Matteo
"Please sir, I know they would want to see me. At the benefit last week, they were smiling while looking right in my direction," says some random lady with a manic smile.
"I know, I'm sorry they are just not in right now," I state as kindly as possible. People like these were normal and one of the main reason Phillip needed bodyguards. There weren't a lot of people who wanted to take the crown or who were making plans to assassinate the prince and new duchess, though the latter did happen every now and then. It was mainly just people like this woman, who loved the royals, and showed that by disregarding things like physical boundaries and privacy.
"Well I guess I can just wait for them," she shrugs.
"You know, I think it would be best if you left for now, they'll be gone for a very long time," I still attempt my hardest at politeness. Home or not, she won't be coming in, but sometimes a fake approach is better. Or it at least makes people easier to handle.
"But..," she tries.
"Mam please head back home," I cut her off.
"Whatever arsehole," she huffs and walks away.
I don't mind supporting Phillip and the crown, but I won't lie and say that I love dealing with these people. "Usually following someone to their home gets you in a cell for stalking," is the truth that a lot of our citizens need to hear. Will those words ever actually leave my mouth? No. Nothing past a bit of contempt has ever come out and I don't plan for it to.
Phillip's always saying he doesn't know how I haven't snapped yet. Let's just say it would take a very irritating individual to make me lose my self control. If that ever does happen, I wouldn't be too happy to be said person.
A low beep and vibration brings my attention down to my phone. Speaking of Phillip.
Phillip
Han and I are about to drive home with her friend, Wrenley, from the airport. When I get back let's have lunch to talk about security for the coronation parade.
Matteo
Sounds good
Phillip is finally becoming king next week. Due to our parents, the man has been my friend since we were in diapers. When his mother and father died at 13, I promised to be both a body guard to him and the crown. An oath that was as much for my parents as it was for the boy who just lost his.
Of course back then it was pretend, but now I've worked my way to the job of head guard. Due to a wonderful woman named Hannah, Phillip has also put in the work needed to get his rightful title.
Before he met the American, I think we all were a bit concerned. Now I can truthfully say that I couldn't be prouder of the man. He's stepped up, and this coronation is the pay off that he greatly deserves.
At this point, it's just about making sure that everything goes correctly and getting rid of any distractions that could mean otherwise.
..............
After Phillip arrives home, we head to a nobles pub close by to discuss the coronation parade. It's all standard stuff that I already know and have had set in place for a while. I think the future king is just stressed and needs to discuss things out loud to gain some reassurance.
We then start to talk about Hannah's friend who will be staying at the castle. To be honest, I'm more focused on going over security plans in my head than actually listening. I've never met the girl and I doubt we will have much communication with how busy I usually am.
I hadn't even met Hannah in person until she was his wife after they got married somewhere in Europe. Though that's less on me, and more on the arsehole who got eloped without telling me or my parents. Good thing Hannah is kind of great and grew on everyone very quickly. Otherwise, I'm sure Phillip would still be getting slightly treasonous threats from my mother.
"Well, since you are clearly ignoring me, I'm going to head back to Han," Phillip says in false annoyance.
Or at least what I think is false. Phillip, Hannah, and my family, know I would be there for them in an instant if they needed anything. Dependability isn't something I struggle with and they're all aware of that. However, when it comes to hanging out or having mindless fun, I'm not really that guy. Not when there are a million other places I'm usually needed at any given moment. I'm quite sure Phillip has gotten tired of expecting otherwise.
"Hey, I was listening, you prick. But it's getting late, go on back to your wife," I tell him, knowing how happy they both get being around each other.
That's evident with how quickly he stands from his seat, "Sure you were mate. I'll see you at home."
"See you," I tell him as he leaves the small pub. Some surrounding guards get up and follow him. I recognize all of them from work, but instead of any sort jovial greeting, they give me a fearful nod. I feel a little bad that they seem to see me as some sort of dictator but I won't stay up thinking about it. There's a certain amount of respect between me and the rest of the guards, and that's all that I really want there to be.
The rest of the day consists of meeting with trainees and then leaving for my room at an unusually early time of 4pm. I do a lot for my country, yet one thing I've been against for a while now is night shifts. I never do them any more, for good reason, but our two normals were off and as a leader you're supposed to "step up."
It's a shame that the same can't be said for the man who's technically one step above me. Left out side my door waiting, is another piece of shite protection plan for the palace. The chairman of security likes to give these to me and act like he's actually doing his job. Drawing up security details is one of the better things I do with my time, but it's a large task fit into an already tight schedule. Tonight, it means I won't be closing my eyes until close to midnight.
When I wake up to full darkness at 2 am, I'm definitely not in the mood to be on duty. It doesn't stop me from getting my arse up and into the damn uniform that's become the staple of my wardrobe.
I'm walking, making my way on the bottom floor, when I see a small light coming from the garden. Going outside to get a better look, I see that the brightness is radiating from a tent that is between a bunch of bushes. What the hell?
How did one of Phillip's fans make it into the gardens? And why didn't my men do anything about it? I feel like the giant bit of fabric in the garden would be easy to pick out.
Beginning to make my way over to the tent, I prepare myself to deal with the situation. When I'm up to it, I shine my flashlight since the faint light inside isn't helping me see much, and pick out a human sized lump. That's when I hear a woman like voice mumbling about Bigfoot.
Great. A crazy person is exactly what I want to deal with at 2 am.
I start hitting my hand against the entrance of the tent as a way of knocking, and call out, "Excuse me." A large amount of ruffling can be heard from inside, but besides that, there's no response.
"Listen, I know you're in there and awake, so why don't you just come out and make this easy," I command in annoyed tone. Who in the world sneaks into a castle and puts a tent in the garden? I swear the more people I meet, the more I start to fear that idiocy is some sort of a disease that everyone's come down with.
The door of the tent finally starts to be unzipped, and out steps a woman who I wasn't expecting. At first, she's completely hidden by a giant fluffy blanket that's wrapped around her, but slowly the top of her body pops out. Sure seems likes she's comfortable, too bad it's not in her own damn home.
Looking closer, I can tell she's a lot smaller then my 6ft, and that's with the fact that she's for some reason standing on her toes. She has a pair of dark brown eyes that seem almost piercing as they look up at me. Her hair under the hood looks to be to her shoulder and a shade darker then her eye color. When I get to her mouth, I notice it's slightly parted in a shocked and annoyed-filled expression. The shirt that she's wearing is slightly pulled down, showing me the top of some small but perky.... skin, I shouldn't be looking at.
Overall, she could be considered attractive. You know, if she wasn't an insane criminal sneaking in with a tent.
Seeming to compose her expression into a blank one, she asks, "What can I do for you? And if you could hurry, you're kinda interrupting my reading time."
This is going to be a very long night.
YOU ARE READING
Unguarded Hearts
Romance"Sweetheart, would you slow down please," I ask her softly. "No thanks," she replies, not even looking back at me. I walk faster and, with a little less softness, tell her, "We both know what happens when you try to run away. So I would stop trying...
