Royal Performer - Chapter 17

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 17: Court of Honor

I WAS WOKEN up and dressed in a long gown that brushed the floor, even with the three-inch heels I was teetering on. A hair accessory similar to the one I lost in the fire was affixed in a tight bun on my head. I wore a necklace and earrings set that I knew had to have been priceless antiques with what I would have assumed were fake blue sapphires, pearls, and diamonds in any other context. Here, I knew they were real and worth a fortune!

Grandma was dressed as fancy at breakfast, and I noted the crown beside her in a clear box.

“What is going on today?” I asked.

“We will be presenting three individuals with Knightly Honors,” she told me.

“That really happens?” I asked.

She smiled at me good-naturedly, “It doesn’t come with land now, but they can add Sir or Lady to their names, and each order forms a sort of fraternity with one another.”

“That’s kind of cool,” I told her. “How many orders are there?”

“Just six, less than my home country of Great Britain,” she added.

“What are they for?”

She described them as valor or bravery, acts in service of the crown, artistic honors, and scientific achievements. “We have four, and we’ll be presenting honors today,” she told me.

“Why do this in a morning ceremony?” I asked.

“This is the initial presentation; they’ll also be recognized at the ball in a few weeks.”

“The one for me?” I blushed.

“It’s an annual summer ball, but yes, your introduction to society as well,” she told me.

Right then, her maid, whom I didn’t see as much of personally, came in and asked, “Are you about finished, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Iris, would you mind helping me put this crown on?”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she told her.

I watched as she delicately lifted the crown onto her head and noted how low it sank. “How heavy is that?” I found myself curiously asking.

“Lighter than the duty it comes with,” she said with a smile. “Come, it’s time.”

I followed alongside her as she went down a hallway I wasn’t familiar with. Giuseppe opened a door before us that I hadn’t been through. A tight spiraling staircase descended and ascended before us. I daintily followed Grandma down the steps while holding onto a well-worn wooden handrail.

When we arrived on the ground floor, I discovered the door led to an antechamber beside the throne room. “Wait for me to enter, and then the royal herald will announce your entry,” she told me.

I heard a set of herald trumpets blare a flourish like they had the day I arrived and heard, “Her Majesty, Queen Maria Eirene Margarita Andino Alessi!”

Even down the hallway, the herald’s voice was strong. Geneva appeared then and directed me to the door, “Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandria Leonidas Alessi,” was announced with my own shorter flourish of trumpets. I found myself walking down the aisle of the throne room, which was set up with about fifty seats on either side of the aisle. I hadn’t been down to the throne room since my first day’s tour, so it was a bit of a shock to see it decorated so lavishly, and my smaller throne sitting beside Grandma’s was intimidating.

Madame Lavigne had spent hours in the past couple of weeks practicing my sitting skills, of all things! She’d also spent time teaching me the proper court etiquette for events such as this. I approached Grandma, performed a curtsy, and then sat on my throne.

It was just as uncomfortable as I feared that first day!

As I’d been endlessly drilled by my middle school band director and Madame Lavigne, I sat straight up and watched as the ceremony began. The royal herald announced the first person, Sergeant Clément Girard. A tall man with a shaved head stepped forward in a military dress uniform. He had a couple of rows of tour ribbons and two medals pinned below them.

“Sergeant Girard stood his ground in the face of heavy oncoming fire while also defending five mortally wounded soldiers beside him while on duty with NATO forces. Despite the danger to himself, he engaged an overwhelming number of enemies for three hours until help arrived. He sustained several serious wounds, but four of those men are alive today due to his actions.” The herald announced.

“Monsieur Clément, you are a soldier among soldiers, and your actions have saved the lives of your fellow men. Please kneel,” Grandma said as she stood and was presented with a sword on a pillow. I watched her pick up the sword, which seemed like a cousin to a rapier, and a short sword. “In recognition of your gallant valor and service to Osané, I dub thee Sir Clément Girard, Knight of the Order of Saint Marc. Rise, Sir Clément, and receive your insignia.”

At that, she gently set the sword on the pillow, took a sizeable golden medal on a ribbon, and draped it upon his neck. “It is with great pride and profound gratitude that I bestow upon you the Order of Saint Marc. May this honor symbolize our nation’s appreciation for your gallant valor and inspiration to all who serve.”

She stepped back, “Sir Clément, your courage will be remembered, and your name shall be inscribed in the annals of Osané’s history as a paragon of heroism and honor. I thank you on behalf of the crown and the people of Osané.”

After a rousing round of applause, he stepped back, and the next recipient stepped forward. Sébastian Dupuy, an early thirties gentleman with black hair, was also awarded the ‘Order of the Enlightened’ medal and knighted. Apparently, he had made a significant breakthrough in correcting genetic abnormalities. I later learned that it was expected he would be in contention for the Nobel Prize of Medicine in the next couple of decades once his research had more time to be built upon!

I smiled at the third recipient when I realized it was Maestro Bevins! As he would be known henceforth, Maestro Sir James Bevins was awarded the ‘Order of the Royal Palette’ for service to the arts.

The final recipient called before Grandma was a woman dressed in a blue skirt suit that I could have seen Grandma wearing to conduct regular business. It seemed like a decent analogy to what the men wore, but it felt far less formal than her and my dresses!

“Now, we continue to recognize another outstanding act of heroism.” She said.

“In addition to gallant valor in battle, we also honor those who have shown extraordinary heroism in saving the lives of others. Margaux Girard, your selfless actions following the massive accidental explosion at the Usine de Nutriments Agricoles have not only saved twenty lives but have also embodied the spirit of compassion and bravery that defines our nation.”

Grandma completed the rest of the ceremony with the sword and then the medal before she concluded, “In recognition of your heroic actions in saving twenty lives, I bestow upon you the Order of the White Cross. Lady Girard, may this honor symbolize our nation’s deep gratitude and admiration for your courage and selflessness.”

A round of applause proceeded, and then we all filed down to have a fantastic formal lunch in the large downstairs ballroom.

Grandma and I sat in the center of the head table, with the four award recipients on either side of us. I was fortunate to have Maestro Bevins next to me. “Congratulations, Sir Bevins,” I told him once we were all seated.

“Thank you very much, Your Highness,” he said with a smile.

Food was served, and in between courses, he asked me, “So, how is the new instrument?”

“It’s amazing!” I told him with a smile before I placed a new bite of food into my mouth.

“Practicing?”

I had to swallow first but answered, “Yes, every day. I’m getting the Weber Concerto that Monsieur Dubois has me working on down one page at a time.”

“Excellent!” He told me.

I’d been stuck at several of these meals since I arrived, but this one was far more interesting. I learned more about ‘Sir’ Bevins and how he had become the Maestro in Osané. Truly, his career could take him to other places and more prestigious orchestras. “What keeps you here?” I asked him.

“It’s a beautiful country, Your Highness, and I’m able to make all the music I could desire here!”

I smiled at him, “Glad to hear that.”

Occasionally, we would engage with ‘Sir’ Dupuy beside him. He was a very fit guy for being the nerd that he was. I discovered he was also a distant relative of the Montalvo side. Far enough removed to not be legitimate ‘royalty,’ but close enough to at least be able to trace the lineage from what I discovered.

Fortunately, he seemed to be a far more personable person than my cousins were!

Towards the end of the meal, I was talking with Grandma and somehow caught my hair in the tall-backed chair I sat in. ‘Ow!’ I complained, surprised I didn’t see a hair in the chair when I turned. I noted that most of the room was finishing up with lunch, and Grandma took that moment to end the meal. I followed her out the door, and after some goodbyes, I could return to my rooms.

I sighed, looking at the clock and seeing it was a little later than I had planned. My dress had grown heavy and hot as the day wore on, and I figured I’d just have enough time to shower. Before I could start to undress, Giselle entered the room. “Excited to see your friends?” She asked me.

I shrugged and started trying to pull out the ornate comb she had worked into my hair. “I don’t know them well enough to consider them friends yet, but I hope after I get to know them better, they’ll become so..”

“Here, Your Highness, sit, and I’ll get your hair for you. I think you have just enough time to hop into the shower and change into something more casual?”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” I agreed with her as I sat down.

She was swift with her hands as she pulled the ornate comb from my hair, then a myriad of other pins she’d used that morning before putting my hair in a shower cap. I pulled the necklace and earrings off, and she put them away as I found the most casual dress I could find in my closet. It was a solid color, light purple, with short sleeves, and as I held it in front of me, I was sure it would land below my fingertips. It was a simple design that I could tell would flare if I twirled. I happened to glance at the name of the dress designer and gulped. That designer’s dresses were usually around five hundred US dollars when I looked them up out of curiosity one day.

I shook my head as I scrambled to the bathroom with a fresh set of matching underwear and hopped into the shower. The water felt great, but I knew I didn’t have much time, so I washed quickly and soon pulled on my panties, bra, and, finally, the dress over my head. I had to perform gymnastics to pull the zipper up because it fit firmly around my chest. When I finally succeeded, I could see that it was slightly emphasizing the padding of my bra to form a chest that might be appropriate for a younger girl than I was.

‘Definitely smaller than Anise,’ I thought annoyed. Even a couple weeks later, I was still unnerved and more than a little intimidated by my cousins!

As time passed, I got nervous about trying to make friends with these girls. They seemed friendly enough on my first meeting with them, but was that just because I was the princess?

I returned to my bedroom, where Giselle was waiting for me. “Excited?” She asked.

“Scared?” I replied.

“I know the Teresi family; you picked a good set of girls to hang out with. I don’t know this Mélanie girl, but I suspect you’re a good judge of character?”

I shrugged, “I hope so?”

“So what are we doing with your hair? Full formal hair?” She smirked at me, and I suspected she was teasing.

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary; I did that all morning!”

She laughed, “How about I just brush it out and leave it down? You rarely seem to get out of having it in a bun or braided?”

I nodded, “That would be nice!”

I relaxed as she brushed my hair—it really was a nice feeling! When I thought she was done, I was about to move, but she said, “One second, I want to see if we have something in here…”

I sat still and had my curiosity sated when she brought a simple purple fabric-covered headband over that matched my dress nearly perfectly. She placed it in my hair, and I looked at my reflection. Right then, I looked more like my simple ‘Allie’ self.

“Here, I’m guessing you don’t want to get too carried away with makeup this afternoon. Why don’t you just put on this lip gloss?” She suggested.

I applied the simple lip gloss to my mouth and enjoyed the look and the slightly shiny red tinge on my lips. I turned around and gave Giselle a hug, saying, “Thank you; I look like myself.”

She returned the hug, “You always look like yourself, Your Highness.”

I moved a moment later and found a cute pair of butterfly earrings that I put in my ears and a small, simple-looking heart-shaped pendant with an amethyst in the middle. I noted that Giselle pressed a keypad when I finished looking inside the jewelry drawers.

“What are you doing?”

“Your Highness, as much as I know we’ve done a background check on the girls, anytime you have any guests, we will always lock these drawers,” she told me.

“Oh…” was all I could say.

I was just preparing to walk down to the Living Room to hang out when my phone rang. “Hello?” I said.

“Your Highness, your guests are here?” I heard a woman say.

“Would you please have them escorted to the royal quarters?” I said.

“Certainly,” she said and hung up.

I walked to the shared sitting room area and wondered how my first sleepover would go. I also felt horrible that it wasn’t with Ellie!