I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.This was impossible.This was insane.This was also, I had to admit, kind of amazing if it meant Derek was finally getting what he deserved.
Derek looked at me like this was somehow my fault, then grabbed his jacket and stormed out without another word.The door slammed behind him hard enough to rattle the windows.
Captain Steiner turned to address the remaining customers."Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the inconvenience, but this establishment needs to close temporarily due to an emergency.The establishment will reopen tomorrow under new management."
People started gathering their things and filing toward the door, shooting curious glances back at us.Some looked annoyed, others seemed fascinated by the drama unfolding.Within a few minutes, the café was empty except for the three of us.
Captain Steiner flipped the sign on the door to "Closed" while Lieutenant Commander Vasseur did a quick sweep to make sure we were alone.
"So," I said finally."Princess Bettina.That's supposed to be me?And I'm rich enough to buy a coffee shop?"
"That's who you are," Captain Steiner said gently."Your birth name is Princess Bettina Elena Margot de Reina, heir to the Duchy of Valdoria.And if you claim your heritage you can buy as many coffee shops as you'd like."
I started to laugh again.The whole situation was so ridiculous that laughter was the only rational response.Either that or crying, and I'd already used up my crying quota for the week dealing with Derek.This was either the most elaborate prank in history, or I was about to have the weirdest Tuesday of my life.
"Right.And I suppose you have proof of this completely insane claim."
Captain Steiner reached into her laptop bag and pulled out a coffee mug.My coffee mug.The one I'd been looking for all week.
"We borrowed this a few days ago," she said."For DNA testing."
"You stole my mug."
"We borrowed it."
"And did what with it?"
"Ran a genetic comparison against samples from the Valdorian royal family.The results were conclusive."
I stared at the mug in her hands.It was definitely mine: chipped handle, faded logo from a band I'd seen in Portland last year."You've been watching me.For days.Taking my DNA without permission."
"We've been searching for you for almost twenty years," Lieutenant Commander Vasseur said."Since you disappeared."
"I didn't disappear.I've been right here the whole time."
"You were kidnapped from Valdoria when you were eighteen months old," Captain Steiner said."Your grandmother, the Duchess, has never stopped looking for you."
My knees went weak.I grabbed the counter for support.
"My grandmother is dead," I said automatically."Both my grandparents died before I was born."
"Your adoptive grandparents, perhaps.But Duchess Margot de Reina is very much alive.And she's been waiting to meet you."
This was too much.All of it.The stolen mug, the DNA tests, Derek getting fired, mysterious European royalty.My brain was starting to short-circuit from information overload.
"I need coffee," I said.
It was the only coherent thought I could manage.When in doubt, make coffee.It was a simple equation that had gotten me through every crisis in my life so far.
I turned to the espresso machine and started pulling shots.My hands moved automatically: grind, tamp, extract.The familiar routine was comforting, even if nothing else in my life made sense anymore.
"What are you doing?"Captain Steiner asked.
"Making my specialty café mocha.If you're going to blow up my entire existence, the least I can do is caffeinate properly for it."
I heated milk with Madagascar vanilla and Ceylon cinnamon, added Belgian dark chocolate syrup, and finished each cup with hand-whipped cream dusted with raw cocoa powder.It was comfort food in liquid form, and right now I needed all the comfort I could get.
"Sit," I said, carrying the mugs over to the corner table where Captain Steiner had been conducting her surveillance."Both of you.And start from the beginning.What happened to the real Princess Bettina?"
