The Illean Lady (The Illean Fanfics #1)

Chapter Thirty

  Cal

"You don't talk much about you and mom," Dad looked up at me over the rim of his glasses and Elaine raised any eyebrow. It usually wasn't a topic of conversation, our parents and all, but I couldn't help being curious. "I just wonder sometimes."

"Cal!" Elaine said through gritted teeth. She glared at me with icy blue eyes identical to great grandma Ames's and kicked me under the table.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Dad just chuckled and signed another paper. "That's alright. I'm sure he must be curious."

I gave Elaine a look that said I was superior and she rolled her eyes at me. Marco chuckled as he nudged my shoulder and I smiled back at him. One day Marco would be like what Uncle Godfrey is like with dad, for me. My personal adviser, my right hand man.

We all knew Max wasn't cut out for this kind of life. While Marco was a bachelor and a play boy he had did what he had to get done. Max had his heads in the clouds and wanted to travel the world. I respected that. Then again there was no one I wanted by my side more than Marco so I guess it worked out in the end.

That being said Marco was treated like a royal. He sat through every meeting, helped make important legitimate decisions, and his room was even down the hall from mine.

"Shouldn't you wait until mom gets here?" Elaine said.

Elaine may have not inherited many things from our mother in the physical sense but she was definitely a goody goody. That was the one thing she managed to inherit.

Dad shook his head and smiled. "Why? So she can argue with me?"

This time Elaine smiled.

"After the attack from the New Asians," I said. "Why didn't you get married immediately?"

"That would be stupid," Marco commented. "Get married right when the country is going to go into a potential war?"

"Actually, many countries do that." Elaine looked at all of our faces. "They do it as a symbol of unity."

"Your mother was very angry with me," Dad spoke of this as if he was talking about the leather. "She didn't want to get married at all. In fact she left."

This was news to me and even Elaine's eyes widened. "You what?"

"Calm down," Dad chuckled. "You're here aren't you?"

"What do you mean she didn't want to get married?" I asked.

It didn't seem possible to me. My parents? My parents? The two most in love beings to ever walk the face of the planet? The idea almost made my stomach turn. To think that dad could've picked another Queen and our mother would've gone back to Carolina and married someone else? The thought of my possibly having different parents, and my siblings not being my siblings, was unfathomable.

"When your mother and I were younger were a bit uh," he cleared his throat. "Difficult."

Elaine rolled her eyes but dad continued.

"Your mother believe it or not, hated the idea of being Queen. It was her indecisiveness-"

"And your hesitancy to make a commitment," the door opened. Mom raised an eyebrow. "That drove me away."

Dad was so screwed.

"Gossiping about me again?" she asked. She reached over his shoulder and grabbed a folder. "I needed this."

"I was just telling the children how much I loved you." He told her, looking up and smiling.

She smacked him on the head with the folder. "Mhm."

She walked out and Marco started laughing.

"Like I was saying," Dad said and Elaine grinned at him. "Your mother didn't want to be Queen."

"Aunt Allie is such an amazing Queen," Marco said. "I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't want to. Mom always talks about how she knew the moment Aunt Allie walked through the door she'd be an amazing Queen."

"Esmeralda has a sixth sense." Dad winked. "Anyway," he looked at me. "How old are you again?"

"DAD!" Elaine stared wide eyed at him.

He laughed. "I'm kidding. Cal's 19 and your mother and I were married I think for two years before we had you. After the New Asia attack your mother left and I didn't think she'd come back."

"Why?" Elaine asked.

Dad let out a deep breath and removed his glasses. "She was very hurt and very angry. When you're young everything seems like the end of the world."

We were all silent.

"I didn't see your mother again for an entire year."

It was my turn to be shocked. "A year?"

He nodded. "My parents were already suggesting I find a new Queen or start a new selection since-" Dad stopped for a moment before clearing his throat. His eyes looked a bit distant. "Anyway, I refused. If I couldn't marry your mother I wouldn't marry anyone and the throne would go to one of your cousins."

"What brought mom back?" Elaine asked.

Dad's mouth quirked up to the side. "It was Spring."

His favorite season.

"Rumors had been flying around about the royal family so to diverge the attention we had a parade to celebrate Rosie's engagement. I needed some time alone so I snuck off the main road and walked down a side street. All of a sudden this car started to slow down next to me.

"Immediately I thought it was Godfrey, that he had caught me sneaking off again and I was in trouble." he chuckled to himself. "It was this mint blue car, an old one, and a convertible. All of a sudden the top came down and so did the windows. And there was a woman in the front seat."

Elaine smiled and put her hand in her elbow. Her eyes got the far away look they usually did whenever she heard stories about mom and dad. All seven of us always got that way. Even me occasionally.

"I thought to myself 'Who on Earth would be driving on an abandoned side street in Angeles when there's a parade going on?'" Dad grinned again. "She was wearing this big blue sun hat that covered her entire face. She took off her sunglasses and tilted her head. I saw a big pair of green eyes starring back at me."

"And you knew?" I asked him.

He nodded. "I just knew."

"What did she say?" Marco asked.

Dad laughed. "She said 'Hey'."

"That's it?"

"Then I said hey. And she said 'So, you come here often?'"

Elaine laughed. "Is that how people flirted back in a day."

"We're not ancient." Dad told her and he pinched her cheek affectionately.

"And you just," I struggled with my thoughts. "Knew?"

Dad caught the hint immediately. "I just knew."

I let out a deep breath.

I knew what I needed to do.

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You're not allowed to hate me

I've been busy. *Cry*

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XOXO Lilly