Chapter 3: Sparkles and Slides
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(Picture: Talia's dress, Rhea and dress, Vanessa and dress, Lia and Dress)
Britalia's POV:
*Dong* *Dong* *Dong* The castle bell tolled midnight. Come on, midnight already? One more chapter, I'm almost at the end... well like twelve chapters from the end... Maybe... I'll keep on reading.
"Oh no!" a voice exclaimed behind me.
"Ahhh!" I shrieked and almost fell off the balcony, "Oh my gosh! I forgot anyone was there!"
"The Presentation starts now, they're probably looking all over for me!"
"Why would they loo- oh yeah, prince, forgot about that for a minute. I probably have to go now too. Yay... being presented like a cake! Now I want pie... and a turtle."
"What?" the prince *I forgot his name* said.
"Got to go! See you when I'm a cake!" I said jumping down from the ledge and hiding my book in the secret pocket I sewed into my dress, running down the stairs. Oh fun, I just made myself look like a weirdo in front of the prince... Oh well.
"Wait!" he shouted. I almost turned around but Lianna pulled me down the stairs even faster and dragged me towards the back entrance to the big grand steps that ladies were walking down after being announced. "Miss Teresa Carmelle. Daughter of Sir Carmelle, Knight of the Kingdom."
Jonathan's POV:
"Wait!" I shouted after her trailing dress, but she was already gone. "I don't even know who you are," I mumbled.
Okay, I guess I'll just have to watch the entire presentation to find her, wait, what if I miss her. There are so many girls, what if I fall asleep before her turn!Well, I'll just have to try again.
"Your Highness! We've been looking all over! Where have you been? The presentation started 15 minutes ago, you must hurry sir!"
Duty calls.
Britalia's POV:
"Talzy I've been looking all over for you! They're starting already, they've finished with last name B already!"
"Yeah yeah... Monchesti is way after that. Why are you worried, Reynolds is even farther back!"
"I want to see the competition!"
"Competition? So you're actually competing?"
"Well, yeah! Wouldn't it be cool to be like peasant queen? Even though I have like 0 chance."
If you're wondering, Lianna isn't exactly a peasant, but she's not a Lady either. She's sort of just a Miss Lianna Reynolds. FYI all girls here are allowed to be the queen, as long as they are selected by the prince and pass really basic queen courses that any smart-ish person could pass, but given how most of the ladies are not exactly "smart-ish" it may be difficult for them if they got selected. "Lady Vanessa Crest of Gerbilion. Daughter of Duke Crest, Duke of Gerbilion."
"Well, come on we need to be at the top of the steps! They're lining us up in order by last name!"
"Okay... woah! DON'T KILL ME!!! HELP!" I screamed as she pulled me along so fast that I almost tripped over and died.
The hall behind the staircase was just a long line of girls and their entire staff primping them up and putting their hair back into luscious curls and being styled up into the fancy hairstyles that... Uh oh... I undid my hair into random waves...
"Lady Britalia! Oh there you are, I've been looking all over for you! Your mother sent me to fix you up before your presentation," a maid shuffled over to me. Ugh, I hate being prepped up, but duty calls. Plus my mom would murder me if I came down with my hair natural... hey that's a good thing... maybe I could go down like this, hmmm...
"OW!" I shrieked! My hair! It's being freaking yanked all over the place.
"Sorry Ma'am I have to do this." The maid mumbled apologetically, taking out combs and pins in her bag and stuck them in my hair to put it up again.
Ow... ow! Okay... OW! Pain pain go away come again... nevermind just never come back. My brain, my poor poor brain, what did I ever do to deserve this?
"I DEMAND TO BE PRESENTED AGAIN!!!!!!" a high pitched shriek rang across my ears, through my already throbbing head.
I turned sharply, yanking my hair, "OW! Let go!"
"One second, Ma'am. I'm almost done, just a couple more seconds... There all do-"
I had already whipped around to see who had screamed. I saw the lady... umm... Lady Valerie? Velvet? something with a V, who wore the outrageously red dress that looked like it was squeezing the life out of her, and still she managed to breathe heavily and seethe with anger.
"How can I have a chance at being queen, IF THE PRINCE WASN'T THERE TO SEE ME!" she screeched at the royal ladies who were organizing the presented ladies.
"Madam, you've had your turn, please step asi-"
"NO! I can and will be queen so long as the prince merely glances at me, but no! Somehow you incompetent fools had lost the dear prince until three women after me! If you can even call those ugly hags women. How can he fall in love with me at first glance if he hadn't the chance to see me!" She cried out.
She was actually quite "dazzling", in a ruby red dress with ruffles and accented with golden jewelry, but her temper definitely matched her dress, and quite frankly, the permanent scowl on her face marred her otherwise pretty features. Then again, she is wearing a lot more make-up than anyone else here. In fact, all in all, she just looked like a complete spoiled brat.
"My father will hear about this, he is the Duke of Gerbilion!" She sniffed.
She said it like gerbi-LION, more like GERBIL-ion. I scoffed, oops too loud.
"And who do you think you are," she said disdainfully, "Some daughter of a knight who think she looks so pretty tonight? My father is one of the five most powerful dukes in the kingdom." Yup... right there at spot number 5. Should I mention there are seven dukes, you're father is on the bad end. Mine... well let's just say, the Duke of the Reynight region is a lot more powerful than Duke of the land of the Gerbils, about five ranks above your father, oh wait thats number one, so technically the most powerful, non-royal in the kingdom, brat. Ah, well some facts are better left unsaid.
"I was laughing at the ridiculous dress I saw earlier. I just remembered it," I said with a complete poker face on.
"Well then," she sniffed.
"Alright Lady Vanessa, we have been able to switch the positions around a little for you to go right before Miss Monchesti over here," the butler said looking at his clipboard.
"Prepare to have no one remember you, Miss Monchesti," Lady Vanessa said smugly shoving her way into the line in front of me, emphasizing the 'miss' that the butler had said before my name. Haha, that's Lady to you.
"Monchesti... that sounds familiar," she frowned over at me.
"Hmm... Maybe you've just heard my father's name somewhere before."
"Hmph, probably. My father went to the Annual Knight's convention, so he probably heard it there," she said. Still think my father's a knight, huh, well I never corrected her out loud. In fact, my father was actually there smart alec, as the DUKE OF FREAKING REYNIGHT! I need to stop talking in my head, it's basically the first sign of going mad.
I turned back around not bothering to reply to her snide commentary. I heard the echo of the names of the girls called, it was almost just 10 seconds apart. They must be just having people go down in 10 second intervals rather than alone. Ugh that means pacing yourself, nobody has the time to do that in heels, they'll probably all be savoring their time on the stairs like first step step...1, 2, 3... second step...1, 2, 3... Like come on, how do people walk that slowly, even waiting in line for me is hard, I always have the urge to shove everyone out of the way and just go up to the front.
I think I know why I got kicked out of my first primary school now... Oh well, I wonder what's going on up front right now. I decided to step out of line for a while and went up to the doors that opened to the grand staircases, I peeked through the crack in the doorway and saw two huge staircases starting from the top balcony curving inwards as the went down. Oh... they're sending each lady down a separate stair. In the area at the bottom of the stairs there was a 10 foot gap in which the lady would stand afterwards posing for a few seconds before being enveloped by the crowd.
I noticed how there were plenty of normal looking girls, I hope Lia and I fall into that category, but there were so many dressed over the top, extremely revealing, extremely conservative, overly exuberant, or purposefully shy. Try harders.
"Hey, silver! If you don't want to be skipped, get back in line," the girl in a pink dress who was standing behind me said sassily like she owned the world. And yet, she looked a couple years younger than me, you don't boss me around child.
"Sure thing pinky!" I winked immaturely.
She scoffed in my direction. I bent down a little to look her in the eye, "Aww is da little piggy wiggy upset-y now? That's too bad isn't it," I frowned sarcastically and fluttered my eyelashes stupidly.
She rolled her eyes and looked away, but I could tell she was really annoyed and a bit intimidated too. I smirked, haha, I love the way these younger girls react to everything, so hormonal.
I went back in line anyways, to plot ways to anger my mother for making me wear this idiotic contraption that has made me almost trip three times already, and I'm not even wearing heels. Hmmm... I could purposefully display my combat boots, yes. But that's not enough.
I glanced back through the doors, seeing the sleek wooden banister that travelled all the way down in a smooth curve, smooth enough to slide down. Oh how I wish I could slide down that banister, it would probably be super fun to do.
Wait, why can't I? I don't have heels to fall over and trip on when I land, plus I'm basically a ninja when it comes to sliding down banisters, given my years of practice in my own house. That is such a good idea! Good job brain, you are so fabulous. Why thank you! You are very welcome, brain.I think I'm going crazy, maybe due to lack of oxygen...
Lady Rhea Nymphilio, Daughter of Earl Nymphilio, Earl of Hillsen Mansion, Reynight. Rhea? I haven't seen her in ages! I peeked out of the front just to see a streak of light orange, her favorite color. It wasn't bright orange that would draw eyes and glare out at the crowd, but more of a soft orange, like a sort of small glow.
Wait if Rhea is here then... Oh my gosh! He must have come back!
Umm... Once again, Lady Vanessa Crest, Daughter of Duke Crest, Duke of Gerbillion.
"Ugh, finally. People are so slow now a days!" she grumbled and stepped into the light, instantly developing an overly wide smile. Gahhhh... how annoying.
Great, I'm next. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... I stepped into the light.
Lady Britalia Monchesti, Daughter of Duke Monchesti, Duke of Reynight.
I heard a pretty loud hiss of breath from Vanessa Crusty from halfway down the steps, haha take that.
I stood at the top of the steps and stepped onto the balcony, gahh the lights are too bright. I can't see a thing, I squinted out, probably looking like a weird fish, and walked slowly and normally towards the top of the stairs.
Then I made my "evil" face, a grin that was slightly lopsided that basically screamed, 'oh this is going to be so much fun, and you are so going to hate me for this.' I can just imagine my mother watching me thinking, "oh shoot, what is she about to do now."
I feel the anticipation crawling up my arms from waiting for my great act of defiance, the hairs on my arms are basically rising off of my skin! I stepped out to the first step of the stairs, and jumped up landing with perfect balance of the sleek and powerful banister.
The dress had almost no traction, and I started to slide down the huge curved wooden structure."Sayonara sucker!" I shouted, saluting Lady Vanessa. I laughed feeling the breeze of moving quickly through my hair and reaching my arms out to balance myself as I neared the end of the banister.
"Arghhhhh!!!" I heard frustrated scream grunt from Lady Van. Haha, prepare to have no one remember YOU MISS Crest! Lol I'm too funny.
I neared the end of the banister, and by then the entire crowd was gaping, gasping, fainting, making rude faces, or laughing. Perfect reaction.
I slipped off the end, landing in my version of a perfect mock gentleman bow. I tipped my invisible hat and did a stage bow over and over again. By the time I stood back up, I felt like I was bubbling over with excitement.
I stepped down to the last three steps from the center platform and my gown caught on my toe, my heel was standing on top of the back of my dress and I toppled forward.
Great, I survive the entire night of walking around, and I decide to trip on my dress in front of everyone, I grumbled in my head. I think I was falling over with a grumpy face and my arms crossed.
Then, I felt my arms and shoulders grabbed and hauled up before I hit the ground and smashed my face.
"Watch it Peanut," a man's voice said above me.
I looked up and grinned at the guy I was waiting for.
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HeyLo!
I HoPe yOu liKEd tHaT ChaPTeR! dO yOU kNoW WhO tHe guY iS?! tAKe a GuESs!
bYE!
@books_1315
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