Adelaide and Kate had been announced previously, and had made their way down the marble stairs. Aurora, however was still waiting, and fidgeting nervously, playing the air violin.
"You'll be fine!" Andrea said for the nth time.
"No I'll not! I'm gonna trip and fall down the stairs. There are like, actual royalty out there, Andrea," she said, panicking.
"You're not a clumsy person. You'll be fine," Andrea soothed.
Aurora groaned.
"Lady Aurora Clarkson of Kent," she heard the herald announce.
"All the best!" Andrea said, squeezing her hand quickly.
Aurora took a deep breath, and stepped through the large wooden doors.
She moved towards her left, and walked down the stairs, her hand trailing down the marble railing.
Everyone gasped as the beheld her - Queen Elena stared at her deeply, and Eric winked at her slightly.
Aurora could even see royalty from different nations stare at her as she made her way down. The thousand people assembled in the ballroom were the richest of the rich, a conglomeration of the most wealthy men and women from across the globe.
After what felt like eternity, she finally reached stable ground, and curtsied lowly.
To her surprise, many of the gathered people curtsied and bowed back.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she looked around, searching for a familiar face - she couldn't find Kate and Adelaide, nor could she find any member of the royal family she could talk to.
The heard the orchestra play a tune, and she realized that they were all most likely dancing on the floor.
And she was floating around alone, awkwardly.
"A dance, my Lady?" she heard a voice ask her.
She turned to face a dark haired man, wearing a military jacket, with medals hanging from a pocket.
He was either a prince, or a high ranking official of a kingdom.
He surprisingly looked only as old as Aurora, or perhaps a year or two elder, yet he seemed to be quite accomplished.
Aurora smiled at him, and he led her to the floor.
"Do I need to be warned of anything? Smelly breath? Stamping toes? Anything?" he asked as he kept a hand lightly on her waist.
Aurora laughed as he twirled her.
"You sound like someone I know," she said.
The man grinned. "People say I take after my mother".
"No," Aurora said, widening her eyes.
"Yes," he said, winking at her.
Aurora saw the very familiar blue eyes stare back at her.
"Prince Lucian. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, raising her chin.
"The pleasure is mine," he said. "If I didn't know the royal family of Illea so well, I would have assumed that you were a part of it".
"That was a good joke," Aurora said, laughing. "So, Prince Lucian. What brings you to Illea?".
"My Aunt and Uncle's Anniversary Ball," he replied nonchalantly, as he lifted her in the air.
"Hmm..." was all Aurora said, and as she turned, she could see Adelaide dancing with Eric.
The song finally ended, and Lucian bowed, kissing Aurora's hand lightly.
"Thank God," he said.
"Why was I that bad a dance partner?" Aurora joked.
"No, apparently a Prince has to dance atleast once before finding food and pigging out," Prince Lucian replied.
"Well, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, Prince Lucian," she said, curtsying to him.
"Why, thank you, Lady Aurora," he said, before walking away.
"Damn he's hot," Kate said, walking towards her.
"Kate!" Aurora scolded. "You're here for Prince Eric's selection. Not Prince Lucian's".
"Wait that was Prince Lucian?" Adelaide asked, walking towards them, having heard a wisp of their conversation.
Aurora nodded at her.
"May I have this dance?" she heard a voice ask her, and she whirled around to see a tall, broad shouldered man standing behind her, his face hidden by his long, sandy hair.
"You may," Aurora said, nodding to him and walking to the dance floor.
She could see one of the Queens talking to Elora look at them curiously.
Aurora turned her attention to her partner, and conversed with him, finding him very pleasant to speak to. He seemed sad though, and also had a slight hatred towards the world.
But the dance seemed to end soon, and before she could even step out to take a bite, she heard another voice.
"Lady Aurora. May I have this dance?" King Edward asked, walking towards her.
Aurora noticed her friends exchanging glances with each other. She looked around and saw Queen Elora conversing with her sister.
"Yes, Your Majesty," she said, walking with him to the dance floor.
People around them whispered as they began dancing to the music.
"This is how I imagined dancing with my daughter," the King said sadly.
Aurora didn't know what to speak.
"Eric told me. That you knew about Ella," the King said.
Aurora nodded, not knowing what else to do.
"Looking at you, as you descended the stairs, it reminded me of all those buried wishes and dreams I had when I heard that my wife was carrying a daughter in her womb. So long ago," he continued.
"You'll find her, Your Majesty," she said.
"I hope you're right," he said sadly, before changing the topic. "When will I be getting my gift?".
Aurora laughed at the childish expression on the King's face. "You'll get your first one in a while. My gift, however...".
"Is it already in the pile of gifts delivered?" he asked hopefully.
She laughed again. "No, King Edward. It'll reach your chambers after the ball".
"You realize that you're the only person who has refused me so far?" he asked.
"Somehow I doubt that's true. I'm pretty sure Queen Elora was ten times as bad as me," Aurora joked.
The dance came to an end, and Aurora curtsied lowly.
"Edward, brother, do you mind if I borrow Aurora for a second?" she heard a voice ask.
"She's all yours," Edward said, smiling at his sister-in-law.
Elena looped her hand with Aurora's who was surprised with the familiarity with which the Queen touched her. Elena led her to a secluded balcony and stared at her.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Queen Elena?" she asked finally, when it became clear that the Queen wouldn't speak.
"Eric told me you were adopted," she stated.
Aurora nodded. "I got to know that a few days before I left".
"Did you ever take a DNA test?" Queen Elena asked.
"Yes," Aurora admitted. "I did. It did say that I was clear of Parkinson's, Huntington's and other genetic disorders, but it didn't mention any of my relatives having taken the test. That's not surprising, is it? Lot of people don't take the test".
"And most of them are of the lower classes," Elena muttered.
Aurora's eyes widened. "So you're asking because you're worried that an Eight or Nine being seen with your family is insulting".
"What?".
"I thought you were different from your sister," she continued. "But I see that I was wrong. Not only do you look alike, you think alike too".
"Aurora-".
Aurora sunk into a curtsy and walked away from the Queen.
Strike two.
Andrea was right.
Elena truly was a Queen.
She walked around, weaving through the crowd until she found her friends near the orchestra.
"Where were you? We were searching for you!" Adelaide said, reaching a hand out, the other holding a glass of champagne.
"What happened? Are you alright?" Kate asked, seeing her glassy eyes.
"It doesn't matter," Aurora said, grabbing Adelaide's flute of champagne. "They're all just the same. Cruel. Mean. Egotistic".
"Hey! Get your own glass!" she protested, but not before she exchanged a concerned glance with Kate.
Aurora gave her a stink eye, and told them, "It's time".