Page 18 of Royal Extra After

“What?” the princess asked, trying to process it all.

“I know it won’t fix everything for you, but I hope it will protect you some,” Ned said. “You and Benson can even review and approve the press release if you like. I’ll do whatever you want to make this right.”

“Putting it out there that you faked a story for publicity is going to make you look horrible,” the princess said, frowning. “It could hurt your movie. You told me this project means everything to you.”

“This movie did mean everything to me…until I met you,” Ned said.

The princess’s heart beat faster as a wave of hope washed over her.

Ned took off his baseball hat and raked his fingers through his hair. He looked into her eyes. “The truth is, I’ve been so caught up in my career, I forgot what it feels like to really care about another person. You could even say I forgot how to feel, period. I’ve been on automatic pilot, pushing myself to the limit every day, trying to make my career a success. I shut off all my other feelings, conserving energy for what I thought I needed most. I’m not trying to make excuses for what happened. I just want you to know how truly sorry I am. I understand if you can’t forgive me…”

The princess looked into his eyes. “Thank you for telling me all this. I forgive you. I do. This is just as much my fault as yours. I was so excited to learn about making movies, I didn’t think about anything else. I was naïve to think I could go on a film set and the press wouldn’t find out. In America, no one really knows me. I thought I was safe. That was my mistake. I should have known better. But I don’t want you to lie to the press.”

“What do you mean?” Ned asked, confused.

“I was a real consultant on your movie, and I’m proud of that,” the princess said. “I didn’t want my parents to find out. We have rules about what we can and can’t do. I broke almost every one of them working on this movie without their permission.” The princess stopped to take a deep breath. “But now I have to tell them everything, including why it was so important to me to do this movie. I need to be honest with myself and my parents about how much writing means to me. I want it to be more than just a hobby. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but writing is my passion. I’m ready to fight for it. That’s a start, right?”

“Absolutely,” Ned said. “You have to own your passion, and there’s no time like the present. I know you really wanted to see this castle, so let’s go,” He said as he held out his hand.

The princess sighed. “I wish I could, but we’re leaving today. I need to go home and explain all of this to my parents. I owe them that.”

“If you think I’m leaving America without seeing what passes as a castle here, you’re sorely mistaken,” Benson said as he walked up and joined them. “Ned, please lead the way.”

The princess’s eyes widened, “Seriously?”

Benson gave her a look. “When have you known me not to be serious?”

This had both the princess and Ned laughing. Even Benson cracked a smile.

“Great,” Ned said, giving Benson an appreciative look. Benson nodded back at him.

The princess saw the exchange. “Since when did you two get on the same page?”

“Since we both realized we both want what’s best for you,” Benson answered as he got out his phone. “I’m going to reschedule our flight. You two go ahead. I will join you after.”

The princess, incredulous, walked away with Ned. “You won Benson over. That never happens.”

Ned laughed. “Now, I just need to win you over.”

The princess laughed. “You’ve already won me over. You’re smart, funny, ambitious, kind, and caring, and you keep your word. You’re also not too bad to look at when you’re not wearing that baseball hat,” she teased.

“Hey, I love my hat,” Ned said as he took off his baseball cap and put it on her. “But I want you to have it.”

“No, I couldn’t. This is your lucky director’s hat.”

“And you can give it back to me when we have dinner together,” Ned said.

The princess, confused, gave him a sad look. “I told you we’re going home today. We can’t stay for dinner.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean tonight,” Ned said. “We’re shooting all night. I meant when I come to Europe.”

The princess’s jaw dropped open. “What?”

“I’m scouting my next movie location. I’m thinking of making it a Christmas movie. Benson told me you have some pretty amazing castles where you live and some cool holiday traditions. I was hoping you could show me around. What do you say?” Ned asked, flashing his sexy smile.

The princess’s mind was whirling. “To me helping you with another movie?”

Ned took both her hands. “To giving us a shot. There’s something here. We both know it.”

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