(A/N) This is written for KC AU Week Day 1 (All Humans). It's the classic Princess and her Bodyguard trope based on the tv show, 'The Royals'. I intended for this to be light hearted and fluffy, but it didn't quite end up that way. Tag warnings include: smut, light BDSM, mentions of drug use, mentions of suicide of a minor character, questionable morals, blackmail.

It's quite a rollercoaster, but of all the things I've written lately, I'm rather proud of this. So without further ado, please enjoy

"The boys I've been flirting with, they keep disappearing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Caroline asked coyly, looking at her bodyguard with a curious intent. Her voice was low, yet suggestive, as the crowd that began to gather outside the Palace was no more than a few feet away.

Klaus was determined to look ahead, keeping up with the appearance that he was surveying the crowd, spotting anyone who might look remotely suspicious, but his mind was focused elsewhere, namely at the Princess that was currently standing beside him.

"No?" she probed, as he continued to stand in silence, in a tone that sounded much too innocent. He hoped that his lack of answer would deter her from further questions, but there was no such luck as she continued, "It's okay, you know, if you're second thoughts about our breakup," she smirked as he promptly turned to face her.

"Caroline," he warned, looking around to see if anyone was within hearing distance.

"What? It's not like anyone can hear us over all these trumpets playing in the background. Now that I have your attention, about those boys…"

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Your Highness," he muttered.

"So, it's 'Your Highness' now, is it? I haven't heard you say that since in a long time."

"I don't think this is the appropriate time nor setting to be discussing such a matter," he said stiffly, maintaining his focus back towards the crowd.

"Seeing as you've been actively avoiding me for the past week until you showed up at the gala last night, I'd say this is the only appropriate setting. At least you're not going to run away from your duty, I hope"

A year ago

"Your highness," voices echoed throughout the hallway as she walked past the palace's many staff.

The double doors to her father's study were opened by two guards and when she stepped inside, she noticed both of her parents and an unfamiliar man standing opposite them.

This man was wearing a black suit, with an earpiece and a pair of sunglasses folded in his chest pocket. His facial expression was stern but the way his blue eyes looked at her was electrifying and gave her chills. In a way, he was rather James Bond-esque: handsome, mysterious and potentially lethal.

"Good, you're here," her father gestured for her to walk over, "Caroline, this is Niklaus Mikaelson. Niklaus, this is Caroline, my daughter"

"Your Highness," his thick accent rolled off his tongue.

And British too. Very James Bond-esque indeed, she thought.

"Niklaus is your new head of security, he will be your shadow wherever you go"

"But, what happened to Alan?" Her former bodyguard had been around for about two years.

"Clearly incompetent at his job if this is any indication," the King's tone switched to one of subdued anger, as he handed Caroline the newspaper that had been on his desk.

ROYAL SCANDAL: Princess Caroline Gone Wild

Next to the enormous headline was a photo of her dancing on top of a bar table, having foregone her usual formal attire. She was wearing a short, tight skirt with a bra top and if you looked closely, you could probably make out the edge of her lacy underwear.

"Daddy-," she tried to make up some excuse, but even she had to admit that it looked pretty bad for someone of her stature.

"Caroline, you're not a normal girl, you're second in line for the throne and you need to start acting like it. I don't know how you managed to escape from Alan's watch, but you represent the royal family and I will not have you smearing our reputation to the ground. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Father," she answered seriously.

"Your eldest brother would be so disappointed if he could see you now." Her father lashed out, reminding her of every ounce of pain and grief that she had to go through over the past three months.

She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

"From now on, you will not go anywhere without Niklaus and if you get caught in another scandal, God help me, Caroline, I will send you off to live in some rural town you've never heard of."

"I'm not a child anymore!"

"Glad we agree on something. You're dismissed," her father gave her a cold look. Her mother, of course, said nothing.

"Your Highness, I'll escort you back to your room," clearly, Klaus was already beginning to take his job very seriously.

The last thing she heard before Klaus shut the door behind her was her father saying, "Of all my children, the Gods had to be so cruel to take my eldest."

Knowing he heard the whole thing, she ran back to her room without saying a single word to Klaus.

She decided to give it a week before letting Klaus have a taste of the real Caroline. She had mostly stayed in her room for the past few days to let the Palace publicity team handle the incident, and had barely seen or interacted with her bodyguard since the night they met.

And yes, she did feel bad for the scandal she caused, but it was the only way she could cope with her feelings. The alcohol, the drugs, the parties, they meant nothing but a means to numb the pain. She didn't feel the need to change her lifestyle as long as she was more careful about not getting caught on camera next time.

"I'm going out," she announced, as she pushed open the double doors of her bedroom, knowing that Klaus was standing outside.

"Where to, Your Highness?" He enquired, following her down the long, empty hallway. He had worked on security for celebrities and rich businessmen before, but never for a royal family and he knew that there was a lot at stake should he fail to do his job right. And he had a feeling that this free spirited Princess was not going to make it easy.

She stopped abruptly, causing him to nearly bump into her, "Tell me, Niklaus. Have you ever been to Ibiza?" She asked with a sly smile on her pretty face.

"But, it's the middle of the night," he stammered, but she was already skipping down the stairs of the Palace.

When he caught up with her, she was in the wine cellar, browsing through the immense collection of lavish bottles that lined the walls. She tapped her chin as she reached up to take a bottle of red wine from the top shelf, and nearly lost her balance in her 5-inch stilettos when Klaus rushed forward to steady her.

"Your Highness, I don't think this is appropriate," he murmured, letting go of her arms.

"Relax, Klaus! I can call you that right? Klaus? Short for Niklaus?"

"Um… sure?"

"You're nervous," she mused, raising one of her perfectly shaped brows.

"I… er… maybe a bit, you are the Princess," he answered truthfully. He had seemed so confident in front of her father, but Caroline supposed she couldn't blame him, she tended to have an effect on people.

"Is that so?" She taunted, having way too much fun teasing him, "Is it really because I'm the Princess, or because I'm hot?"

"B-Because you're the Princess," he stumbled, hoping that it was the right answer.

Clearly it wasn't, as she stopped in her steps and gave him a look.

"Also because you're… uh… hot. Both," he added quickly, the room suddenly began to feel a lot stuffier than it did five minutes ago.

She smirked victoriously, "Inappropriate."

"Apologies, Your Highness," he coughed in embarrassment. Admitting that your boss' daughter was hot probably wasn't the smartest idea, especially when she was also a member of the royal family.

She merely chuckled at his nervousness and began scouring the room for more fine selections of wine. She picked up another two bottles and put them in an empty crate.

"Don't look so worried, Klaus. There are thousands of bottles in this room and besides, my house… my wine," she laughed, placing the crate onto his arms, "Come on now, off to Ibiza."

She woke up the next morning with a pounding headache, a feeling that was not all too unfamiliar if she was being honest.

She groaned, turning her body towards Klaus, who laid beside her on the King sized bed. His eyes were already wide open, but he was deep in thought.

"I'm sorry, Klaus," she broke the silence, but her tone suggested otherwise, "What a bummer you have to be fired after merely a week. I was just starting to warm up to you but don't worry, I'll be sure to write you a good reference, and leave our little romp out of it."

He refused to look at her and stayed silent for a few moments until, "How much of last night do you remember?"

"Nothing much. I assure you, you were quite forgettable," she lied smoothly. Granted, she had no idea how they got back to the hotel, but it was hard to forget the feeling of him expertly pounding her into the soft silk sheets. It was something she wouldn't mind repeating, except she didn't do any more than a one night stand, and fucking someone you see on a daily basis was a complication she wanted to avoid.

He turned towards his side of the bed, grabbed his boxers and stood up to get dressed, "You see, I remember everything."

"You're welcome."

"I remember how you got so drunk off your arse and begged for me to fuck you until you couldn't walk the next day. Those moves, Princess, you really are something else," he mused, as her eyes widened at his brazenness.

"Look…"

"Although," he cut her off, taking his phone from the bedside table, "If I forget, all I have to do is to replay the video I took last night. It would be such a shame if it accidentally got leaked to the press."

"How dare you threaten me! I'm the Princess of -"

"I think I'll be keeping that job, sweetheart. I'm rather fond of the benefits." She wanted to slap that grin off his face, but he was out the door before she could comprehend what the fuck just happened.

"Come to take advantage of me again?" Caroline scoffed as he entered her bedroom without knocking and took off his blazer. They had returned home from Ibiza two days ago.

"I would cut down on that snarkiness if I were you, Princess. I own you, remember?" He lifted her chin with his finger as he stared down at the blonde on her plushed makeup stool.

She knew it was wrong, and this had to be some kind of messed up Stockholm Syndrome she was experiencing, but she felt her stomach inexplicably tighten at the way he spoke to her. As a member of the royal family, she was always the one giving orders, and it was… different having it the other way around.

"It's a good thing you're hot," she sighed, looking at him through her long lashes.

"Stop talking and take your dress off," he ordered.

Wordlessly, she got up and obeyed without putting up a fight, slowly unwrapping herself from her skimpy night dress. When she stood before him naked, he threaded his hand through her blonde waves and pulled, not too hard but enough to give her a dull ache.

"I'm going to take you from behind and I'm going to fuck you hard," he looked into her eyes with an intense gaze and she couldn't help but nod. "And while I do that, you're going to keep your eyes on that mirror the entire time, and if you look away, I will punish you.

She nodded again.

"I want you to answer me, Caroline."

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" He twisted her nipple, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine.

"Yes, sir."

"Good girl," he turned her around and pushed her upper body down onto the bed, "I bet you never called anyone that before," he trailed his finger from her back down to her ass, before giving her a firm spank.

"I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy you like this, Princess," and before she could give him an answer, he went on his knees, nudged her thighs apart and placed his tongue on her pussy.

The warmth of his breath and the stimulation from his tongue brought her to complete overdrive. She tried to wriggle her body, hoping to get more, but he kept one hand pressing on her back that stopped her from moving. "Please, Klaus," she moaned loudly.

She whimpered as he pulled away from her, spanking her once more, "Last chance, Caroline. Next time I won't be so merciful."

"Yes, sir," she corrected herself, the authority in his voice turning her on even more.

He replied by plunging two fingers inside of her as he moved them in and out of her at a rapid pace. He added another finger and before she knew it, she was dripping down his hand and screaming in ecstasy.

He removed himself from her as he stood up to take the remainder of his suit off. She could hear his belt clang against the metal buckle and she gasped in surprise when she felt him lift her hands to rest on her back and used it to fasten them together.

It was tight to a point that the leather was digging into her skin, but despite the discomfort, it was oddly exciting. She tested the bond by wriggling her hands, but as expected, the belt wouldn't budge.

"Look in the mirror, Princess," he reminded her, as she turned her head to the side where a full length mirror stood beside her bed. Her usually neat curls were wild and crazy, her bright blue eyes darkened with lust, and Klaus… he stood behind her like a predator about to pounce on its prey.

"You wanted wild?" She hummed in response, "I'll give you wild." She readied herself for him, but nothing could prepare her for the feeling of his cock sliding into her pussy in one swift thrust. He slammed into her hard, as he had promised, and she could feel the wooden bed, passed down from generations of royals before her, creak underneath them. But she was beyond the point of caring when he grabbed onto her shackled hands and arched her body off the mattress.

"Fuck," he swore under his breath, taking no mercy on the Princess as he continued to pound into her until her flesh turned a delightful shade of red.

"Do you like this, sweetheart? Do you like being treated like you're nothing but a common whore?"

She nodded, her airway tight from the way her body was arching. For once, she didn't care that she was a Princess. This was exactly what she needed, and he was giving it to her exactly the way she wanted.

"I want to come, sir," she croaked out, her throat feeling dry from all the noises she had been emitting.

He said something she couldn't quite make out, as beads of sweat ran down his toned body, "Come for me, Caroline," he ordered, bringing one of his hands to rub her clit.

Her whole body tingled as she clamped tightly around his cock. She could see her face contort into pure ecstasy in the reflection as Klaus' arms caged her in. She closed her eyes at the intensity of her high and she heard Klaus grunt out a few swear words before releasing himself into her.

Her thighs were still twitching as an aftershock when he pulled out, "I do believe I said no looking away," he reprimanded.

"I didn't!" She refuted adamantly, "Sir."

"I would consider closing your eyes as a form of looking away, wouldn't you, sweetheart?"

She could only nod in agreement as he was technically correct. Clearly, nothing escaped him as she only closed her eyes for a few seconds but she should have known that he would make good on his promise.

"Well, you know the rules. Come, kneel" He sat down on the bed where she had just been lying, as she shuffled on her knees until she was in between his legs, her hands still tied behind her back.

"Go on, love." He ordered. She put her mouth over his already hardened cock as he grabbed her head and pushed her down, immediately choking her.

Soon, she had his cum mixed in with black mascara streaks running down her face, and she was gasping for air, but she had never felt so alive.

Over the next few weeks, he would come to her every night when the palace was dark and empty and they would repeat the same routine, sometimes with different toys and torture methods, but every time she was left feeling spent and sated.

He had even taken the opportunity to sleep in her bed because according to him, "Why would I sleep on my own when I could take advantage of this soft, silk bed made for only the most privileged?"

Fair point, but lately, she had found herself waking up in various forms of what she could only describe as cuddling. Whether it was her splayed out on his chest, or him wrapping his arms around her waist, they would wake up and pretend like it never happened.

It was strange, really. For her entire nineteen years of existence, she had never entangled herself in a relationship, and here she was, involved with her bodyguard who was blackmailing her, in some twisted power play that they were both secretly enjoying.

Still, she didn't like the fact that he had something that he could exploit her with. She would've continued this messed up sex marathon even without the video, which was crazy but she had already come to terms with it.

She stealthily disentangled herself from him and climbed over his body to reach for his phone. Just as she was centimetres away from reaching it, he opened his eyes and grabbed onto her wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Um… nothing? Just reaching for a tissue?"

"You should know, my phone is passcode protected and I would be stupid to keep it as the only copy."

"Delete it, you asshole."

"No, I don't think I will. I like the leverage I have over you, so why would I let that go?"

"Because you're a normal fucking human being with a heart?"

"You flatter me, love. But next time you try to pull this shit on me again, you might want to rethink that unless you want to become the next viral porn star."

"You disgust me," she sprang up from the bed, turning her head away to hide the hurt in her eyes as she began to dress.

"You wouldn't have me any other way," he said, his sentence seemingly having double meanings. But as per usual, he left before she could question him on it.

For the rest of the day, all she could think about was God Damn Klaus Mikaelson. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to kill him or fuck his brains out. Both sounded equally satisfying, but one was giving her a moral beating, and it wasn't the option of murder.

She hadn't seen him since this morning but she knew that it was only a matter of time because he was on duty tonight at her parents' anniversary ball.

Her personal assistant had brought in a rack of dresses that were deemed suitable for royal endeavours and she chose a random blue one, with a modest neckline and a hem just above her knees. She couldn't be bothered to look glammed up when the party was a complete sham anyway.

Of course, her parents were going to pretend like they're so in love. That her eldest brother Robert didn't commit suicide three months ago, and that she and her second eldest brother, Liam, weren't complete disappointments in their eyes.

She refused to let herself cry even though she wanted nothing more than to see Robert and to will him back to life. Her fingers brushed over the photo she had of them on her dresser when she heard a knock.

It was time to put on a show.

Klaus was already there when she arrived as he had been promoted to head of security for the event. He looked smart in his tuxedo but she couldn't overlook the anger she felt towards him.

She could feel his eyes on her, but she ignored it as she grabbed a drink from one of the waiters and stood beside her brother, Liam.

"How's our heir to the throne?" She asked mockingly.

He acknowledged her with a glance and shrugged, "I would never be what they wanted Robert to be."

She and Liam were never as close as she was with Rob, but she understood him now more than ever. After losing their brother, Liam's life turned upside down as he had to adapt from being the spare to the heir. Along with their parents' disapproval, it was clear that the public did not feel like Liam was well suited to be the future King, and she knew that all the disappointment was taking a toll on her brother.

"Maybe I should just off myself, like Robbie did."

"Don't joke about that," she glared at him.

He shrugged again, "Nothing I do will ever be enough, maybe you can give it a go." Sick of the conversation, Liam stormed off, leaving her alone in a room full of strangers.

She contemplated leaving herself when she heard her father clear his throat over the microphone. He and the Queen stood hand-in-hand on the stage, whilst all their minions looked up at them, waiting to latch onto their every word. What cocksuckers, she thought.

"Good evening everyone, thank you for joining us at our anniversary party, we're thrilled to have you all here," as if on cue, the audience applauded, "As you all know, this year has been extremely tough on us. In June, we lost our eldest child, Robert, due to a congenital heart complication and it has been very hard for my family to come to terms with our loss."

She scoffed. Congenital heart complication, a nice way to say he overdosed on drugs until his heart stopped beating. But of course, the public couldn't know the dark inner workings of the royal family.

"As we grieve for Robert, we are thankful for our two remaining children, Liam and Caroline, for stepping up to fulfil their roles as the first and second in line to the throne. We are very proud of them, and I am sure that they will do their best to continue Robert's legacy."

It was utter bullshit. Her parents were not proud of her and Liam. If anything, they would've traded them if it meant that they could get Robert back. From the moment she was born, she was the spare's spare, and her parents didn't make any effort to convince her that she was anything but. They groomed Robert into the perfect Prince, and let the two youngest siblings do whatever they wanted as long as they looked like one big happy family in the public eye.

But behind closed doors, her father was harsh. He wouldn't let go of any little thing she did wrong. Whether it was her forgetting to curtsy in front of another visiting monarch when she was six, or the way she waved at the crowd, he would always be sure to hammer his disappointment into her. Although, she knew it could be worse. When his temper was at its worst, there had been times where he lashed out on Robert when he was a child and unable to meet his standards. She feared for Liam, as he now had to step into that role.

It suddenly became all too much for her. She slipped out of the room to the balcony, where she could get a little fresh air.

But of course, she should've known that he would follow, "What are you doing, Klaus?"

"I noticed you slip out, and I do recall my duty to protect your body."

She would've entertained a light hearted argument if she wasn't already so angry, "Don't pretend like you care about me. You wanted me to be your little sex slave, blackmailing me. That's all this is."

"Is it?"

"Of course it is"

"If that's what you think, then go ahead and end all of this. Go on the stage and tell everyone how I'm blackmailing you, go ahead," he taunted.

"Fine! I will," she stormed back in, her eyes burning with fury. She got up onto the stage where she took the microphone from the lead singer of the band that was currently performing, "I have something I want to say… Something important," she took a deep breath, her eyes surveying the room until it caught his. God, she wanted to ruin him so bad, but something was holding her back, and she hated herself for it.

"I just wanted to… I wanted to wish my parents a happy anniversary." Coward.

The crowd gave a slow and awkward applause at her sudden outburst, as she leapt off stage and went back to the balcony for some peace and silence.

"You couldn't do it," he said, shutting the glass door behind him.

"Unlike you, I have a conscience."

"It didn't stop you from trying to fire me after Ibiza."

"And so what? You had to one-up me?"

"I was merely trying to keep my job. A job that I worked so hard to get. I don't come from privilege like you, Princess."

"And isn't it clear to you by now that I'm not going to try and get you fired?"

"Maybe, but it's not just the job that I'm concerned about anymore... I like you, Caroline and I think you're starting to like me, too."

"I do not!"

"You're spiralling and you like that I control you to give you some sense of order in your life. You like escaping from your role as a Princess when you're in bed with me. You feel unloved and you revel in the attention I give you. You like me."

She looked at him in disbelief, "I would never have feelings for my blackmailer!"

"Then maybe it's a good thing that the video never existed."

"What do you mean there's no video?"

"I never filmed us. I made it up because you were threatening to get me fired."

"That's messed up, Klaus. That is so fucking messed up."

"I know, but I had my reasons and I can't apologise for being selfish when you were too."

"Then why didn't you own up to it when I asked you this morning? If you truly had feelings for me, why would you keep playing me like that?" She was close to breaking down after everything that had happened, and this was the tip of the iceberg.

"I… I didn't want to lose you. I thought that without the blackmail, you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."

She shook her head, "Then why're you telling me now?"

"After what you just did, I know that your feelings for me are real too, and I don't need to keep pretending anymore."

"The irony is that it hasn't been about the video for a while now. As much as I hated you for it, I would've kept coming back to you without it."

"I know that now."

"I honestly… I can't deal with you. I can't even look at you." She turned to leave, but he grabbed onto her arm, pulling her back towards him.

"I know I hurt you, and for that, I do apologise. But I will make it up to you, I promise." Her body was already beginning to betray her as she felt a familiar ache to be near him.

He held her waist with one hand, keeping her still, and the other pushed her long, blonde hair to one side as he kissed the column of her neck, nipping it ever so gently.

Her head reflexively moved to give him better access, as he reached towards the hem of her dress and slipped underneath it, brushing the edge of her thong.

"Klaus, people can see!"

But the way he stood behind her meant that he covered the majority of her body from the crowd inside. To everyone else, it would just look like they were hugging, and no one would recognise that she was the Princess from this angle.

"Relax, love, they won't."

She leaned her head backwards to rest on his shoulder as he continued his ministrations. He pushed away the thin piece of fabric that she dared to call underwear, and rubbed her clit gently. She let out a sigh of pleasure.

"That's it, love. I want to hear you."

He dipped his fingers inside her, all the while continuing to leave kisses on her neck. The thrill of potentially getting caught was exhilarating, even though she knew it was wrong. He worked on her expertly, as if he had already learnt exactly what her body liked over these past few weeks, and she could feel her legs losing strength as she saw stars behind her closed eyes.

When she came down from her high, she could feel his hardness pressing against her back and she wanted nothing more than to take him back to her room to continue their night, like they had done so many times before.

But she couldn't. She couldn't shake off the anger that he lied to her. Even when he was supposedly blackmailing her, she was pissed off but at least she thought he was telling the truth. But now, she realised it was all one big lie and she couldn't find it in her to forgive him.

He wanted to kiss her, that much was clear in the way he held her close. But she pulled away before he could and held out a hand to stop him from coming closer.

"No. I can't do this, Klaus. I can't."

"Please… Caroline," his heart dropped, knowing that he had gone too far.

"Just leave me alone, and don't follow me, Klaus. I mean it." She went back to her room and for the first time since Robbie's death, she cried herself to sleep.

Oh, how she hated Christmas. Three weeks after her fallout with Klaus, her mother informed her that she was giving her a list of charities to visit as part of her royal duties. More like royal publicity.

He had apparently taken a bit of time off to visit his family in England, or at least that was what she heard. She didn't care if that was the case, or whether he was just trying to avoid her. Or at least, she shouldn't care.

He was standing by her Bentley, looking unfairly handsome, holding a clipboard and a pen.

"Caroline," he opened the back door for her to enter.

"I do believe you should be addressing me with my proper title from now on," she said coldly.

He climbed in next to her, as the chauffeur began to drive off. He remained professional and started listing off the names of the charities her mother wanted her to visit for the day.

"If I'm going to have to stand being in your presence for the entire day, I think I'm going to need some help in the form of my friend, E," she took out a box, containing dozens of small pills. She hadn't taken anything stronger than alcohol since the night in Ibiza, but now was as good a time as any to start again.

"Don't," he warned.

"I think you seem to have forgotten how things work around here. I'm the Princess, I'm in charge."

"I think you would want to go to this one with a clear mind," he said. "It's Robert's charity."

That immediately sobered her up. She noticed that the car had reached a small facility at the edge of town, with a sign that said 'NOT ALONE: Drug Rehab Centre - Always By Your Side'.

She felt tears welling in her eyes, as she remembered the toxic relationship her brother had with drugs. How he tried to quit so many times, but fell back into it every time her father pushed him over the edge. If he could see her now, he would be so disappointed to know that drugs were what she chose to follow his footsteps in.

Somberly, she accepted Klaus' arm as he led her into the facility. She had to remind herself that she had to be strong, she was here as the Princess, a beacon of light and not as a patient.

She had spent the remainder of her day speaking to recovering addicts, all of them having different and unique stories of how they fell into their darkest days and how they got out. But it was a girl with purple hair and a nose piercing that caught her eye.

At first she was reluctant to share, but slowly, she began to recount her life with her abusive family who had kicked her out of her own home with her younger sister. Desperate, she fell in with the wrong crowd and began to use and deal drugs as a means to keep a roof over their heads. But reality caught up and she was busted six months ago and put into this rehab centre, all the while her younger sister was placed into the foster care system and she had no idea where she was now.

She knew she had to leave soon, but she couldn't help but say to her, "How your parents treated you and what happened to your sister, it wasn't your fault. Maybe once you make the choice to let that go, it'll get easier…," she said sympathetically.

The girl looked at her and nodded, giving her a small smile, "Yeah… You, too."

She left the facility, those last words replaying in her head.

That night, she sat by her vanity table, and held the photo of her and Robert in her hands. It was so hard losing him. She had never lost a loved one before, and to lose the person she loved the most in the whole world was too much for her to bear. And for her parents to pretend like it didn't happen, and that their family was anything but dysfunctional, was sickening.

But she knew that she had to live for Robert's memories and let the pain go. She had to move on and accept his death before she could grow into the person she was meant to be.

She didn't know what compelled her but in that moment, she wanted to open up to someone, "Klaus," she called out.

She knew he was surprised that she called for him by the way he hesitantly opened her door. "Did you want to see me, Your Highness?"

"Come here," she moved to the chaise and patted the seat beside her.

"What's wrong," he could tell she was devastated by her downcast eyes. When she didn't say anything, he took her hands into his, "You can tell me."

"I probably shouldn't be doing this with you but as it turns out, it's quite lonely being a Princess. I don't have anyone I can talk to or trust, and it's sad to know that the only person around that I feel like talking to is the one who I can trust the least."

"Caroline… I know what I did was wrong and I don't deserve your trust but the least I can do is to be your friend."

"It's just… I'm fucked up, Klaus," she held up her hand to stop him from disagreeing because she knew whatever he had to say wouldn't be true, "I know I am. But the thing is, I wasn't always like this."

She brushed her finger over Robert's face, before setting down the photo on the table beside her.

"As you know, my brother Robert was the heir to the throne, and we were as close, even though there was a five year age difference. When we were kids, we used to love playing together, he would even indulge in my little girly games and play pretend with me, even though Liam wouldn't. He was my favourite person in the whole world and sometimes, it felt like he was the only one who ever truly loved me. My parents, they barely notice me unless I do something wrong, and Liam was always so distant.

"But it was around the time that Robert was sixteen when he began to pull away. My parents enlisted him in so many classes to ready him for the throne, and I could tell he was spiralling from the pressure. But I didn't do anything about it because he was a superhero in my eyes, and I thought he could handle anything. But it turns out, he was human, just like the rest of us and he had suffered for nearly a decade, being beaten down by my father, before he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"He didn't die of a congenital heart disease. He died because he couldn't take it anymore and one night, he overdosed and the only thing he left behind for me was this." She took the photo into her hands once more, and turned it around.

"I'm sorry, Care. I'll love you always, be the person you want to be," she read the inscription written neatly in her brother's handwriting. "He wanted me to be better, but instead, I became worse. I not only stood by and did nothing while he slowly killed himself, but I became the very person he didn't want me to become," she let out a sob.

"Every time I feel like I've failed him, I sink lower and lower. But I don't want to be like this anymore, I want to let go of all the pain and start again, but I don't know how." She knew she was full on crying at this point, but she didn't care, Klaus had already seen her at her lowest.

He allowed her words to sink in, before dropping to his knees and kneeling in front of where she was sitting. He stroked her cheeks gently to wipe away her tears and said, "You're stronger than you think, Caroline. You've been through so much by yourself and here you still are. You may have hit a few bumps along the way, but you're not a bad person. In fact, you're one of the best people I know and that's why I'm so drawn to you. You've shown compassion, kindness and love to people who don't deserve it and I think Robert would be proud to see the woman you've become. And I know I'm one of those people who definitely doesn't deserve it, but if you would give me another chance, I promise I'll be here for you and lead you back to the right path if you ever feel like straying, I promise."

She smiled at his confession, and held his face in her palms, "Thank you, Klaus. I'm not ready to forgive you just yet, but I want to try. I think we've got something special here and I don't want to let you go."

"That's all I hope for," he kissed the back of her hand. "Come, you should rest."

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

He nodded and climbed her bed. It was the best sleep he had in weeks.

He had never felt so happy to be at work, and waking up next to his beautiful, blonde angel was something he wouldn't trade anything for. It had been nearly a whole year since he started working at the Palace, and over the last few months, he and Caroline had made amends and started their relationship from the beginning.

True to her words, she was slowly becoming okay again. She stopped the parties and the drugs, and every night she came home with the same man that she was sure she was in love with. There were bad days, of course, especially around the time of Robert's birthday, but just as he promised, he held her that night as she cried, and he never let go.

But his mood soured significantly when he was called into the King's study. In all the time he's spent in the palace, he had only been there once, and it was the first day he met the Princess. He didn't know what the King needed, but he had a feeling it was nothing good.

"Niklaus, you're here," the King gestured to the seat opposite him, "Sit."

"Is there something I could assist you with, Your Majesty?"

"You see, I've been rather busy running a country and imagine my surprise when I've been informed that my daughter is apparently dating her bodyguard."

Klaus coughed nervously, "Sir…"

"Is there any truth to this?"

"Sir, I mean no disrespect but you should know that I truly care about Princess Caroline and I would never try to use her for personal gains or anything. But yes, we've been seeing each other for a few months now and we're very happy together."

"My daughter is a complicated girl, she's reckless and wild, especially since she lost her brother. But I have seen a few changes in her and I feel like it might have something to do with you. However, with that being said, you're her bodyguard and if you think that there is any chance I would let her stay with you, you're sorely mistaken. There's going to a gala next week where I will be presenting Caroline to eligible noble bachelors around Europe and if you cared for her, you would break off your relationship now. She's not getting any younger, and with her reputation, she will need all the help she can get to find a suitable husband, and I assure you that you're not worthy of that."

"Sir, I understand that you think I'm not worthy of Caroline, but I… I love her, and I'm willing to do anything to prove myself worthy," he admitted, he couldn't believe he said it to her father before he got a chance to tell her.

"I believe I've made myself very clear, Niklaus. When I say suggest, I mean that this is an order. You will no longer be assigned to protecting Caroline, and you will be transferred to Liam from now on. And if you don't do as I say, I swear to you, I will fire you from the Palace completely and you will never see her again. Do you understand?"

He was beyond the point of anger and he wanted nothing more than to lash out at the King, but he knew that if he did, he would be facing years of jail and it would've been all for nothing.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, get out."

Once he left the King's study, he began to wonder how he was going to do this. He promised he wouldn't hurt her again but there was no other choice. Her father was right, the country would never accept him as part of the royal family; he was an outsider and had nothing to his name. And when they eventually run their course, he's not sure if he can stay around to watch her marry someone else, but he does know that he can protect her better than anyone. If the King fired him, he would never see her beautiful smile and her ocean blue eyes anymore, and maybe adoring her from afar was better than nothing.

But as he imagined her crestfallen face, all he could do was take the cowardly way out. He took out a piece of paper and a pen and he wrote.

Dear Caroline,

It pains me to write this letter but we both know the time will come. One day, you'll wake up with a noble husband and your children and you will laugh about the time you had with your bodyguard. These few months have been the best of my life and I cannot thank you enough for making it so.

My deepest regret is that I didn't tell you how I truly felt in person before I had to pen this, but I love you, Caroline. The real you, all of you. And I think a part of me always will.

I'm so proud of the person you've become today and I look forward to seeing great things from you, Princess.

Yours,

Klaus

He left it by her pillow as he packed his bags and left the palace.

Present day

"So, those boys I was talking about?" Caroline's eyes twinkled with mirth. He imagined she would've been quite angry with his letter and left him alone, but judging by the looks of it, she wasn't letting him get away with it that easily.

"I don't know anything about what happened to them, Your Highness."

"Ah, is it that so? Funny, because I was chatting with Jeff in the security room and guess what he found?" She pulled out her phone showing a video clip of him elbowing one of the guys who she was flirting with the night before in the face.

"He deserved it, he was too handsy," he offered as a reason.

"And what about the other one, Simon, or something? They found him passed out in the bathroom near my room."

"He was trying to get into your room without permission."

Caroline stepped closer, sliding a finger down his chest, "Such violence, Klaus. And here I thought you were over me."

"Caroline…," he warned, worried that the King might see them.

"You owe me an explanation, Klaus. Did you know how worried I was when I found that letter on my bed and that you had left the country for god knows how long?"

"I know, it wasn't my finest moment."

"And by the way, as the Princess, I reject your letter."

"You can't do that!"

"Uh, yes I can. But tell me why did you do it?"

He sighed, it was clear that Caroline wasn't going to leave until she got her answers. He explained everything that had happened between him and her father, and the threats that he had made.

"Oh… Klaus! Are you serious?" She said, rolling her eyes, "When have I ever listened to my father?"

"Well, never but-"

"And I'm not going to start now! Nor am I going to listen to what a bunch of stuffy old men say about who I'm going to marry. If I want to marry you, I'll find a way. Besides, if my father fires you, you know I can just hire you back with my own money, right? Or better yet, you can pursue whatever the hell you want to do and we can still be together. I'm willing to take that chance, and to be honest, I thought you were too."

"I do, but I don't want to ruin you. You're meant for great things and I'm just a bodyguard."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "You pushed me to be the person I am today. Without you supporting me, I would still be that girl out at parties and wasted every night. Why can't you understand that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me?"

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, too."

"So we agree, fantastic. Now that this is sorted, I've got to go, Liam will be looking for me soon. I'll see you tonight, Boyfriend. Okay?"

He nodded. God, he loved that girl.

"Oh, by the way, Klaus." She turned back to look at him, "I love you, too."

(A/N) Hope you enjoyed the twists and turns of this story. I personally really enjoyed writing it and it's the longest oneshot I've ever written. I'm posting this as a separate story because I MIGHT add a few snippets of their lives here and there, although I'm happy to leave it as it is too. But let me know if you guys want to read more!

Please leave a review/like/favourite if you enjoyed it! Thank you!