Royal Performer - Chapter 10

Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage. Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.

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Chapter 10: Party Crasher

THE NEXT MORNING went smoother than any had, and Giselle helped me pick out a comfortable knit dress that felt more casual than any I had worn. She still insisted that I wear a dress that day, even though I had more options now! The tests that morning went quickly, and I quickly showed that I knew the basics of World History. Still, if you asked me for specific oddball rulers or dates in Europe or anywhere else, I was mostly a lost cause. The United States had removed itself from British control, and there was still a fair amount of bias against Europe, especially in my home state!

I made it through lunch without any sign of my grandmother, and it felt like she considered me safely in the hands of my babysitter governess…

She probably did have a lot of other things on her plate, being the queen and all, but I felt slightly abandoned right then!

Monsieur Dubois was led up to the study in my quarters after lunch, and I was excited to have a lesson with him! He was a phenomenal player who had studied at the Paris Conservatory and Curtis in the US. I learned more in the hour with Dubois than I had in years, and he started me on a journey to learn the complete Weber Clarinet Concerto that I could play with the Osané National Symphony the following summer. He insisted that it was the piece for me to introduce myself to Osané as a serious clarinetist.

During the lesson, I couldn’t help but fall in love with my new clarinet even more, and his instruction only made my sound even better! He left after making sure that we were going to plan weekly lessons and insisting to Madame Lavigne that I find time each day to practice. She had stayed in the room through the lesson since it would be improper for me to be alone with him.

I cleaned and put away my clarinet and pushed the ornate wooden musical stand they had found somewhere to the side.

“Ready to see your grandmother?” She asked.

“I need to use the restroom first,” I told her.

A quick trip down the hall to my restroom let me brush my hair before walking with her to my grandmother’s office inside the Queen’s Quarters. Geneva was waiting outside her door, “You’re late?” she tersely told me.

“Sorry, my clarinet lesson went over time a little. We were both having too much fun, I think?”

“As a princess, you must learn to stick to your schedule,” she said.

“This was on me,” Madame Lavigne said. “I could have ended the lesson on time, but they were getting along so well; it was nice seeing Her Highness having so much fun and actually smiling. She’s had a rough go here?”

“We’ll speak more later,” she told her.

“No, you won’t,” Grandmother said from inside her office. “It’s okay, Geneva!”

Geneva sighed, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Please have a seat,” Grandma said, pointing to a part of her office that featured two love seats facing each other and a couple of armchairs on either end to make a rectangle. I moved towards one of the loveseats and was joined by Grandma, who put an arm over my shoulder and hugged me. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you since yesterday, Allie; it’s been a busy time here.”

I hugged her back, “It’s okay, Grandma.”

Madame Lavigne took a seat on the opposite loveseat, Geneva took a seat in one of the armchairs, and Giuseppe appeared and sat in the other. “Okay, so you’ve had a chance to evaluate where Princess Alexandria is. Let’s hear your thoughts, Madame Lavigne.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Madame said politely. “First of all, I want to make sure I say that Princess Alexandria is probably as bright or brighter than her father was. She’s also an amazingly talented clarinetist who I think will be a delight for everyone to get to know. Her Highness did well on her language exams; reading in English, French, and Italian are all at least at the level I would expect from a student in my school finishing their end-of-school exams. I believe she would be well served to begin learning German and maybe Japanese or Mandarin too.”

My eyes popped out of my head at that. ‘Two more languages?!?’ I screamed inside my head. I liked the other languages, but that was getting to be a bit much at once!

She smiled at me. “Her more severe deficits are clearly visible in history, philosophy, chemistry, physics, and upper-level mathematics. She also clearly needs deportment lessons, and I believe dance would benefit her as well.”

“That sounds like a full load,” Grandma said while giving me a protective side hug. “Anything else?”

“Yes, obviously, she needs to be educated in Osané history and traditions. She’ll need to understand court etiquette better than she does now. I believe some political science lessons are also of value.”

“How do we get all of this in?” She asked her.

“Well, first, I want to make sure I say this to you, Princess; you have a steep learning cliff to overcome here. However, if you’re willing to work, I think we can make a great deal of progress this summer. I suggest we plan on a school day worth studying every day except on Sundays for the rest of the summer. We must also determine the best plan for moving forward with her education. I don’t believe it would be in her best interests to return to her school back home.”

My face fell at that. Ellie and my friends were all back there!

Not to mention Mom!

“We’ll work that out together as a team, Your Highness,” she told me. “I promise we’ll make sure you can be happy with whatever school you attend.”

I just stayed silent then.

“So, schedule?” Geneva asked. “It’s important that Princess Alexandria is ready for the state dinner we’re hosting on July 10th. We also need her ready for a news interview next Friday and, ideally, several magazine interviews that same week.”

My eyes felt like they were about to pop out of my head, “Why?”

She looked at me and said, “Because you’re the Crown Princess, Your Highness. It is imperative we get your face out there to the people and let them get to know you.”

“I don’t even know myself yet…” I unintentionally said aloud. “Sorry,” I said as I looked up at four pairs of eyes staring at me. Madame Lavigne and Giuseppe both looked pretty sympathetic to my plight. Geneva looked taken aback, and Grandma… her look was a mix of stress and disappointment?

“We’ll get through this together,” Grandma said to me. “I know this has been a rush, but it’s important for the sake of everything that we let people get to know you before any of your past comes out.”

At that point, I felt myself start to cry silently. The conversation took off around me, and only Madame Lavigne seemed to notice the small tears I kept wiping away. They talked about me but never asked once what I wanted. The ‘grownups’ decided I would be woken up early each day, just like the past few days. I would begin with ballet lessons, followed by two hours of history. Lunch would follow, before two hours of math, an hour of German, an hour to practice, and finally two hours of deportment and etiquette lessons.

“And her evenings?” Geneva asked.

“Free for her, I hope, as much as possible?” Madame Lavigne said, “In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not getting much say in her life. Giving her some downtime, each day should be prioritized.”

“Downtime?” Geneva asked, “Since when is that a thing for royalty?”

“Since now,” Grandma said, and I realized she had finally noticed the tears as she wiped one from my face. “My granddaughter was not raised in this setting, and more importantly, she will not learn everything in a single summer. Yes, we must cram as much into her head as possible, but you must remember that she is still only fifteen, Geneva.”

I gratefully leaned into the hug she offered me. “Thanks,” I whispered to her.

Geneva looked annoyed but said, “Well then, after dinner until her bedtime, she can have time for her interests. We have some small dinners we’ll be hosting over the next month, so she must attend most if not all of them.”

I nodded, “Just don’t expect me to be perfect instantly.” I got the feeling that Geneva was having a bad day and was in the role she was in because she was a taskmaster who got things done for Grandma.

When the meeting finally wrapped up, it was close to four in the afternoon. Grandma gave me a hug. “I have a meeting with a parliament member here until dinner. But I will be at dinner tonight. We’ll eat in your dining room. Until then, enjoy a little afternoon of freedom. You won’t get much moving forward,” she told me sadly.

I hugged her and made my exit back out of her quarters. I thought about returning to my room, but that felt claustrophobic right then. Instead, I veered to the hallway leading to the upstairs access. One of the security officers saw me approaching and bowed at me. “Your Highness?”

“Umm… Good afternoon. I was just wondering if I could go to the entertainment room on the next floor?”

“That should be fine, Your Highness. I believe one of the staff members may have permission for their daughters to hang out there tonight?”

I thought for a second, “I was told that’s normal to have happen sometimes?”

“Your father always thought having that space for just him was a waste, so he encouraged staff members to take advantage of it for special events.”

“Am I intruding then?”

“Certainly not, Your Highness. To be honest, I believe it’s one of the other security officer’s daughters having her tenth birthday party. He has a daughter about your age and then another who is about six. You would probably make their nights by showing up?”

“Really?” I asked, feeling surprised by that.

“Really, do you want an escort upstairs?”

“I think I can find the way, but do you need to for security reasons?”

He laughed, “If you’re roaming around from when we open to the public at nine in the morning until about five in the afternoon, you need to have that. After hours, there’s very limited access to the building. You’re as safe here as the US President would be in the White House.”

Somehow, instead of making me feel better, he made me feel even more claustrophobic! Still, now I was curious to meet other kids. “In that case, I think I’ll just go on up. Your name?”

“Lieutenant Jacque Bois, Your Highness,” he answered.

“Thank you for your help!” I told him with a smile.

I found my way up to the room and smiled when I realized which security officer’s kids this was. “Monsieur Teresi!” I said when he noticed me.

“Your Highness,” he bowed to me. A woman who looked about his age smiled and curtsied.

“Your Highness,” she echoed.

I sighed, “I assume this is your wife?” I asked him.

“Yes, this is my wife, Amelie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I told her.

“The honor is mine, Your Highness.”

“I hope I’m not intruding… I was given some time to myself tonight and thought I might come to play some of the games. If I’m intruding, though, I’ll be happy to leave you to it?”

“Oh no, Your Highness,” Amelie said, “Truthfully, my daughters were hoping they might meet you? It’s our daughter Louise’s tenth birthday today. I know that it would make her day even more special if she could meet you?”

Right then, I could tell that his daughters had discovered someone else was there, as they seemed to almost be trying to sneak over. I laughed, “I would be happy to meet her!”

She waved the matching set of blonde-haired girls over, “Girls, I would like you to meet our Princess.” They curtsied so much better than I could, I smiled. The younger two girls had huge smiles, while the older daughter looked a bit wary. “This is Lina, our youngest,” he said while moving to put his hand on the smallest girl’s head affectionately. She looked about five or so and was still short of four feet, and I had a bit more than a head of height on her. “This is Léa; she’s your age,” he added, putting his hand on the oldest girl’s shoulders. It seemed that she was actually an inch shorter than me. The middle daughter had to be Louise, I figured, with the tiara on her head, “And this is our special birthday girl, Louise,” he said.

“Happy Birthday!” I told the girl who was an inch shorter than her older sister. “It’s nice to meet you all. Are you having fun tonight?”

She looked a little embarrassed and was smiling at the same time. “Uh-huh, we were just about to open my presents and have cake!”

I smiled, “That’s always my favorite part of my birthday.”

“Would you like to come and have some cake with us?” the mother, Amelie, asked.

“I would love some,” I told her. “Only a small amount, though; I’m still supposed to have dinner with my grandmother in a bit.”

“Are you really the princess?” Lina asked as she suddenly latched onto my side.

I looked down at her, “That’s what they tell me, at least,” I smiled. “I didn’t even know until last week!”

“I wish I was suddenly a princess…” Louise said, “I’ve never gotten that birthday wish, though!”

“It’s probably not as great as you think,” Léa said, clearly wary.

I shrugged, “I would definitely be much happier being back home with my mom,” I agreed. “But, I’m hoping I find out there are cool things I can do. I’ve already met some really cool new people!” I said, looking at them.

“Who?” Louise asked.

“Well, there’s a certain birthday girl and her sisters that kind of count in that,” I said with a smile and a laugh. Her mom kept them from pestering me with too many questions as we walked to where a table had been set with a tablecloth.

A small cake sat on top. “We’re only doing a small cake for Louise tonight,” Léa told me quietly. Her real birthday party will be next Saturday.”

I nodded, “that’s cool that she gets that. Why didn’t you just have the party this weekend?”

“Our grandparents can’t come until Thursday, and we have school the rest of this week,” Léa said.

I said, “School…?”

She laughed, “That’s right, you’re an American… sort of?” She seemed to let her guard down a little, “You all have some long summer break, right?”

I nodded, “You don’t?”

“Not one like you all. They let us have off in July and some of August, and then we usually get another few weeks off before the new year begins.”

“This is another reason I want to stay in my high school…” I sighed.

We joined her parents at the table, where they were waiting around. I had learned ‘Happy Birthday’ in French at some point, but singing the lyrics in French instead of English a few moments later still felt bizarre. Louise blew out the candles, and we all gave her a little clap.

“You’ll get to open the rest of your presents next weekend, but we wanted you to have a few today,” her mom told her. It was a small stack with three small boxes and one larger box. Louise started with the smaller boxes and found earrings, a necklace, and a nail polish set. She smiled gratefully at her parents after each.

When Louise ripped open the wrapping on the big box, I immediately noticed a familiar red color. With the shape of it, I had a guess before she even opened it the rest of the way. She squealed and happily revealed an American Girl doll I remember seeing was their doll of the year when Mom and I were in the shop. “Thank you!!!!!”

I smiled at her happiness and then frowned when she saw me and looked sad.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I can’t believe I’m opening a doll around you… you must think I’m such a baby,” she said nervously.

I laughed, “Why would I think that? Does mine in my room make me one?”

“You have dolls still?!?”

“Not a lot, but Jenny is downstairs in my room.”

“Really?!?”

“I’d go get her, but it’s not quite worth the trip right now. Trust me, I won’t call you a baby or make fun of you for your awesome present!”

She smiled and began opening the box to pull her doll out. Her mom leaned over to me and said, “Thank you. Her friends might not have said the same thing.”

“Well, it really is true. I love Jenny,” I told her, “I’d go grab her to prove it to her, but it’s quite a hike back to my room!”

She held her and cuddled her new doll, Aurélie, for the next hour or so whenever she wasn’t alternating bowling with Léa, her dad, and me. After her parents said, “We need to go.”

I embraced all three sisters. “It was so awesome meeting you all,” I told them.

“Same,” Léa told me. “You’re not anything like I thought you would be. I’d love to hang out sometime… if they like, let you do that?”

I shrugged, “I still don’t know what I can or can’t do right now, but that would be fun!”

We exchanged numbers quickly, and then I was left alone in the ample space of games. I tried playing one of the arcade games, but things weren’t the same without someone else there. It was close to when I knew dinner would be, so I headed back down to my quarters to get ready to meet Grandma for our meal.