"They were wonderful people.Catherine was brilliant.She spoke six languages and had degrees in both political science and economics.Philippe was a diplomat who genuinely cared about making the world a better place."She paused, and when she continued, her voice was thick with emotion."They would have been such good parents to you."
"I wish I could have known them," I said.
Guilt gnawed at me for not feeling more.These people had loved me, had probably been excited about watching me grow up.But they were strangers to me.Bob and Linda Montclair were the ones who'd taught me to ride a bike and helped me with homework and stayed up all night when I had the flu.They were the ones who'd pretended to enjoy my yo-yo performances.
"So do I."
In fact, Mom and Dad were probably worried sick.Their daughter was a long lost princess. She was being whisked off to another country.And their mortgage was paid off. That was a lot to take in.
“Were you ...”The Grand Duchess cleared her throat, “treated well by your adopted parents?I’ve heard such terrible stories about foster children being abused.”
I was already shaking my head. “It wasn’t like that.I knew I was adopted, but I never felt like I was anything but their daughter.They loved me unconditionally, supported every crazy dream I'd ever had.”
“Did they?” The Grand Duchess eyes narrowed in suspicion. “This Bob and Linda Montclair.What are their politics like?”
“Politics?Uh Democrat.”
She gave me a mirthless smile. “What about on the world stage?”
“Uh...”I said again. “My dad likes Arsenal. Even though he calls it soccer instead of football.”
“I mean, do they have ties to Valdoria?”
“No.In fact we’ve never heard of the country until today.”
“I see.” But she didn’t sound convinced.“We looked into their background and they did honeymoon in France. And spent their first anniversary in Switzerland.”
Valdoria was between those two countries. “That’s just a coincidence.”
“I’ve found that there isn’t such a thing as coincidences.”
“It was a coincidence that you saw me on TikTok.”The idea that she might think my parents were somehow connected to my kidnapping was insane.
“I think that was more luck than anything else.”
"My parents are good people.They had no idea about any of this."
"I'm sure your adopted parents are," she said, though her tone suggested she wasn't entirely convinced."The important thing is that you're here now.”
"Yes."I pulled out my phone, the international one Captain Steiner had given me on the plane.“I should call them and them know I'm okay."
"Of course." She stood up from her desk and moved to give me a bit of privacy as she put her dish and cup on the tray the servant left.
I dialed my parents’ number and my father answered on the first ring.
"Are you all right?We've been worried sick."
"I'm fine, Dad.I'm in Valdoria.It's...a lot.There's a palace.And chandeliers.So many chandeliers."
"I can imagine.Listen, honey, your mom and I have been making some calls.We're trying to get your adoption records unsealed so we can figure out exactly what happened twenty years ago."
"You don't need to do that."
"Yes, we do.If there's any chance that we were unknowing participants in something illegal, we need to know.I want you to understand, we got you through a legitimate agency.We have all the paperwork.Everything was legal on our end."
I could hear my mom in the background, asking if I needed anything sent from home.Normal parent concerns that made me homesick for a life I'd left behind twelve hours ago.
"I love you both," I said."This is all insane, but I love you."
