Royal Jester

1. Anastasia

"You know you sound totally ridiculous when you say that right?"

Ana rolled her eyes as she pinned back the final strand of hair. "Just because we have maids doesn't mean I need to waste their time with something as miniscule as this." She pulled slightly farther away from the mirror, examining her features and the stray curls of hair escaping the updo. 

"Mother hired them to help us; doing your hair is still one of their duties."

"If mother had it her way, we'd have people strictly for helping us wipe every time we used the restroom." She resisted the urge to shudder just at the thought. 

Liliana, Ana's younger sister, gagged, "That's absolutely revolting."

"You aren't denying it though," she gave the novice princess a pointed look before refocusing on her hair. "I both despise and love our curly hair," she said after noticing the flyaway strands at the base of her bun.  

"The only thing you can blame is our ancestry," Lili shrugged as Ana sighed. 

"At least it's elegantly disheveled," she declared after analyzing her appearance for a few more seconds.

"Right," her sister giggled softly. "Sure it is." Ana glared at her through the mirror, deep brown eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"It is at least satisfactory then right?"

"Right, yes," a small burst of laughter escaped Lili's lips. "Of course it is."

"Is it truly that bad?" Ana finally turned in the swivel chair to make eye contact. This was an important event, so it was crucial that she looked presentable. 

It was silent for a few moments, a slow grin growing on Lili's face the longer they both stared. "It looks like a mop," she finally blurted before erupting into a laughing fit.

Ana gasped, completely appalled, as she spun to face her vanity mirror once more. "Oh my gosh," she whispered. "You're right; I look exactly like our butler's favorite mop." She groaned as she covered her face with the palm of her hands, the sound of her younger sister's hysterical giggles drowning out her thoughts. 

~~~

"Father," Ana began quietly, mentally steeling herself to prepare for the oncoming argument.

"Yes, my dear?" The King smiled at a guest, welcoming them with an exuberant smile. He continued the conversation with the other noble but Ana could tell that he was still listening to her.

"I was wondering if I might be able to attend college." She said it so softly she was worried he might not have heard. 

"Oh yes, that sounds fine dear," he responded so simply that a grin instantly enveloped Ana's entire expression. She was practically beaming with joy; anyone within a mile radius would've been able to tell that she had heard something pleasant. "Wait- what?" Her father turned his head so quickly she would've assumed it was painful if not for the horrified expression already present on his face. 

"I would like to attend college, perhaps a university- or maybe even an academy of some sort." She could feel herself growing excited at the mere thought.

"No- I heard you just fine, Anastasia. Why in the world are you asking to go to College? You know how dangerous it is to attend public schools." 

Ana glanced around them uncertainly, noticing the looks of unease growing on her people's faces. "Must we discuss this here, Father?" She nodded imperceptibly towards the noble he was just speaking with. 

The king seemed to remember the current situation, pursing his lips before he released a low sigh. "We will continue this conversation later." He meandered a few feet away, slowly migrating towards the podium.