A Royal Internship | Complete

Chapter Thirty-Six

"What year was the country founded?" Marinette read off one of the cue cards they had prepared for my studies while I'd been on the phone lying to my mother.

"1090?"

"1096," Janet answered before firing off the next question. "Who was the first king from the house of Valonne?"

"King Jean-Pierre," I answered with authority because I actually knew that one.

"King Jean-Pierre what?"

I wracked my brain. "King Jean-Pierre Louis Alexandre Philippe David Richard?"

Marinette nodded and fired off the next question. "Who is of higher stature? You or the queen?"

"I'm not married, Marinette, so it's always the queen."

"Very good." Janet was beaming. "And if you were married?"

Marinette tried to hide her giggle behind her dainty hand. I glared at Janet, but she just shrugged at me.

I was careful with my language. "If a woman were married to the prince, she would rank above the queen only if the prince were also in the room and the king was absent." I stuck out my tongue. "But I'm not, so let's stick to the relevant ones, okay?"

"Who walks in front at the royal event? You or the queen?" Marinette asked a question I definitely didn't put on the cue cards.

"She outranks me, Marinette. I follow."

"Good." She flipped the cards over in her hands and read out the next one. "Proper formal dress."

I always got stuck on this one. Is formal like a ball or like how royalty goes to breakfast? I decided to guess. "High heels?"

They both nodded, so that was a start. "And a floor-length dress?"

"No, Genevieve." Janet pointed to my dress. "Does that look floor-length to you?"

"No!" I ran my hand down the other arm. "I can never remember that formal dress isn't the most formal kind of attire. It doesn't make any sense!"

"Shall we practice your wave and how to sit again, Miss?" Marinette tried to be helpful, probably noticing my outburst.

I took a deep breath and pulled my shoulders back. "No, I will get this right."

Janet looked me over before reading the next question. "What is the name of the charity you will be visiting?"

"The Royal Children's Center..." I trailed off, unable to remember the full title. How is this so hard? "The Royal Center for Children in Crisis." I held my breath, hoping I hadn't messed up another one.

Without another word, Marinette flipped to her next card, "How are you to engage with members of the public on your outing tomorrow?"

"You know I'm not good at this one!" I slumped down onto the couch and put my head in my hands, only to be poked in the back by Janet's bony knuckle.

Yelping out in pain, I sat up with my back straight. I slid my feet together and let my knees fall to one side. "Sorry, Mom." I rolled my eyes.

"What did we say about your eyes, Miss?" Marinette looked at the floor when I noticed her refusal to call me Genevieve.

I sat in silence as both of their faces looked to mine, their eyes boring holes into my brain.

"Okay! I'll answer. Just stop staring," I almost shouted.

They both folded their hands in their laps and looked at each other and then back to me.

"When engaging with the public tomorrow, I shall restrict all interactions to a handshake at most, speak only of public knowledge or formal topics, leave out all personal details, and follow the queen's lead for when to leave."

"You can say personal details, but they must be vague," Marinette corrected me.

"And you must follow Her Highness's lead in all things, not just when to leave."

"And no selfies."

"Right," I said, standing from the couch. "I'm going to find Clarence and take a break from all this."

A look flashed across Janet's face, but she had that classic palace trait of hiding it so fast I couldn't determine what it was.

When she just stared at me, I took matters into my own hands. "What?"

"Well," she dragged the words out like she was afraid of what she would say next.

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms, waiting for her.

"Well, he's actually not here at the moment. He had four engagements today. You won't see him until after your outing with the queen tomorrow. There will be a lunch and then the two of you have a small photo opportunity in town."

I couldn't identify why I was so nervous, but shivers ran up my spine at the thought of being alone with Queen Adele in less than twenty four hours without being able to ask Clarence for help.

"Oh!" Marinette practically jumped out of her chair and ran over to the table we had placed the unused cue cards on. "I know one we forgot."

Janet strolled over to the table and watched as Marinette wrote in her big swirly letters.

"Am I going to get to know what it says at some point?" It's a little annoying not having any say in any of this, but what choice do I have?

"Oh, yes. That is very true." Janet tapped the card twice with her index finger before walking back towards me. "How will you refer to your boyfriend when you are outside of this room?"

I could feel the blood leave my face as my hands went cold and my heart raced in my chest. How many times had I called him Clarence in public already? How much trouble was I really in? How did I ever believe I was doing a good job?

Janet must have sensed my fear because she sat me down gently, put her hand on my shoulder and repeated the question.

"His name-" I stammered out. "His name-" I started again, but I was shaking too much to really speak. I took a deep breath and pressed my hands into my thighs. "His name is Prince Alexandre," I answered with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Very good," Marinette nodded. "Now let's get you ready for supper with Princess Madeline and Queen Adele."

She was smiling at me like it was a good thing. I didn't have the heart to correct her, so I put on my best smile and followed her to my bedroom. Maybe this is how the royals get so good at that neutral expression.