The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Advancement Ball

I've been absentminded.

Perhaps so much that it was enough to pick up the wrong outfit right after taking a long bath in my brother's room. The beautiful gown pooled down to the floor of my bedroom, glittering from the sunset's light. I only had a few hours left until the Advancement Ball, but being a "boy", I hardly needed so much time to prepare.

So, putting on the suit (and this time, not the gown) was easy enough.

A few hours ago, however, I learned that my brother had placed a new article of fashion into the package with the gown. It was a red and white mask. It was elegant in its simplicity, and it was so simple that it could suit a woman or a man easily.

I grinned when I realized the message it had.

My brother basically just offered me a choice: choose the first mask, which was made entirely masculine in shape and design, or choose the more ambiguously crafted mask .

Feeling rebellious, I decided to appease my brother, even though he won't even be there to see me wear it.

'The red and white mask it is then,' I decided as I picked it up, twiddling with the silk-lined ribbons.

Besides, I didn't like how simple a boy's suit is. I mean, a ball is supposed to be a moment of lavish fashions and bursts of color, right? So I felt it a waste to attend it in such dull colors.

Laughingly, I realized with a start that I didn't entirely despise the wretched balls for which I had been the center of attraction in my past life, if only for its superficial glamor and beauty.

"Perhaps my brother knows me better than I do...'

But then I shook my head. He probably just assumed I would like balls in general, like most girls do. After all, those are the few events where the "temptresses" could wear less conservative gowns and enjoy brief hours of music and soft laughter. Balls were the only times when we would be treated with relative respect.

Sighing, I began to think of sad and curious things. In my mind, I recalled the way I was greeted during the countless balls I graced. The men would bow towards me before they offered their hands to me for a dance. When the dance ended, the man would thank the lady, and not the other way around.

'The Kingdom has such customs, like having these courtesies which show an almost reverent respect for the women, but why would we even have such traditions if we are so normally hated?' I thought. '... Is it simply a show to portray a fake gratitude to the well-dressed and pampered female attractions because they please the male eyes? Or is it just because these courtesies might have been foreign customs adapted from other cultures?'

No matter, I knew I had no time to wonder about such cultural and anthropological questions. I had already finished dressing myself, so I only had to place the invitation inside my jacket and secure the red mask in place.

After a second of mental preparation, I headed off towards the venue.

Although there wasn't any mention of a venue in the invitation card, I already heard from my brother how it will be held in a lone castle at the edge of the Forests of Elara. Besides, it was practically an open secret how the Ball was always held in that old castle.

My feet moved almost mechanically, leading me to the castle while my mind turned to mush from overthinking.

'Will I even be allowed entrance?'

'Will they ask for my name? Surely, they will.'

'What if they kick me out and call me pompous for trying to enter despite not having passed the Test?'