ROYAL DUTY

26.A turn of events

"Wow! You have utterly outdone yourself." Pauline exclaimed, taking in the decorations and the layout of the breakfast hall. "As always, of course."

It was Natalia's turn to be the empress of the day. After much thought and planning, great inputs from her maids on what a perfect day at the palace should look like, and conversations with several Athanasian servants about the usual court routine and what challenges they faced in implementing it; she was finally displaying her ideal day as an empress.

She was already dawning on a pale-blue elegant but beautiful tress gown that subtly complimented her curves and swept the ground behind her. She had almost hugged the seamstress upon seeing the dress the morning prior. It made her look like an empress effortlessly.

And now every eye in the ballroom was on her. Admiring her.

But as Pauline had pointed out, she wasn't the only breathtaking thing on that day. The breakfast hall was lightly decorated to bring a hint of art and beauty. She had introduced foreign decorative trinkets from every colony in Athanasia, to communicate unity and diversity. It had been a challenge to make them blend into the room, but between the Palace decorator and Rosalyn (her amazing maid with an eye for beauty), they had pulled it off expeditiously.

She had purposely set a chair for herself next to Tyren's to show that she was taking the challenges literary. Of course, the bonus reason was to spend more time with him. It was her day, her rules. Natalia would be damned if she would allow herself to spend less time with her man, while she had the power to do otherwise.

"Thank you. I appreciate your mentioning it." She knew she had done a great job. She had had sleepless nights because of it. And seeing the awe in everyone's face made it all worth it.

"Well, I love your style. It all looks so elegant and classy." Pauline walked to her usual seat and made a show to feel the chair, the new tablecloth, and the napkin."Having white tablecloths is pure genius, it compliments the rest of the room perfectly. Who would have guessed that of all of us, you had the best designing eye."

Natalia gave her friend a small smile, whilst running her eyes through the room. Everyone's open admiration fueled her confidence that the Empress would also approve of her style. She was Natalia's biggest target for that contest. She already had Tyren's favor. Now she needed the empress's and her position for Crown Princess would be secured.

It wasn't long until all the ladies were in and the Imperial family entered the breakfast. Natalia's heart beats paced up as Tyren's entrance neared. Her plan was to enter the halls with him and then sit next to him. But the moment she heard Hammond announce Tyren, a thought creeped into her head.

What if the emperor commands me back to my seat?

She hadn't considered it until that moment. But the doubt was credible. What if the Emperor viewed her courage as disrespect? She had never heard of a non-imperial member sitting on that dais. She was going to be the first and was not sure how the Imperials would take it.

She knew Tyren was already walking toward the dais, and she should have already joined him by then. But her hands were sweaty, her armpits were already damp and her legs were jelly. She couldn't do it.

She had envisioned that moment day in and day out. It had played out perfectly. Every night she had dreamed of it and it had been wonderful. But what she hadn't envisioned was the fear, the worry,and the anxiety. And now, the first part of her grand plan would fall short.

The quest is in being and knowing who you are.

I believe in you, believe in yourself.