The Prince and the Foreigner

"Your majesty, the King is coming to your chambers, please get up." A maid said and opened the curtains.

Prince Lucas groaned as the light penetrated the room, he had just returned home from the states after his studies. He had studied business and management so that he could one day be equipped enough to lead his country.

He stared at the maid who had opened the curtain menacingly but he dropped the act when he heard his father's voice in the hallway.

"Shit, shit, shit." He muttered and jumped off the bed, he made his way to the bathroom, hurriedly brushed his teeth, he splashed water on his face, and was towel drying it when his father came in.

"Your majesty." He greeted as he came out of the bathroom with a face towel in his hand.

"Great to see that you're awake my son." The King said and eyed his son warily.

"Is there something you wanted?" He asked his father formally.

They might be father and son, but sometimes it just felt like they were king and subject.

"Yes, but for now I'm just happy you're back, meet me in the study for lunch, we have much to discuss." The King said and left the room.

Luke sighed and dropped on his bed, he had not seen his father in years and the man had walked away without even hugging him. This was one of the times he missed his mother.

Queen Camille had died about five years ago when he was still in the states, she had been struggling with cancer for a while and it had finally overtaken her. The news hit him like a stake to his heart and he had been unable to return to Denmark for her burial because it had been too painful for him and it was something that he couldn't accept.

In all those times, not once did he visit Denmark but when he graduated top of his class at Harvard he had no choice but to come back to Denmark and start fulfilling his princely duties.

His mother would have engulfed him in a hug by now and she would have ordered his favorite delicacies for him, the both of them would have talked for hours, the palace did not seem the same without her.

A tear slid down his face as he remembered his mother, she had been his best friend, his confidante, his support, and his everything, and now she was gone.

"Hey, Luke." The door burst open and in walked his childhood friend Liam.

"Hey, brother, what's up?" Luke greeted and got up from the bed immediately.

"I heard you were back." Liam engulfed his friend in a big hug.

Luke and Liam had attended the same high school and they had grown close over the years, the two looked alike and they had been mistaken for twins by many people in the past.

The queen had been against the idea of private school education or a home school education for her only child so Luke had attended regular school like other children except he was treated differently because of his status and he had bodyguards and a chauffeur.

He hadn't had lots of friends in school because of this, but Liam had managed to break beyond all barriers and the two had been best friends ever since.

"Yeah, I arrived last night," Luke replied, hugging his friend back, he had missed him.

"So tell me, how's it feel to graduate top of your class in Harvard?" Liam asked teasingly.

"Only if you'll tell me how it feels to be the secretary to the chief of staff of the Republic of Denmark." Luke teased him back and they both laughed.

"Welcome home, brother." Liam smiled at his friend.

"Thanks, brother," Luke replied, then he got up with a start. "Speaking of home, I have to meet the king in his study, I don't know what he's planning now."

"Maybe to marry you off to Megan," Liam said.

"Oh God, I hope not." Luke frowned, he did not want to be reminded of his family friend Megan who had been obsessed with marrying him since they were kids.

"Has she come to see you yet?" Liam laughed, he was obviously enjoying messing with his friend.

"No and please, please, please can you help me keep news of my arrival on the low, I don't want her coming out here and choking me with her constant bugging." Luke shuddered as he remembered the blonde girl.

"I can talk to the palace media but you know the king, he likes news of the palace appearing on magazine covers," Liam said and Luke groaned.

"I really should get to his study, I don't want to anger the king in the few hours since I've arrived."

"You still call him the king?" Liam asked.

"I'll see you in a while." Luke ignored his question and he went out the door putting on his shirt in the hallway.

He had begun to call his father the king when the man had sent him to the states to study even when his mother was battling with cancer.

He had never really gotten along with his father but they had grown apart during the years he spent abroad and he had grown to resent the man for not allowing him to spend the remaining time his mother had left with her.

He waited by the door while the servant went in to announce his presence, he had been about to knock when he first got to the door. He had lived like a regular human being abroad and had begun to forget that he was a royal.

"Your majesty, you requested my presence." Luke bowed as he was ushered into the room.

"Luke, my son." The king smiled and motioned Luke to take a seat on one of the lavish sofas he had in his study. "No need to be so formal, it's just you and me."

Luke looked around his father's study as he made his way to the seat, he remembered all the times his father would lock himself up in the study and work for hours.

His father was barely around growing up, they lived in the same palace, but there were times when he didn't see his father for weeks, it hurt as a child but he learned not to care anymore, his father had always placed his work over his family and it would never change.

"I called you here because we have a lot of things to discuss." His father's voice brought him back to reality.

Discuss was just another word for a command in his father's vocabulary, anytime King Edward said he wanted to discuss something, it just meant that he had some commands he needed his son to follow because there was never any discussion done, he just always told Luke what he had to do and Luke had no choice but to do it.

"Yeah, I'm listening," Luke said and tried to hide the disinterest in his voice.

"Great, there's going to be a parade to celebrate your arrival, and of course you're expected to be there, you will also be attending a press conference where I will be announcing your return to palace duties and then there's a charity ball event and I already have a date picked for you—he paused a bit and furrowed his brows—her name is Megan I think, you should remember her." The king said and closed the file he had been reading from.

"Is the parade really necessary? I was hoping to keep my arrival on the low, for now, I have no issues with the press conference and the charity event, but I'll be bringing my own date thank you very much." Luke had not meant to disobey his father but the Megan thing had really upset him.

"The parade is quite necessary, you're a prince you have an image to uphold, there is no such thing as low, as for your date Miss Megan had already been briefed, she will be your date to the charity ball." The King's face hardened and he stared at Luke in the eye, daring him to object.

When he said nothing, the king continued. "I've assigned an assistant for you, he'll meet you on your way out, he'll take care of your schedules and everything else you may need."

"I beg to take my leave, your majesty."Luke rose immediately his father was done talking, there was no use arguing with the man the king had decreed, who was he to go against that.

"You may leave." The king said and Luke turned to go, just before the guards opened the door, he heard his father's voice. "Lucas, I hope you know that all I'm doing is in your best interest."

Luke gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. He wanted to turn back and tell his father never to call him Lucas ever again but he just left seething with anger.

His mother was the only one who called him Lucas.

Luke pushed the door to his room open with anger and he fought the urge to punch a wall.

"You missed her by a mere fraction," Liam announced, smiling weirdly.

"Who?" Luke asked irritatedly, his father had managed to spoil his mood.

"Megan," Liam said and Luke groaned loudly. "She came here to see you but she met me and then the strangest thing happened, she mistook me for you, and then she kissed me, soundly on the lips, that girl is nuts for you I tell you." Liam laughed.

Luke listened to his friend and an idea popped in his head, he and his friend were almost alike and they had been mistaken for each other in the past.

Just a few changes and Liam could pass as Luke to the entire world.

A few hours later, Luke adjusted the palace guard’s uniform and glanced at his reflection. For a few hours, he could be anyone. No titles, no expectations, no Megan. Just a man, anonymous and free.

He had no idea that a woman with fiery red hair and a secret of her own was about to crash into his world. And that nothing would ever be the same again.