Chapter 307: The Growing Pains**

What Mia feared most finally happened—her identity was exposed to the world. She initially thought that Lily had accidentally let it slip since she had only told Lily.

But Lily was just as confused, assuring Mia that she hadn't told anyone.

It was later revealed that it was actually the professional stylist responsible for Mia's makeover who had intentionally leaked the information to the media, hoping to gain credit for their work.

However, that no longer mattered, as Mia's world had already been turned upside down, and there was no going back.

Despite her reluctance, Mia's identity was prematurely revealed, forcing her to attend a Genovian diplomatic dinner as a PR move to salvage her image.

The result was disastrous. Mia was completely out of place, still clumsy and awkward. Not only did she create a series of embarrassing moments, but she also caused a cascade of chaotic incidents that utterly ruined the evening.

It was an absolute mess.

Mia felt extremely guilty and nervous, expecting the Queen to be disappointed and angry. But the Queen wasn't.

Not only was she not angry, but Mia also reminded the Queen of her own son.

The next day, the Queen decided to let Mia skip her princess training for a day. The two of them went on a trip around San Francisco, giving them a chance to get to know each other better.

Although the day was full of chaos again, this time was slightly different. Mia saw the Queen's approachable side, and the Queen saw Mia's sincere and lovable nature. The two finally let their guards down and began to communicate. Mia also learned more about her father from the Queen.

On a whim, the Queen even took on the role of a driving instructor, helping Mia retrieve her Mustang and teaching her how to drive.

But, of course, things went wrong.

Again.

As always with Mia, this time, they almost crashed into a San Francisco city tour bus, causing a traffic jam and creating chaos.

In the face of this crisis, the Queen displayed her royal grace, not only deftly defusing the situation but also winning the hearts of the citizens with her charm. The incident became the talk of the town, and the next day's headline in the *San Francisco Chronicle* was:

"Genovia's Queen and Princess News Spreads Across the City."

This time, it was different. Countless citizens became fans of the Queen and Princess, not out of curiosity but out of admiration and love.

In just one night, Mia, who had once been completely invisible at school, transformed into a figure of influence. It seemed like everyone wanted to be her friend.

No more strange looks; instead, people were trying to get close to her. Even Josh, the boy Mia had always had a crush on, began to see her differently and invited her to a beach party on Saturday.

Mia was over the moon.

She found Michael and told him she couldn't attend his band's performance because of Josh's invitation. Lost in the excitement of Josh's attention, Mia completely overlooked Michael's disappointment. More accurately, it didn't seem to matter because she even forgot about Lily's TV interview invitation on Saturday night.

Mia eagerly went on her date, only to find out that it was all a trap:

A publicity stunt.

Josh attempted to kiss her in front of the reporters to generate scandalous headlines, while Lana tried to humiliate her by pulling down the beach changing room while Mia was inside, allowing the paparazzi to take intrusive photos.

Everyone was trying to take something from her, but no one cared about her.

As Mia, wrapped in a bathrobe, curled up in Helen's arms, sobbing heartbrokenly, the entire theater fell silent, with only the soft sound of tissues wiping away tears.

So this is the price of growing up—

Stumbling and falling, with bumps, bruises, and heartache inevitable.

It only takes one night to fall from heaven to hell.

Just yesterday, the headlines across major newspapers were praising and celebrating Mia. But overnight, everything changed. Now, all the headlines were filled with Mia's "scandals."

The media didn't care about the truth, nor did they attempt to understand Mia. Instead, they labeled her a "party girl" and published a series of embarrassing photos of her.

The Queen was livid.

However, for Mia, nothing mattered more than the fear of losing her friends.

Mia needed to apologize to Lily, to sincerely and wholeheartedly apologize, but… it predictably turned into an argument. Yet, it didn't go quite the way she expected.

Lily was angry, sad, frustrated, and didn't hide her disappointment.

However, when Mia told Lily that she wasn't planning to become a princess, Lily was even more disappointed.

Lily admitted she was jealous and confessed that she was worried Mia would no longer be her friend.

"...But the truth is, you becoming a princess is nothing short of a miracle."

"Think about it—I found out that my TV show only has twelve viewers. Trying to change the world with such a minuscule platform is a nightmare, but you? Wow!"

Lily wanted to protect the planet. Whether through her TV show or her volunteer work, she was doing everything she could to make her voice heard.

"'Wow' is because you have influence. You can make people listen. How many teenagers have that kind of power?"

Lily had opened a door for Mia.

But Mia, lost in her turmoil, didn't give it much thought. She had already made up her mind that at the Genovian National Day Ball, she would not accept the title of princess.

Even so, Mia still wanted to make amends. She invited Lily to the Genovian ball and hoped Michael could be her date.

When Michael delivered the car he had finished repairing, Mia tried to extend the invitation.

Unfortunately.

It seemed like it was already too late.

"...Listen, thank you for everything you've done for me. You've been really kind." Mia placed the final payment for the car repairs into an envelope, ready to hand it to Michael.

Michael remained stoic, maintaining a distance across the table, standing straight, and offering a polite but distant smile. "I didn't do it for you. The doctor let the band practice there, and I helped with the car repairs."

The line was drawn.

Mia felt a pang of disappointment and awkwardness. "Right, of course, yeah..." She handed the envelope to Michael. "Here, this is for you."

Michael took the envelope and politely said, "Thank you."

With that, Michael was about to leave. But just as he turned, not even taking a step, Mia spoke up again, causing Michael to pause. He looked down at the envelope in his hand, avoiding Mia's gaze.

Mia gathered her courage. "I know you're still mad at me for bailing on you, and I'm really, really sorry. I, uh, I want to make it up to you." She tried, tried to keep her tone cheerful, tried to smile sweetly, her eyes fixed on Michael.

That gaze landed on Michael's skin.

Michael's shoulders and arms tensed slightly. He realized he was beginning to falter, he realized he was starting to soften. He couldn't help but lower his head, slightly turning to avoid Mia's gaze, mentally arming himself, but he needed to stay strong, not give in so easily.

So, Michael, holding the envelope in his left hand, placed it behind his back, picked up a painted mask from the table, and placed it on his face, hiding his expression.

Finally, he found the courage to look up.

Through the mask, he couldn't see anything, and only then could Michael look Mia in the eye, staring quietly, using all his strength to keep his voice steady.

"How would you make it up to me?"