Royal Performer - Chapter 21

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 21: Truths

THE NEXT MORNING was a little less hurried due to not needing to meet with the headmaster before classes that morning. Instead, I reported to the form room again, which I internally likened to a scaled-up homeroom idea from back home. I appreciated the couches inside the room and sat chatting with Léa, Noémie, and Zoé. Ioannis sat talking with a couple of his friends on the opposite side of the room, and every now and then, I noted they would shift their glance over and give him a good-natured punch.

I blushed at the realization they were probably having the guy version of the girls’ conversation with me the day before!

The weirdest change for me with this school system was the use of ‘A’ and ‘B’ day schedules. While a couple classes did stay for ‘B’ days, most changed. That morning, I started off with French with Monsieur Olivier. It was quite different from having a class like it back home, though, because it was more structured and literature-based like English had been back home. In fact, I was given two novel-length books that I would need to read in order to be ready for the exams in the last week and a half of school!

It was painful to realize that after my absolute elation of leaving school for summer break a few weeks ago, I was probably in a more stringent and challenging school!

My friends were kind enough to commiserate with me, and they did at least point out that I was better in Math than they were! Lilou left me alone that day, at least!

It was in my third class that morning, Chemistry, with Monsieur Perret, that I had my next academic foible. I was working with Noémie on solving problems. One such problem was: A compound contains 40% carbon, 6.67% hydrogen, and 53.33% oxygen by mass. If the molar mass of the compound is 180 g/mol, what is its molecular formula?

“I don’t even know how to start this…?” I looked at her.

“Well, you just need to start looking at it like this…” she told me, and then she worked out how to solve it to get the answer, C6H12O6.

“That sounds like voodoo…” I whined.

She laughed, “We spent like a whole month on this. For a test, though, I think the best way to look at it is C, H, and O. You were pretty good at Biology yesterday. What does that look like?”

I stared at the answer again and smacked my head, “Glucose? It’s just sugar?”

“It’s like picking the obvious answer out?” She suggested to me.

“Got it,” I shook my head, “Pure voodoo!”

Just before we were supposed to leave the class and go to one I didn’t suck at, a message came for me to go by the office. I found Monsieur Dubois waiting there.

“Monsieur Dubois?” I asked in surprise.

He gave me a bow and said, “Your Highness,” with a smile. “Your assistant called me and said you required an ‘A’ clarinet?”

I nodded, “It would make the orchestra music much easier!”

“Transposing is definitely no fun!” he agreed with me and handed me a case that looked very similar to my other new clarinet.

“What’s this?”

“They overnighted one for me on the first flight this morning,” he told me.

I sat the case down on a low counter and opened it. An almost identical-looking clarinet to my own was sitting there! If it wasn’t for the slightly off width, I wouldn’t have known it wasn’t the same.

“Thank you so much!” I told him. I saw the secretary’s disapproving look but couldn’t resist giving him a hug.

“You’re welcome,” he told me as the classes started to change. “I believe you have somewhere to be; we’ll have your lesson on Saturday this week. There’s a stand here, too,” he told me, giving me a small box.

“Great!” I told him and practically danced down the hallway to the orchestra room.

Sitting down in the chair beside Lola, I realized someone had, in fact, found a shorter chair for me. I blushed but did appreciate being able to put my feet on the ground then. I didn’t want to ask where they found it, though!

I pulled my new clarinet out and set it on the stand before getting my other one from my backpack and catching a glare from Lola. “Why the hell do you need two clarinets? Just to be extra spoiled?”

“No, because you’ve been reading the piece wrong. If I hadn’t memorized parts of it in the other key, I’d never have been able to read it correctly. This means I’ll be able to just read the page,” I told her.

She looked at me with an open mouth as Maestro Fontaine began the rehearsal. It was indeed much easier to play the music in the correct keys, and I switched clarinets as we went through the rehearsal. The movie arrangement made me feel like I was sitting in the theater, with the strings and brass playing quite well. Lola continued screwing up notes beside me, and it sounded like her friend wasn’t doing much better to me!

I groaned as she complained to Fontaine as she was called out for missing notes. “Mademoiselle Montalvo, it’s clear to all of us that you’re not capable of playing well enough here. It’s become even more obvious with Mademoiselle Alessi playing beside you. Why don’t you take the rest of the class and go down the hall to a practice room to learn your parts?”

“I’ll have your job!” She hissed, just loud enough to be heard by him.

“Fine, have it your way; please go see the headmaster,” the experienced conductor said without raising his voice. I watched his eyebrow raise, and a second later, I grabbed my clarinets to protect them as the overindulged brat practically knocked everything out of the way on her exit!

“My apologies, everyone,” he told them. “Let’s continue, violins; that last note was…”

At lunch, all my friends could discuss was their joy in seeing Lola get some comeuppance. One of the other girls in our class, Anaïs, said, “I watched her mom come pick her up from the office. I think she got sent home for the day!”

It was astounding to me how disliked the girl was. I had genuinely feared I was going into the lion’s den with a good number of girls all being in her posse, but instead, they seemed to all hate her. From the little bits of conversation I had during the rest of the day, it was clear that many had feared her since they assumed she would be the next princess and queen after my father died. Since many parliament kids and grandkids attended the school, they didn’t want to deal with the political fallout.

“I hate bullies,” I had said on my way out of the school that day.

To my surprise, Madame Lavigne was waiting in the SUV that picked me up, “How was school today?” She asked.

I sighed, “tedious! History was okay, thanks to your help; Math was good, too. French has two novels I have to read to have a chance to catch up; chemistry is like learning Mandarin, and Programming… I’ve never had any of that? I mean, I can use my phone and a computer, but none of the class made sense at all!”

She laughed, “Your Highness, no one expects you to be perfect as you go through these last few weeks. We’ve already been over that compared to the European models of classes you are behind?”

I shrugged, “I’ve never been behind in anything in my life, though? I felt completely stupid in a couple classes.”

I wiped a forming tear from my eye even as she reached over and gave me a sideways hug. “You’ll be fine, Your Highness. We have a quick stop to make, and then we’ll get you back to studying. Did orchestra go okay, at least?”

I smiled, “It’s like the one class where I know I’m definitely okay?”

I did share what happened with Lola, and she looked at me with concern. “If you have more issues, I want you to let me or the headmaster know. The last thing I want is for us to find you in a fight?”

The SUV wound its way to a destination I hadn’t been expecting that day, a doctor’s office. “Why are we here?” I asked her quietly.

“Just a checkup, Your Highness. We should have had you in sooner, but your schedule has been busy!”

I groaned but was grateful that I avoided the waiting room entirely at this doctor’s office, which felt the same as back home. The only difference was the French posters along the walls instead of English. A nurse took my vitals, and I was unsurprised that my height was the same. She took a couple of vials of blood before a doctor came in and introduced herself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” she said.

“You too,” I replied. “Madame Lavigne said this is to have a checkup?”

She nodded, “I’ve been in communication with your doctors across the pond, and they and I have shared some information. I know you are transgendered; how is your transition going over here?”

I smiled genuinely, “Really well! Living as a girl, the past weeks have been the bright spot in an otherwise chaotic time.”

She nodded at that, “I’m glad to hear that!” She checked me over before saying, “Your grandmother had a request that we look at beginning hormone treatment already. How do you feel about that?”

I smiled, “That would be amazing!!!” I paused, “But I thought I was going to have to wait for more appointments and some time?”

She nodded, “Normally, that would be the case…”

“But…?”

“But you are definitely not normal,” she shrugged. “Would you prefer to wait?”

I shook my head, “Not if there’s an option?”

“Then turn around; I prefer administering this injection into your rear…”

I realized she had a needle then and was soon soothing my bottom discreetly in my room! I was very excited to be starting estrogen, though!

I’d changed into another dress since Grandma wanted to have dinner that night. I contemplated the side effects and mood swings she’d warned me about while deciding I’d better get started on the reading assignment I’d been given. I curled up on my couch until dinner reading, grateful that at least I was making short work of the foreign novel.

Dinner with Grandma was held in her chambers that night for a change. Chef Dufort’s staff had prepared a three-course meal with salad, salmon, and a cheese course for us.

“How is school going so far?” Grandma asked me.

I motioned with my fork, “It’s got its moments?”

“Such as?”

“Well, orchestra is fun! There’s a really great group there for the most part, and I’m really impressed?”

“Are you making friends?” She asked me.

I nodded, “we’ve been going to lunch together these past couple of days?”

“Who are they?” Grandma asked then.

I told her about the girls I’d made friends with and even a little about some of the boys. She started asking follow-up questions about Ioannis since I’d mentioned him. I wondered what she thought I was doing with him! Eventually, she asked, “What’s going on with you and Elodie?”

“Elodie?” I asked.

“Your cousin?”

I wracked my brain and remembered that was Lola’s proper name. “She’s been picking on me?” I said.

“That’s not what her father said?”

I groaned, realizing this was supposed to be a ‘get to the bottom of it’ conversation like I’d had with my mom in the past. “I can imagine that is not what she said,” I told her, “but it’s the truth!”

“So tell me?” she asked.

I mentally steeled myself and started back with the dinner we’d had.

“Why didn’t you say something then?” She asked me.

“I didn’t want to cause problems?” I told her.

“So what happened this week?”

I told her about the rude comments and how I had played better than her. I mentioned Maestro Fontaine choosing me to play the parts instead of her and how it had upset her.

“You’re not just being a show-off?” Grandma asked me.

“No!” I said, probably a little rudely. “I was perfectly happy just letting her play the solos. She was playing everything wrong, though! It’s not my fault he’s friends with Monsieur Dubois, who had told him I was really good.”

She nodded, “Okay, I’ll trust you’re telling me the truth. If she picks on you anymore, please don’t do anything in response. Let an adult know, and we’ll take care of it.”

“You believe me?” I asked, somewhat surprised then.

“Believe that your cousin is a conniving little witch?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, “Of course! If I thought she’d make a better queen than you, I’d have never come to you and gotten you.”

“Thank you,” I told her simply then.

“Just watch out. By all accounts, that girl has a way of getting back at those who get in her way. She’s sneakier than anyone you’ve probably ever known!”

After dinner, I was hugged and then sent off to study. I wore pajamas to sit on the couch in the Living Room and drank some water every now and then as I did my best to catch up with what my fellow students had spent months working on!

When I went to bed that night and cuddled my bear, Becky, I was absolutely exhausted!