Mariko has sworn off of relationships. After the man she loved manipulates her into killing her mother, she vows to end him - slowly and painfully.
Ashryn Kenward is furious. After his older brother, the king of Krishna, runs off with a woman, he is...
MARIKO SLEPT SURPRISINGLY well and when she woke, sunlight was already streaming through her windows.
Mariko rummaged through the drawers and pulled out dresses here and there. She even tried on a few; it was like playing dress up. What faeries and humans considered fashionable were very different things - faeries wore clothes that accentuated their beauty and turned it into a weapon, while humans wore frilly dresses that covered up their beauty.
After awhile, Mariko could no longer pretend the clothes were interesting. She examined the jewelry in the box on top of the dresser and fastened pearl earrings into her earlobes. It made her feel oddly guilty, using a random woman's stuff, but then again, Ashryn had let her stay in this room...
There was a knock and then the door opened; Mariko was in the middle of fastening anklets and jumped at the sudden intrusion.
The maid - a real maid this time, looked her up and down before ducking her head and handing her a box.
"His Majesty has arranged what you shall be wearing to breakfast, your Grace."
Mariko looked at the contents and held up a light-blue off-the-shoulder dress. It was edged with gold lace and accentuated with navy highlights. There was also a diamond choker and navy flats included in the box.
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(a reference 'cause I suck at describing outfits)
Mariko had to admit it was beautiful, except it was slightly too loose in the chest area. She slipped into it anyway while her maid arranged her dark hair into loose waves.
"Er - miss?" the maid asked timidly. She held out a pair of long gold earrings but Mariko pushed them away.
"I'll keep the pearls on, thank you. I shouldn't like for my earrings to get caught in my hair." Mariko said firmly. The girl started to protest but quailed under the princess' stern look.
She examined herself in her mirror while going over her story.
Last night, Mariko had debated many ways to humiliate or flatter the king; one story involved her breaking his nose because she thought him a creepy former lover. Another was when he was smitten by her stunningly-good looks and had serenaded his undying love for her outside her window.
The maid knocked on the door that connected Mariko's room to Ashryn's, and the latter opened the door.
He was Mariko's counterpart, resplendent in a navy tailcoat, cream cravat and breeches. There was a hat in his hands.
