Missing Royal Read Online Free PDF Page B

to our food. I won’t allow this to ruin my last meal with my parents. I will enjoy every minute of this.
    Once it’s over, it’s over. That’s it. No more do-overs. No making up for lost time. One meal, one last good-bye. I don’t dare ask but I have a feeling that once I leave, I won’t be able to come back.

    The ride home is silent, tense, almost awkward. I don’t know what to say, and clearly, neither do they. I’m afraid to speak, fearful of the tears that will pour and become unstoppable.
    Even wondering if I had been adopted, I never cared to search for my birth parents. They did not raise me, they did not claim me. But now—now I don’t know what to think. A princess? My parents are royal. My father is a king and my mother a queen.
    As we pull into the driveway I grab my jewelry box, holding it a little more tenderly now, understanding the true significance.
    “This … ” I have to take a breath. “You picked this because it was fit for a queen. That wasn’t just a metaphor, was it?” I bite my lower lip, unable to control my emotions.
    “No.” mom says.
    “We wanted to send you home with a little something from us. Something to remind you of home. This, our home. We vowed to take care of you, Shanice. We promised to let you go just the same. It isn’t easy for us but at least we know we did all we could for you.” Dad finishes.
    The pain that wells inside me is too much to bear. I can’t take this good-bye.
    “What if I don’t want to go? What if I’m not ready? This right here—this is the life I want.” I open my arms toward them. They both pull me into their grasps.
    “Oh, Shanice, I wish it were up to any of us. But we all know you’re not really happy here. Your life is empty of so many things you desperately need. Your life is much greater than this. You’re royal, whereas we are just two people. In your world, we would be commoners. And just as much as we want to keep you as our own forever, think of how your parents, your true parents, want you there.” She’s stronger than I could’ve ever imagined.
    “Mom, I don’t need friends. Not more than I already have. And no one is worth more than another. Not even royalty. And I’m not ready to be royal. It may have been a wish upon the stars as a young girl but now? Now I want no part in it. And my parents gave me up long ago. That was their choice, and as such, my staying would only be the consequence of that.” I need to make her see my view on this.
    I know she doesn’t want me to go, so why should she force me to leave?
    “My dear, dear, child. You are wise. It is true—royalty is not worth more. But you are living a life filled with nothing when you could be living a life with everything. And you know well that your parents did not willingly let you go. They asked for our help in order to protect you. Now your world is what needs protecting, and it has called upon you for help. As much as it hurts, as much as it will always affect you, you must be brave. You must live up to your full potential. While you’re here, friendless and fighting for this life, you have no idea what you’re missing in the life you should be living.”
    I dry my tears on my sleeve. I soak in every word as I fill my lungs with the cool air of January. “You’re right. But it doesn’t mean that I won’t miss what I have here. And I’m not ready to leave yet.”
    “Come on. You should take a shower, and then I’ll help you pack your things.” She leads me inside the house. I allow it. As suggested, I take a shower.
    I let the water roll over me, warming me, helping me relax. But every time I think of what is to come once I leave the safety of this shower, more tears begin to spill.
    And I don’t stop them. I let them all free. Everything hurts. My chest aches. I can’t say I don’t look forward to seeing beyond the gate and even perhaps spending more time with Valentino but I don’t want those things to come at the cost of leaving