"I wonder what life would be like in the palace," Caroline sighed wistfully as we walked to breakfast. "Is it really all balls and tea parties, Madeline?"
"No, it isn't," I sighed. My mother and Caroline were very infuriating and I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to put up with them.
"How about the other Ladies? Have you made any friends?" My mother demanded.
I shook my head. I didn't think Fiona counted me as a friend anymore. "The other Ladies are spoiled brats, mother."
"I can testify about Lady Esme Addington. I met her at Philomena's baby shower and she's the worst," Caroline groaned.
"But her father is a high ranking noble so she has an advantage in the competition, am I right?" My mother narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, mother," I sighed.
"We're going to need new dresses imported from Milan," A high-pitched, haughty voice interrupted.
"I want my dresses from India, mother," Esme spat the word mother like it was an insult.
Low and behold, right behind us was Esme and a woman I presumed was her mother. The woman was blonde, young and had her nose up in the air like she knew she was better. Surprisingly, a young girl walked beside them. She looked like a carbon copy of Esme, down to the annoyed expression on her face. I placed her at around 12 or 13 years old.
"I want a dress too!" She protested.
"Shut up, Eva. You're not the one becoming Queen, are you?" Esme rolled her eyes.
"I want Lady Fiona to win," Eva snapped back and Esme narrowed her eyes.
"Girls, girls, we have company," Esme's mother eyed us.
Esme sniffed. "Not any company worth talking to, mother. Let's go so we can get the best seats at the breakfast table."
My mother, Caroline and I watched as Esme and her 'family' walked on.
"What a horrid young lady," My mother frowned. "But I have to admit, she is gorgeous."
"She has the face of an angel and the personality of the devil himself," I muttered as we followed behind them.
***
Breakfast was held in the palace gardens and I could tell by the stares we were given, we were already late.
"So they just let commoners into this competition?" I heard someone whisper.
Caroline gasped before I nudged her in the side so as not to cause a scene. I had a feeling this breakfast would be the longest, unbearable meal in the competition.
I used the time before breakfast was served to observe the Ladies and their families.
Esme's mother examined her face in her reflection on a glass cup while her sister, Eva, frowned so hard, the thought that her face would remain like that didn't leave my mind.
Seated beside Esme and her family was Lady Ashley and her father, an old stern man about my father's age. He didn't look like he belonged at a breakfast table. Instead, he looked like someone who ought to be studying in a library or looking after a duchy. Ashley barely paid him any attention as she fixed her perfect hair.
Next to Ashley was Lady Katherine and her father, who never seemed to stop talking. He rambled about everything and anything. From stocks in Sicily to his cows' droppings. The woman he spoke to, I assumed, was Fiona's mother. She had dark beautiful skin, about a shade darker than Fiona's. Her curly hair was pulled into a tight bun, causing the veins on her forehead to pop out. Her dark brown eyes peered around the table, scrutinizing each and every person. She reminded me of my evil Grammar School teacher.
As if on cue, her eyes connected with mine and I froze. It was as if they were staring into my soul. I quickly looked away and was met with Lady Isadora's grandmother, who I assumed was mute. She looked incredibly old, with fully white hair and wrinkly papery skin. Her eyes were mature but held some sort of adventure, some sort of secret.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sweet smell of food wafting through the morning breeze.
My stomach grumbled impatiently, earning me a stern eye from my mother.
"This table is weirdly quiet," Lady Katherine's father voiced. "Ooh, jam tarts. Kathy you love jam tarts don't you? When Katherine was just a little girl, she used to stuff herself with jam tarts. She'd eat them until it hurt her to go potty."
Katherine's cheeks turned bright red.
"No wonder she's so...busty," Fiona's mother muttered but not quiet enough.
"Mother!" Fiona sighed.
"Don't 'Mother' me, Fiona. I don't understand why you've been put in this competition with these amateurs," Fiona's mother sniffed.
"Amateurs?" Esme and her mother chorused.
"Yes, you heard me right. My Fiona is on an entirely different level than the rest of you."
I couldn't help but feel bad for Fiona, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but seated beside her mother.
"Now, my Katherine is just as good a Lady as Fiona," Katherine's father looked mildly annoyed.
"Ashley is named one of the greatest scholars in Aridia," Ashley's father spoke up.
Caroline and my mother looked stunned. They weren't used to such...behavior. At least after witnessing what I went through, they would get off my back- though I doubted it.
Not long after, the breakfast table had delved into an argument on which Lady deserved to win the competition.
At first, the bickering didn't faze me. I munched on my toast content, glad that my mother was distracted enough to ignore my eating habits.
Until it finally became too much to bear. The mixed voices wafted in and out of my head, threatening to shatter my eardrums. I couldn't take it anymore. I'd had enough with the Ladies already- I didn't want to deal with their parents' trouble as well.
"Enough!" I yelled. I had succeeded in grabbing the attention of the table. They looked at me, either stunned, irritated or a mix of both.
"What are you doing, Madeline?" My mother hissed. It was either she enjoyed the drama going on or she didn't want me to upset the important nobles.
"All this bickering...it's so unnecessary. I can't listen to a second more of it. It doesn't matter who got the best grades in Finishing School or who won an Equestrian Championship. Aridia doesn't need a trophy, it needs a Queen," I blurted.
"You must be Lady Madeline...the mistake," Fiona's mother narrowed her eyes, after a long beat of silence.
"Excuse me?"
"It is evident you're not meant to be here. I don't even want to begin to think what might have went wrong in the Royal Family's choosing system," She continued.
Esme tried and failed to stifle a giggle.
I could already feel my blood bubbling, all the emotions I'd bottled up.
"Madeline," Caroline warned. I could feel the eyes of every single member of the table on me. Watching. Waiting to see if I would falter. Waiting to see if I would prove Fiona's mother right.
I let out a deep breath, before pushing back my seat and rising. I picked up a croissant and walked away from the table.
Last chapter for the day! Tell me how your day went/has gone so far in the comments. Don't forget to vote, comment and share. Chapters 45 and 46 are out tomorrow so stay tuned.
Stay safe guys, wear your masks so we can flatten the curve. XOXO.