The next morning, Clarisse returned to her Queenly Duties, returning phone calls that were made the day before, and signing papers that had come over from Genovia with her. Charlotte was very sweet and did all that she could to help Clarisse along with the great number of calls that needed to be made to the Genovian Parliament, or to other diplomats in the world. Clarisse sighed as she pulled yet another paper from the box sitting on her desk. Reading it over, she saw the words begin to dance before her eyes. She sat back in her chair and took off her glasses. She needed a break. Rising and walking to the window she looked out at the pitiful garden. Clarisse wished that she had brought Maurice; he always provided a bit of humor during long hours of work. Taking him for a walk also gave her an excuse for a break every now and then and allowed her time to stretch.
She was beginning to feel dread as Amelia's visit drew nearer. She wondered if Helen hadn't told her how important it is for her to come today, and she chose not to. What if she forgot and stayed after school for extracurricular activities?
Clarisse was driving herself near hysterics when Joseph came into her office.
"Nervous about the Princess's visit?"
Clarisse spun around, not expecting anyone to enter the room. "I –eh. Just a bit. I'm worried she isn't going to come" She admitted.
Joseph smiled. "I thought so." He crossed the room in a few strides and stood next to her. "It's going to be alright. She'll be here, Helen said so."
"She's an artist, Joseph. Artists are 'free spirits' are they not? What if she forgets, or doesn't stress the impotance? I don't know. I can't seem to put my thoughts together." She laughed. "I'm sorry." Joseph nodded.
They two stood in silence for a while, staring out at the run-down garden.
"One hour till she arrives here." Joseph said quietly.
Clarisse sighed. "I had better get back to work."
"I should too."
"Thank you, again, for listening to me."
"It was nothing." He gently picked up her hand from the windowsill and kissed it. Clarisse felt a flip-flopping in her stomach. What was happening to her? Whatever it was, she did not exactly want it to go away.
Mia walked to her locker at the end of the school day to distribute unneeded books, and pick up the required ones for homework. She slammed the cold metal door closed and took out the slip of paper with the address her grandmother was staying at. As she turned to leave, she saw Lana walking with her boyfriend, Josh. Lana saw Mia looking at them, and seized the opportunity to send her a particularly evil look.
Almost every female in the school was in love with Josh, but only one could have him. That person was obviously Lana, because every boy wanted her. It only made sense that the two most popular and good-looking students in the school, pair up. They made Mia feel ill.
"Mia!" Lilly, her best friend trotted over to her locker and quickly grabbed her arm. "Last chance. Coming to help me with the Owl Petition, or not? Ditch the estranged relatives and help the endangered animals." She said with a laugh.
"I would if I could, you know that. But I can't."
Lilly let out an exasperated sigh. "What an inconvenience. The week I finally scratch the surface, getting people interested in the needs of the spotted owl, your grandma decides that she needs to visit."
"I am really sorry, Lilly. I would rather help you." She looked down at her watch; she had ten minutes to find the place her grandmother was at. "Oh –but I have to go now! I'll call you tonight."
"OK. See you later."
Mia was very thankful that she had not lost the piece of paper with the address on it, because the one she wrote on her hand had sweated off during the day.
She came upon an iron gate with a large 'G' on the center of it. She had thought that her grandmother was at a hotel. This looked more like a mansion. The lawn looked flawless, and... was that a limo in the driveway? She started to feel nervous, nevertheless she pressed the intercom button. A camera moved towards her. She was beginning to feel even more uncomfortable.
"The school tours are on Saturday, young lady." An attendant said through the box.
"I –I'm here for a meeting with my grandmother." She replied.
"Name?"
"Clarisse Renaldi."
"Oh. Please come to the front door."
"Thank you, very much." The gate opened and Mia walked up the path, cutting across the lawn. Suddenly, voices yelling at her to get off of the grass in different languages. She hastily jumped off the yard and walked up the driveway instead. What WAS this place?
When she got to the door, a doorman opened the door and ushered her into the foyer.
"Welcome, Miss Thermopolis. We've been expecting you." He said while an attendant came over and began to pat down Mia's backpack.
"Be careful." She exclaimed. "Please don't crush my soy nuts."
The attendant looked at her carefully. "Your… soy nuts are safe." He allowed the doorman to bring her to a sofa.
"Please," Mia jumped and put down the lid of the vase she was inspecting, "make yourself comfortable."
Mia sat on one of the sofas and dumped her backpack on the floor right in front of the doorman's path, forcing him to jump over it. She saw a small arrangement of flowers on the table, with pears hanging from them. Odd she thought.
"Hello Amelia. I'm Charlotte from the Genovian Attaché Corps." Mia stood when she walked into the room.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you. Uh, where am I?"
Clarisse looked down at her granddaughter from the hallway at the top of the stairs. Her first thought was she looked a mess; her hair was twisted into frizzy coils, she had glassed with thick black rims and she slouched. Clarisse could tell that she had a lot of work on front of her.
"The Genovian consulate."
"You're got pears in your flowers."
"Genovian pears. We're famous for them. Now, if you sit down, she'll be with you in a moment." The two were just about to sit down when Clarisse walked down the stairs. The attendant and doorman snapped to attention while Charlotte and Mia stood again.
"No, I don't need a moment. I'm here. Amelia, I'm so glad you could come."
"Hi. Oh, you've got a great place."
"Thank you. Well, let me look at you." Mia removed her glasses to let her grandmother see her face. "You look so…" Clarisse felt a tightening in her chest. She looked very much like her father. Same hair. Same eyes. Same ears. Same nose. "Young." And like your father she added mentally.
"Uh. Thank you." Mia said, sliding her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "And you look so…" She glanced up and down her grandmother's ensemble, "clean."
Clarisse felt Charlotte stifle a laugh behind her, "Uh, Charlotte, will you go check on tea in the garden? Please, sit." She said to her granddaughter, motioning towards the sofa. The attendant and doorman sat after their queen was seated.
They sat in awkward silence for a moment; Clarisse studying her granddaughter, while the girl surveyed the room, trying to think of something to say.
"So," Mia suddenly said, "my mom said you wanted to talk to me about something so… shoot."
"Well, before I 'shoot' I have something I want to give you." She gently picked up her grandmothers jewelry box, with her locket nestled safely inside. "Here." She passed it across the coffee table to Mia.
"Oh." Mia was not expecting a gift. "Thank you." She carefully opened the box, revealing a silver locket with the same 'G' as the one on the gate. "Wow…" She was a bit speechless. She didn't even know this woman, and she had given her something. Mia wished she had not come empty handed. She should have brought flowers, not like this room needed anymore.
"It's the Genovian crest." Clarisse offered, as Mia fingered the tiny locket. "It was mine when I was young." She watched as the precious jewelry box fell out of Mia's hand and smashed to the floor. "And… that was my great-grandmothers."
Mia let out a nervous laugh. "I'll keep this safe. I will take good care of it." She opened the zipper to her backpack and roughly dropped it in. Clarisse had a feeling the box was not going to last very long in the girls care. She was going to say how special it was, but decided against it. "Now, what did you want to tell me?" Mia asked as she fastened the locket around her neck.
"Something that I think will have a very big impact on your life."
"Well, I already had braces." Mia joked, showing her grandmother her now perfectly straight teeth.
Clarisse thought perhaps she was not being clear enough, "No. No, it's bigger than orthodontia-"
"The tea is served, ma'am." Charlotte interrupted.
"Oh, this will have to wait. Shall we go into the garden?"
"Sure." Mia jumped up and followed her grandmother down a hall leading to the garden.
...
More like a back yard, Mia saw no signs of flowers.
Clarisse thought that before she broke the news to her granddaughter that she was the heir to the throne of Genovia, she thought she would find out a little bit about her. She immediately regretted it, because instead of a short list of interests, and hobbies, she got an earful of petitions to save various wildlife animals, and the effects of pollution from the exhaust in cars.
Clarisse finally could take no more, "As interesting as that is, dear, we need to get down to business."
"Business? O...kay." Mia said as she stirred some sugar into her tea, and practically broke the cup with her vigor.
Clarisse closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. "Amelia, have you ever heard of Edward Christoff Philippe Gerard Renaldi?"
"Uh, no."
Clarisse figured this, "He was the crown prince of Genovia."
"Mmm." Mia seemed unimpressed. "What about him?"
The part Clarisse had dreaded was finally upon her, "Edward Christoff Philippe Gerard Renaldi was your father."
Mia snorted, "Sure, my father was the prince of Genovia." Clarisse nodded. "U-huh. You're joking." That was not the reaction Clarisse had expected.
"Why would I joke about something like that?" Clarisse asked a bit offended.
Realization was creeping into Mia's features, but Clarisse could tell she didn't want to believe it. "No. No, because if he's really a prince than I'm-"
"Exactly. You're not just Amelia Thermopolis. You are Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi; princess of Genovia."
Mia stared at her, too stunned to speak. Then finally, "Me? A princess –shut up!"
Clarisse choked on a sip of tea. "I beg your pardon. 'Shut up'?"
A waiter quickly walked over and explained that in America 'shut up' does not always mean 'be quiet'.
"Well, nevertheless you are the princess. And I am queen Clarisse Renaldi."
"Why on earth would you pick me to be your princess?"
"Since your father died, you are the natural heir to the throne of Genovia. That's our law. I'm royal by marriage, but you are royal by blood. You can rule."
Mia was beginning to feel light headed. "Rule? Oh no. Now you have really got the wrong girl. I never lead anybody; not at Brownies, or Campfire Girls." She slumped across the table. "Queen Clarisse, my expectation in life is to be invisible; and I'm good at it." She was on the verge of tears. This was far too much for her to absorb. Mia pushed back her tears and starting to grow angry; even as Clarisse explained how she would help her on her way to royalty, she was simply not ready for this responsibility. She was only hearing bits of Clarisse's talk, but she did hear that she would have to live in Genovia, and that was the final straw.
"Live in Genovia? Whoa! Rewind and freeze! I'm no princess; I'm still waiting for normal body parts to arrive! I refuse to move to and rule a country –and do you want another reason? I don't want to be a princess!" With that she got up from the table, grabbed her bag, and ran for the doors that led inside.
"Amelia? Amelia, come back here!" Joseph came out from his hiding spot in a bush and walked over to Clarisse who sighed exasperatedly, "Well, that went well didn't it?" She asked sarcastically.
"Perhaps she needs a bit more time."
"Will you help me?" She pleaded.
"I am the head of your security and you want me to be a chauffeur and a babysitter?"
"For the time being, yes. The child needs protection!" Clarisse took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry. I know that I am asking a lot of you."
"It's fine."
"Ohh, I wish this had gone better." Clarisse said as she walked back over to the table. "But what else could I have expected? She's a teenager. It isn't fair that I sweep into her life after ignoring her for the entirety of it, and then tell her she must take the throne of a country she doesn't care about."
"She'll come around eventually." Joseph offered as he refilled Clarisse's teacup.
Clarisse had her doubts, and decided that in the morning she would pay her granddaughter a visit before she went to school, to check and see how she was handling everything.
"She looks so much like Philippe, Joseph. It's all I could think about when I was talking to her. The way she got upset and then ran away…" She cut off and looked into her teacup, "Philippe did things like that when he got angry."
Joseph took her hand from the table and gently caressed it with his thumb. Clarisse looked up at him and smiled.
"Are you going to be OK?"
"I think so." She held his gaze a little longer than needed, "I had better get back to work. The papers will not sign themselves." She reluctantly freed her hand of his and walked back inside.
Clarisse had a feeling that the fluttering sensations in the pit of her stomach… could be the beginning of love.
