Playing Princess

Playing Princess 1.13

Had I been any closer to the speakers, I would have gone deaf.

Heavy bass music pounded through the perforated surface, ringing in my ears and sending rhythmic vibrations across the room. I crossed one leg over the other and had kept my posture straight for the past hour or so as stick-thin women strutted up and down the catwalk.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and clapped as the designer came out, blowing kisses to the crowd. What I hated the most about it was the way their eyes drew towards me at the last minute, a question of approval in their unspoken words.

And I had to smile back and nod, like I was pleased. I swear, if I was any better an actress, I would have been more famous than Angelina Jolie.

“How much longer?” I whispered through gritted teeth, a painful smile stretched across my lips as several people waved to me, like I should know them well. I still wasn’t sure of all the friends or acquaintances Izzy had made. How was I supposed to keep up, what with all these randoms coming up and asking me how I’d been?

I turned to my maid, wondering if she’d heard me over the pounding bass but the look on her face and her glossy expression told me otherwise. The smile dropped into a frown as I turned back to the catwalk where a woman with a billowing tie-dye dress came down the runway, her expression solemn and blank.

“Princess, what do you think of the designs so far?” a man from beside me asked, an eager expression plastered across his face. “The Winter Collection from Forrest Couture is one of the most anticipated designs all across Aldern!”

“Is that so?” I asked with feigned interest, purposefully enlarging my eyes. Hopefully I hadn’t overdone it. “Very impressive, Mr Stevens. Do you personally know the designer?” The question tickled the back of my mind, since it was one of the many questions Allegra had quickly drilled me through.

“Since you don’t have much to say about fashion, always try direct the questions back to them,” her maid had said, panicking as they drew nearer to the venue. “Don’t say anything unsophisticated and use formal language. If you’re asked for your thoughts on it, keep it broad and general but flattering at the same time.”

Broad and general? Still flattering? I wondered with a slight frown, nodding dismissively at the man who babbled on about his wife. How does that even work?

“Princess Isabella, do you find any specifically to your liking?” a middle-aged woman asked me from across the table, trying to steer me away from the man beside me. “Perhaps the most recent line from Midas Fashion?”

“Or Zimmer and Kirk,” a rather large woman interrupted.

Suddenly, I was pelted at with all these fashion names, none of which I recognised nor remembered. Clenching my teeth, I held up a hand and almost immediately, they silenced themselves.

“Your enthusiasm and support for all these designers is admirable,” I spoke, trying to keep my tone light. I’d seen many of Izzy’s interview videos and she was always so calm and collected, whether the crowd was screaming her name or she was in a private question-and-answer session. I just hoped I appeared just as poised. What would Izzy say? I racked my brains, quickly blurting out the next words that came to mind. “But I find all the fashion lines here extremely talented and creative. It would be unfair of me to pick favourites.”

From the corner of my eye, I caught Allegra smile, obviously overhearing the banter at my table filled with CEOs of Aldern’s leading fashion industries and retailers. For a beginner princess like me, I was obviously doing a pretty good job: I had everybody fooled into thinking I was truly Izzy. But how much longer was I supposed to keep it up?