The Lady-in-Waiting

Chapter 5

Lucinda

"This is the Lotinow Palace," I mumble as I park the car next to my mom's limousine, the gates closing behind us.

I feel like a tour guide. Or at least one that hates her job. I hate mine and I haven't even started yet.

I get out of the car and walk for a minute before I hear someone yelling.

"LADY-IN-WAITING?!"

Is that really how I sound when I scream?

I walk back to the car to find that Zora's still in it.

"Can't you open your door?" I ask.

"No," she replies. "Have you ever even opened your door?!"

As I let Zora out of the car, I think about what she said. Have I ever done much for myself? Father and Mother have always spoiled me. I'm the heir-to-the-throne, so people seem to want to do stuff for me. But were all those smiles I got upon requests fake?

"Are you going to grab any of our luggage?" snaps a very annoyed Zora.

"No, the butlers usually do that."

I follow Zora to a very heavily guarded palace entrance. About no less than twenty guards block us from going in.

"I'm Princess Lucinda from Norillia," says Zora. "I am George's fiance. The other girl is Zora, my formerly villainous lady-in-waiting, and the king's new goose girl."

The guards part to either side of the entrance and one unlocks the gate. With the help of two others, it's opened and Zora and I walk inside to the courtyard. A brunette butler escorts us inside the palace.

Lotinow Palace is beautiful. A large chandelier hangs above a sitting area. Before I can get a better look at it, we're led down archway after archway until we get to the grandest room in almost any palace, the throne room. Most of the room is gold and white like the rest of the palace, but the back is painted the loveliest shade of lavender I've ever seen. The thrones are a darker purple and are currently empty.

A (sort of handsome) man with dark skin similar to mine and dark brown hair enters the room through the archway parallel to the one we entered through. He walks up to Zora and bows. She looks very confused.

"Hopefully you still remember your fiance," says Prince George.

"Of course I do George, darling," says Zora.

Oh no. This will confuse George, as we've already established our marriage will be more political than romantic. But maybe it will make him suspicious of her.

"Is this that fairy that cursed Princess Sydney?!" he asks angrily as he stares at me.

Snow is my sister's nickname. Her real name is Sydney Noelle.

"I've had a change of heart," I reply. "I'm a different person now."

Only half of what I said is a lie. Zora didn't change at all. I am a different person now, though. Zora glares at me. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to talk.

"She's my horrid lady-in-waiting," says Zora. "She was the only one my father could find for the job. I'm pretty sure she's changed as she said. But you can't be too careful, so after the wedding, she'll be your father's goose girl."

"I told him those geese were a bad idea!" says George. "This woman belongs in jail, not the royal fields."

"I tried to tell my father something similar, but I needed a lady-in-waiting for our wedding."