A ROYAL SCANDAL

KARLIAH POV

The nurse urged me to take a step forward. I didn't really want to go with this imposter who was pretending to be my aunt, but yet again I didn't have a choice.

"Is something wrong, Karliah?" the nurse asked curiously.

Lucinda narrowed her eyes at me as if she were warning me.

I shook my head negatively.

"No, nothing's wrong," I assured her, and she looked relieved.

It wasn't long before we were all inside the car heading to Aunt Lucinda's house.

"Don't worry, Karliah. You'll have your own big room, and little Dylan will have a lot of space to run around," she said, smiling sweetly at my little brother.

"I'm not little," Dylan muttered coolly.

The nurse and Aunt Lucinda burst out laughing.

The drive was very long, and I played some music on my iPod. Dad bought it for me on my last birthday.

By the time I was waking up, the car had come to a stop, and I opened my eyes. The house was on the outskirts of the city. It would make it difficult for me to visit my parents.

"Looks like we're finally here."

We all got out of the car, and I must say that the house was very beautiful and huge. It was more like a mansion.

Maybe life here wouldn't seem so bad.

"Well, don't just stand there! Come in and make yourselves at home," Aunt Lucinda beamed excitedly.

We all went inside, and she offered us some juice and sandwiches. They were very delicious.

"Let me introduce you to your two cousins, Elite and Era."

"Elite and Era, come meet your cousin!"

A few minutes later, two girls around my age came rushing down the stairs, obviously excited.

They smiled at me and Dylan.

The girl with platinum blonde hair took a step forward, and she had blue eyes.

"This is Elite, and she's the oldest."

"Elite here is a supermodel."

Elite gave her mother a cautious look.

"Mom, I'm capable of introducing myself."

She turned to look at me.

"You're pretty. What's your name?"

"Karliah."

"Karliah, that's a beautiful name."

I smiled at her.

"And I'm also sorry about what happened to your parents. They were really good people."

"It's okay."

Aunt Lucinda gave the other girl a nod because she seemed really nervous. She had chocolate brown hair and almond-shaped hazel eyes.

"And this is Era. She's also practicing to be a fashion designer. I'm sure that you'll get along."

She smiled at me.

"I'm glad that you and your brother are here, Karliah, because it gets lonely sometimes."

"So far, I like the vibe. Can I inspect the house now?" the nurse asked curiously, holding a notepad in her hands.

Aunt Lucinda nodded eagerly.

"Of course! Let me personally show you around."

"Era and Elite, please show your new brother and sister to their rooms."

Once Aunt Lucinda and the nurse were gone, Era helped me with my luggage while Elite took Dylan's things.

"Are you and Elite twins?" I asked curiously.

Era giggled softly.

"Actually, no, we are not twins. Elite is three years older than me."

"She's seventeen years old, and I'm fifteen."

"How old are you, Karliah?"

"Thirteen."

"And Dylan is six years old."

"Ah, I see you'll get along with us, but just a tip—don't get in Elite's way because she can be very competitive."

A few minutes later, I was shown to my room, and it was very beautiful, all painted in baby pink and white.

"Whoa."

"I hope you like it because Mom prepared it for you as soon as she discovered that you and Dylan had nowhere to go."

Dylan was also thrilled to see his new room because it contained all his favorite toys and video games. It was as if Lucinda knew that we would end up living with her.

"Kids, come down! The nice nurse is about to leave!" Lucinda yelled.

We all went downstairs, and honestly, I was sad to watch the nurse leave because she had done a lot for my brother and me while I was still in the hospital.

I wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Ooh, I'm going to miss you as well, Karliah. I hope that you'll take care of yourself and Dylan."

"Don't worry, I'll be taking care of him. You have nothing to worry about."

She pulled back and kissed me on the forehead.

"Take care, Karliah."

She waved at Dylan, and he waved back at her.

She turned to look at Aunt Lucinda.

"I'll be taking my leave now, and I expect you to keep your promises, Lucinda. Karliah and Dylan should resume their studies."

"Of course, I'll take care of it. You should go before it gets dark. The roads here can become tricky at night."

After the nurse left, it felt like I had lost another loved one.

While going to the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks when I heard my name being mentioned. I hid behind the door, listening to the conversation. It sounded like Elite and her mother were talking.

"I'm so glad that the nurse is gone because I don't have to pretend to be nice to anyone," Elite said softly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be this relaxed because we aren't out of the woods yet. We need to make a good impression."

"But, Mother, I don't even like that Karliah girl, and I still can't believe that I'm related to her."

"You want money, right?"

"Of course, Mother."

"Then be nice to Karliah and her brother. Letting them stay gives me a big allowance from their father's money."

I was shocked to hear this.

"What are you doing?" a voice behind me muttered, and I shrieked in fear more than in surprise.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Elite stepped forward.

"Ah, Karliah, it's good to see you! So, do you like it here so far?" she asked curiously.

Elite kept looking at me. She had a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"You should answer when someone asks you something, Karliah,” Elite said quietly.

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why are you even here?"

"I wanted some water."