The Princess Diaries

Chapter Three

Dear Diary

This is turning out to be quite a day. I'm sitting at the breakfast table eating my egg on toast and listening to Mum and Mia upstairs. It's still pretty early, but I like to get a headstart on the day, so I have time to make their breakfast later.

I can hear Mia shouting one thing or another, and part of me agrees with some of the stuff she's saying. Mum should have told us about this, at the very least when Dad died.

Mum just shouted that she was scared of the responsibility that came with marrying a royal.

Scoff.

I've got more responsibility now seeing as I am a royal. The heir to the throne. God.

How does she think I feel? And poor Mia is so overwhelmed with it all that neither of them has asked me how I'm dealing. Not well. I'm going to be queen someday. I regret agreeing with Grandma.

Ok not really, I'm just very nervous. 

QUEEN! ME!

I've finished my breakfast, so I'm going to make mums and Mias. Hopefully, she won't be late for school again.

.....

Guess who just showed up?

Grandma.

I'm in the kitchen making food still, so don't mind if a few stains get on the pages, it'll be tomato sauce or something.

But yeah, grandma arrived, completely forgot she said she would (no need for the stink eye mum, I know I forgot to tell you), and mum is bustling about looking for pictures of dad. Grandma is sitting on our sofa, and she looks so out of place and uncomfortable. I'm writing their conversation down as it's happening.

'I have this favourite photo of Phillipe, we had so much fun when he was here in college.'

I'm trying not to laugh because Grandma is trying to discreetly wipe the cup my mum gave her full of tea. Must not be clean enough for the queen.

'He was always laughing and smiling,' Mum carries on, pulling out boxes to look for the picture.

I know which one she means, so I point her to the shelves near the tv.

She finds the box and takes it to sit next to Grandma, who replies, 'I remember,' in a sort of sad but wistful way.

'Helen,' she begins. 'Valentina may have accepted the responsibility of the throne, but if Mia does not accept her jobs as second in line, then those jobs will fall to her sister as well, making her much more stressed than need be.'

I wince because Mum just turned to me.

'Hang on, you accepted?'
I shrug and flip the eggs.
'So the future of your country is in the hands of my seventeen-year-old? And you want my fifteen-year-old to help her with it?'

I plate up the food and give one plate to my mum, leaving the other for Mia.

I'm debating joining them at the table, but then I wouldn't be able to carry on writing.

I think I'll stay in the kitchen where I can document their words without looking weird.

Mum hands Grandma the picture of Dad.

Shit, she just looked up at me, one sec.

She told me 'Your father was ready to be king, then the terrible accident.'

Grandma looks sad now.

I need to pack my school bag.

.....