Hollywood Zenith

I followed the butler as he led me to a private room on the upper floors of the palace. The corridor is decorated with gold and silver inlays which look exquisite and show the living standards of one of the most powerful monarchies. We stopped at a large door with people guarding it, and they exchanged glances and opened the door.

" Sir, please go in; the lady is waiting for you inside. " the person at the door said.

I nodded and entered. I was surprised to see several people present inside, along with a few children. I recognize a few of them as Grandma often tells me about her family. I performed a noble salute and said--

" Samuel pays respect to her majesty."

" Be at ease, birthday boy; I hope you enjoy this evening. " Queen said.

" Yes, I met some interesting people; thank you for lending your palace for the occasion. " I said.

" Hmm, You are the most interesting one. My sister was not kidding entirely; in turn, she might have been humble with your descriptions. " She said with a smile.

" You flatter me, your majesty. " I said, downplaying to appear humble.

" No need to be so formal in front of me, and you can talk freely when we are out of the public eye.

Just treat me as you treat Margaret. " She said, waving her hand.

" I understand. " I said.

" Papa, papa, Is it an angel? Grandma showed me, and it also had a white appearance like him. " Princess Eugenie said, pulling her father's jacket.

" Genie, you still do not get it. It is not a boy but a girl because it's pretty. Right Mother? " Eugenie older sister Beatrice chimed in.

Andrew and Florence became distressed but tried to rectify their mistake.

" No, Genie, he is your cousin. You can call him a big brother like William and Harry. You remember Aunt Laura and Uncle Robert, and he is their son. " Andrew said.

" But, boys don't have such long hair, and he looks like a girl. Shall we let him try a dress? We can find the truth by doing so." Princess Beatrice said.

" What do you say, Samuel? Should we try it? " Queen said with an eerie smile.

My face turned pale hearing the sudden turn of events, but soon she started laughing with everyone else present also joining her. I stopped thinking about escaping and relaxing.

" I am sorry about their teasing, Samuel. I am Philip, Elize's husband. Happy Birthday and don't mind Elize; she has always been a troublemaker. " Philip said.

" What? Don't spew nonsense in front of children. We both know who loves trouble in our relationship. humph. And you all, why are you nodding? Do you agree with him? " Queen said, looking displeased at her family members who were nodding to Philip's statement.

I was seeing the strange dynamics of this family shattered my expectations about British aristocrats. I thought it would be more strict with weird rules with a ruthless leader at its core, and it is an entirely different and typical but pleasant atmosphere nonetheless.

" I am Andrew, and this is my wife, Florence. You have already met Beatrice and Eugenie; they are curious kids."

" Happy Birthday Samuel. These kids took after their grandmother. " Florence said with a helpless look.

"Ok, Sister-in-law; we don't want to make mother mad. Right? I am Charles, the oldest of the bunch, and this is my wife, Lily. Will and Harry were busy, so they could not attend; Will was busy with his college life, and Harry was about to enter it. You probably don't understand it. " Said Charles with some hidden meanings.

" Honey, don't go spreading rumors again. " Lily said. She pointed toward a teenage girl and said, " This is Zara, Sister Anne's daughter."

Zara has been observing me from the beginning without any interaction. I could feel a little hostility from her, but this was our first meeting. Did I do something wrong? I do not know.

" Umm, Miss Zara-- " I tried to approach her nicely.

" You are Samuel. Mary has been raving about you these days." She said suddenly.

" You know Aunt Mary? Are you friends? " I inquired.

" That Bitc--, Ahem, we are not friends. Far from it, She has been messing with me, and this time I will surely repay her for all the pain she put me through. " She said.

​ " Eh? Pain? I don't think my Aunt is like that. She is a lovely person as far as I can tell. " I said.

" As far as you could tell? " someone replied behind me.

I turned to see the whole family entering and Aunt Mary leading the group with a scary look, and she looked pissed for some reason.

"Sami, Do you think I am only nice to you? " Aunt said with a displeased tone.

" You misunderstand, I don't know if I am an exception, but I saw you bully Uncle Peter several times," I said in a low tone.

" Yes, Sister, you are not friendly to me. " Peter said, adding fuel to the fire.

" What? It is still not enough. " Mary said, looking menacingly toward Peter, making him involuntarily lower his head. Everyone chuckled, but the situation worsened when Mary and Zara confronted each other.

" Look who we have here, Mary; you will pay for everything in the future. " Zara said, provoking Aunt Mary.

" What are you talking about? I heard you are still practicing; it has been three years; you should admit defeat. " Mary said with her head held high.

" You are a cheater. This time your tricks will not work beside you are getting old. " Zara made an impressive comeback.

" Old?" sparks were flying between them, but elders immediately stepped in to stop the situation from escalating further. But it still confused me; what was it all about? I decided to ask my mother in a low tone.

' Mother, why are they like this? "

" Oh, it's nothing. They both love horse riding, but Zara never won against Mary, making her resent Mary more. They always behave like this when they meet. Don't mind them. " Mother said with a smile.

Everyone began mingling among themself, and royal members surrounded me and asked me several questions. I answered them as best as possible, but the discussion became heated when the topic of writing came up.

Children became excited, which sparked several more discussions. Queen interrupted the debate by clapping her hands as she wanted to announce something.

" Well, since everyone is here. We should get to the reason for this meeting. Samuel, I have already discussed this with your family, and now I want to present your birthday present. " Queen said with a smile.

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