A Flowers Enigma

4- Royal Pain in The Ass

"Ma!"

I pull her away from the door, wary of Jasper and the guards standing protectively behind him. How do they know my address? How do they know anything? But then again, I recall Jasper talking about my mother not too long ago. Of course he would know. He knows anything he wants to.

And he obviously gets to do anything. Say for example, show up on my doorstep at night. What the fuck is in the air today?

"What are you doing here?!" I nearly screech.

If it weren't for my cranky neighbors I'd turn into a banshee. The guards tighten themselves up around Jasper, almost as if preparing for a fight. But Jasper could handle himself. He was roughly 6'0ft and very obviously worked out.

It was hard to not ogle the muscles beneath his shirt. But most girls had no shame, some tripping over themselves at the mere sight of his biceps. Though he was young and somewhat lean, it looked like his spent half his days at the gym. He's a fucking demigod. What could a giant like him need protection from? Definitely not from me, of course. Though I was 5'9, I wasn't passing in the athletic department. And I thank that to the chicken and rice I eat consecutively. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" He asks, a deep scowl forming from his bushy eyebrows.

"I mean, what are you doing at my house with guards? At 7:30 at night! Please don't tell me you plan to execute me right now." I groan.

He rolls his eyes. "Have you not seen the news? Or your messages?"

I start closing the door bit by bit, ignoring my mother's fluttering. Her nervous energy was affecting me. I needed to keep cool and not cry my eyes out like earlier. But if my mom was obviously worried, why shouldn't I be? An angry Prince and his henchmen are at my front door.

"As you can tell," I grimace to my sleepwear and bonnet, "I've been trying to sleep. So goodnight."

As soon as I try to close the door on him, one of the guards stick their foot in.

"Your coming with me. From here on out, your- regrettably- my fiance."

My jaw drops to the ground in dismay.

Fiance?

Me?

To Jasper?

At 17?

Unwillingly?

Me?

"You're on that lean. Goodnight!" I slam the door tighter but this guy has a shoe full of bricks.

In no way possible was I going to get married at 17. Not forcefully, and looking on how things are going for my love life not ever! It's the twentieth century. Forcing people to get married is basically illegal!

"I'm not marrying anyone! You can kiss my ass!" My mother steps in between me and Jasper. Any moment later it would've been a cat fight.

"Please, not Iris. You know I have many younger sisters who'd be willing to be your bride. But not Iris!"

I raise a brow at my mother. Sisters? My mother barely talks about her own mother. Her whole life is a secret, including her life with my dad. So to hear her talk like this is shocking. She's kept her entire life in wraps from me, but some Prince gets a glimmered piece in seconds?

"I'm sorry Lady Mays, but I need a direct descendant from someone with noble blood. She is the only suitor of age and availability."

This is all too much.

"Hold on! What is everyone talking about? Noble? Sisters? Fiance? What?" I nearly rip out my braids I'm frustration and exhaustion, my neck snapping quickly between the two in animated confusion. They were all speaking riddles, like some difficult test that I had to ace.