by Nikki Gaspar
Wait a minute…he’s not saying that it’s me, right?
Though they remained silent, the royals’ faces spoke volumes. It was clear that they were expecting me to jump with joy because of the king’s announcement, but they were mistaken. Of course I’m not Princess Clarissa Grandis, any sensible person would know that. I certainly expected them to be more cautious than anyone in announcing random people as their relative.
But I have a birthmark, and it’s a star!
No. No. No. No. There’s no way I’m a princess.
I think I’m going insane.
“Are you okay, Claire?” the king asked as though he did not just turn my world upside down.
“What exactly do you mean, sir?” I asked.
“I think you already know what I meant. You are Princess Clarissa Grandis.”
“But my name is Claire Dava! My mother is Emma Dava…”
He gave me a patronizing nod. “And your father was named Alfred, and you have an uncle named Anthony…me.”
I stood up so fast the chair tumbled behind me. “But my mom never told me that my dad was a prince! She told me my name is Claire! I have a birth certificate to prove it!”
Anyone else would probably jump at the chance when the king said that they’re a princess, but I refuse to accept that my mom hid something this important to me. She couldn’t possibly have lied about my own identity.
“We don’t know why your mom left Bellanmuse. We guessed that she was heartbroken by your dad’s passing and wanted to be left alone. Maybe she doesn’t want anything to do with the palace again, so she changed your names.”
“Sorry, Your Highness, but I think you are making a mistake. It’s a birthmark, plenty of people have birthmarks. There are probably millions of people with a star-shaped birthmark.”
“We are certain, Claire,” the beautiful older woman said.
This time my emotions were so out of control that her voice did nothing to help. Sweat soaked my shirt, and my heart was pounding in my chest. “But how are you certain? You said the princess disappeared when she was two years old. You wouldn’t know what she looks like now.”
“You’re right. We don’t know for sure what she looks like, but I know that the ring you are wearing on your finger is mine.”
“This is my mother’s.” I covered the heavy ring with my left hand, a pointless attempt to shield it from the royal’s eyes.
“Come with me.” With grace befitting a queen, she placed her hands on her chair’s arms, pushed herself up, and walked out the door. She stopped in front of a portrait in the foyer and beckoned me to come closer.
“Look at the portrait,” she said.
It was her, the same young woman whose picture I saw in the office earlier and the same woman who was standing beside me now. The name tag says that her name was Queen Isabella Grandis.
“Look at the ring on her finger, Claire.”
That was my mother’s ring. I looked down and looked up repeatedly, checking that every part of the ring was identical. Her ring was in this old portrait.
“I am Queen Isabella Grandis. I gave the ring to my son Alfred when he married Emma.”
Her son Alfred, the king’s spitting-image in the picture I saw earlier. For the first time in my life, I saw my dad’s picture, and I didn’t even realize it.
Queen Isabella gave me an adoring gaze. “I am your grandmother.”
I don’t want to believe that mom lied about my identity, but I can’t deny that I am starting to believe the royals. Rosy must have called the authorities when she recognized my birthmark, which was why Major Krisham and the other king’s guards came to her shop. I’m thankful that Major Krisham told me a lie about the king wanting to meet tourists, though. If he told me the truth about them suspecting me as the missing princess, I would probably run screaming. I was relieved about another thing; the torture chamber was definitely not in my future—in fact, I think I found my family.
Chapter Nine
I have a grandmother, and she was looking at me like I made all her dreams come true. Tears flowed from her onyx eyes—eyes that were identical to mine.
“Can I hug you?” Queen Isabella asked.
Tears soaked my shirt as she hugged me like I would disappear if she let go. “I am so happy that you came back while I’m still alive. Your poor grandfather died longing for you.” She squeezed me once before she let go and then looked at the people behind us. “She’s back!” she shouted, and everyone laughed in relief.
“Mom, let’s introduce Clarissa to everyone,” the king said.
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, I was just very emotional.” She extracted a fancy handkerchief from her dress pocket and dried her tears.
“This is the royal court, Clarissa. They are comprised of the elders of each royal family, which is why they are also sometimes called the elders. They serve as my advisers, and any major decisions must go through them,” the king explained.
The older men were the king’s uncles: Lord Romulo, was the man who asked for my name earlier, while Lord Josef and Lord Thomas were the names of the other two.
The older women were the king’s aunts: Lady Ellena and Lady Bernadette.
The younger members of the royal court were the king’s cousins: Lady Elisa, Lady Graciel, Lady Adeline, Lord Andrei, and Lord Benjamin.
“I don’t mean any offense, but can we have a DNA test done?” I asked.
The king nodded. “Don’t worry Clarissa, we understand that all of this would take time to sink in, and yes, we will do a test if that is what you want.”
“And you are going to stay here in the palace from now on,” Queen Isabella said. “It is not safe for you to walk around alone because everyone in Bellanmuse knows about your birthmark. We are just lucky that the lady who recognized you called the authorities immediately.”
She’s right. If a bad person recognized me and not Rosy, I would probably be in an abandoned building right now—bound on a rickety chair, mouth gagged, and with a ransom on my head.
The king patted my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. “I’ll ask Jazaael to show you to your bedroom. It’s a very exciting day, you must be tired. You can rest for a few hours, and then we will have dinner tonight.”
It looked like I was going to stay in Bellanmuse for a while.
***
“What are you doing?” I asked Jazaael. He was pushing the wall between the two rooms we’ve just been in, and I stared in shock when it moved, revealing another part of the palace. There’s a set of stairs, a back door towards what looks like a part of the garden, and rooms that I didn’t get a chance to see properly before Jazaael chuckled at my expression and then started to climb towards the upper floors.
“You will get used to it, Princess,” he said.
The second floor, Jazaael said, has a ballroom used for intimate parties. The doors were closed, so I have no idea how big it was. We didn’t stop there and climbed on to the third floor, which was full of bedrooms.
Jazaael opened the second door on the right. “This is your bedroom. The sheets are fresh, the towels are new, and the bathroom is stocked. The Wi-Fi password is written on a piece of paper. I placed it on your bedside table. In case you need anything else, you can call us by using this intercom, just dial #1.” He pointed to the phone attached to the wall.
I stared in awe because everything looked luxurious.
“This was Prince Alfred’s old bedroom. We thought that you would be comfortable here.”
“Thank you, Jazaael. This is perfect.”
“Welcome back, Princess.” He smiled and left.
I dropped my bag beside the door, kicked off my shoes, and jumped on the bed. It almost swallowed me because of how soft it was.
This day was definitely one for the books. It’s not every day that you would find out that you are the king’s niece and a princess. A. Real. Freaking. Princess.
A soft ping from my bag reminded me that I hadn’t checked my phone since the pla
ne landed. My neighbors were probably worried sick.
With great reluctance, I left the heavenly bed to grab my phone. There were ten messages, all of them from Mr. Taz. The messages started from calm: Claire, did you arrive safely? Is it beautiful there? Send us a picture so we can see. Then two hours later: Kid, send us a message so we know you’re safe. Until the latest one said: Kid, you better call me right now, or I will hunt you down to give you my best ear pulling!
I rummaged the bedside table for the Wi-Fi password, connected my phone, and then clicked the video call button.
Mr. Taz answered at once, temper flaring. “What the hell happened to you? I have sent hundreds of messages, why didn’t you answer—”
His face, occupying the entire screen, turned from normal to red in seconds.
“—we could have died worrying, you didn’t care. The plane could have crashed—”
Now, that’s a little extreme. But I have no intention of interrupting his tirade if I wanted him to stop being angry before midnight. He could go on for hours, something that I learned firsthand when I was six and was persuaded by my friend to climb a tree.
“—lost in an island, could be eaten by wild animals. When you come back here, be prepared for my best ear pulling!” He finished, gasping for breath.
“That’s enough. She’s safe, that’s more important.” Mrs. Luminaire appeared on the screen when she grabbed the phone from Mr. Taz’s hand. “What happened, Claire? Why didn’t you answer?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Taz, Mrs. Luminaire. I didn’t mean to make you worry. A lot happened when I arrived in Bellanmuse. I just forgot to check my phone.”
Mr. Taz rolled his eyes behind Mrs. Luminaire.
Mrs. Luminaire, on the other hand, was squinting. “You have a beautiful background. Are you on top of a mountain?” she asked, seeing the floor to ceiling window behind me.
“I am, actually. This is my uncle’s house.”
“Oh, I’m glad you found him. But why is his house on top of a mountain? How did you find him there?”
Mr. Taz forgot about his anger when I relayed everything that happened. “Don’t trust them immediately, kid. Make sure to lock your bedroom door when you sleep. And find something that you can use as a weapon, keep it somewhere you can easily reach.”
“They are royals. I don’t think they will do anything to me.”
“Royals are human too, Claire. It’s not impossible to have a baddie among them. Just do what we tell you and let us sleep peacefully tonight. If all of them turn out to be good, then that’s better. But in the meantime, be vigilant,” Mrs. Luminaire said.
It took pledges of good behavior, attentiveness, and regular calls to update them on everything that’s happening before my neighbors were satisfied.
Chapter Ten
A knock on the door woke me, and I was disoriented for a moment because the dark room was unfamiliar. The floor to ceiling window reminded me that I was in the palace, definitely no windows like that in my own home.
“Come in,” I said, fumbling on the wall beside my bed, where I saw the light switch when I inspected the whole room before going to sleep.
The girl who brought me tea earlier entered the room, carrying a dress and a pair of shoes.
“Good evening, Princess. My name is Mari; I am assigned as your personal maid.”
“Nice to meet you…I’m sorry, but what does a personal maid do? I’m not used to this.”
Mari made minimal eye contact. “I will clean your room, do your laundry, help you choose what clothes to wear, and do your makeup. You can also ask me if there is anything else that you need.”
“Oh, I don’t mind doing all that. I’m used to doing chores.”
“This is the king’s orders, Princess. He wishes you to have someone to help you out.”
“Alright then, I don’t want to get you in trouble. But please just call me Claire.”
Her whole face blushed and finally looked at me for more than three seconds. “As you wish, Claire.”
“I didn’t realize that dinner is a formal event. Are there visitors in the palace?”
Mari ran a brush through my long black hair. She struggled on some tangles, but when I told her that I could do it myself, she insisted that it was her job. “No, there are no visitors. You will join King Anthony, Queen Mother Isabella, Princess Ysabel, and Princess Sofia. It’s customary for the royal family to wear nice clothes at all times.”
“And who are Princess Ysabel and Princess Sofia?”
“They are the king’s daughters, Princess Ysabel is older and the heir to the crown, while Princess Sofia is the younger daughter.”
They must be the pretty girls in the picture I saw earlier.
After Mari was done with my face, she finally allowed me to look in the mirror, and I was surprised. I still looked like me, but a better version. The make-up was very light, but I now have smoother skin and natural blush.
We raced downstairs because we just have ten minutes left before dinner. The dining room that the family uses every day was on the first floor, just near the stairs. But according to Mari, several others used for special occasions were also available.
Panting, I paused in the doorway, unsure if I should just go in like I dine with royals all the time. King Anthony and Queen Isabella were already seated, together with the two girls that must be the princesses.
“There you are, Clarissa. Come in,” Queen Isabella said when she noticed me, then stood up to pull me inside.
“Good evening, Queen Isabella.”
“What do you mean Queen Isabella? Call me grandma. We are family.”
“Your grandma is right. We are a family. Call me Uncle Ant from now on, alright?” the king said. “And these two girls are my daughters.”
The two princesses were staring at me curiously.
“This is Sofia.” He gestured to the younger girl with curly black hair, “and this is Ysabel.” He referred to the one with straight black hair.
Sofia seemed friendly because she beamed. “Sit beside me, Clarissa!” she said excitedly.
Ysabel, on the other hand, scowled when she was introduced. Maybe she’s really hungry and had to wait for me to arrive for dinner. I must remember to come earlier next time.
“Is it okay if I still use the name Claire? It feels weird to be called Clarissa,” I said, walking around the table to sit next to Sofia.
“Of course, whatever you are comfortable with. But it will be like a nickname, your legal name is Clarissa Grandis,” Uncle Ant said.
As if just waiting for me to show up, the servers arrived with our food the moment my butt rested in my chair.
Rosy’s bread seemed to be a lifetime ago because my stomach started rumbling when I caught a whiff of the baked chicken. I felt my face turn hot. The last thing I wanted was for the royals to think that I was a glutton. But if they heard it, they did not comment, so I relaxed.
Aside from the chicken, there’s also seafood pasta, beef stew, soup, and a tureen overflowing with vegetables.
“If there is anything particular that you wanted to eat, you can go to the kitchens and ask our chef to cook it for you. We have our own farm here. Most vegetables are planted there, and there are trees where you can get some fruit if you want. There are also animals, like chickens, goats, and pigs,” Uncle Ant said. “Don’t be shy to ask for whatever you need. This is your home now.”
Wow, it must be nice not to have to go to the market for your ingredients.
“And I can’t wait for you to try Mr. Kai’s desserts! He’s the chef, and his cakes are the best,” Sofia said. “I’m sure he will make a special one for you today.”
“I hope he does that. Desserts are my favorite part of the meal.”
Sofia hadn’t stopped smiling. I didn’t know that a person could smile while chewing, but she did.
“Oh, wow!” I said. Mr.Kai prepared homemade strawberry ice cream and lime pie. I tried the ice cream first because I didn’t want it to melt, and it
was heaven in my tongue.
“I told you!” Sofia said, enjoying her own cup of ice cream.
Ysabel’s eyes were on me the whole dinner, but she didn’t speak to me like Sofia did. When I tried to catch her eyes, she turned away fast and pretended to be busy with her food. I must have really shown a bad impression on her by coming to dinner late.
Chapter Eleven
Warm morning sunlight brightens the flowers scattered at the palace grounds. Beyond them were fruit-bearing trees like apples, oranges, and mangoes that separate the farm from the garden. I have never seen a mango tree before. I looked up and was amazed by the hundreds of yellow fruits decorating it.
You wouldn’t know how vast the farm was from the outside, but it was twice the garden’s size. Beyond the trees were rows and rows of leafy vegetables and plump succulent fruits.
Cows mooing from afar told me the animals’ location. There were chicken coops, pig pens, sheds, and barns, but the animals were soaking in the sun and munching on the lush grass.
“There you are, Princess.” Jazaael hollered from the edge of the trees. He was huffing and puffing while clutching his chest.
“Are you okay?” I asked and then approached him.
“I panicked when I couldn’t find you in the palace,” he said, drops of sweat trickling from his forehead. “I haven’t forgotten the day sixteen years ago when I had to inform the king and queen that you were missing, so please promise to tell someone where you are going. Bellanmuse cannot handle the heartbreak if we lost you again.”
His concern warmed my heart. “I’m sorry, Jazaael.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be sorry, Princess. Just don’t scare this old man again, okay? Come on. The king is requesting to see you. He is in his office.”
“Okay.”
***
Uncle Ant’s office happened to be the same room they met me in yesterday. He and grandma were waiting for me, together with two men wearing white coats. Various medical supplies sat on top of the conference table.