Just before I left, I was constantly in fittings for new dresses. I assumed it was due to my eighteenth birthday in the near future, but I stand corrected. Each dress has been packed away in my trunk. This visit has been planned for many weeks now, and it was all so I could look even moreso up to date on the latest fashion while I'm in O'Khasis.
My traveling suit was new, as I haven't had much need to travel in the recent past. I hadn't put much thought into that change as my old suit was falling out of fashion and needed to be changed.
Standing near the princess and queen, I understand the need for an update in my apparel. O'Khasis is far more advanced than Meteli, and they are more aware of the newest change in fashion. Next to them in what I would wear at home, I'd stick out like a thorn on a rose. At least now, I look presentable enough to stand near them. However, that does not mean the princess and I are on the same level.
"The princess and queen have requested you for afternoon tea in the garden."
I place my pen down on the letter I'm writing. It's a letter to my father, apologizing that I had forgotten to write to him last night, but I have arrived safely. I write about how Garroth is kind, but I do not write about how I have not met the prince yet. That isn't something he'd like to hear in my first letter.
"How did you hear of this?" I ask, looking for the wax on my desk. I sign off, stating how I am requested for tea and look forward to his response. "I'll have to be redressed."
Adeline places the paper in her hand down on my sealed letter. I pick it up into my hand and read over the delicate lettering.
"After I dress, I want you to find whom this letter goes to," I say, standing from my place. "For now, I need to be stripped."
She's grown quick in removing my clothes. My bodice is unbuttoned, and my over skirt is slipped off. My petticoats remain on, but Adeline leans forward to switch out the shoes I am wearing. She brings back my tea outfit and a pair of gloves and a hat.
The rest is fairly simple. Adeline steps out with a smile, admiring how well she has dressed me. "Why, I think I have outdone myself on such short notice," she says. "The only problem is that I do not know how to get to the garden's entrance."
"I may remember how to find the entrance," I say, reaching for my gloves and pulling them over my hands, buttoning at my wrists. "And if I look lost, maybe I'll meet my prince."
Her expression changes from one of being puzzled to shocked, then to satisfaction. I've shared my news of being here for one day and continuing to fail on encountering the prince. The idea of me meeting him excites us both.
I bid adieu and grab onto my fan and parasol before stepping into the hallway, slowing the door until it makes a quiet clamp shut. I've walked around these halls only three times, and twice has it been to the dining hall. The garden entrance has been pointed out to me, but I've never been there personally.
My shoes clack against the flooring before I'm stopped dead in my place by the sound of a male voice. I turn around to see Anthony and who I hope to be the prince.
"Ah, Your Royal Highness," Anthony says. He smiles at me, bowing his head in respect. "This is His Royal Highness, Prince Vylad."
I bring myself into a curtsy. "Your Royal Highness, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. It pleases me to see that you are well."
The two look at each other for a brief moment, as if they are unsure what to do or what to say. The prince steps forward, and I let my eyes wander over him. The portrait I have of him is fairly old. I received it when I was fourteen, and mine was made at the same age. They look similar to one another, and portraits can portray what is desired, but I can't help but wonder how the prince has changed so much from now and then.
Of course, I've changed. My body has matured far more, and my intelligence has increased. My grace improved, and I was forced to come to terms of an engagement. It wasn't something I cared much for. It was a fact I knew, but I felt the wedding was so far away that the idea was bleak. It was small and something that hadn't mattered at the time.
Looking at this man in front of me, it feels real. Sleeping in a new kingdom strengthens my point. I'm on my own with a stranger who will have my hand in marriage in the near future.
"Where are you off to?"
"The garden. I was invited for afternoon tea," I say, glancing at the grandfather clock to check on the time. My stomach drops when I learn I'll be late, especially after how clueless I am with these corridors. "But I fear I am going to keep Her Majesty and Her Highness waiting with how unaware I am with the surrounding area."
Anthony looks over at me. "We'll take you there. It'll be an excellent bonding time between you and the prince."
I nod, thanking him for being so kind as to show me the way to the garden. It isn't long of a walk, but the conversation is lovely. The prince makes me laugh, and he's kind. I can't help but to think that I may be able to fall in love with him, and we can have a marriage with love. Not a lifetime of missing love.
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness," I say, curtsying once more, bidding goodbye to the prince and his valet before looking back to the women in front of me. "Thank you for inviting me to tea."
Her majesty smiles up at me. "It wouldn't be right not to invite you to tea," she tells me. "You will be marrying my son, and I would like to properly meet the woman who will steal his heart."
I nod and sit down, waiting as tea is poured into my teacup. I wait for a brief second before I watch the princess lift her cup to her lips, taking a sip before lowering it down once more. \
"It's pleasing to be around another female who is my age," she says. "I haven't been able to have an outing like this in quite some time."
I lift my own tea cup, smiling against the rim of it. I have Cadenza, who is only a few years older than I am, but I haven't seen her often ever since she married. Now, I'm often with my brother and father, but even then I rarely see either of them due to such a heavy workload.
The conversation goes well. The queen is as wonderful as I thought she would be, and she's much kinder than expected. Her smile is warm, and her eyes twinkle.
The princess is lively and as lovely as I've heard. She is gorgeous, and I take note of how her hair is tied under her hat for future outings of my own. Stories are told, and we compare Meteli and O'Khasis in only the best ways while remaining out of politics.
Plans for future outings are planned before I must travel back to Meteli. We speak of my upcoming birthday and the celebration that father is continuing to plan as we speak. My dress is of high talks with the princess's input of what is continuing to be put into current style while what may be fading. Even my tiara is mentioned, but the blush on my cheeks gives away my oblivion to which one I would be sporting.
"I see you've finally met my son," the queen states, glancing up at me through the rim of her teacup. "How do you feel about him?"
"Mother, perhaps this isn't–"
I shake my head at the princess, feeling rather bashful. "It's alright," I say before looking at the queen. "I haven't spoken to him long. In fact, I have only known him for the length of the walk from my chambers to this very table, but from what I have seen, I believe I will be very happy. He seems absolutely lovely."
This answer pleases her when she looks back down at her teacup, reaching for a small cake nearby. I glance to the princess, and she gives me a single nod, glancing back to her mother.
