A Rebellious Princess

Chapter four - The ball

The next morning I woke up early. Yesterday had been a long day, but it hadn't prevented me from waking up at this time. After I went to bed, sleep hadn't come to me instantly. I kept tossing and turning till the point I eventually drifted off. Kane had struck a chord.

A sigh escaped my lips as I stepped out of bed. The tiles were cold against the soft skin of my feet. A chill ran up my spine as I shuddered.

I walked to the window and opened the curtains. A ray of sun shone in my face which led to me squinting my eyes a little. It looked like a promising day. I might even spend it outside. No scratch that I am going to spend it outside. I was in no mood to interact with some people and those were usually in the castle.

A smile started to form on my face as I made my way to the closet where my dresses where hung. I chose the plainest one; a light blue dress with a flowy skirt and no detailing. Then I braided my hair and looked myself up and down in the mirror. I wouldn't say I was a sight for sore eyes, but it was quite alright.

With a satisfied smile, I turned around and went to the little bookcase on the right side of the room; near the door leading out of it. I let my hand slide over the hard bookcases as I chose one to read. "This one seems interesting," I took it out and exited my room.

As I walked through the halls of the castle memories of yesterday's evening resurfaced. I felt stupid for storming off like that, but it was the only thing I could do at that moment. It was as childish as he described me to be. It felt like I was proving him right when all I wanted to do was prove him wrong. My reputation had nothing to do with childlessness. From my point of view, that is.

I gripped the book I had in my hands a little tighter as I descended the stairs into the main hall. The castle was relatively quiet. Everyone was probably still asleep, still tired of last night's activities. The only people I saw walking around were the servants. Still cleaning up after last night's ball.

One of the servants, a young girl with blonde hair pulled up into a bun, passed by me as I made my way to the large doors leading out of the castle. I politely smiled at her as our eyes crossed paths. Seemingly shocked at being acknowledged her eyebrows rose and a look of surprise formed on her face. "Good morning," I said.

The girl blinked her eyes at the fact I was speaking to her. She did a double-take before she looked around and came to the conclusion I was really talking to her. An amused laugh escaped my mouth. "G-good morning, Princess," she stammered.

"Just call me Adeline," I smiled. I knew servants don't get acknowledged much around the castle by people higher in rank, but I always made it my goal to get to know most of them. It just didn't seem fair for them not to get acknowledged. They did a lot of hard work around the castle. "What's your name?" I asked politely as we stood in front of each other. The girl looked at the ground as she responds, "P-phoebe."

I directed her gaze at me. "That's a really beautiful name, Phoebe," At that a smile formed on the younger girls' face as she nervously played with her fingers.

A gust of wind swept through my hair as we stood near the doors. I decided the outside was calling me. "It was really nice meeting you, Phoebe" I smiled.

The girl looked up at me again and a blush formed on her cheeks. "It was really nice meeting you too, Your High-," The girl stopped her sentence, probably remembering what I had said. "Adeline," she smiled. I gave her a polite nod and walked out of the door.

As soon as I was outside the sun hit my face and a cool breeze swept over my cheeks. A small smile formed my lips as opened my book and started walking. My eyes danced over the words as I made my way through the huge gardens surrounding the castle. I turned another page of 'A Midsummers Night's Dream', engrossed in the story of Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena; a book by William Shakespeare. I placed my left hand over my mouth to hide the smile that formed my lips as I read something funny.