"Four days?!" I shot forward in my chair, my eyes practically popping out of my head. "Giles, what— I can't be ready by then!"
He calmly sat in front of me, arms demurely folded across his chest. "On the contrary, Miss Adelaine. I fully believe that you will be adequately prepared for the event. Mr. Crawford and I have taken additional measures to ensure you will be well informed and confident before Thursday. Along with your equestrian instruction, your dance lessons with Duke Howard have been lengthened so he can cover what is to be expected." I sighed at the thought of spending even more time trying to pretend I was naturally graceful, and Giles shot me a warning look.
"Chin up, Princess. You must carry yourself with pride and assurance." Suppressing another exhale, I complied. "This will be the first time you are officially recognized as the princess in front of all of Wysteria, and the people will remember their first impression. This is your only opportunity to present yourself and show them that you deserve their faith."
His serious tone made me realize the full impact of what was to take place in a few days. The lump was back in my throat, and I nodded, wondering if the feeling in my chest was ever going to go away. He was right—everyone had dealt with my ignorant questions about the palace and had tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible. I couldn't throw away all their hard work like that.
But then his voice were more gentle when he said, "Adelaine, I wouldn't have chosen you if I believed you incapable of the responsibilities that your role entails." I nodded firmly, the resolution already in my heart. Just put one foot forward, get the ceremony over with, then go from there.
"I'll give it my all." His lips twisted into a smile at my determined words.
"I don't doubt that."
Then with a gloved hand, he waved me off and into a busy Sunday of more lessons, etiquette, speech preparations, and sore feet.
The only thing keeping me going was probably the supply of elderflower cider that Nico brought me in between lessons. If it was possible to become drunk on it, I came really close to achieving that if Alyn hadn't plucked the glass out of my fingers, examined its contents, looked over at me, and somehow returned the glass back to the kitchen without me noticing.
It was no wonder that Nico could barely convince me to get out of my bed and go down for dinner on Tuesday evening. I was so worn out from my schedule—not to mention the latest installation of an extra curriculum of Imperial Studies, which had begun on Sunday— that it was a struggle to even make it down the stairs, not to mention managing myself in the heeled sandals. Especially since it became clear that dance lessons involved perfecting every aspect of my posture. How had I gone this far in life without paying attention to the alignment of my wrist bone in relation to the floor?
On Thursday, I was going to have to pretend that I hadn't been force-fed fifteen years' worth of information in just four days, so a hectic schedule was to be expected. Though it definitely wasn't easy, I knew that I had to put in just as much effort as everyone else. I can't just breeze on in and make everyone rush around and work so hard while I sit back, drinking goblets of cider. But it was difficult to not feel like a burden when I noticed how much everyone had to rearrange their schedules to accommodate for my lessons.
"Princess?" I physically jumped, my knee almost hitting the table. Giles was looking at me expectantly as he set down his glass of water.
"Sorry?" Already knowing I hadn't been paying attention, he sighed.
"I was saying that it might be best for you to stay an extra hour with Mr. Crawford tomorrow to go over the expected conduct for the ceremony. And a little brushing up on your history certainly wouldn't hurt, either." Halfway dazed, I just nodded. Lesson, Leo, an hour, tomorrow. Got it. The meal went by in flashes, and with the help of water, I managed to keep up with Giles' conversation and list of other things that I was to attend to in the near future.
As I was making my way back up the stairs after dinner, I was almost knocked over when I reached the landing. Startled, I drew back to see a frown on Alyn's face that only grew when he looked at me.
"Watch where you're—" He stopped, leaning in closer to me, his eyebrows knitting together as he studied my face. "How much sleep have you been getting?" Was my face really that terrible today?
I shrugged half-heartedly. I wasn't about to admit that I couldn't handle a basic schedule. "Enough."
His scowl told me that he wasn't accepting that answer, and he pursed his lips the longer he inspected me. "With bags like those under your eyes, it's no wonder that you didn't see me." I didn't know which reaction should come first: offense or embarrassment. But then with a crooked grin, he tapped my forehead lightly.
"Keep your head up. The ceremony's in two days." I sighed at the reminder, but I knew what he meant.
"Thanks," I said, managing a genuine smile. He nodded, but he looked distracted already, and I stepped out of the way to let him continue down the stairs.
By the time I'd reached my room, taken Nico's tea for the night, and lit a candle, it took tremendous effort to not just collapse onto the bed. Here, where no one else could see or hear me, I was free to show my true emotions. All day long, the weight of the upcoming events had been pressing down on my mind, blocking out everything else until it was all I could focus on. The pressure was clear, even if people tried to conceal it behind smoothed-down smiles and assuring looks. Of course, aside from the regular expectations to meet, I knew I was going to have to prove myself to the rest of the court.
I found myself twisting my fingers anxiously, and with a big sigh, I heaved myself off the comforter and prepared to go to bed. Moments after I finished washing my face, however, I realized that I had never gotten to visit Marie. Groaning, I slapped my forehead. How could I have forgotten? It had been more than three days, and I hadn't even had the decency to let her know what had become of the flower. Well, better now than later.
Poking my head out of my doorway, I quickly scanned the hall for any incoming workers. For now, the objective was to make it past anyone and get out of the palace since leaving the grounds was strictly forbidden, let alone at this time of night. Fortunately, the bell tower began to ring, its chimes big and resounding, so it covered up the sound of my pounding feet as I sprinted down the hall as fast as I dared. I was relieved that I had actually thought about this plan enough to change into less restricting clothes and flatter shoes. That extra goblet of elderflower cider definitely hadn't hurt my energy level.
In fact, I was practically scrambling once I reached the landing where I'd run into Alyn after dinner. My hands fumbling at the banister to help guide me, I swung myself down the turn, feeling alive with a purpose and a rush of certainty; for once, I knew what I needed to do.
I don't know if the carpet had bunched up on me or if I'd simply misplaced my feet, but one second I was dashing for the bottom of the staircase, then the next, I was stumbling downwards much quicker than I expected. An entirely un-princess-like phrase formed in my mind the moment I felt the pain in my ankle, and then another word shot through as I realized what gravity was doing: pitching me almost face-first onto the ground.
Until I wasn't.
"And what would Her Royal Highness be doing here at such an hour?" Still reeling from the sudden change of air-borne to suspended in someone's arms, I blinked up at a familiar scowl. He sighed when I didn't respond right away, because apparently tumbling headfirst towards the floor isn't enough reason to have the breath snatched out of your lungs.
"If you're gonna ditch your princess duties, at least wait until daylight when it's safer to leave."
I tried to firmly respond, my brain still struggling to process what had just happened. "I-I wasn't trying to leave." A raised eyebrow at that. "Permanently, I mean."
Alyn regarded me with a stern gaze, his red eyes narrowed. "So you decided to take a walk at night, with no one knowing where you were, almost one day away from the coronation ceremony. Hm."
"I know it looks bad, but I really have to do this tonight." I pointedly looked down where he was still holding me, and after deliberation, he finally set me back down on the ground, a scowl still on his features.
"It's not safe to go places by yourself. If you get taken or injured, then everything will have to be stopped and we'll—"
"Look, I get it," I interrupted, already knowing where the conversation was going. "And I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted. . ." How could I explain it? This was a personal mission, more than anything, and my conscience was desperate to resolve this.
I took a deep breath, willing him to see where I was coming from. "Just let me do this, please. It'll be my last action as Adelaine; then I'll be the princess." It seemed that I stood there for an eternity, feeling my heart thump in my chest as he considered my plea.
"Let's take my horse— a carriage is too loud." I barely had time to mentally celebrate in relief since he immediately walked down the hall, and I had to run after him once again.
I was considerably more comfortable rising horseback since I'd had a few lessons with Alyn, but I was still tense whenever the horse was going at a pace faster than a walk. So naturally, I was regretting agreeing to my means of transportation, which was currently being raced down the empty streets. Or at least, it felt like it. In contrast to me, Alyn was completely at ease with the brisk pace that sent me nervously searching for a stable handhold on the horse, and I felt him growing impatient with my increasing anxiety.
I did have to admire his ability to guide a horse with only one hand and stay on, even though it was obvious from a logical standpoint. He wasn't the captain of the Royal Guard for nothing— the title wasn't handed out to who wore the uniform the best, though it certainly didn't hurt his appearance.
"Hang tight here." His voice snapped me out of my wandering mind, and even though his back was to me, I flushed, wondering why my brain decided to think of that, of all things. Unfortunately, the time between his warning and our crossing of a particularly rough patch of cobblestone wasn't enough for me to actually obey, and I was watching the ground zoom closer—
Then I was upright again, Alyn's hand firm against my wrist and his eyes throwing a quick glance at me.
"Do you even listen to me?" He grumbled, but then he softened a bit. "You okay?"
"Yeah, sorry, I just slipped," I said, to which he responded with a kind of grunting noise. The rest of the ride was silent, save for when I directed him to take turns. When he slowed down the horse, I prepared to get off, mentally readying myself for the news I had to break to my student.
He watched me dismount and slide down onto the ground. "You've improved," he said with a kind of reluctant admiration.
"Really?" A nod was his affirmation, and I gave a small smile, feeling a little proud of myself for actually putting his instruction to use. But he looked away, clearing his throat.
"I'll wait out here. Do what you need to do." I nodded, already making my way to the small house. Last I looked, he was standing there by the horse, absentmindedly running his hand over its nose and watching me with alert eyes. Then I was almost dragged into Marie's house, into the warm light, her hushed noises of elation bringing a beam to my face and assurance that this was the right decision.