Chapter 6

"Well, it wasn't all bad. I got to travel with him and see him in action. Although, after the first night in the wild, I realised that it wasn't for me." He laughed at my story. We were currently having a conversation as we took a walk around the Palace. Yes, you heard right. He invited me to join him for lunch at the Palace and I accepted. Something about him makes me go out of my way.

"So you were serious about being a National Geographic explorer? You weren't kidding?" He asked in between laughs.

"I wasn't. Luckily, I discovered that it wasn't my calling early in the process. It could've been much worse."

"True. Well, I'm not going to lie to you Toria, the real reason why I called you here is because I need your help."

"I'm all ears."

"You're good with kids and all that right?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm interested in starting this foundation for kids who suffer mental abuse both at home and in school and I could use your help in running it."

"Arthur..."

"Just hear me out before you say no. When I enlisted in the Army, a cadet committed suicide. He was a good guy and my first friend there, but he struggled with antisocial disorder and he was bullied for that. He never said anything to anyone and it killed him on the inside, slowly. His death made me realise that bullying is a real problem that has to be addressed or else, it won't stop affecting thousands of lives. I can't do this alone and that's why I need your help on this one." 

"What do you need me to do?"

"I know you don't want to be anywhere near the press but we need them on this one. I've been planning this for a while and I've already gotten everything ready. The launch is tomorrow morning but there's an interview in a few hours and I would love it if you joined me." An interview huh? Well, the thought is good so I guess I can make this work.

"Ok. But promise me something. "

"Anything. "

"You won't hand this off to someone else after the launch and just be a name founder. If you keep running things by yourself, it'll make more of an impact because it's personal to you. Make that promise and I'll do all I can. Hell, I might even help you open a branch of the foundation in Denmark."

"I promise. Thank you Toria, this means a lot."

"Well, friends are meant to help each other and we are friends, aren't we?"

"We are. Which brings me to my next reason for inviting you here."

"Ah...another reason. Now I'm wondering if lunch was the major reason for this invite." I said laughing. We had stopped to sit near the rose garden. It was beautiful.

"It wasn't." He replied laughing. 

"I figured. So, why am I here?"

"We've known each other for a few weeks and in truth, I've never met someone quite as unique as you." This is starting to sound like a marriage proposal. Not that that would be so bad. Look, don't get confused. I think Arthur is a nice and hot guy but he's also a press magnet, I don't want that. But he's so dreamy!

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Truth is, while I've loved being friends with you, I want us to be more. Let me take you out." I smiled shyly as I flipped my hair over my shoulder.

"A date Arthur. Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

"Yes. Would you go on a date with me Victoria?"

"Yes. But only because you called me Victoria." He smiled and nodded slowly. 

"Yeah...that's the only reason. Look, there's a lot I need you to run through so you can be prepared for the interview, so shall we?"

"Lead the way." He took me to his home office and we started going over all possible questions. With royals, nothing is ever on the spot. All possible outcomes are always considered. While some interviews are planned, others can be completely spontaneous so always be prepared. We went through every possible question over and over again. We only realised how much time we had spent when we got a call reminding us about the interview.

"What am I going to wear? I can't afford to go back home to change because we'll be late."

"Stop panicking Toria, you look perfect. You always look interview-ready." He's sweet, isn't he?

"Wait till you see me first thing in the morning." He got up to put on his suit jacket. 

"I have. Perfection at its best. Let's go." Awwwnn!!!! He walked out the door and I followed behind him. We got into his car and security started the drive to the studio. "Remember, stay calm and if you get nervous....."

"If I get nervous..." I asked amusingly.

"Well, I don't know. Royals aren't taught to get nervous so... just don't." We both ended up laughing. He's right though, everyone else is allowed to get nervous and because of that, everyone has a backup plan. Everyone except royals. You are taught at a very young age that nervousness is unacceptable. So there's no just-in-case plan. You get nervous, you flop. That's just how it is. It was one of those surprise studio interviews, where the audience had no idea that we were coming. That also explained why people started screaming when we got onstage. 

"Prince Arthur, Princess Victoria, I'm honoured to have you both here with me. This may be the highlight of my career." David Holland, one of Britain's biggest show hosts. He's sleek with his words as he is cunning. One has to mind what they say in his presence. 

"Please, for you, it's just Arthur and Victoria. At least for tonight." Arthur said laughing. The crowd found him funny. Oddly.

"Wow! We're now on a first-name basis guys!" David was having the time of his life with the crowd. "Well, I'm sure we all know our own highly loved and adored Prince Arthur but for those of you who don't keep up with the other royals, meet Princess Victoria Schelswig of Denmark." They were warm and receptive. It was really beautiful. "Victoria, we're honoured and excited to have you here with us today. And let me just say, you look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you, David. And I'm happy to be here. London has and will always be my home away from home." 

"I'm happy to hear that. Let's go straight to the business of the day. The Tom Benedict Foundation, what's that all about?"

"The Tom Benedict Foundation is an anti-bullying foundation that Princess Victoria and I started in a bid to not only curb the ever-rising increase in bullying cases but to also help in getting the victims the needed help to pull through." The crowd seemed to love it all because they wouldn't stop clapping. 

"Wow, that's beautiful. Um, Victoria, you are a big advocate for human rights and all that. You are a patron to over six foundations in Denmark that advocate for women's rights, kids' rights and much more. Although, this is your first patronage of a foundation outside Denmark, so why this one?"

"Like Arthur rightly said, bullying is an ever-rising issue. In its early stages, bullying mainly had to do with the words said to someone but over the years, it got worse. We now see situations where people get locked in tight spaces or even situations where people now get hit by their counterparts. This is a universal problem and to find a solution, we all need to come together. This is why I jumped at Arthur's offer to work with him on this one."

"You are right about it being a universal problem. So do you see The Tom Benedict Foundation widening its roots to different countries over time?" 

"That's a really good question, David. Currently, we are going to start our work here in London and expand within the UK. After that, we'll see how things are going and then we'll work on expanding to other countries."

"I can't wait to see that. So Arthur, when can we expect the foundation to be open and ready for work?"

"That's another reason why we're here. The foundation will launch tomorrow morning and the address and time will be released tonight. Of course, myself and Victoria will be there to cut the ribbon and I expect to see you all there." 

"I'll be there. Wow, this is just amazing. It was truly unexpected and yet, everyone loves it. I do hope that we'll see more joint work from both of you. Can we expect more of this?"

"Well, when a cause that strikes both of us comes, then yes. Although, we can't make any promises. But I have loved working with Arthur on this one. It has been fun."

"No no, I won't take all the glory on this one. Victoria has been something with this one. She worked so hard to make sure everything ran smoothly before and even after the launch. I want to work on more projects with her."

"Ohhhh. I love the tag team, the crowd loves you guys, could this be a business or even personal match made in heaven?" Not having an answer for this one made us laugh the question off. And everyone laughed with us. All in all, it was a good interview. It was nice and calm, really my scene.

"You were amazing out there Toria. I might have underestimated you." Arthur said as we got into the car.

"No, you only thought I don't know how to handle the press simply because I don't want to deal with them. I've spent my entire life in a royal family so believe me, I know my way around these things. Now, I'm expecting a thousand phone calls from home. I can't even deal with that."

"I hear that it's pretty hard to get mad at me, I could help talk to them."

"That's sweet but I'm sweeter. I know my way around it all and besides, it's good publicity for them."

"You're right. Look, I meant what I said in there, working with you has been amazing."

"Arthur.."

"You came here to get away from it all and yet, your selflessness made you jump back into the spotlight to pass a powerful message. You don't find people like you anymore. I've known you for merely weeks and I'm crazy about you. I can't explain it, but I love it. Every moment with you is beautiful and I don't want to let go."

"Arthur, I'm not good with this," I said signalling between us. "Relationships aren't my thing. I don't know how they work. And you can't afford to be in a relationship with someone unsure about what she wants. I like you, Arthur, a lot..."

"Then give us a chance. Let the press find out, and if it doesn't work out, that's fine. But don't shut it down before it even starts."

"Ok...but just because you begged me," I said laughing. Am I sure about this? No. Am I dating him because he's sweet and cute? Probably. How long do I plan on staying with him? No idea. But I hope I get clarity soon. 

"We're here. Let's go."

"You don't have to walk me to my door. I'm fine."

"I walked you to your door from your next-door neighbour's house which was a second away, you think I'm going to leave you out here alone? Hell no, let's go." He got out and then helped me out. He took me to my door and then waited.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Don't get me wrong but since the day I met you, I've been obsessed with ending up in bed with you. If I go in there, we're both going to do something we'll regret by morning."

"Who says we'll regret it?"