The Male Lead Is Mine

Episode 4

"Besides, I like the male lead." She chuckled. He was loyal to the one he loved, listened to what she had to say, and always believed in her.
What a man!

Unfortunately for Aris, there were still two and a half years left before she could met him. She had to make it through those years safely. She decided she would keep a low profile at the tea party, take a walk through the Spring Garden, and leave.

There was just one chinch in her plan. If the emperor wanted her to become the crown princess, then the crown prince would certainly approach her. What would she do then?

After racking her brains for suitable answer, she closed her eyes. It was late, and she was getting tired. 'I'll figure it out tomorrow.'

Aris fell into deep, peaceful slumber.

***

The week flew by without Aris even noticing it. She had been too preoccupied with fabrics, jewels, and shoes.

After much deliberation and several trips to capital's finest dressmakers, Aris had finally decided on a lovely white dress with a ribbon adorning it. The swooping neckline exposed her collarbones and showed enough skin to be appropriate, while still adhering to the latest trends.

'16 might be too young for this dress.'
She mused.

The dress was better suited for a young woman than a teenager, but Lucine had boldly insisted on it.

"I'm hugry," Aris whined.

"You can't eat yet," Lucine said sternly.

"Can't I have some water, at least?"

"No, my lady!"

Lucine was unrelenting, entirely committed to making sure her lady would be the most beautiful girl in attendance. She even took it upon herself to regulate her eating habits. Aris was restricted to one meal a day to maintain her slender figure, and Lucile would not budge on this rule. Aris had to forfeit her breakfast and lunch to have high tea and dinner.

'Why do I have to do all of this?' Aris wanted to cry. She couldn't believe she had to give up her meal to look good for some crown prince. How horrible this situation was!

It was all the crown prince's fault. If he hadn't decided to host his stupid tea party out of the blue, none of this would be happening. And why on earth did he choose to host the party in the evening? It would have been so much better to start the party in the morning and have it done before lunch.

The last start time was because was because the crown prince had an appointment in the afternoon. This was the best he could do to accommodate everyone's schedual.

"You're not the only person that's hungry, miss."

"Lucine..."

"I'm sure all of the other ladies are as hungry as you right now," Lucine said, offering what support she could. "I haven't even eaten in front of you once!"

"But that doesn't mean you're not eating."

"I can eat because I'm not a lady," Lucine said, as she help Aris into her dress.

Her brown hair was pinned up, exposing her slender neck and shoulders. The jewels in the bodice twinkled like stars, and the skirt flowed beautifully. Aris always insisted that she was not that pretty, but to Lucine, her lady was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"All we need now was to do your make up," Lucine said.

"Right," Aris nodded weakly. Having skipped breakfast, she hardly had the energy to stand. Let alone speak. She wondered if she would die of hunger on the way to the palace and stared at Lucine balefully.