Suddenly Royal

Chapter 5:

MOM PULLED UP to a gated drive that looked like it was from a movie. A guard stood screening people at a gated entrance. He noticed us and walked to Mom's window. "Can I help you?" He asked in a pleasant accent.

"Yes... Karen Nelson and Alexandria Nelson. We're expected?"

"Right you are!" he said without hesitation. The gate was opened and we drove up to a beautiful modern building that clearly said it was Osané's Embassy. Signs abounded about rules and regulations... it was kind of intimidating!

Mom was directed to park in a spot and a well-dressed woman in a skirt suit approached us. "Miss Nelson?" She asked Mom.

"Yes?"

"I'm Angelique Lanera, I serve as her Majesties Ambassador to the United States, it's a pleasure to meet you two," she said holding her hand out to Mom and then me.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Come this way," she said to us, "Her Majesty is waiting for you."

We followed her inside a beautiful entrance that featured artwork - I assumed from Osané artists. Paintings of a sea view of the castle were really pretty. A security checkpoint had us beeping through scanners, but she just kept us walking through without stopping. We were taken through the building and came to a door that led outside to a room with a table covered with a white linen tablecloth that my grandmother sat at an end on. Giuseppe and a woman sat to her left. All except my grandmother rose when we walked in.

"Please come sit down my dear," Grandma said pointing to a chair next to her.

"Hello your Majesty, Mom said first with a small curtsy making me wonder if I was making a mistake and not doing the same." She waved her off, "Karen you have no need to be so formal here."

Giuseppe pulled the chair out for me to sit in and Angelique did the same for my mom.

"Alexandria, you met Giuseppe yesterday, and you met Ambassador Lanera on your way in of course."

'Alexandria?' I thought to myself... 'I said that's what it would probably be but I really don't like that as an everyday name any more than Alexandros...'

"This is Geneva Nero, my secretary," she said motioning towards the unknown woman. She was pretty, with her auburn hair tied into a neat bun that complimented her perfect navy-blue dress. "She's my right-hand woman and helps me make sure I'm keeping up with everything!"

"Nice to meet you," I said pleasantly.

"Now, before we get to business, I would like to have us all enjoy a great meal," she said.

I smiled at her, not knowing what she wanted here. A soup came out from a kitchen somewhere that was really good. It was very similar to an Italian Wedding soup, but a little bit different in flavor from the ones I'd had in the past. My grandmother asked me, "So what do you do? Activities?" Clearly intending to get more information about me than she had last night.

I sighed, "I'm in band and run track at school."

"What instrument do you play?"

"Clarinet," I told her.

"We have an excellent symphony orchestra in Osané, I need to make sure we introduce you to our principal clarinetist."

"That would be cool," I told her.

There was some small talk throughout lunch before a final plate of fruit was taken away.

Grandma took that opportunity to speak, "Okay, so first of all... Every one of you have given me your word, that nothing spoken of in this room right now will ever be told to anyone?" She wasn't looking at Mom and I, but instead the people across the table from us.