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Jennie shakes herself to her senses when they stand in the lobby, exchanging more greetings. With the end in sight, her energy has returned with a second burst. Rosé has already left, in Jennie's car, to circle back around to her apartment before Jennie will leave in twenty minutes. Isla and Kyungseok fuss about it, like secret agents assigned with protecting state secrets, but then Jennie supposes that her love life is all but a state secret. The effect of the champagne from earlier has faded and her mind feels sharp, hyper-aware of the ticking of the clock in her mind before she can make her excuses and return home.
The younger members of the royal family never stay at functions late into the night. It is important to their image that they leave in some style. Jennie has neither a watch nor her phone (which is safely packed away in Isla's clutch bag) but she feels the passing of every minute. Her heels are sore from the rubbing of her shoes and the arches of her feet ache. She cannot wait to kick off her heels and stretch out her toes and perhaps have a long, hot bath. And not alone.
'Your car is waiting, Your Highness,' says Isla in a low voice, with the title that she only uses in public.
Relief floods from the top of Jennie's head down to her fingertips like a waterfall of warm water. She makes her farewell to the group around her and steps back out from the crowd. Before she can make it to the doors, she bows to her parents, who are holding a conversation with the most esteemed company of the night close to the grand staircase. Almost tripping on the red and gold threaded rugs underfoot, Jennie skips before Isla as soon as the formalities are done and smooths back her hair from her forehead. It has fallen loose all around her face during the evening.
'Fix me up,' she says as soon as she collapses into the back of the car. The dry heat hits her skin and she shifts awkwardly on the leather. If she has to wear this dress any longer then she swears she will scream. There will be only a couple of minutes in the safety of the car before they reach her apartment, and she must make up for the hours spent without a mirror.
'You already look fine,' sighs Isla, but that doesn't mean that she does not jump to attention. She switches on the overhead lights and works on Jennie's hair as the car crawls at five miles per hour across the estate. 'Just another top-up...' Isla says, tongue sticking out between her teeth, and she pulls out the lipstick from her bag to tap at the corners of Jennie's lips. 'Dab here,' she says, next revealing a white lace handkerchief.
'I thought I'd go mad tonight, Isla,' whispers Jennie.
'Well, your reward is waiting. And Kyungseok and I made sure that you two will have the best night ever.'
'What did you do?'
Isla presses a finger to her lips and then takes a few pins out of Jennie's hair to allow some of the front sections to tumble down over her shoulders. 'You know where we'll be if you need us. Get your girl.'
The car pulls up outside and Jennie takes a slow breath before pushing open her own door. She does not need a driver to do such things when there are no cameras around and has always found it frustrating when she is denied the autonomy to perform the most basic tasks. With one wave back at Isla, she bows to the doorman who lets her through and heads to the mirrored elevator. Now that she is so close, she does not rush, instead resting her hands on the gold bar and examining her reflection. She still looks good.
