Free Missing Royal by Konstanz Silverbow

it’s a good thing or not. I went from being the girl everyone picked on to being a princess. I wonder if I would ever tell any of those people who I really am if I had the chance. Probably not. I wouldn’t want to give them more ammo.
    I sigh and think of Mom and Dad. Will they always wonder if I survived more than a day? Will they always worry about me? Or will they eventually move on? So many things could happen to them, and that worries me.
    Will they adopt again? Will they get a cat or dog to fill the void? Or will they be glad I’m out of the house and no longer their concern?
    And my real parents—are they ready to have their only child back? Do they expect me to be accepting of everything they tell me? Or do they know that I have a will of my own and it can’t be broken, purchased, or bent? And what are they like? Will they be caring and understanding, or will I have to fight them every step of the way? There are a million possibilities.
    And are they sitting together, wondering the same things about me? Or do they have a perfect vision of what I’m like? Will I be a disappointment? Will I look anything like them?
    My mind spins out of control with everything that could happen today. I seize up in uncontrollable fear. My wanders to all the things that could go wrong. What if I don’t fit in? What if they hate me? What if I was better off on Earth? Edda said she would help me get properly dressed. She said today would be stressful—today I meet the people who sent me away seventeen years ago.
    Today I lost my best friend to the prince he’s always been. I’m not ready for any of this. I don’t fit in here anymore than I did on Earth. I’m not a part of this world. My heart sinks in despair as the thought hits me—I don’t belong anywhere.
    I take a deep breath and begin scrubbing at my skin. My first goal is to make a good impression. No matter what I think of them, I know they can make things easy for me or they can turn this into a nightmare.
    My second priority is to prove to Valentino that as long as he treats me like someone I’m not, we aren’t friends. I want the old Valentino, the one I became friends with. I can’t lose him. If I do, I risk losing myself.
    My third priority is to prove to these people that I am not helpless. I came prepared in every aspect. I can take care of myself, and I will go out and find these other royals and end this Mendina’s wrath. But they don’t control me.
    And that brings me to the final part. I will not marry for anything but love. If they expect me to marry just anyone—whether it helps the kingdom or not—they are wrong. They don’t control me. I am not a piece of property to be traded.
    I dunk my head under the water and begin scrubbing my hair. As much as a bath is nice every now and then, it isn’t the easiest of ways to wash hair. How I would just love a nice hot shower about now.
    As soon as I’m done scrubbing, I grab the towel-like cloth Edda left for me and wrap it around my body. Shivering, I dry and put my regular clothes on. Edda said to ring the bell, but I don’t know what bell that would be.
    I open my bedroom door in hopes of finding someone walking by who could help me, but the hall is barren. I close the door and sit on the bed and gaze across the room looking for any sort of bell.
    When I don’t see anything, I get up and walk around the room searching. But that doesn’t grant any luck either. So instead, I open the wardrobe, and while carefully avoiding all the velvet dresses, pull out the others and lay them across the bed.
    “While those are all stunning dresses, none of them are fitting for the occasion. This is the dress you will be wearing this morning.” I spin around to see Edda standing in the doorway. She is holding the dress Valentino brought me.
    It is beautiful, plainer than the others. The green will make my eyes stand out. I wish to wear my parents’ gift with it. I realize I don’t know where my backpack is. I