Ma Maison

Only one day had passed since Josie’s sister’s birthday, and also since it was revealed that she would be spending the summer at Emeraud au Rouge, my country. I was sure that Josie would begin a meticulous research about it as soon as possible. And, soon enough, she would inevitably come across the royal family. She will know that I’ve been lying to her all this time. She will never forgive me.

And that’s why, when I meet her for punting today, I am going to tell her about everything. My background, my future, and, worse of all, my present.

“Miss Charlotte, you’re here early” . “Ughh” – I still cringed when I heard that name. “Well, actually I wanted to talk to you before we went. You see, I haven’t been perfectly honest about who I am…”. “What do you mean, Charlie?”. “I hope you understand; I didn’t want to be recognized… To have that right for once in my life!”. Josie looked at me in complete bewilderment. “The truth is… My name is Charlotte Hippolyte-Hapsburg, or rather Princess Charlotte, the heiress to the Hapsburg Empire and second in line to the throne of Emeraud au Rouge. My mother is Queen Blanche, of the House of Hippolyte, and my father is Duke Richard Hapsburg, of the Austrian House of Hapsburg. I came to Northridge because of my grandmother, Queen Glorie’s, murder. Because I came here to ensure my safety I told nobody of my real identity. I understand if you wish to discontinue our friendship, nonetheless I would very much appreciate it if you did not divulge this information to others.” As I walked away from Northridge Central Park I felt I hand pull my arm. It was Josie. “Relax, idiot I won’t tell anyone”, she said in a humorous tone. “… Besides, I already knew. I happened to have conducted a very thorough research of Emeraud au Rouge yesterday night and when I came across someone named exactly like you, that looked exactly like you – well, I thought something was kind of fishy”. And at that moment – and I have no idea why – I started crying from the bottom of my heart. As I remembered my life in Emeraud au Rouge I remembered how much I missed home; how much I missed grandma. Josie held me as I stood there, wailing in the middle of the city. As Mallorie arrived to our punting trip her big green eyes looked, alarmed, into mine. “Tu dois rentrer à la maison, pas vrai, Princesse?”