Royally Chosen

Once upon a time in a small village nestled among rolling hills, there lived a young girl named Lily. She had an insatiable curiosity and a wild imagination that took her on many adventures. One day, while exploring the forest near her home, she stumbled upon a mysterious old book.

Intrigued, Lily opened the book and was instantly transported to a magical world filled with talking animals and enchanting landscapes. She met a wise owl who became her guide, teaching her about the wonders of the realm. Together, they embarked on a quest to restore balance to the land, which had been plagued by a dark sorcerer's curse.

As Lily journeyed through the mystical forests and treacherous mountains, she discovered her own inner strength and courage. Along the way, she encountered fantastical creatures and forged deep friendships with them. Together, they overcame challenges, solving riddles and unraveling ancient prophecies.

Finally, after a long and arduous journey, Lily confronted the sorcerer. With her newfound knowledge and the support of her friends, she broke the curse and restored harmony to the land. The magical world rejoiced, and Lily bid farewell to her companions, returning home with a heart full of gratitude and memories.

Back in her village, Lily shared her incredible tale, inspiring others to embrace their own curiosity and embrace the magic within their own lives. And from that day forward, the village flourished with creativity, wonder, and endless possibilities, all thanks to the bravery and imagination of one young girl named Lily.

Chapter 2: The Big Surprise

Even with the cold drizzling weather, Diana Stevens didn't cancel her flight. She knew she had to go back to her mother, immediately, and as soon as possible. That was what her mother said, anyways.

"Babe, you can go tomorrow. It's already one in the morning," Aiden Rewen, her boyfriend, said as he drove towards the airport, his brown curly hair flying from the air cooler.

"No, babe, I have to go now! Mom said it was an emergency. I just hope she's okay." Diana had received a call from Merida telling her to come to England as soon as possible. Hearing her panicked tone, Diana couldn't wait for the following day. She had to go home. Now.

"Did you book the ticket?" she asked Aiden.

Diana was a nervous wreck and was constantly fidgeting in the passenger seat whilst checking her bag for important things she might have left in her haste.

"Of course I did. Everything is set. All you have to do is go and come back soon."

They reached the airport in a span of thirty minutes, but to Diana, it felt like hours. As soon as the car skidded to a stop, Diana scampered out. She even tripped in her haste to reach the doors, almost forgetting about her boyfriend.

A hand grabbed hers before she could even take a step, whirling her back. Her hair whipped the side of her face. "Wha-"

It was Aiden. "Come back soon, okay?"

Diana nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips, feeling his soft brown curls. Then she hurried inside the airport, elbowing past strangers in order to reach the front desk.

"Where to, ma'am?" the woman at the counter asked. Despite having Diana's passport and ticket, she had to go and ask again. Diana knew it was the woman's job to do so, yet she couldn't help but feel irritated.

"London."

"Here you go." The woman handed Diana's belongings. Diana grabbed them and ran, quickly getting into the plane after giving away her luggage. Panic made her fast; she was sitting on her designated seat before she knew it, breathing in relief.

She immediately texted Aiden upon making herself comfortable on her seat.

Diana: I am on the plane.

The panic subsided, making Diana smile sadly. Actually, she didn't want to leave Aiden. Their graduation ended just a week ago, and they both planned to find jobs and settle down in the United States. Unfortunately, in Diana's world, nothing goes according to plan; she knew that their plan would be screwed up as well.

"I wonder what the emergency is," she muttered. Diana looked down at her phone, glancing at the wallpaper in sadness; it was a picture of her and Aiden. Bringing her finger at the screen, she gently touched his face on the screen, pretending to feel his soft skin instead of the gadget. The crinkles on the sides of his eyes when he smiled was one thing she would never forget.

"I will come to you as soon as possible," Diana promised. "I will."

Due to nine long hours of her flight, Diana fell fast asleep, feeling the drowsiness and weariness that filled her whole being. It felt as if she had just blinked when the crew cranked up the speakers to announce that she had already reached her desired destination.

After she took her luggage, she called her mother. It took her a few times before Merida answered, "Yes, honey?"

"Mom, I am in London now. I am taking a taxi and coming home. I just wanted to inform you," she breathed out. "Is everything okay? What's the emergency?"

She could almost imagine Merida grinning at the other end of the line. "Just come, you will find out soon." The call ended.

Diana sighed. Her mom had always been like that, pretending to have an urgent need to make her come home. She wouldn't be one bit surprised if the 'emergency' wasn't even that important. Either way, she flagged down a taxi and headed home. At least she had the chance to visit London, right?

The environment of London never changed; everything was the same as it was four years ago. The only thing Diana missed while staying in the United States was her mother. She intended to take Merida with her after she got the green card, but that might take a while.

Once Diana reached home and stepped onto the lawn, she instantly engulfed Merida in a hug. "Mom, I missed you so damn much!"

"I missed you too, sweetheart! How is everything?" Merida asked as Diana took her luggage inside their two-storied house. Diana's room was upstairs, so she headed there while Merida trailed behind her, dragging her other belongings.

"Everything was going smoothly until you called and said there was an emergency. What was it? You have to tell me now."

Merida smiled at her daughter proudly. "I will, but not now. It's a surprise for you." She handed her a garment bag. "Wear this dress, get ready, and come downstairs. I will take you to show your surprise."

Diana was beyond confused and irritated. She thought it was something really urgent when her mother called. It had been a long and tiring flight, so disappointment flushed over her when she heard that it was nothing but a surprise.

"Mom, your 'emergency' made my heart beat a marathon. Now all I get to know is that my heart ran to somewhere that was not a real race track."

Merida laughed at her words. "Your sense of humor is something they would die for. No wonder it was you they chose."

Diana made a move to interrogate her again, but her mother shushed her. "No more questions. Just get ready within two hours." Then she left her room.

Diana turned on the television in her room and started to check the bag. In it was a simple yet gorgeous blue dress that shouted, proclaimed, and announced glamour. She couldn't help but gasp at the beauty of it. Small stones were in the middle, making it look glossy. If it wasn't given to her by Merida, she would have believed that the queen herself sent the dress.

Diana smiled at her own thoughts and started to get ready. The dress fitted her body perfectly as if made by a personal designer. It even matched her taste in fashion.

"When did my mom's fashion sense become the same as mine?" she questioned herself while looking at the mirror, twirling to see the back.

Diana wore a simple pair of earrings and her favorite lucky bracelet, an accessory given to her by Aiden. To wrap up her look, she went for a light make-up. When she was wearing her stilettos while sitting on the bed, her eyes fell upon the open television announcing news.

"Breaking news from the palace!" a reporter announced. "The king and queen finally found the perfect girl for Prince Ivan. They will reveal this majestic lady and Prince Ivan's identity tonight! Who is this lucky girl, why was she royally chosen? Stay tuned to find out!"

Diana rolled her eyes at the news reporter.

"Seriously, 'royally chosen'? How corny can this news turn out to be?"

Her eyes fell on the phone, and a sudden thought drew up her mind. Her best friend Ivan really did look like the prince in the news report. Diana began texting Ivan on Instagram; he was one to never betray. He was always a great listener and understood everything nicely.

Diana_Stevens: Are you sure you aren't the prince? You have the same name as his.

She teased him, knowing his answer.

Fortunately, he was active. He quickly replied.

Ivan_Cands: Hmm... That's a tough question.

Diana chortled. After all, she knew he was kidding. How could he be the prince? If he was, she would have known. At least, that's what she thought.

"Honey, are you done yet?" Merida hollered from downstairs. Moaning inappropriate words that her mother would never allow, Diana locked her phone and went to her mother, who was waiting by the living room.

Merida took one look at her. "You look stunning, Princess."

"Princess?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Strange. Her mother never called her that. "Whatever, Mom. Now, can you tell me where we're going?"

"My answer is: it's a surprise!"

Diana groaned once more at Merida's response. Still, she followed her mother to the car and hoped the day would end soon. After all, Diana was very tired. She hoped that whatever event they would go to, it would end early.

###

In the palace, Ivan was heading towards the car along with his mother. He wore a blue suit, which was chosen by Suzanne.

"Where are we really going, Mom?" he asked at last. However, he didn't get a chance to get an answer from his parents; a servant came and handed him the suit, telling him to get ready soon as possible per the orders of the queen.

"We are going to meet someone special." The queen smiled. "It's a surprise. You will definitely love it."

"Is Father coming too?" Ivan asked. The king was a busy man after all.

"He will join us soon. He cannot miss the special union of two lovers." Suzanne's response made Ivan uneasy. Thinking it was probably a smart move to stay silent, he kept shut for the rest of the car drive.

When the car came to a stop, Ivan glanced through the window. It was a small restaurant that his family had recently bought. He didn't know the reasoning behind their buying the restaurant nor what they were doing here.

"This is the place where I met your dad for the first time. That's why we bought this restaurant. In this place, two lovers meet royally and get united forever. We did it with plenty of dukes and duchesses, now it's your turn to meet your lover. Come," Suzanne explained. Ivan's entire body stiffened.

Two lovers will meet and get united? Only one thing cut through his brain: it was a blind date! What the hell was his mother saying? Did she somehow find out about Rain? Will he meet Rain here and finally get united with her?

He got out of the car and walked along with Suzanne. Soon, his father followed next to him. Ivan could feel a lump in his throat that made it uneasy to swallow. Sweat had even started forming in his hands. His heart rapidly thumped with nervousness.

What if it wasn't Rain?

He entered the restaurant, and his eyes fell on a familiar brown-blonde-haired girl. He couldn't believe it. What was she doing here?

"Diana?"

"I-Ivan?"

Chapter 3: The Futile Effort

Diana was just as shocked as Ivan. She had been totally clueless about the situation and was now absolutely confused about what to make of the situation given before her. It was unbelievably unexpected.

"Ivan, what are you doing here?" Diana sprang up to her seat and rushed towards him. Beside him was a familiar middle-aged couple-wait, actually it was the king and the queen. Why were they here? thought Diana. Why was Ivan with them?

Diana was clueless about everything so she couldn't even utter a word. Merida saw this and got up from the sit, giving a smile. "This is my daughter Diana Stevens." She looked at Ivan, who was fidgeting nervously. "This handsome boy-I presume-is Prince Ivan?"

Suzanne nodded a yes as an answer. She even placed a hand on Ivan's shoulder.

Eyes growing wide and blinking several times, her mind spun in several different directions. There was no doubt that Diana was now beyond confused. "P-prince Ivan? What do you mean 'Prince'?"

"Stop pretending now, honey." Merida tapped Diana's shoulder and further spoke, "Come on, everyone. Let's have a seat and start talking."

Suzanne and Devin took a seat as Diana trailed behind them, making sure to step in beside Ivan.

"What the hell is happening?" she asked, hissing at him. "Why are we meeting here with our parents and why in the world is my mom saying I was pretending? What am I pretending to be?"

Color had drained from Ivan's body. He couldn't believe it-his parents were trying to set him up with his best friend! Suppressing his anger, he tried answering calmly. "I think our parents are trying to marry us off. We're gathered here to discuss that."

"What?" Diana gasped in horror. "Why? Why is this happening? How did they even-" She stopped, eyes narrowing to slots as she peered at the man beside her. "Are...are you really Prince Ivan?"

Ivan's silence answered her question. Diana wanted to shoot herself from embarrassment. He was really the prince.

"I was just joking about you being THE prince. I never knew it was true," she mumbled. "Wait. If you're the prince, then your parents are the..." She looked at Ivan with a horrified face. "Oh my God!"

Even though they were currently undergoing a tough time, Ivan couldn't help but let out an amused smile at Diana. Her face said it all; she was filled with guilt and embarrassment with the way she greeted the royal family.

Everyone sat down on their respective chairs, with Ivan sitting next to Diana. The waiters swooped in to serve them food and drinks as everything was already pre-ordered by the king himself.

When the waiter handed her a glass, Diana immediately took a sip of her orange juice.

"So, as everyone knows, we found out the truth of you two being in a relationship." The moment Suzanne said that, Diana choked on her juice, barely controlling herself. But she managed to; it would have been embarrassing if she choked in front of the royal family. "I'd been noticing these past few days that my son had been talking and laughing with someone at night. When I did some research, I found it was Diana. You make Ivan really happy."

"Suzanne told me about you and we arranged a meeting. I wanted to see if you are a fit for the royal family. But as you easily impressed the queen, I don't think I have to check anything," said Devin, the king. He wanted to say something else but he had to check the wits and intelligence of the girl before continuing.

Diana replied, "No, Your Majesty. This is not true. I and Ivan, we are not in a relationship. We are just friends. This is all a misunderstanding."

"The queen can never make mistakes, Diana," Merida, her mother said with a smile. "It's okay, dear. You don't have to hide it anymore."

Diana leaned towards her mother and whispered, "Mom, this is all a misunderstanding. Also, they cannot like me just because of my picture. I am not perfect for a royal family." She was trying to reason out the facts, which was heard by Suzanne.

Sharing an already impressed look with the king, Queen Suzanne said, "It's okay. None of us are perfect. We portray our lives as perfect and gradually, it really runs perfectly. You have the same potential as us. And we will appoint a trainer for you who will teach you everything about being a royal." Then Suzanne glanced at her son and let out proudly, "You made an awesome choice. I love her. This is the girl I was looking for. I approve of your relationship."

"I have no problems either; she seems good. She's now royally chosen. There's no turning back." Devin smiled warmly at the couple.

"I also don't have a problem." Merida admired the two sitting next to her. "I cannot believe my daughter found the perfect guy."

"What relationship? We are just best friends. Tell them, Prince," Diana whispered.

Ivan groaned. "How am I supposed to tell them? You told them and they didn't trust you. You're now royally chosen. We can't back out anymore."

"Great. So now we're stuck together because I am royally chosen?"

They both exhaled a gust of air, their eyes locking together as they shook their heads. This set up shouldn't be happening at all. It was merely a misunderstanding.

"We will discuss the wedding date later on. Let's enjoy this moment now," Suzanne said and everyone continued eating lunch.

Ivan and Diana didn't say a word, silently clicking their forks. The news had hit them hard. What were they supposed to do now?

The chatter of their parents and clinking of utensils served as Diana and Ivan's excuse to stay quiet all throughout the meeting. They remained this way till the king said, "Everyone is going crazy finding out who the lucky girl is. We should reveal it to them."

"No!" Diana blurted out before the word registered. If everyone got to know, the news would also reach her boyfriend, Aiden. What would she tell him?

"Why not?" Suzanne glanced at her suspiciously.

"I will talk to her privately. She seems shocked by the sudden surprise," Ivan announced, grabbing Diana's hand and pulling her into a corner away from prying eyes.

"Calm down," Ivan scolded. "I will tell my mother the truth after I reach home. There has to be some way out of this setup."

"If the news spreads, what will I say to Aiden? What will you say to Rain?" Diana spread her arms in panic. "They will hate us forever. Our lives will be ruined. Why the hell did you not tell me you were the prince?"

"Look, Diana, I didn't want to lose my only friend. I am sorry for hiding the truth. Don't worry. It's my mistake, and I will solve it."

"What if I say that I am not ready for this wedding? They will respect that, won't they?"

Ivan sighed. "I wish it worked that way. Once you are chosen by the king and the queen, you have to abide by them. You can't say no."

Diana felt like crying at that moment. "What if you say no? You can do that. You're the prince!"

"I will talk to my mom. We cannot get married."

Diana took a deep breath and nodded, sniffing to control her tears. They returned to their table, but it was empty.

"Your Royal Highness," the waiter cleaning the table greeted. "His and Her Majesty are outside, along with their guest."

Ivan and Diana went outside. Mentally, they were praying for everything to turn okay. They never thought their friendship would be converted into something like an arranged relationship.

"The queen should have talked to you first," Diana mumbled to Ivan as they headed outside. "If my mother told me the reason, I would have flown back to the United States and stayed there forever."

"Mom told me she wanted to give me a surprise," Ivan admitted. "Trust me; it's worse than getting electrocuted."

"Same. My mom said it was an emergency, so it made me run back as soon as possible. Now I regret it."

"No wonder you came back. It was their plan," he murmured.

As soon as they threw back the doors, flashing cameras blinded and blinked over them. Thousands of clicking was heard all throughout the driveway and streets. The paparazzi surrounded them.

"Is it her? The royally chosen Princess?"

"Your Highness! Is she the one?"

"Move! I can't see-Prince Ivan-!"

"Shit," Ivan hissed.

Their worst fear came true. They were being streamed live on the television together, something they wanted to avoid. Diana tried to put on a fake smile in front of the reporters and the paparazzi as cameras were directed towards them, mumbling, "Double shit."