Royal Performer - Chapter 18

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 18: Slumber Party

AFTER WHAT FELT, both forever and only two seconds, I watched the door to our quarters open with Monsieur Teresi leading the way for his daughters and Mélanie, all of who looked to be in awe of being there. Each girl was dressed far nicer than I believed was necessary, with Léa wearing a skirt suit that seemed too large for her and Louise wearing a really nice dress. Mélanie wore a pretty floral skirt and a nice-looking blouse, and her hair was done up in a bun.

“Hi,” I said with an awkward wave.

“Hi,” they all said just as awkwardly.

“Let me know if you need anything, girls,” the father told his daughters, hugging and kissing them both.

Their blush and Louise’s whispered, “Papa!” showed that they felt they had to be cool in front of me.

When he left, they held a shoulder bag awkwardly, “Thank you for coming,” I said with a smile, “I don’t really know anyone here, and you three were nice to me when I met you!”

That made the three of them smile, “Thanks for inviting us,” Mélanie offered.

“Why don’t you put your stuff down in my quarters?” I told them. “I have no idea how a sleepover is supposed to work in a castle,” I giggled nervously.

I opened the door to my entry area and heard, “Wow!”

I turned to Léa, “More than a little over the top, huh?”

She shrugged, “I mean... This side is meant for the king, right?”

I nodded, “Grandma didn’t want to give up her closet space.” I led them down the hallway, giving them the nickel tour to my room.

My doll Jenny was standing on one of my dressers with the help of her stand, and Louise immediately noticed her. “Wow! You really do have a doll still!”

“What’s her name?” Mélanie asked me with a smile as she looked down at me. Her taller height reminded me of Ellie.

I blushed, “Her name is Jenny… I lost everything in the fire. My mom and grandparents bought her for me before I left, and I named her after my mom’s client, who was killed.” They nodded at me before I said, “Go ahead and set your bags on my bed, I guess?”

“That’s not a bed, Your Highness, that’s more like a tennis court!” Mélanie said.

I laughed, “I have no idea how they find sheets for it! And… I don’t know how to say this, but one of the things I’m looking for is to be a regular girl? Please call me Allie?” I looked at the three.

Mélanie smiled, “I can do that.”

“I’m not so sure… Papa might not be too happy,” Léa said.

“You don’t have to call me Allie in front of him?” I suggested.

She looked thoughtful and then to her sister, “Louise, remember that as a rule?”

“Sure!” She said. “I like Allie way better than saying, Your Highness.”

“I do, too!” I told her.

I showed them the closet next, and all three were in awe. “You have such beautiful clothes!” Louise said.

There was a look in her eyes that reminded me of how I looked when I borrowed Ellie’s clothes years ago. “Is there something you want to try on?” I asked with a smile.

“Really?!?” Louise asked.

“I’m not sure…” Léa said.

“I insist,” I smiled. “You too, Léa. Sorry, Mélanie, my clothes don’t come in normal sizes!”

She laughed, “I work in a clothes store - I’m more inclined not to anyway! I’ll just watch!”

An hour of trying on my dresses followed, along with many giggles. Their understanding that I was not just some spoiled royal brat broke the ice. At one point, Anna and Giselle came in and introduced themselves. I could tell Anna was annoyed by the activity, but Giselle put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. I could just hear her whisper, “Let them have fun,” before they left.

Afterward, we were back in our original clothes, and I asked, “Is there anything you want to see here that you haven’t seen before?”

“Like?” Léa asked.

“Well, your dad works here, so you probably know as much or more than I do about this place?”

“Not really; the arcade and theater upstairs are about the only things besides the ground floor we’ve seen?”

“I’ve only ever seen the ground floor on the school tour,” Mélanie said.

I looked at the time. “We have about an hour before dinner. Why don’t we go upstairs first? Did you bring a swimsuit like I suggested? After dinner, we can go swimming,” I asked them.

Mélanie and Léa nodded, but I watched Louise’s face drop, “I forgot mine…”

I smiled, “We already know you fit into my clothes? I’ll just lend you one?”

She smiled at me, “Okay!”

Léa and Louise had, of course, been upstairs more than a few times, but Mélanie said, “I think I heard a rumor of something like this from a friend, but I had no idea this was here? Is this just for the family?” She asked me.

I shook my head, “My father and grandmother allow castle staff to bring their families here. That’s how I met Léa and Louise,” I told her.

“That’s actually kind of cool,” Mélanie said before saying, “By the way, my friends call me Lanie.”

I smiled, “Thanks.”

We walked through the theater and then backtracked to the bowling alley and bowled a few games before Madame Lavigne came to find us. “Having a good time?” She asked me.

“Oui, Madame,” I said. “Oh, this is Léa, Louise, and Mélanie.” I pointed to each as I introduced them. “This is Madame Lavigne, my governess.”

I heard a variety of pleased to meet you responses then. “Girls, why don’t you wash up, and then Chef Dufort has a special dinner for you four?”

I blushed, “I hope he didn’t go to too much trouble?”

She just smiled at me, “He said the meal will be ready in twenty minutes.”

“Are you joining us?” I asked her.

She shook her head, “No, you girls enjoy the meal without an adult hanging over your shoulder. I might check on you again before I head to bed.”

As she left, Mélanie asked, “You have an honest-to-goodness governess? Aren’t they for younger kids?”

I blushed, “Apparently, when you get surprised with being a princess and don’t grow up knowing it, there are a lot of lessons you won’t know. Plus, she’s trying to get me caught up with where they believe I should be educationally with my schooling.

“You’re behind?” Léa asked in surprise.

I shrugged, “Not by American standards?”

We walked downstairs, and between my guest bathroom and my bathroom, the four of us were soon cleaned up and sitting around my table in the dining room. As if he was waiting for that moment, an immaculately dressed Chef Dufort stepped inside, pushing a cart with silver-covered dishes.

“Bonjour!” he said to us.

“Bonjour,” the girls and I replied back.

He introduced the meal, which ended up being a six-course meal with small portions of each dish. It started with two small pieces of toast with a salmon canapé, followed by his delicious French Onion Soup that he knew I loved in a small bowl. A small portion of poached salmon with a dill sauce was then followed with another small portion of Beef Bourguignon before a cheese platter. “You deserve a Michelin Star!” I told him as he gave us a final course: two tiny but beautifully made chocolate éclairs.

“You’re too kind, Your Highness,” he told me. “Besides, I truly enjoy cooking for you!”

I smiled at him as he left us, and the girls and I managed to finish our éclairs.

“How are you not like a million kilos after meals like that?” Mélanie asked me.

“Portion sizes help… but Madame Lavigne has been having me learn ballet and other exercises each day, too.”

“So when do you get to have any fun?” Léa asked.

“Tonight?” I said sadly.

“Guess I walked into that one,” she replied.

“So, are there any good things about being a princess?” Mélanie asked.

“Sounds like I’ll never have to worry about money or a job…” I shrugged, “The job part is kind of sad, actually.”

“You won’t instantly take over from your grandmother, will you?” Léa asked.

“Of course not, she’s the queen,” Louise said.

I laughed, “Grandma plans to abdicate the crown when I graduate college, from what she’s told me. If I skip college, I could take over when I turn eighteen.”

“You don’t want that, right?” Mélanie asked.

I shook my head, “No, I really want to go to school.”

“What for?”

I shrugged, “Maybe music?”

“You like music?” Léa asked.

I nodded, “I play clarinet.”

“Are you any good?” Mélanie asked. “I play horn with the orchestra at school, and our clarinets aren’t that great.”

I smiled, “I’m pretty good?”

“Can we hear you play?” Louise asked.

“Don’t you want to go swimming?” I tried to distract her.

“Maman says we can’t swim until thirty minutes after we eat?” Louise replied.

I laughed, “So that old wives tale is here too, huh?” I shrugged, “Do you really want to hear me play?”

“Yes!” the three of them said.

I looked at the time, “Let’s go to the best room if I’m going to do this!”

I grabbed my clarinet and some music and led them down to the music room on the first floor. I found the hidden light switches to turn the lights fully on and soon made my way with my clarinet to what I had decided was ‘the spot’ one night the previous week. The spot was just away from the piano, and the acoustics from there were unbelievable! There was a liveliness to the reverb that wasn’t too echoey but was definitely not dead!

The girls stood with their jaws dropped as I played several things for about fifteen minutes.

“Am I better than your clarinets?” I asked Mélanie.

“Definitely!” she smiled. “Lola is going to hate this!”

“Wait! What?!?” I asked.

“Lola is one of the clarinets, along with her witch friend, Léna.”

“Great…” I groaned, vaguely recalling her mentioning that at dinner!

We walked upstairs to get our swimsuits when Mélanie asked, “You’re really coming to school this next week?”

I nodded, “They want me to try it out for the final few weeks?”

“Are they going to make you take the exams?” Léa asked.

“Knowing my luck? Probably,” I told her.

“What year will you be?” Mélanie asked.

“Grandma said I’ll be a Year 10? She said that’s like being a freshman back home?”

“I think that’s what an exchange student told me last year,” Mélanie told me.

“Too bad you can’t come with me!” Louise smiled, “It’d be a lot more fun!”

“Just because she can blend in with you, squirt doesn’t mean she’s in the same grade!” Mélanie laughed.

I nodded, “I’m sure it’d be much better there with you!”

Back in my closet, I found a tankini-style suit with a skirt attachment and a sewn-in gaff to wear for myself, and Louise picked out a one-piece suit with another little skirt attached.

“What’s with all of the skirts on your suits?” Louise asked.

I shrugged, “My fashion consultant guy picked all of them out?”

“Must be some other weird designer thing. The crotch is doubled up with fabric,” Louise said.

“It’s a modesty thing,” I told her honestly.

“Makes sense, you don’t want random pervs zooming in with cameras,” Mélanie said.

“Nope,” I said, even as I thought that would probably be a million-dollar shot for the tabloids.
 
 

“SO WHY ARE you so short?” I was asked a short while later as we floated in the pool by Mélanie.

I shrugged, “I’m a half-inch taller than my mom. The doctors think I might grow a bit more. We’ll see.”

“Your dad was a lot taller,” Léa said to me.

“So I’ve heard,” I responded.

“You really never met him?” Louise asked.

I shook my head, “No?”

“That’s terrible. I don’t know what I’d do without Papa!”

I nodded, “I definitely missed out. My father paid child support and sent gifts for my birthday and Christmas each year, but I never had any idea about this,” I motioned around the room.

“That’s really crazy,” Léa said. “I figured they made that part up.”

I laughed, “I don’t think anyone could have made up my last few weeks of life!”

Through the night, I learned more about the girls. Léa was a serious ballerina who hoped to study at the greatest ballet schools in France and possibly even Bolshoi when she grew up. Her sister Louise was into gymnastics more, and while she was still clearly five years younger than me, I was amazed by her maturity. She let things slip occasionally, showing she was still a child in many ways. For instance, back in my room, she insisted Jenny and her doll Aurélie had to meet!

The other two watched for a few minutes while I played with her like I had with Ellie when we were younger. Eventually, though, I said, “How about we change into our pajamas and watch a movie?”

“Where?” Léa asked.

“My living room or the theater?” I suggested.

“Theater!” I heard the girls say unanimously as I hoped I wouldn’t get chewed out for being in my pajamas out of my room! I put on a set of satin pants and a matching soft cotton pink shirt that had appeared one day and had become one of my favorites. Ellie had sent me a hoodie with Disney Princesses on it the previous week, and it was gathered before I led the girls upstairs.

The security guards were gracious enough not to look scandalized by our clothing. Jacque, the typical officer on duty for the night, just smiled and said we should have a good time. Upstairs in the theater, I discovered a call button. We soon had fresh buttered popcorn and picked out some candy from a display case before curling up together on a section of seats to watch one of the latest animated films that Léa suggested would be okay for her sister to watch.

“Thanks for being willing to watch a kid’s movie; our parents are kind of strict,” she whispered.

I giggled. “I was watching another last night. There’s nothing wrong with them,” I told her.

Over the day, I learned that Léa and Lanie had been casual friends before, but the three of us seemed to be starting to form a bit of a good trio. Louise was definitely younger than us, but she was easy to get along with. I appreciated that neither of the older girls picked arguments with her. When we finished watching the movie, I looked at Louise and giggled at the sleeping girl.

“She fell asleep,” I noted.

“She does that all the time,” Léa rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, no daddy here to carry her.”

I laughed, but Lanie gathered and easily carried her before I could wake her up.

“How can you do that?” I asked quietly.

“You don’t think clothes come in light little packages, do you?” She laughed.

“You’re small enough she’d manage too,” Léa laughed.

I shook my head, “Not that you have any room to talk!”

She laughed, “No, we are all pretty tiny.”

Lanie somehow managed to get her all the way down to my quarters without her waking up, and we discovered someone had rolled out four sleeping bags in my Living Room.

“Seems someone is helping out with the sleepover?” Lanie asked as she gently laid the still-sleeping girl on top of one.

“Probably Giselle or Anna, my maids,” I told her.

“What’s that like?” Léa asked.

“Annoying much of the time,” I said quietly, moving to the couch as the other girls joined me. “Anna was threatening to spank me the first time she met me because I said ‘sucks.’”

“Wow, that sucks!” Lanie said.

“Tell me about it! We had a big blowout, and next thing I know, I’m running to my bedroom to cry my eyes out like I’m four or something.”

“First day?” Léa asked.

I nodded, “It had been a hard week with everything.”

To my surprise, both girls squeezed me in a hug. Then Lanie said, “You’re too sweet to be a princess.”

“Definitely not like your cousins,” Léa added.

“I’d rather not be like them,” I agreed. “So what am I walking into on Monday…?”

“It’s not as hellish as I’ve heard your schools are?” Lanie said.

“Still a bunch of catty girls like in the movies, though,” Léa said. “I think most of them will actually probably be torn between sucking up to you and avoiding your cousin’s wrath.”

“Are they as bad as they seem to me?” I asked.

“Probably worse,” Lanie said. “The day after we met, Lola’s father called to bitch about me to my boss.”

I heard a clearing throat then and realized Anna had joined us.

“Sorry,” Lanie said.

“Understandable, but we are trying to teach Her Highness not to use such vulgar language?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the chastened girl said.

Anna looked at me then, “Is there anything else you need tonight, Your Highness?”

I shook my head, “No, I don’t think so?”

“Very well, breakfast will be with Her Majesty at eight. I’ll be in to wake you four up at six,” she told me.

I groaned, knowing it was after one already.

“Thanks, Anna,” I told her.

As she left, Léa asked, “Do you ever get a day off?”

“Apparently, an evening might be all?”

“Well, might as well keep it going?” Lanie said.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked, knowing I would be paying for my lack of common sense and not going to sleep.

“I’ve never gotten to play with a princess’s hair?”

“I’m not a doll,” I groaned.

“She didn’t say no!” Léa said then.

The three of us moved into my bedroom. We proceeded to trade doing each other’s hair for another hour before Léa woke Louise up long enough to send her to the bathroom. The four of us lay down in our sleeping bags. “Thanks for coming,” I told them as everyone curled up with a stuffed animal or doll I’d been surprised to see each brought.

“Thanks for inviting commoners,” Lanie said with a smile.

“There’s nothing common about you all,” I smiled.