"How about this one?" Mom asked, showing me the hairstyle catalog.
Absentmindedly, I flipped through the dress catalog. We sat among the loveseat in my bed. The coffee table was filled with different catalogs. After breakfast, I had been brought samples of fabrics, a showcase of wigs all in my hair color with different styles, and catalog books. I was still expected to appear at the ceremony. But I couldn't wear anything. No. My dress would be a gown, specifically tailored to me, and a hairstylist would be doing my hair. Of course, I'd have the option of choosing whatever style I wanted and was reminded not to embarrass myself. This had been by my mother.
I stared at the long curls in the picture. My hair wasn't that long and I told my mother as such.
"Rin, what's wrong?" she asked. "I thought you'd be more excited."
Trying to look happier, I turned to her. The concern on her face made me falter. I couldn't bring myself to lie to her. Not about this. I needed my mom.
"Alexander and I argued this morning," I told her.
She frowned and placed the catalog on the coffee table. "Does he often visit you in your room?"
I didn't know how to answer that question.
"He wanted to tell me about the meeting," I said. "And, we talked about him being King." Then, I told her everything, his solution, and the fact that I wasn't worthy.
When I was done, Mom smacked my arm.
"Ow," I said, moving away. "Why did you do that?"
"Rin, you're so stupid."
I gaped at her. "Mom!"
"I'm sorry honey, but sometimes I don't think you use your brain."
"Why are you being mean?"
Mom scooted closer to me. I tried to scoot back but there was no room.
"Rin, do you like him?"
"Yes."
"Does he like you?"
I nodded.
"Then don't think too much," Mom said. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Look, if you want to be with him then, be with him. I'll support your decision." She touched my cheek. "I just want you to be happy and if that's with him then, I'm okay with it."
"And Dad?"
Mom pursed her lips. "Eventually, he'll come to terms that you aren't his little girl anymore. Plus, if the Prince values his life, he will talk to your father about it. I know he'll want you to be happy too."
I smiled slightly. "I do want to be with Alexander."
"Good. Now, let's choose what you're going to wear. It'll be an important event after all."
###
The morning of the ceremony, I was sick. Well, not exactly sick but my stomach wouldn't settle down and my hands shook. Mom and Diane helped me get ready. They woke me up at 5 am to start. I don't remember much of the first two hours. I might have fallen asleep here and there.
Then the stylist came. She was a very tall woman, wearing black. Ms. Sky simply walked in, followed by her five assistants, looked at me, and started working. All her movements were graceful like she was walking on air. My hair was washed, dried, and styled, and all before 9.
Mom had to step away to get ready herself. My parents had been invited too. Meanwhile, Diane brought me a light breakfast but I couldn't keep anything down. I nibbled on some fruit while waiting for my gown to arrive.
It almost felt as if I was on autopilot. I should have felt relieved that everything had turned out so well and yet, all I could think about was my last conversation with Alexander. We hadn't spoken since either. I wanted to tell him of my decision and a simple text wouldn't suffice.
It was close to eleven when my gown arrived and so did the jewelry. I felt like a doll and completely out of place. But I had to get used to it. This was probably going to be a daily occurrence. I smiled through it and eventually, it stopped feeling fake. It was quite enjoyable, to be honest, but, there was this heavy feeling in my chest. Would Alexander want me there at the ceremony? Everyone was treating me like I had to go. I guess that was a good thing.
The ceremony would start at one. It had been announced to the whole world and everyone was watching. My parents walked into the room as Ms. Sky and Diane were doing the finishing touches.
They hardly recognized me. My gown was modest, simple, but elegant. Mom started to cry and everyone rushed to calm her down before she'd ruin their make-up. Dad stood awkwardly at her side. They both looked amazing. If anything, at least we all cleaned up nicely.
A chauffeur took us to the palace. It took less than half an hour. There was a secret route between the palace and the house. No one outside the royal family used it. I held on to my parents' hands on the way.
Trees lined the road. As the top of the palace came into view, my mouth went dry.
"It's so nice how we were invited," Mom said. "The royal family sure knows how to great their guests right."
"Feels like bribery to me," Dad said.
"They just feel responsible for everything," I muttered. "This is their way of making up for that."
"Still don't like it."
I gave Dad the best smile I could conjure. "I know. I think it's too much too, but it doesn't hurt to accept it."
"So the Prince," he began.
My smile stiffened. Had Mom told him?
"I need to talk with him," Dad continued.
"I'll let him know," I said.
We were dropped off at the back of the palace and it was just as fancy. A guide introduced himself as Henry. He welcomed us with a smile and lead us up the steps.
"You'll be in a VIP room with a view of the stage," Henry explained. "Much like a theater. Reporters and other attendees will be in the audience. There are other VIP members with their private rooms too."
"That's convenient," Mom said.
Henry led us through the palace. I expected to see the foyer or even other rooms but all I saw were largely closed-off corridors with portraits, royal blue carpet, and floral decorations.
"All our VIPs take this path," Henry explained seeing my expression. "While it doesn't provide a view, it makes up for it with security and less traffic."
A few minutes later, we walked down a curving corridor with multiple rooms with double doors on one side. At the end of the corridor, Henry stopped.
"Here we are. The event is to start in an hour. Refreshments are available inside. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."
As we entered, I couldn't help but gasp. There were sofas, a bar, and even a small buffet station inside. Most notably was the massive balcony overlooking a large theater. Walking closer to the balcony, I saw the massive stage.
Below, the reporters were taking their seats. Everyone was dressed to impressed. People in black moved around the stage checking equipment. I even spotted some security guys around.
"This is amazing," I whispered.
I turned around. Henry was gone and had closed the doors. My parents were taking a seat by the balcony.
"I didn't know they had something like this," Mom was saying. "I can get used to this treatment."
As the start time of the event got closer, the seats down below filled up. Strangely enough, all the noise from below was muffled. Must be the soundproof walls or something.
All of a sudden the lights dimmed and everyone fell silent. My heart lurched in anticipation. I clutched the railing of the balcony.
"Rin," Mom whispered. "Come sit down. You can still see from here."
On trembling legs, I took a seat. Almost immediately after, the event started. A loud voice echoed through the theater introducing King Caldor and Princess Caldor. As their names were announced, they stepped out onto the stage and remained standing.
"Presenting, Her Majesty, Lady Violet."
Violet walked out with a blue and gold gown. She took her place on the stage.
"Presenting, His Highness, Prince Rothchester."
When Alexander walked, I might have died. He was, without a doubt, the most handsome person in this entire room. He was so majestic and stunning. I wanted him to see me but his gaze remained focus on the audience.
Lastly, King Rothchester was introduced. He walked up to the podium and only then did the royal members sit.
His voice boomed through the theater.
"Welcome esteemed guests to the signing of the treaty between the Caldor family and the Rothchester family. Lady Violet will say a few words."
As she spoke, there was a knock at our door. I stood and motioned my parents to keep sitting. As quickly as I could manage, I opened the door. Henry was waiting outside.
"Miss Borek," he said. "I'm sorry to interrupt your viewing. Prince Rothchester has invited you to the stage. If you were to accept, I'll lead you down there."
I swallowed thickly. Did Alexander want me down there? Why all of a sudden? No one had told me anything.
"Miss Borek?"
"Y-yeah," I quickly said. "Let me tell my parents."
I walked back in.
"I have to go to the stage," I told my parents. "I'm needed."
They frowned.
"Fine," Dad said, to our surprise. "When you're done, hurry back. You don't want to get lost."
Gave them each a kiss before going back to Henry. Henry lead me down the curving corridor. There were more people out here than before but they all appeared to be guards and event staff. We had to zig-zag through them.
"I apologize for the delay," he said. "I know it's an important event and a mistake on our part is making you miss it."
"It's fine," I told him. "It happens. Plus, I can still hear what they're saying."
In part, that was true. The words were muffled and it sounded like Violet was done talking. I wasn't sure how long the ceremony would last but it didn't seem like it be more than an hour. After all, both families wanted this over and done with as soon as possible. There had been enough drama as it stood.
It took much longer to get to the stage than I had anticipated. There was so much foot traffic and checkpoints. All the staff and guests leaving and entering were verified by the guards and reminded of the locations they had access to. The process was rather short. However, that didn't stop the lines seeing as how there were so many people in the building.
There were five different checkpoints in total. That roughly took a little less than thirty minutes. By then, the Caldor family had begun to talk. I caught phrases of their speech talking about prosperity and unity.
More than once I found myself leaning against the wall for support. My heels were short but being on my feet for this long with the weight of my gown wasn't comfortable.
"My sincerest apologies," Henry repeated. "I can get you some refreshments."
"No, I'm fine. Thank you."
By the time we reached the stage floor, I was parched. I should have taken Henry's offer.
"I'll get us checked in to this floor," Henry said. "It'll take a moment."
I made myself small against the wall so that my gown was impending traffic. I wasn't all that successful. From my spot, I heard Alexander's voice. Despite being so close, it was hard to hear.
Henry came back nearly ten minutes later.
"Security is a lot tighter here," he explained. "I don't have the clearance past here so I'm afraid I'll have to find someone else to show you the way."
I looked around. Everyone was engrossed in their task.
"It's fine, I can go by myself."
"That won't do at all Miss Borek. It was our mistake after all. It'll only take a moment to have someone come here."
"I insist," I told him. "They'll have to be cleared and at that point, the ceremony will be over."
"Alright," he said. "Just follow the signs. You're in room 3B."
"3B. Got it."
Before he could say anything else, I walked past the guard. The hallway here was a bit smaller. All the rooms had a letter and a number, decreasing the further I went in. I used this to navigate.
It was at the end that I finally found 3B. It was right next to two large unmarked doors. The talking voice was louder for sure. I recognized it was King Rothchester's voice. Then, I heard a huge roar of applause. Had I missed the signing?
Alexander was going to be so disappointed. I should have been there. What was I going to say to him?
"Rin?" Alexander asked, stepping out from the unmarked double doors. "What are you doing here?"
Before I could reply, he grabbed my arm and started walking me away. I frowned and followed as quickly as I could. I didn't recognize the route and I didn't see anyone else around.
"I'm sorry," I stumbled out. "I was late and -"
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you wanted me here," I explained.
His frown deepened. A pit opened in my stomach. Did that mean he didn't want me to come to the ceremony? Why hadn't he told anyone? My parents and I were here for nothing.
"Who told you?" He asked.
"What?"
"That I wanted you here?"
My vision blurred. "Y-you did," I stammered out. "No one told me -"
"Not here," Alexander quickly said. "By the stage."
We stopped. We stood by the entrance to what looked like a garden. Four large windows showed large trees, lush bushes, and a path of flowers.
"Oh-oh, it was Henry," I said.
"Who?"
"An event staff," I explained. "We went through the check pcheckpoints
Alexander's confused turned to surprise. He suddenly grabbed and turned me away from the windows. His shocked expression crumbled into one of pain.
Red flash across my eyes before sharp pain pulled me into darkness.