Princess in waiting

Chapter13

Danny had fallen asleep next to the girl on the bed, and he was awoken by a sharp knock on the door. Crew members.

“Boss! You need to see something.”

Danny Kay reluctantly glanced at the girl peacefully asleep next to him.

“Boss, you need to either lock her up or finish her off.”

Danny’s eyes widened and his underboss noticed this and flinched.

“What’s up with the person I look up to?”

On the mobile screen which was thrust in front of Danny, was a dignified woman speaking in front of a podium, for an audience of around fifty guests. Danny Kay’s eyes widened in shock as he recognized the woman speaking to the audience. The camera was panning, and it stopped and zoomed in to capture the minister of youth affairs. Danny looked at his crew member.

“Keep your eyes on the screen.”

“Sir Luke Novach is here with us today, to announce that we have achieved tremendous success through hard work and strategic moves we have made the narcotic traders take a step back. Today we announce the successful launch of rehabilitation programs for our brothers and sisters addicted to synthetic drugs. Ladies and gentlemen, we are not leaving any loopholes for anyone to ruin the lives or our brothers and sisters through narcotics!”

Giselle did not speak for long. Yet she received a standing ovation.

“Who is she?” “Strategic moves?”

“Boss, the camera is moving. Keep watching!” Danny’s crew member spoke urgently.

Danny watched more carefully. The person was pointing the camera at the back of the gathering. An unclear image of a man making his way through the crowds was the focus of the videographer’s frame. Some men got up from their seats and some women took a step back to make way for the man who passed them. Then suddenly, the attention of the frame turned in the opposite direction, capturing Giselle who was trying her best to make her way out of the crowd of admirers who were eager to get a handshake. Giselle was smiling at people and excusing herself. Having freed herself from the admirers, she rushed towards the back of the podium.

Where was she going?” Danny got the answer.

“The man who had been making his way through the crowd beamed when he spotted her. By the time they hugged, Danny Kay was looking at the video with wide eyes and shock.

“He is the crown prince!”

“They’re engaged boss! She is his fiancé.”

“There’s something else that bothers me.”

“More than the crown prince?” Danny’s crew member looked at him with surprise.

“Definitely. She was talking of narcotic traffickers taking a step back. And about strategic moves. You know that Novach is an immensely popular leader and that he would go to any length to get into the public’s good books.

“Boss, do you mean to say that…”

“Yeah. You and I know that though no one can challenge our position in the market, there have been quite too many busts for us to be comfortable with. I need you to find out and dig deep. What else has she spoken about drugs in public?”

Danny felt a sudden urge mixed with immense rage. He needed to see Giselle Goldsmith, the brave fiancé of the crown prince of the country.

****

“She is the future queen of the country and the public have already seen her as that! You cannot leave her out there like that!” Julian kicked the golden coffee table, clenching his fists at the king.

“You need to send someone at least some rescue operations!”

“And I’m looking like a coward right now! I’m taking shelter inside… while…”

King Henry wasn’t listening.

“That would mean allocating our funds for the rescue operations and that would be the taxpayer’s money! It will be all over the media and people can get to this very doorstep and throw us out of the palace.” The king was adamant that his son would listen to him.

“She is and was an asset to our family!”

King Henry was silent because he had always agreed with this as a fact. Yet he could not act beyond the royal protocol.

“Still she is not a member of the royal family!”

The death stare in King Henry’s eyes made Prince Julian flinch. “I’ll do it my way.” Prince Julian walked out of the palace.

****

An hour later, The Blubloods reporter and journalist Mchaugny was on a flight to Belfast. He was elated about being tipped off about the crown prince’s rescue operation for his beloved. Above everything else, he was using a private rescue team. Still, that meant he was misusing funds. A headline that could sell a million copies!

Meanwhile, Julian was failing at the knees. He poured over the deck of his vessel, growing impatient each passing second. This is taking too long! Can someone who was in the water survive this long?” He dreaded thinking of other possibilities and hissed through his teeth.

“I was too late. I shouldn’t have let the security take me to the palace. It would’ve saved a lot of time.” Julian’s closest aide tried his best to calm Julian down. Yet Julian was growing desolate. By now a team of four divers were under the water, searching the area. Searching for her? Or for a body?” Julian shuddered.

****

Mr. Jackpot positioned his camera, getting ready for a shoot and welcomed his mass family of YouTube followers. He was live. “Hey! Hope all of you’ve been great! Today we are living because we are seeing the most extraordinary testimony of true love in the history of Scotland!” Mr. Jackpot’s tone reached a crescendo as he finished introducing the purpose of going live.

Mchaugny cursed. “What if the psycho is going live?” He had never suffered a defeat like this, ever before. He was always the first to get everything out. Even if a blue-blooded person was coughing inside the palace, he was the one to tell the world and now a psychotic YouTuber was already at the location. Mchaugny banged his fist on his thigh.

Mchaugny took a few steps further towards the YouTuber, who was unaware of his presence. He sounded ecstatic as he continued addressing whoever was watching him.

Danny Kay’s deputy eyed the screen with a sharp gaze as he let his eyes and ears be glued to the screen. Mr. Jackpot was capturing the search for the fiancé of the crown prince of the country.

“Is he using state funds?” Mr. Jackpot was asking the public, yet Danny’s underboss could not hear his words. He had to inform his boss.

“So they are looking for her?” Mockery crept into Danny Kay’s eyes. He pursed his lips into a thin line, and his eyes started to shine with mockery.

Prince Julian was fighting the tears that were threatening to well up in his eyes.

He replayed the conversation he had had with his father.