."
"You're even more stupid than I thought!" He'd always managed to look very calm. It would have been good to see him loose his cool for a while if I wasn't the one taking the heat.
"And you're even more foolish than I thought!" I retorted. That was a bad idea, I realized as his eyes seemed to redden or was it my imagination?
He stormed towards me, and stretched his hand. For a moment there I thought he was going to hit me, but when I realized he simply just wanted to help me out of the slimy brown puddle, a crazy thought swam around my brain. I offered him my hand and just as started lifting me, I forcefully leaned back making him to loose his balance and fall into the puddle right beside me, staining his blonde hair and splashing mud to my face. It didn't stop me from laughing though. He glared at me for a while, but gave into laughter.
We both stopped laughing when series of lights flashed and the press made their presence made known, buzzing. We were definitely making it to the newspapers.