Chapter 3 D'auvergne Bretonne Family

• - I don't want him to know that I drive, Pauline.
• - Because?
• - Because our father doesn't want me to tell anyone.
• - I still think you should admit to the world that you love to fly and that you are better than many men.
• - Maybe this day will come soon. But for now, no. I would never do that without talking to Dad first.
• - I don't understand why our father always encouraged you and is so proud of you being a great pilot and at the same time forces you to make it a secret.
• - You know how he feels about his daughters...
• - Alpemburg sucks... The kingdom decided to be sexist just now, in my turn to take over.
• - Of course this only happened now because you will be the first queen. And I'm proud of you, Pauline.
• She hugged me and I reciprocated. We were like that, affectionate with each other, since always.
• A strong flash, followed by the sound of a photo, had us out of bed quickly, our hair in disarray. And there was Aime, taking another picture:
• - This goes to my first post of the day. I'm thinking of the redtag: "Are these disheveled princesses the future of Alpemburg?"
• She smiled mockingly and I yelled:
• - I'll kill you.
• He ran out while she was already out of the room, running on her agile child's legs. I chased her down the former tense hallway of the rooms and Aimê stopped near the stairs, laughing sarcastically:
• - You only promise... But you never manage to catch me.
• - Ah, you virtual monster.
• She quickly descended the stairs, taking two steps at a time. And disappeared through the front door, leaving no trace.
• I stood at the bottom of the stairs, panting, putting my hands on my heart, which was beating faster than usual.
• - I think you should start training racing with your legs and not just with cars. – observed my mother, along with my grandfather.
• - Mom, she took pictures without permission. And he said he will post...
• - You won't post shit. - Said Satini.
• My grandfather looked at her reproachfully.
• - Of course you will. - I replied.
• - If she were to post everything she photographs, she wouldn't live outside of her cell phone. - Said Satini walking up the stairs.
• - But she barely lives off her cell phone. - I claimed.
• My grandfather came to me and hugged me tightly, lifting my body so that I could go down the stairs:
• - Are you going to run tomorrow?
• - No.
• - For what reason?
• - It's an important race. Dad didn't say anything about me participating… Besides… I trailed off when I thought of mentioning what was on my mind.
• - Speak up, honey.
• - Well... The Chevaliers are going to run, aren't they?
• - If I were to bet, I'd bet on you and not on Andrew.
• I laughed:
• - Don't play, grandpa. Andrew is good at this.
• - And you're not good... You're great.
• - I would not like to beat Estevan D'Auvergne Bretonne. – I joked.
• - I think you will soon surpass your teacher... Who is your own father. He smiled beautifully.
• I was simply in love with my grandfather. He was absolutely amazing. I have never seen him speak a word that is offensive or that in any way denigrates someone's image. He was the kind of person who only had good, selfless thoughts. There was only one person he literally didn't like: Alef's father.
• As I already mentioned, I didn't know what had happened in the past between him, my mother, my father and my grandfather. What is certain is that no one intended to tell us. Leia had left the castle visibly unhappy, but she didn't challenge my father's decision.
• The fact is that even though Alef and Leia were estranged, that didn't stop him from continuing to see Pauline on the sly. But only I knew about it. It was a secret between the two of us. And while I didn't agree with their toxic relationship, I would never betray my sister's trust.
• - Stressed with little Aime? He asked putting his arm around my shoulders.
• - Very... She has the gift of irritating me... So there's that feeling of “I love a little monster”. - smile.
• - How about an ice cream? Just the two of us? – he invited.
• - Do you swear? During the morning? - I hugged him. - Of course I accept.
• When I went out with my grandfather, we always went in his car. It was one of the moments when I felt free. And used to royalty forever, he had the best and funniest disguises in the car so we could go unnoticed anywhere.
• We walked down the steps to the garage and within minutes I was sitting up front in the passenger seat, looking for something in the glove compartment that would make me unrecognizable.
• He started the car and we drove off while I picked out big, dark sunglasses and a cap with the Alpemburg flag on it, where I tucked my long red hair inside.
• - What do you think? – I asked, making faces and mouths, amusingly.
• He flashed a wide smile:
• - You look like a certain racing driver I know who always disguises her true identity.
• - Would she be a redhead? – I joked.
• - Redhead, mix of father and mother... But with the eyes of the most beautiful grandmother in the whole world.
• - Grandma Pauline... - I said proudly.
• - Your eyes are exactly like hers... Water green, clean and crystalline. It was the only thing her mother didn't inherit from her.
• - This was my inheritance. She smiled placing her hand over his.
• I knew how much my grandfather liked to talk about Pauline, his one true love for a lifetime. He never got involved with anyone after she died. And that was over forty years ago.
• - I'd like to take your mom out for ice cream. - He said parking in front of the ice cream shop.
• - It's good that today eating ice cream is not a dream, like my mother had. It must have been awful living for sixteen years just locked inside a castle, like Rapunzel.
• - Satini has always been strong. And after we came to Alpemburg, we used to come here for ice cream every day.
• - Now your granddaughter is left for you to pay for the ice cream.
• We got out of the car and Sean went to get the ice cream while I looked for a vacant table on the sidewalk for us to sit. He brought me chocolate ice cream, as usual. My mother still came with him for ice cream, but with her daughters and the daily chores as queen, her time began to run short. But he had me: the princess who was not a future queen, nor the famous digital influencer of the castle. Alexia d'Auvergne Bretonne was just an ordinary girl, looking for herself. Romantic, shy, full of thoughts and ideas, trying to decide what to do with her future.
• Pauline didn't have many choices in life. Her future was already set before she was even born: to be queen of Alpemburg. And for that she had my father and mother by her side. I felt lucky to be able to make some choices, which my parents didn't influence so much because I wasn't the oldest child. I just needed to decide what to do. And it just couldn't be driving cars, which was the thing I loved most in life.
• - Grandpa... Do you know how long the Chevaliers will stay? I asked feigning unpretentiousness.
• - I don't know.
• - Have they arrived in Alpemburg yet?
• - Yea. Estevan told me something about them being close to where the race will be tomorrow. Then they will go to Alpemburg castle.
• He let his sunglasses rest right on the bridge of his nose, staring at me seriously.
• - You think I don't know that you like Andrew?
• I felt my heart pounding and I felt awkward.
• - If you blush like that when you look at him, you don't need to say anything about your feelings... He'll know.
• - I do not like him. I barely know him. - lied. – I like Gael.
• Sean laughed amusedly:
• - Yes, you barely know Andrew... And the funny thing is that exactly he and Henry will come to deliver the invitations in person, when Dereck could have done it virtually or himself have come with Kim to Alpemburg.
• - What are you trying to say, grandpa?
• - Which I think Andrew is also interested in knowing what time has done to you, my favorite redhead.
• Those words messed with me and made my stomach churn.
• - Dad doesn't like Andrew... I don't know how it's going to be. - I said worried.
• - It's not that Estevan doesn't like Andrew. He just didn't like what happened that time. And understand, it could have been an innocent joke and a kiss with no ulterior motives... For you. Because Andrew Chevalier was sixteen.
• - I was there... It wasn't with bad intentions, believe me.
• - For your part, of course not, Ale.
• - I swear he doesn't either...
• - Anyway, it's over. And no, his father has nothing against him. I doubt Estevan will return to this subject.
• - I hope not... I would feel terrible... For Andrew.
• - Your father is a king... And besides being related to Andrew's father, he owes a lot to the Chevaliers.
• - I disagree with the “relatives” part.
• - Magnus and Estevan are cousins. And you know this.
• - Theoretically my father is Andrew's second cousin.
• - Exactly.
• - And I'm not even in this line of kinship anymore.
• He laughed:
• - We can say no. But have you ever talked to your mother about it?
• - Yes... Just today for breakfast.
• - And what she said?
• - Which my father insists on treating as kinship... But that she doesn't really care about that.
• He laughed:
• - If she said otherwise, I would have a very serious conversation with her.
• - Why exactly? I asked curiously.
• - Never mind... Let's have our ice cream and talk about... Gael and your future marriage to him?
• I grimaced:
• - I don't want to get married so soon.
• He laughed:
• - I understand...
• How many secrets were kept from us? Now there was the question of my mother and parentage... What had Satini Beaumont done in the past related to this?
• We all had lunch together and in the afternoon my father came home to work with my grandfather on the new engine for the car he was going to use. He had built a running track near the castle, where he trained and also taught me.
• I first drove when I was fourteen, hidden from him. At fifteen he ended up letting me drive, staying by my side. At sixteen I was already running better than many amateur riders who had a good time on their national debut. And today, at eighteen, he was almost better than my father. Certainly before the age of twenty I could easily beat him in a race. My secret: I wasn't in a hurry to leave... Not even in the middle. And it reached everyone in the end. Because my main goal was always to have fun and feel the adrenaline… Towards the end, my blood was so hot it felt like boiling inside me. And all I wanted was to show everyone that I was the best at something in my life. So I gave my all and won. Except my father, who was always there in front of everyone.
• I spent the afternoon with them, learning more about the new engine my grandfather had created. But we did not touch on the subject of “Chevalier”. Even because my father wasn't afraid that anyone would take the first place, which was always his in Alpemburg.
• I went to sleep earlier that night. Because I wanted the time to pass soon and dawn so I could finally see Andrew Chevalier after eight years.