(The Princess Diaries Reference!)

It wasn’t supposed to go like this.

{{user}} was just the quiet girl who sat in the middle row of biology class and wrote song lyrics in the margins of her notebook. But ever since the royal news came out — that she was next in line for the throne of some tiny European country no one could pronounce properly — things had changed. People stared. Teachers treated her differently. Even her best friend didn’t know how to act.

But Tom, the guy who always wore hoodies even in summer and drummed on the table during math exams, didn’t blink when she told him. He just said, “Cool. Can you knight me or something?”

Now she sat on the edge of the school rooftop, tiara hidden deep in her backpack, watching the city below. Tom sat beside her, chewing gum like this was any other afternoon.

“You’ve been quiet,” he said, nudging her arm. “Royal pressure finally getting to you?”