here, you are not aware of the onslaught of attention you have gained overnight.” She grabbed her laptop, twisting it to me. My new royal Instagram account was up on her screen. There had only been a handful of followers yesterday since they just opened it.
My eyes widened, my throat thickening as I read the number over and over, making sure I was computing it right.
“60k?” I blanched. My personal account before had maybe a couple hundred followers. This set a panic of disbelief through me.
“Yes. And that is just from yesterday. Every minute you get a dozen new followers. The more you and Theo are out, the more this will grow. The moment you announce your engagement, this will quadruple. The other social media sites are around the same, if not more. They are very curious and interested in you, which you must have known would happen. Prince Theo is the most eligible bachelor in the world, and you’ve taken him out of the game before he was even really in it.” She shifted her cell to her other ear. “From what I’ve seen on Twitter, you should be glad we had all commentary off. There are a lot of broken hearts across the world. They never had a chance with him anyway but can be vicious in their claim that they could have, saying you are not worthy of their prince.”
I knew the cruelty of the anonymous faces on social media. Even as low as my family was, I had my fair share of attacks, people loving to rip me down to make themselves feel better about their situation.
“I suggest you stay far away from social media for a while. Let us deal with it. You are going to have lovers and haters. That’s just how it goes. And once they get used to the idea of you, it will calm down. Right now, everyone is going to have an opinion about you. Of you two together. Please stay off your mobile if you want to keep your sanity.”
“Okay.” Acid swished in my stomach. Everyone could tell me strangers’ opinions didn’t matter, and maybe they were right, but I was being torn to shreds and dissected by the world. Was anyone strong enough for that?
Theo. Theo. I repeated his name to myself. He’s all that’s important.
“Okay, I think that is all. Just remember every move you make will be photographed today. If you can get some sweet moments with your family, with the king and queen, that would be nice.”
I was familiar with the “candid” staged photos. So many pictures people thought were caught in the moment were actually purposeful, like an episode of reality TV—scripted realism.
“Oh, and one last piece of advice. Look like you are drinking and having fun, but don’t drink. One loose slip of the tongue, one stumble… a PR nightmare, harsh ridicule for you, and embarrassment for the royal house.” She frowned like I had already done it.
“Sure.” Now it was the only thing I wanted to do. Sweeping out of the room before she could say more, I took off to find some coffee.
Would they let me hang out in the stables all day instead?
“Spencie!” My sister’s soft voice rolled through the throng of people, her curly strawberry-blond hair flowing behind her as she ran for me.
“Livie.” I crouched down, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame. Today my mother had her in a new outfit, a knee-length light blue dress with sheer sleeves, white Mary Jane-type shoes, and a cute headband. She fit into this world much better than I.
“I have missed you so much,” she said quietly, her calming voice a balm to my agitated mood.
“I’ve missed you more.” I hugged her again before standing up, my parents surrounding me.
“So good to see you, Spencie.” My father, with the same quiet nature as my sister, hugged me with one arm like I was a delicate flower, stepping away quickly. From birth, nobles were taught to keep emotions at a minimum. Hugs and kisses were kept subdued and limited.
“You look beautiful.” My mum leaned in, air-kissing my cheeks. My insides gripped at her compliment, waiting for the punch to come after it. “Though you could have spent a little more time on your hair and some more blush. You look tired.”
And there it was.
“Thanks.” I forced a smile on my face. Of course, she looked impeccable in a brand-new lavender dress. Vivian Sutton was the kind who never stepped out the