My Roommates are Princes! [Complete!]

Chapter 6: Home is where the enemy is

I woke up to find that the sun has reflected brightly on the stabilized snow outside.

I sat up, stretching with my arms as far away from my body as possible. My eyes darted around, looking for Felipe who was nowhere in the room. After tossing the blankets to the side, I immediately checked the kitchen, hoping that he was not back to his life with alcohol. “Felipe!” I exclaimed as I stood in front of the kitchen.

Felipe stood in front of the sink with a bottle of wine in his hand. “Ah, Luisa.” He turned around, as I saw the bottle uncapped.

“What are you doing?! You know you shouldn’t be-“ I began.

“Drinking?” Felipe finished before turning around again, only to pour the alcohol down the drain. “Quite the opposite really. I’m actually getting rid of it all. I’ve decided to quit cold turkey this time.”

“R-really?!” My body had calmed down, no longer tense as it was a couple minutes ago. “That’s such a relief….” I sighed.

Felipe cracked a weak smile. “Don’t make me regret my decision now.” Felipe resumed dumping, now moving on to the numerous cans of beer he had right next to him. “You should brush your teeth and get ready for the day.” Felipe said.

The door open just as I was about to turn around. “I wouldn’t be celebrating so fast.” Duke and Chaiya had entered the room. “Midterms are coming up and I know that none of you have studied.”

“Isn’t it a little too early to worry about midterms?” I asked.

“No, actually they will be arriving in a matter of days. 7 actually.” Duke clarified.

“Why don’t you just call it a week?….” Chaiya sighed before placing an envelope into my hands. “These are plane tickets, for you.” Chaiya added.

“That was fast…..” I said, remembering that my conversation with the Prime Minister had only happened last night.

“What are the tickets for?” Chaiya had asked.

“Ah…I must return to Agricola over the winter break. It was orders sent directly from the Prime Minister.” I replied, calmly.

“W-What?!” Chaiya began to freak out, getting closer to me. “Why?!”

“I have no idea.” I reply.

“Will you at least return?” Chaiya’s eyes began to fill with tears as he approached me.

“Of course.” I smile.

“In one piece?” Chaiya added.

“Yes, Chaiya. In one piece. This won’t be the end of my mission quite yet.”

Chaiya sighed in relief.

“Now in regards to the midterms….” Duke cleared his throat.

“They’re a week away!” Chaiya exclaimed.

“It is crucial that we study now so that we do not stress ourselves over it later!” Duke rebutted.

“Gah!!!!!!!!” Chaiya grabbed the ends of his hair.

“Why don’t we all study together then?” I suggested. “The five of us.”

“That’s a splendid idea.” Felipe agreed with me. “It would help to study with Duke and get some refreshers from all the classes I have missed ."

“I’m only going because Luisa is going.” Chaiya rolled his eyes.

“You can keep me out of your little parade….” Eric entered the room, scowling. “Don’t think you can be all close to us just because you helped Felipe with his little alcohol problem.” Eric approached me, close enough to feel how angry he was.

“You don’t have to join us then.” Duke said slowly stepping between us. “She has been awfully kind to all three of us, even you. And if you don’t recall it is not particularly considered elegant to address an injured lady like that so I do suggest you watch your tongue.”

“Whatever.” Eric backed off, turning around with the swiveling of his heel, slamming the room’s door behind him.

“To the library then, shall we?” Duke suggested.

~~~~~

The library, a rather quiet place, even with the extreme pressure of exams on our backs. Most of the students seemed to pay no heed to the ticking time bomb and had opted to enjoy the winter wonderland outside.

Sitting next to me was Duke who flipped fervently between the pages, trying to find that one little word that he still had to force into memory.

Chaiya sat in front of me, blowing a pencil back and forth with his breath while Felipe next to him, had began to ask Duke some questions on how to solve some basic chemistry problems.

“I don’t even know where to begin…” I sighed.

“Me neither…..this place is so boring…..can you please talk to me? ;-;” Chaiya asked, almost whimpering.

“Of course, Chaiya, did you find something that you needed to review?”

“Well….I should be reviewing EVERYTHING but it’s not everyday it snows……” Chaiya sighed.

“It is not every week you have a midterm….” Duke added.

“Duke?” Chaiya finally gave in. “Just why are you so concerned about whether I study or not? I’m the Prince of THAILAND not America. I basically have nothing to do with you.”

Duke seemed to be taken aback a bit. “But…you are my friend are you not?”

“Well DUH! But like….friends usually don’t worry about each other’s grades so much…..” Chaiya added.

“No but brothers do, do they not?” Duke paused the flipping of his textbook to look directly at Chaiya.

“B-brothers?” Chaiya straightened his back. “You mean…..me?”

“Yes. You are like a brother to me, Chaiya, and I would hate to see you go the wrong way.”

It didn’t take long for Chaiya’s eyes to become watery with emotion. “I’m actually like a brother to you?! Duke…I didn’t know you felt that way!” He immediately rushed to Duke’s side, running around the table to embrace him in a tight embrace.

I smiled as I watched Duke look away from the emotional boy by his side. Duke pushed his glasses up his face. “Now that you know my intentions, can you please get back to your studies.”

“RIGHT AWAY!” Chaiya exclaimed, opening his own book.

Duke sighed as he turned back to Felipe. “Now what was your question?”

I stared at Duke for a while. For the strange and somewhat cold person that he was…..I could tell that he really did care about his friends. It was a trait that I found quite admirable in him, quite charming as well. As I turned back to my own studies, I couldn’t help but find a smile bouncing on my closed lips.

~~~~~

We had returned to the library everyday before the exam, with the unsurprising exclusion of Eric of course, whom had opted not to join us.

The first exam was in history, something that I had asked Duke to clarify with me through one of our numerous meetings.

After the teacher had finished handing out the exams, I had reached into my backpack for a pencil, only to find that it was broken. I looked around helplessly, until I felt a tapping on my shoulder. As I turned around, I had seen that it was Duke, handing me a well sharpened pencil.

“Good luck.” He wished me as I took the pencil, holding a thumbs up with his other hand.

“Thank you. Good luck to you too.” I gave him a thumbs up back, before turning around to face my own exam.

~~~~~

I was given a warm good-bye at the airport, with my new four friends bidding me a silent farewell as I boarded my plane to head straight to Agricola, my home which I had not seen for more than four months.

It was the first time in a while, that I would be able to shed off the burdens of portraying a princess and assume my own identity as the peasant Luisa Cardona, a simple country girl who was her grandmother’s only granddaughter.

While Agricola itself was in the midst of a revolution, there was a temporary truce between the Royal Family and the revolutionaries for the Christmas season, an important holiday to the people of Agricola. On such a day, there shall be no war, at most only prayer was accepted.

The truce, of course, was supported by the American government who themselves were allies of the royal family.

As my plane had landed in the lush, fertile lands of my home country, I felt at ease.

We landed between a fence and the castle, a large magnificent marble castle that every girl had fantasized about. It was white and shimmering, worthy of extreme praise, if not for the fact that it towered above the shabby urban sprawl on the other side of the fence where the rest of the country lived. No building could even rival half the height of the castle. It was a complete contrast in scenery if I were to say so myself. On the other side of the fence, I saw thousands of reporters and common folk, both cheering and screaming in frustration at the sorry state of the government.

Guarded by soldiers of both the United States and Agricola, I temporarily resumed my role as the Princess of this country and the possible future head of state.

“PRINCESS EMERALD OF AGRICOLA HAS RETURNED!” A guard had bellowed. “PLEASE MAKE WAY!” He announced as a red carpet laid beneath my feet, leading into the large castle that I had only been allowed in one before.

I thanked the guards, as any Princess would, I pretended that it was my home, the cold vaulted ceilings and all.

Expensive golden trimmings and all.

Surrounded by loyal servants to do my bidding and all.

The first order of business, as expected, was to meet with the Prime Minister, who had asked to speak with “Princess Emerald” in the far side of the castle, behind closed doors.

“You have summoned me sir?” I entered a room in pure sanctified white, where a team of doctors surrounded a large bed, the Prime Minister himself had stood at the end, turning around coldly and cooly. He himself was a tall and lanky man who stood with his back straight at all times, perfectly poised. His face, serious and his eyes, focused. His hair was a dark brown with streaks of silvery blades that warned of the stress that came with being the well respected Prime Minister.

“Princess.” The Prime Minister replied almost sarcastically if it had not been for the fact that it was only one word.

I curtsied.

The Prime Minister adjusted the handcuffs of his suit and promptly asked the doctors to leave the room. They nodded in understanding and bowed, before departing the room that had so very well suited them. After the door was shut behind me, he had moved out of my way, swaying to the side and extending his arm out as if to direct my attention to the bedridden King.

I approached him slowly, the King who was unconscious, fast asleep as he was nestled in his bed like a bird with broken wings. He himself had seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight, being rather skinny than the portly man of my memories.

“He was in Germany.” The Prime Minister explained. “But he was dying. Officials from Germany, the Chancellor, to be exact, had wished only for his safety. However. Our King wanted to die in the presence of his people.”

“And the Princess?” I wondered.

“We have no idea.” The Prime Minister said. “He himself, was also looking for the Princess.”

I watched as the King muttered some words in his slumber which had been mostly inaudible lip movement to me. “E-me-rald….” He seemed to say.

“The King tends to talk in his sleep.” The Prime Minister added. “I am not sure what will happen once he wakes up or if he will even realize that you are not Princess Emerald.”

“But she is his daughter.” I said.

“And he is a sick man.” The Prime Minister added. “At least try to give your King a peaceful end.” The Prime Minister added.

“By pretending to be his daughter?!” I turned around. “That just sounds like some cruel joke to me!”

“A little white lie never hurt anyone.” The Prime Minister corrected me. “And might I remind you that your grandmother is at the mercy of your words and of your actions.”

I rested my hand on the bedside of my befallen King, the very symbol of the nation’s trust, whose sickness had caused uprisings and instability. Whose life breathed life monarchy of the state, and whose death will also bring death upon the line of the Agricolan monarchy if the Princess is deemed incapable of ruling. At this point in time, it was only the politicians who are preventing the change in government in a sad attempts to hold onto their power.

It was they themselves that were afraid of the change that would come if the monarchy was deemed unfit to rule.

“How can I fool the father of the Princess?” I asked, staring guiltily at the king.

“The same way you have fooled everyone else in the world.” He replied.

“Alright.” I agreed rather reluctantly.

“As a…..method to boost your morale……I have arranged for you to meet with your grandmother.” The Prime Minister added.

I looked up at him with expectation.

~~~~~~~

My grandmother was but down the hall, in a similar room coated in a surface of complete sanctified white, surrounded by a different team of doctors.

“We agreed on the best treatment for your grandmother Agricola could offer.” The Prime Minister said. “Only best in cardiothoractic medicine.” The Prime Minister commented.

“Thank you.” I thanked him.

The doctors, once they had noticed the Prime Minister, had turned around to bow to him. He gestured for them to leave the room. With understanding, the doctors in addition to the Prime Minister had left the room, closing the door behind them.

“Luisa?” My grandmother, a skinny old woman, sat up in her bed with the same joyful expression that I had always remembered her with. Her smile was bright, full of an expectation that a few simple words could deliver.

“Yes, grandmother.” Unable to retain my training, I ran up towards her with tears streaming down my eyes. As I had embraced her, I could no longer hold back the emotions I have retained for so long. “I missed you grandma…..” I buried my face into her shoulder, which was as soft as the cotton hospital gown she was dressed in.

She embraced me back, with an even tighter grip than usual, as if I was a bird that was about to fly away. “How have you been, dearie?” She asked as I pulled up a chair to sit down right beside her. “Your dress is very beautiful.” She commented on the light blue A-line I was dressed in, a part of the closet I was given to impersonate Princess Emerald, a tool that I used to get what I needed to. “How is the…the Royal Academy?” She stuttered, as if she could not find the words.

“Life there is wonderful, actually, grandmother. I was able to make some friends there. They have a very large library there, may I add. The school used to be a palace actually, everything is so beautiful….all the doors are laced with gold…..the scenery is of the Swiss Alps, just the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen…..” I reached out for her hand as she looked down in her lap. “The food there is of the finest cuisines in the world….and their gym is so much larger than anything I could imagine, our cottage could fit in there at least ten times! And grandma, it’s so safe there. There are guards at every inch of the land. And there’s a downtown area with the most delicious chocolates I have ever eaten…Grandma?” I asked, as it seemed that she wasn’t really paying much attention.

“A-Ah yes..Sorry dearie. It sounds like you’re having a lot of fun.” She said. “I-I’m very happy that you are happy.”

I smiled, believing that it was nothing. “Don’t worry grandma, I haven’t forgotten about you. I think about you everyday.” I reassured her. “And besides, I’m back for the Christmas break aren’t I?”

“Yes, yes you are.” She smiled, as if realization had struck her.

~~~~~

Christmas by my grandmother’s side felt like a refresher away from the life I was so tired of living. Usually on this day, we would pay a visit to the local church in our small town. The Royal family and the members of the Prime Minister’s cabinet were gracious enough to allow us to utilize the Royal Chapel, a grandeur hall that was more than sufficient for the holiday.

Over the span of the week, I was able to spend more and more time with my grandmother due to the King being in what was now deemed a comatose state. She had told me that she was given treatment for her heart and received a transplant not too long ago. The only problem was all the medications she had to take although I did explain to her the importance of taking her medication on time.

The week had flown by relatively fast by my grandmother’s side. My heart was at home, of course, although I couldn’t help but miss some things from life at the Romulus Academy for Royals.

We sat down in a balcony of the palace, overlooking the sophisticated gardens down below on New Years Eve, awaiting the turn to the next year.

“Are the gardens anything like what we have in Agricola?” She asked me, referring to the gardens at the academy.

“Yes, similar. I would say the ones in the Academy are more well kept though.” I said, much to her disappointment.

“Are you excited to return to the academy?” My grandmother asked me.

“Hm….” I thought about that question for a while. Yes, a part of me did want to return. I did miss Chaiya and somewhat Duke and Felipe. But on the flip side, I did want to stay in Agricola with my grandmother as well to make sure that she was well. “A bit.” I answered, with a heart that was quite bittersweet.

“L-Luisa…..” She began, leaning forward. “Have I ever t-t-old you about your father?”

“No, not really. Quite the contrary, I don’t remember you talking about him at all.” I replied. “I assumed it was for a good reason. He did walk out on us after all didn’t he? He left mother to die after her birth to me."

“Y-yes. That is true.” My grandmother said, leaning back into her chair. “It’s just that….I don’t want to lose you either Luisa……I don’t want to lose you at all…..the same way I lost your grandfather and your father.”

“To?” I turned towards her.

“The world that I cannot afford to give you.” She replied. “The world of riches and ballrooms and power. The world of attention, the spotlight….the grandeur…all these things a poor farmer like me could never afford could never give you…..” She began to cry.

“Grandma…..” I pulled her into my arms. All along she was just concerned that I would never return to her. That much, I could see. “I won’t leave you. Ever. I swear on that promise with my life.” I emphasized. “You’re the only one I need in this world. Grandmother, you’re the whole reason I agreed to this mission. If I hadn’t agreed to it you probably wouldn’t be alive to see me right now.”

She held me back, the same tight, suffocating grip that I missed. “Thank you Luisa….I love you so much you know that right?” She asked me.

“Yes, of course. And you know I love you right?”

“Yes Luisa. I do.” She increased her grip, so tight that not even the tiniest atom could break free from her hold.

~~~~~~~

Two days after the New Year, I boarded the plane back to the Academy.

~To be continued~