ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ | 𝚉𝚊𝚢𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚔 |

prologue

Selena - Pov.

"You have no idea, I've been begging him for weeks! How is it even fair? He let me out like twice every three months." I whaled in the complaint. 

Elena snickered and shrugged, "If I were him, I'd make it twice every six months." I growled and then laughed when I shoved her aside. I'm twenty-three and I haven't been out as much as a five-year-old toddler. As the princess of the States, the King and Queen had kept me hidden from the world as much as possible. I've been living behind the walls of the palace my whole life but after my graduation, The king set standards for me to leave once in a while.

"Ooh! Look, Harry Potter!" Elena shrieked as she reached up for the thick children's book on the shelf. We've been stuck in the town's library for two hours now, and there hasn't been anything to take out. The place's filled with old vintage crime documentaries and now Harry Potter.

"Isn't that like for 10-year-olds?" I yawned, running my fingers along the dusty books on the shelf. Elena kept the book back on the shelf and stared at me. 

"Are you serious? It's uni-age," She justified, taking out another book beside it. 

No way she just said called a book uni-age like clothes of uni-sex. I snickered and shook my head. "That's not a good reason for you to read it either."

"Yeah, whatever, princess," Elena says, annoying me with the nickname. "Anyway, it's four, do you not want to go back? I heard you're going on a date with the governor's son tomorrow. What's his name again? Nickolas Jonas?" Elena sarcastically said and  I stared at her. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Of course, I didn't forget," I told her, fidgeting with the books on the shelf and staring at each of the standing titles. "How could I forget my super special date with the one person I'm only allowed to date? It's not like I have other dates to remember." If only I could forget.

I feel Elena's eyes on the side of my face. "Who said he's the only one you can date?"

"It's the look on the King and Queen's faces when they see him," I told my only best friend. "They might even give him my hand earlier than we planned." Nick and I have been friends since we were born and started dating for a few years now after our parents suggested it. I would have to be the future queen and they believed I should have someone by my side before then. 

"Nick? Really?" Disappointment filled Elena's face as she looked at me. 

"I heard he's proposing tomorrow after our date," I added, shrugging like it was not a big deal. Even though I'm pleading with the lords above to not let that happen. I know my only possible answer was to agree and accept the proposal but isn't marriage about love? 

Elena's jaw dropped. "Okay, I'm not a big fan of you and Nick together and that's way too early."

"And I don't even like him like that, he's like a brother to me," I said and Elena cocked her eyebrows at me.