Princess Leonor : The Fleur de Lys and The Lion (English Version)

4. The Magazine

It turned out that Meri didn't need to find out who the señora Maria she met the other day is. Meri found the answer a Saturday morning in the apartment lobby.

Meri at first pretended to be waiting for one of the apartment owners (which was obviously a lie!). She was allowed to sit in a row of sofas next to the lobby. A young couple unexpectedly stepped out of the elevator.

The man only wore t-shirts and shorts. Meanwhile, the woman wore jackets and scarves, also a mask and sunglasses. There is no doubt that the woman is the Princess, Leonor. She was wearing the same scarf and glasses as when Meri photographed her last week.

Meri quickly grabbed the camera, hid it in the large bag she was carrying, and pointed the camera hole at the couple.
Click
Click
Click

Meri was surprised when the man kissed the woman on the forehead in the third photo. Meri was overjoyed, almost as if she had won the lottery. But she tried to act normal. Fortunately, the security guards were not looking at her.

Meri followed the woman to the car with quiet steps. Same car and same bodyguards.
Click
Click
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As the car drove away, Meri ordered a taxi to the headquarters of !Hola! Magazine.

__________

"Hmmm... But when this man kissed her forehead, the woman was still wearing a mask. We can't claim that she was Leonor, señora." Lopez, the editor-in-chief of ¡Hola! was still in doubt.
"Señor, it is the same scarf, car, and bodyguards. I checked his name on the internet. He is the grandson of Simeon, the last Bulgarian king. I even met the boy's mother last week. Her name is Maria."
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
"Please, señor. I managed to take photos of their faces even at different times. That is a very valuable thing."
"You mean, you ask for money? Don't worry, we will pay you. But we don't promise whether this can be published in our magazine article."
"Very well, señor."
Meri left the office, feeling both disappointed and relieved. A thousand euros were deposited into her account.
In her heart Meri shouted "Visca Cataluña!"

___________

At the end of December, the photos taken by Meri were published in an article. Coincidentally, it's released the same day with the release of the royal family's Christmas card. At that time, Leonor and Umberto were already on holiday from their respective jobs and military training. Sofia, Leonor's younger sister who studied at UWC in Wales also had holidays.

Knock knock knock
"Leo, may I come in?" Sofia knocked on Leonor's door.
Then there were footsteps and the lock opened.
"Come in"
Leonor's appearance was truly a mess. Dry tears on her cheeks. Her hair is messy.
"What do you need? Have you read IT?" Leonor took a ponytail and tried to fix her hair in front of her sister.
"I read it but don't worry, hermana."
"What do you mean?"
"Hatters are going to hate regardless. Those who hate will continue to hate, no matter the reason. I've read comments in many media and forums. The negative comments are from anti-monarchists."
"Sofi, they said Umberto was a pedophile, that we were close cousins, that we are incest, that our child will be disabled, and that what we did is disgusting!"
Leonor could no longer hold back her tears. Sofia tried to hug her sister.
"There are also neutral and even positive comments. Do you want to read them, hermana?" Sofia opened her cellphone and pointed to several comments on a forum.

Leave them alone. They are just normal young people. She is 18 years old. It's legal. Young people today are not even virgins at the age of 16, even 15, maybe your daughter too, Sandra. Someone named Martina replied to a bad comment from someone named Sandra.

They're not close cousins, you idiot! The article said that they were fifth cousins, 5 generations apart. Hey, Nando, do you know any of your fifth cousins? Definitely not! Maybe your wife is actually your third cousin without you knowing. Answer someone named Adriana to the comment of someone named Nando.

I'm a monarchist. A marriage between royals is my dream. It had been decades since royals had married each other. This is fantastic! Write someone named Pedro.

Leonor smiled reading the comments.
"Gracias, hermanita." Leonor hugged Sofia back.
"Netizens are really wild. But you know what? It's not always that those who make negative comments are from Spain. Many are from other countries such as Latin American countries. They even have nothing to do with us."
"Yeah, that's right. Thank you for staying logical when I was down like this, Sofi."
"That is right. It is one hour until dinner. Mama and Papa have been worried about you since the morning. Please come down to the dining room later, okay?"
"Okay. I'll take a shower first. Gracias, Sofi."
And they hugged once more.

________

Leonor was surprised to see three more people at the table: Umberto and his parents. Leonor turned off her phone after reading the magazine. She and Umberto had not communicated at all since the magazine was published.

"Hola, Tio Kosntantin."
"Hola, Tia Maria."
"Hola, Umberto." Leonor greeted them one by one.
Silence lasted for several minutes until the King spoke.
"We all know why we are here. The magazine doesn't provide negative information or comments. We can not sue them. But they bait their readers into giving bad comments."
Felipe stopped. His hand took the wine in front of him and took a sip. Suddenly Umberto stood up and said
"This is my fault, Your Majesty. I was the one who ignored the rules. I was the one who deliberately didn't wear a mask and sunglasses in the apartment lobby."
"Sit back, Umberto. You're not wrong."
"Then it's my fault, Papa." Leonor replied.
"Huss. You're not wrong either, my daughter."
Felipe then continued. Meanwhile Sofia held Leonor's hand, trying to calm her down.
"What you did was not wrong. No laws were broken. If you were just ordinary people, no one would care about what you did."
"That's right." Letizia replied.
"Now the question is, do you two really love each other?" Felipe's question shocked everyone at the table, except himself. Felipe's eyes alternately looked at Leonor and Umberto. He saw that they both looked at each other.
"Yes." Umberto and Leonor answered almost simultaneously.
That answer made their parents plus Sofia smile. Then silence.
"Felipe, may I make a suggestion?" Suddenly Konstantin, Umberto's father and Felipe's close friend, broke the silence.
"Please."
"What if Umberto and Leonor stay away from public places as much as possible? At least until 2025 when Leonor is 20 years old."
"But they already know about their relationship, Tino. It would be useless. The paparazzi will still look for them." Maria whispered to her husband. Tino is what Konstantin is called by his wife.
"You're both right. Let's find a middle ground." Letizia replied.
"How?"
"For security reasons, Leonor and Umberto cannot be together in public unless accompanied by at least one of their parents. This is to avoid them forgetting the rules as before. On the other hand, Zarzuela is equipped with maximum security. We have just installed equipment that can detect the spying drones. There are horse stable, gym, swimming pool and many more.  They can go horse riding or whatever. Sleepover is also allowed"
"Yes, that's right. I agree, darling. We were all young once. We couldn't restrain them. We understand." The King replied to the Queen with a smile.
"We also agree. Now it's up to the children to decide for themselves. How about it, Umberto? Leonor?" Maria glanced at the couple. Both of them nodded.
"Well, the problem is solved, right? Now it's time to eat. I'm hungry!" said Sofia.
"Sofiii.." Letizia and Leonor have wide-open eyes when they see Sofia. While the others just laughed.