Hi, I'm Princessss Aurora from Monaco, and I was born to the most awful king and queen ever. Before I continue, please like and subscribe. I'm sure everyone thought I was the luckiest little girl in the world, but I didn't. The royal palace was a prison. My only playmates were the maids, and I was never allowed to go beyond the palace walls.
My parents always said the world outside was ugly and cruel. But look at these pictures, daddy! These places look beautiful.
Why won't you ever let me see them? Sweetheart, you'll understand when you're older. Why can't you tell me now?
Why are you keeping me here? You won't even send me to school. You have the best tutors in the world, darling. But I have no friends.
Of course you do. Us. Jeez, who wants to be friends with their parents?
Once when I was eight, I was reading on my bed when suddenly... Someone crawled out from under it, and I fell off in shock. I looked up, and my eyes met those of a boy my age.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. If you tell on me, I'll be in so much trouble.
I won't. Pinky swear. Now, tell me where you've come from. He was one of the maid's kids, and he'd sneaked into the palace.
And he had the most amazing things to tell me about the outside world. Have you ever been on a roller coaster? My mom took me once. It goes so fast, you want to throw up. It's awesome!
Like you're flying! I'd like to fly. Ooh, and that same day, I ate cotton candy. What's that?
It's like a cloud of sugar. It just melts in your mouth. Oh, wow! He wanted to see the palace, so we tiptoed down the hallway.
But just then, we heard voices, and we crawled into a vent. And soon enough, my maids discovered I wasn't in my room, and everyone was going bonkers looking for me. The two of us couldn't stop laughing.
When it looked like the hallway was clear, the boy crawled out first, and he was instantly grabbed by some guards. Hey, stop it! He's my friend! He's not supposed to be here.
He could be dangerous. He's not! Let him go!
But they took him away, and I stormed off to my parents, who started crying as they hugged me. Mom, Dad, I'm mine! I was right here! Now tell those stupid guards to let my friend go!
What friend? There was someone- Inside the palace? Yes, a boy. But he's nice, I promise. My parents said they'd look into the matter.
But the next day, I found out that the boy's mom was gone. What did you guys do to the maid and her son? Did you fire her? Or did you throw them in the dungeon?
Of course not. The just decided it was best for her to leave. You're such a liar, Dad. I made one friend and you took him away. You just don't want me to be happy.
And I ran off in angry tears. I was convinced my parents had done something awful to them. I'd never even asked his name. And after that, I decided that I wasn't letting them rule over my life anymore.
The next day, when my etiquette teacher was going on and on about the right way to hold a fork, I suddenly jumped onto the table like a monkey, snatched it from her, and started scratching my back with it. What are you doing, princess? That's so uncivilized.
Why should I be civilized when I live in a cage? I'm no better than a gorilla in a zoo. I grabbed a banana and started chewing on it loudly.
That's enough. Please, get down this minute. I threw the banana peel smack at her face. My parents were not happy when she quit.
But I didn't stop there. I refused to study for my tutors. I wouldn't eat anything but junk food.
And I refused to shower for weeks. Yo, what's up, friends? How about you read me a bedtime story?
Good God, that smell! Please, honey, take a shower! What?
It's not that bad. Okay, I've had enough. Let's talk. What do you want, Aurora?
I want to go to school and have friends. To my shock, Dad actually agreed, but on the condition that I would wear a wig and a mask. Why? No one knows what I look like.
We have to be extra careful. Fine. but no bodyguards. You don't want anyone to know who I am, right? Then let me be a nobody.
And I couldn't believe it when the palace gates actually opened for me, and I was on my way to school. It was the most exciting day of my life. As I walked down the school hallway, I could see people giving me weird looks. When I entered the classroom, I noticed a bunch of kids gathered around a pretty girl who saw me and started laughing. Great.
I wasn't gonna have an easy time making friends looking like this. Later at recess, I observed what the other kids were doing and saw them making their way to the food counter. I walked over straight to the lunch lady, when suddenly someone called out to me.
The girl from my class What do you think you're doing, weirdo? Get in line! What do you mean? See this line? Get your butt at the end of it!
But why would I do that? Because you have to wait for your turn? What are you, some moron or daddy's spoiled princess? Dad's spoiled princess?
Well, high five, girl! My dad's really rich, too, and spoils me rotten. But even I have to wait in line. Oh, I see.
But I'm pretty sure my dad's... richer than yours. As I turned to walk away, the girl suddenly lunged at my mask. And the second she ripped it off my face, someone pulled her away and picked me up.
I looked around in horror to see ten bodyguards in plain clothes surrounding us. Everyone in the cafeteria was staring in stunned silence. Princessss Aurora, are you okay? Yes, I'm fine.
Now put me down! And just like that, it was my last day of school. My parents said there was no way they could send me without security, and it was impossible for me to hide who I was. I just stayed in my room for the next two days and gave up on school. But the next day, Dad had some important guests for dinner, and when I joined them, everyone was staring at me.
Um, Aurora, darling, why are you wearing a mask? I just don't want anyone to see my face, Mom. Like, ever.
But see? This hole I cut in my mask? I can drink with a straw. And I started slurping loudly on the soup. And from that day on, I refused to take the mask off in front of people.
As I grew older, my parents expected me to go with them to boring ceremonies and parties. And no matter how much they begged, the mask always stayed on. Why are you doing this? There's so much speculation in the media about what you're hiding behind the mask.
People think you're ugly or crazy. I didn't care. I didn't have control over anything in my life, but this I could do.
This was my act of rebellion. Soon after, on my 17th birthday, my parents called me into their room one day and dropped a bombshell on me. We have some really important guests coming this week, and one of them is Princess Fartling. You need to make a good impression on him, so you will not wear your mask.
Please. Why? We, ahem, well, we were hoping you two would get married one day.
I stared at them and then I laughed so hard I fell off my chair. You, you think I'm gonna marry someone whose name is Princess Fartling? It's Fartling. I think she's actually gone crazy. I'm the one who's crazy?
You're the one telling me you've decided who I'll marry. No one has decided anything, but you will give him a chance. The marriage could be good for our country's relationship.
And do you care about what's good for me? That has always come first. How can you even say that? My entire life, you've never cared about what- I want.
I'm so tired of this. You're a princess, Aurora. A princess.
Everything isn't about you. Being royalty comes with certain obligations. Nothing is about me. And I hate being a royal princess. The next few days, my parents and I gave each other the silent treatment.
But sure enough, the guests arrived soon. And I was ordered to come down dressed up for the welcome dinner without my mask. Well, I had other plans.
I knew it was a busy night at the palace with most of the guards at the main entrance. So I climbed out my window and ran away. I couldn't stay there another minute. I was literally dancing down the street when suddenly I took my mask off and threw it in the trash. All of Monaco knew me as the weird masked princess, but hardly anyone knew my real face.
It was the best disguise. But as it started to get darker, I decided to look for a hotel for the night. Just then, a dark figure came running at me and snatched my phone out of my hand. But the moron didn't know I was trained in martial arts.
I had him screaming on the ground in pain, and then he ran away like a scared rabbit. Suddenly, I heard someone behind me. Wow, that was... Hey, no, don't hit me. I'm harmless.
I saw that it was a boy my age. Okay, okay, I'll spare you, but only if you find me a place to stay for the night. Why? Where's your house? And why are you out alone so late?
Do you always ask so many questions? Just find me a place, man. Fine. What's your budget? What do you mean?
I mean, how much money can you spend on a hotel? Money? I don't have money. Then how are you going to pay for a hotel?
The government will pay for it, I guess. Did you just run away from a mental asylum? No, I didn't. Listen, I... I'm a tourist, okay?
And someone stole my bag and all my money. And I don't know my way around the city. So, can you please help me? The boy looked at me and then sighed.
Fine, you can crash at my place, but just for tonight, okay? You gotta figure something out tomorrow. Yes, yes, I will. I didn't catch your name.
Oreo. Your name is Oreo, like the cookie? What cookie? Oh god, never mind.
I found out his name was Andre and that he lived with his parents. in a really small house. And then he led me to a dinghy shed outside and said I could sleep there. Why can't I sleep inside? There's no space, and I'm not telling my parents I brought some crazy girl home.
I'll just get you some blankets. Stay here. Are you sure the news is true? How could this happen? Yes, yes.
I heard it straight from my cousin who's a palace guard. Princessss Aurora has indeed run away. They're keeping it very quiet. They've told the guests that she's really sick. They'll try to get her back before the news gets out.
Poor girl. The must have been so miserable that she ran away. I hope she's safe.
Hey, listen, you can sleep in my room, but my parents better not find out. He helped me through the window into his room and told me that I could take his bed while he'd sleep on the floor. But once Andre switched the light off... I kept tossing and turning to get comfortable.
Gosh, this mattress was so lumpy. Will you stop moving? All that creaking isn't letting me sleep. Sorry, sorry.
I'll be quiet as a mouse now. I tried to stay still, but I just couldn't fall asleep. Hey, are you awake?
Obviously. You're so noisy. Thanks for everything, Andre. You're welcome, Oreo. The next morning, Andre shook me awake at 7 in the morning.
Instead, I had to leave with him as he was going to school. I'll take you around the city after school, if you want. You can stay a little longer till you figure things out.
You do have some plan, right? Yeah, of course. I'll call my family for some money, and I'll be gone before you know it. Thank you, thank you.
Andre even let me borrow some clean clothes, and we walked together to his school. I'd promised I'd stay outside and wait for him, but only minutes after he'd left, I sneaked in too. As I walked down the hallway, I- quickly hid behind a wall when I saw Andre by the lockers, with a pretty girl leaning against them.
Hi, handsome. Are my assignments done? You'll have them in a few days, Selena. I've been busy, and you still haven't paid me for the last ones.
I'll pay you for everything, snookums. Don't you trust me? Not really. How about you pay me for those first, and then you'll get the rest? Don't push your luck, Andre.
You're cute, but not that cute. If I don't have all the assignments by tomorrow, well, you know how difficult I can make things for you. And with that, she left. What a witch!
And what was she holding over Andre? When I met him outside school later, he said that he couldn't take me around the city because he had a lot of work to do. I told him I was happy to help, and we headed off to the local library. Oreo, you're a lifesaver. And you're really good at math.
Andre, these assignments aren't yours, are they? I sneaked in and saw you with that girl. Why are you putting up with her? The seems awful. You got that right.
But her dad freaking owns the school, and she knows I'm on scholarship. The could make her dad take it away from me. At first, it didn't seem like a bad deal anyway because she'd pay me for the assignments. But now, sometimes she doesn't.
That's so unfair. Is it really that important for you to be at this school? Yeah, it is. Being here will give me some great chances for college scholarships.
I know. need to do this for my family, Oreo. But sometimes, I just want to run away from everything.
I know exactly how that feels. Suddenly, Andre leaned in a little closer. And for some reason, my heart skipped a beat. His eyes were such a lovely blue. He reached over and rubbed his thumb over my nose.
You got some ink. You look like a clown. I dipped my fingers into the ink bottle when he wasn't looking and smudged them all over his cheek.
He reached for the bottle as I ran. And soon, the librarian threw us both out. The next day, I was hanging out on the bleachers at school when he joined me during recess, looking bummed out.
The didn't pay you for the assignments, did she? No, she didn't. How much does she owe you? 520 euros. Wait, where are you going?
To teach that girl a lesson? Oreo, no. You'll just make things worse.
I promise. The won't think it has anything to do with you. Meet me outside.
And before he could stop me... I put a handkerchief around my face and ran off inside the building. I spotted her walking by herself into the bathroom, and I stepped in after her and locked it. Hey, who are you? Your worst nightmare.
Open that door right now, or I'll scream. I'll kick your butt real hard if you even try. I'm not kidding.
And I showed her my best karate moves. What do you want from me, psycho? How much money do you have in your wallet?
I don't know. 600 euros? Okay.
That's not a lot, but I'll take it. You wait till my daddy finds out. I grabbed her wallet, locked the bathroom from the outside, and sprinted like a maniac.
Andre was waiting for me outside the school, and he almost fell down laughing when I told him. Man, I wish I could have seen her face. You're crazy, Oreo. Good crazy. Now, I gotta keep my promise of showing you around.
And we had the best day ever! We cycled all over the city, ate ice cream till our tummies hurt, and then he took me to an amusement park. I have to go on a roller coaster. I've never been on one. You're really missing out.
Let's- go. But as the roller coaster began to go up the slope, I started freaking out. Oh my god. Oh my god. I can't do this, Andre.
Open your eyes, Oreo. Nuh-uh. Not happening. You can't do this with your eyes closed. Just take my hand.
hand, okay? "I opened one eye and we were right at the top. I squeezed Andre's hand really tight. Oh, and if you feel scared, just SCREAM! And boy did I scream! And all my fear suddenly left me. This was the most freeing experience I'd ever had in my life! As we got off the ride laughing, Andre walked over to a guy and bought some pink fluff on a stick. What's this? Cotton candy. Never tried it? No, never. It's like a clay pot. cloud of sugar just melts in your mouth. My heart leapt to my throat. That's what the boy who'd sneaked into the palace had said all those years ago. Come to think of it, Andre did look like him. Could it be? But just then, I saw some royal guards burst in through the crowd. Oh my god! Don't ask any questions right now, okay? Just run! We dashed through the crowd and found a way out of a fence. I hopped onto Andre's bicycle and he pedaled away for dear life. He didn't stop till we were really far off and then we both collapsed to the ground. Is there something you want to tell me, Oreo? Okay, you got me. I'm Princessss Aurora, and I ran away from the palace. Andre, are you the boy who sneaked in once? Do you remember meeting me? Yeah, that was me. And of course I remember. Oh, God. I was so worried about what had happened to you and your mom. What did my dad do? The king? Nothing. My mom had started getting sick back then, and after that day, she just told your parents that she decided to find an easier job because she had me to take care of, too. They understood, and they got her another job. And all this time, I thought Dad had done something horrible to them. Why did you run away, Aurora? What was the plan? There was no plan. I'm just so tired of all of it, Andre. My whole life, they just kept me away from- this wonderful outside world. How could they? You know why your parents are like that, right? What? What do you mean? I think you need to go back and talk to them. Do I really have to go back? Well, you are a princess, and that does come with some obligations. Geez, now you're starting to sound like them. Aurora, listen to me. You are amazing. You're beautiful and brave and smart. And you have the world at your feet. Don't waste it all by- being angry. Think of all the great things you could do for so many people. Do you really think I could? I know you can. And suddenly, he put his hand under my chin and kissed me. It was the perfect first kiss. Later that night, I was in Andre's room while he was having dinner with his parents when suddenly, his phone started buzzing non-stop. I peeked over at this screen, and the word princess caught my attention, and the text I read left me shook. Stop messing with me, Andre. If you really have pictures of the princess, send them to me now. I looked through his phone with trembling hands. To find photographs of me. Sitting in the shed on my first night. Stepping onto the roller coaster. More pictures around the city. What? Just then Andre walked in and his face turned white. Listen, Aurora. It's not what you think it is. Oh? And what do I think? That you're a creep who's been secretly taking pictures of me? Were you going to sell them to the press? I do have a friend who works in a newspaper. And you thought that you'd make big money by telling everyone I ran away. Oh, and even better, you'd be showing the real face of the weird masked princess. They must have offered you a lot of money for that. Will you just listen? No, I will not. Our loud voices had made Andre's dad come upstairs, and he looked shocked to see me. Andre, who's your guest? I'm the royal princess of Monaco, and I'd really appreciate- if you took me back to the palace, now. And I left without another word to Andre. I couldn't even stand his face. I thought my parents would be raging mad when I got back home, but instead they just hugged me and burst into tears. Aurora, we were so worried about you. Don't you ever scare us like that again, love. I just have to know, dad, why did you keep me inside all my life? Sweetheart, you have an evil aunt who kidnapped you when you were a baby. The wanted to get rid of you so that she'd be the next heir to the throne. Luckily, we found you, but she managed to escape. That's why we were always so paranoid. But we recently found out that she died. So, the threat is gone. I'm sorry you were so miserable, Aurora. But I was only doing what I had to. And my marriage? I don't want to get married right now. We just wanted you to meet the prince. We would never force you to marry someone. I... I'm so sorry that I've been so angry and difficult, but I wish you'd just explained all this to me. And I've seen some of the world now, and I know you can't trust everybody, but it's still a wonderful place, and I want to see more of it. And you shall, my darling. The guests were still at the palace, and they were informed I was feeling well now. A grand ball was arranged two days later, and when I entered the hall without my mask, people seemed to be stunned by my beauty. I was having a great time dancing. when mom called me aside and said that I had a visitor. I stepped out into the hall to find Andre? What are you doing here? I just need you to hear me out, please. Yes, I took those pictures and I wanted to sell them to pay my mom's medical bills, but I just couldn't. I'm ashamed that I even planned to, and I'm sorry. I'm here to delete them in front of you. You will never see or hear these pictures again. Just as he was about to, I ran forward and stopped him. No, don't. I'd like to have them. They're some of my best memories. And thank you for everything you did for me. Your mom's bills will be taken care of. No, that's not why I'm here. I know that, Andre. I know. Now, would you care to have a dance with the princess? Most young men are dying to, but I can spare a few minutes for you. Can I even say no? Not really. It's a royal order.