Chapter 29: Doubts
By the time the training session ended, the sky outside had already turned orange.
Mia stepped out of the hotel looking completely exhausted.
Her hair was slightly messy again, and she had already taken off the high heels the moment Clarisse stopped watching.
"I can't feel my feet," she groaned.
Anshul walked beside her.
"You survived."
"That wasn't survival."
"That looked like survival."
"That was torture."
Behind them, Clarisse and Joseph walked toward the limousine.
Clarisse glanced at Mia briefly.
"You improved slightly."
"Slightly?" Mia repeated.
"Yes."
"That's the best compliment I'm getting today?"
Clarisse smiled faintly.
"For the first day, it is acceptable."
Mia sighed dramatically.
"I'm going to need therapy after three weeks of this."
Joseph opened the car door.
"Your Majesty."
Clarisse entered the limousine.
Mia followed reluctantly.
Anshul sat across from her once again.
The ride back through San Francisco was quiet.
The city lights slowly began to glow as evening arrived.
After several minutes, Mia spoke.
"Do you ever feel like your life suddenly changed overnight?"
Anshul looked at her.
"Sometimes."
"Well mine definitely did."
She stared out the window.
"Yesterday I was just… me."
"And today?"
"Today I'm apparently responsible for an entire country."
Clarisse spoke calmly from the opposite seat.
"You are not responsible for the country yet."
"Yet?" Mia repeated weakly.
"You have three weeks to decide."
"That's not a lot of time!"
"Leadership rarely gives people unlimited time."
Mia sank deeper into her seat.
"This is terrifying."
Anshul watched her quietly.
He could see the stress in her expression.
The fear.
The uncertainty.
Even though he knew how the story would unfold, seeing it happen in real life felt different.
Finally he spoke.
"You don't have to decide today."
Mia glanced at him.
"I know."
"Just focus on learning."
"That's easy for you to say."
"Why?"
"Because you're not the one being forced to walk in high heels and rule a country."
Anshul laughed quietly.
"That's true."
Mia crossed her arms.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
"Maybe a little."
She tried to look annoyed, but a small smile appeared on her face.
After a few minutes, the limousine stopped in front of Mia's house.
Joseph opened the door.
"We've arrived."
Mia stepped out slowly.
Before she entered the house, she turned toward Anshul.
"Are you coming tomorrow?"
Anshul raised an eyebrow.
"To training?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want me there?"
Mia hesitated for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"…Yes."
"Then I'll come."
She smiled slightly.
"Good."
As Mia walked toward the house, Clarisse watched her carefully.
Then she turned her gaze toward Anshul.
"You seem important to her."
Anshul looked slightly surprised.
"I just met her yesterday."
Clarisse studied him for a moment.
"Even so."
She stepped into the limousine.
"Joseph."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Keep an eye on him."
Joseph nodded.
Meanwhile, across the street, Anshul stood quietly as the limousine drove away.
He looked toward Mia's house where the lights had just turned on.
For some reason, he felt strangely protective.
Mia Thermopolis was facing a future she never expected.
And somehow—
He had become part of that journey.