This Charming Game

⚜️~ Part Four~⚜️

The trumpets sounded, right outside the door, and I almost shot up from my seat in shock. Was that the Prince?

My knees were weak at the thought and my heart was pounding a million beats at a time. But this time a footman entered first and the name pronounced wasn't his.

"Her royal highness Rosabet Loris, crown princess of Thornavon." There was a second trill of the trumpet as in walked a fifth young woman. With white hair and sloe eyes, the princess was beautiful, a painting, a poem, a song on legs. Her crown was tall and sharp, as was her gown of the finest pink, its lines severe and structure sturdy.

The only imperfection about her that I could see was the thinness of her face and shadows of her cheeks. Thornavon, I remembered, had been struck by plague years back and only now were the people truly recovering. But there was nothing ill in the pursing of Rosabet's mouth or the conviction in her delicate stride as she was led to my right.

"You're so beautiful." Penny gasped in a half whisper, and Rue saw Rosabet's shoulders stiffen and her face played with surprise for a few seconds.

"Thank you." She replied haltingly, her smile in response a little pained.

I felt the need to defend Penny from the assumption of the princess, though at the same time I felt as though I was excusing my own commonality;

"She wasn't mocking you, your highness," I said softly to the princess on her right, "Penny I mean, she means no harm." She reached for her goblet wondering if she was crossing a line by talking to the princess, but Lei hadn't minded.

"And your dress, it is gorgeous, is that the Thornavon style?" The interest was genuine.

With a surprised look Rosabet turned to her as if noticing me for the first time.

"It is yes," there was a note of genuine happiness in her voice for the first time, "I refuse to be dressed another way, I brought two whole trunks just for my dresses," her teeth were very regular and white when she smiled. "What about you?"

The embarrassment was back, as I tried not to look away and offend the princess, "I only own a few dresses," I said diplomatically and with as much levity as I could manage, "and neither of them would be appropriate for such an illustrious table such as this." I felt bad thinking back to my grey dress, I hoped it wasn't abandoned on the floor of that big blue room still. I didn't want to lose it.

But I saw as Rosabet's lip curled up at the thought, and quickly looked away. I had made an error, I realised and tried to hide my embarrassment with a long sip of wine.

But i didnt have to hold it in much longer as the footman was back, one by one the table began to fill with illustrious names and titles.

"Lady Willow Whelmsgrove, heir to the city!"

"Duchess Matchia Bellona!"

"Emira Sabiha Twelfth daughter of the Silk Emperor!"

"Princess Damsen of the Northernmost Svarcygni!"

Each girl seemed brighter and prettier than the one before, each one a brilliant burst of colour against the gilded dining hall. Voices were low as they spoke, but it was clear some already knew each other. Damsen, a girl in a simple cut dress of dark blue under brilliant white furs, began to speak to the girl opposite her, the daughter of the silk emperor in sunset orange, like they had been in the middle of a conversation already. I found myself starting into my cup, fingers tracing the stem of it as Asta spoke to Penny and Rosabet turned her back on me to talk to the plump green dressed dutchess Bellona.

Each one of them was perfect, a beautiful girl from all over the known world and each seemed as different as could be. In comparison I felt very small.

What made me stand out from princesses that made my prince choose me? Would he even see me among these beautiful flowers, what did I have that they didn't?