Chapter 227 - A Sudden Change

I felt a throbbing pain in my head. I slowly opened my eyes and sat down on the bed. 

I had a weird dream last night about Caden. Maybe I was mad at him and thought I saw him in the karaoke bar. I looked around and was relieved that I was in my room.

Yesterday, I had fun with my friends and didn't realize I had already drunk more than one shot. The last time I remember was Ace trying to help go to the bathroom. That's when Caden came. It felt so real, but I knew that was impossible.

I stood up and went to the bathroom to prepare for school. Mom and dad were quiet in the dining room while Lucas was constantly glancing at me.

I know what I did was wrong. My parents were not really strict towards Lucas and me. They were protective, yes. But that was because a lot had happened in our family and put our lives in danger.

One of those was when we went to Flousia when I was six years old. Uncle Kyle, the current King of Flousia, was just crowned back then when the Mafia attacked the palace.

Caden's mom, Aunt Margaret, got stabbed, and the baby in her tummy died. Caden was a little lost when he found out about it. He blamed himself for not being able to protect his mother and sister. That was one of the reasons he accepted to be the crown prince of Flousia.

He told me he needed the power to protect his family and me. I wanted to be there for him when that time came. I wanted to see him and reach his goal, so we promised that we would get married and protect each other when we got older.

But that was a long time ago. I held on to that promise, but he just disappeared and forgot about me. 

I sighed and glanced at my mom. She looked into my eyes, and I knew she wanted me to apologize to dad. I turned to dad, who was busy reading the morning newspaper.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I promise it will not happen again." I whispered.

Dad took a deep breath, then put down the newspaper on the table. He held my hand and smiled at me.

"Alira, it's okay to drink but make sure you can handle it before taking too much. What if something happened to you?" He said in a worried voice.

I bowed my head feeling so guilty. It was my first time to drink more than I was allowed to. I felt free and happy with my friends, but at the same time, I wanted to rebel. Not with my parents, but with Caden.

I know a lot of guys like me. I've received many love letters, confessions, and invitations to go out for the past years, but I always tell them that I am already engaged to someone else.

No one knew who the guy was, only my friends. My family wanted it to be kept secret, and it was the same with the royal family. Maybe because no one knew that Caden was the crown prince of Flousia, they said it was dangerous if the public found out that he was the future king, and it would also put my life in danger.

"I don't want this to happen again, Alira. From now on, you will be having your bodyguards. Lucas will start his training in the company so he can't be with you all the time. You will also use a separate car from your brother and would have your own security team."

I could believe what dad said. Am I being guarded because I got drunk yesterday? It was one time, for god's sake!

"Dad, did anything happen?" I asked.

Dad would not act like that for nothing. I know they were hiding something from me. He smiled at me and gently pinched my chin.

"I just want you to be safe. Now, off you go. The car and your guards were outside. If you want to go out, tell them." He answered.

I wasn't satisfied with dad's response and decided to ask Lucas when we walked outside.

"Lucas, what's happening? Dad's acting weird." I frowned.

"You'll know about it later." He winked before getting into his car.

I envy Lucas. He has his security team, but he drove his own car. He was just being followed all the time, though. He is the heir to the Wilson Group, while I am the heiress of the Hoseki Empire.

Hoseki was the name of mom's company, and she made me her heiress while Lucas would inherit dad's.

I wanted to drive my own car like my brother, but I didn't know how. Dad wanted me to have a driving lesson; it was my decision not to because I am a bit scared to drive alone.

I pouted when Lucas didn't answer and just went inside the car.

In school, the car I was riding was followed by two more. I hate attracting too much attention, but I can't do anything about it since the cars were a limited edition of Rolls Royce.

When I got out of the car, my friends were shocked to see me.

"Oh my! What happened? Why do you have bodyguards? And a lot of them." Samantha exclaimed.

"It was dad's idea. Lucas will have to start training, so we have to use separate cars from now on." I answered.

Students and teachers were looking at me. It wasn't the first time I was accompanied by bodyguards, though, so I was confused as to why everyone seemed surprised to see me.

"Guys, thank you for bringing me home yesterday. I owe you." I said sincerely.

The girls glanced at each other then stared at me.

"We didn't bring you home." Cassy answered.

I frowned. "Was it Ace? I have to thank him later."

Lea and Samantha shook their heads.

"No.. It's your fiance, the crown prince, Caden."