The Florist And The Prince (ON HOLD)

~ 35~

Hello my beautiful readers, sorry for another late update.

*******
Avery's POV

After another etiquette class with Madam Eunice, Avery and Linda went for a walk around the palace grounds where they just so happened to have walked by the amphitheatre, where they saw men fencing. That was Avery's first time to see the sport with her own two eyes and was so amazed at it that she didn't realise that two of them were the Princes until one won and they both removed their masks to reveal their identities. Prince Alex had beaten his cousin brother, Prince Lucas.

"That was amazing, Prince Alex and Prince Lucas are really good fencers." Linda praised when they both walked into the palace, to get ready for the reopening of the orphanage.

Avery nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, they are."

"Avery! Linda!"

Both girls looked behind them and saw Audrey walking over to them looking a little flustered, in a pretty salmon pink knee-length halter dress.

"Do any of you have a hair curler? Stephanie used mine and hasn't returned it yet." She grumbled the end bit.

"What?"

"I know."

"Oh my goodness, doesn't she have her own things?"

"I have a hair curler." Avery quickly butted in before some harsh words were dropped.

Audrey's eyes widened at this. "May I borrow it?"

"Sure."

"Thank you so much. My hair looks better in waves then straight down." Audrey huffed with a roll of her pretty green eyes.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later. I need to go and get ready too." Linda said and walked over to her bedroom while Audrey followed Avery to hers.

Once they entered Avery's bedroom, she went straight into her bathroom and took the hair curler before walking back out to give it to Audrey. She hardly used it because she had naturally wavy hair but.

"Here you go."

"Thank you so much, I'll return it once we get back from town." Audrey took it and held it to her chest, showing to Avery just how much she needed it.

"Your welcome and you don't have to immediately give it back. I don't often use it." Avery told her.

"Well you are naturally blessed with nice curls, but I will still return it. I promise."

Avery giggled. "Okay."

When Audrey left to curl her hair, Avery went back into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the reopening of the orphanage, this was going to be their first time out in public with the Royal family, specifically the Prince therefore Madam Eunice had called a small meeting which turned into another etiquette class, to remind them on how to behave in public. She had already chosen the dress that she would be wearing into town last night along with the shoes, so the only things she needed to worry about now was her hair and makeup.

There was only four hours left before they went down to the town so straight after her bath, Avery quickly dried herself down wore her undergarments with a bath robe over them and went back into the bathroom  to fix her hair and do her makeup. She applied the hair products that she usually used to maintain her curls then used a hair diffuser to add some volume to them, really bring them out before moving onto her makeup. She chose soft light colours, being not a fan of heavy colours and applied them onto her face and once she was satisfied with it, she walked out going over to the closet in the far corner and took the dress that hung on the hanger, off of the closet's handle and wore it.

They were given the dress code by Madam Eunice during breakfast yesterday morning, therefore she chose a maroon dress that stopped below her knees which had a matching embroidered layer over the actual dress with quater length sleeves that were made entirely out of that embroidered material. Avery removed her robe and draped it over the seat nearby then took the dress and wore it before taking out a pair of her polished Mary Janes from the shoes section of the closet, sat down on the chair and wore them. Going over to the full-length mirror, she stood in front of it looking at herself and thought that her outfit suited the dress code.

When she stepped out of the bedroom, she also saw the other contestants come out of theirs too, all dressed up in different pattern and coloured dresses. Seeing Avery, both Linda and Pranali who had came out of their rooms earlier on, walked over to her and they met up with Audrey by the stairs before they all walked down along with the others. It looked like something out of a fairytale movie as they descended the staircase in their dresses.

"Ladies, Madam Eunice requests your presence in the dinning hall." A young male bulter told contestants, whilst standing at the end of the staircase.

Following his instructions, they all walked into the dinning hall where the Royal family ate and saw Madam Eunice standing there, now in a blue shealth dress other than the the dress suits and skirt and blouses that she usually wore.

"Good day ladies, I called you here to remind you that this is your very first outing ever since you were all selected to take part in this contest, and the Royal family will be there too. Therefore, it is paramount that you all be on your best behaviour and that includes performing all the things that you learnt in the etiquette classes when needed too. There will be reporters, paparazzi and news vans there. The whole world's eyes will be on you lot and the Royal family today, is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." There was a chorus of this.

"Very good." Madam Eunice nodded, satisfied. "Follow me. The cars should be here shortly."

Avery and her fellow contestants followed their tutor out of the dinning hall to, out of the palace in front where they stood watching the line of slick black rolls-royces driving towards them from the long, tree-lined driveway that led up from the gates. They first car came and stopped in front of them before a guard walked over and held the door open.

"You'll all be riding five at a time in each vehicles, so if I call your names please walk briskly over to the car and get in." Madam Eunice turned back to Avery and the contestants, speaking in a loud voice. "Okay, first car. Jasmine, Michelle, Grace, Hailey and Graciella."

Avery and some of the other contestants moved to the side to make space for those girls to walk up and get into the car then the guard closed the door and it drove off, with another one of the rolls-royces behind it driving up to occupy its space. When it came to the third car Avery was grouped with Audrey, Miranda, Sofia and Emma.

Once seated in the rolls-royce, Avery softly exhaled through her mouth. After almost two months of being in the Royal Palace, she was heading back into town and it wasn't going to be the same. There were mixed emotions within her because this would also be her very first outing as a contestants not just Avery and it was with the Royal family in front of the media, but she also hoped to be able to see her grandparents and at least give them a hug each. She missed them so much, they only spoke on the phone a few times during the week.

❦❧❦❧❦❧❦❧❦❧❦❦❧❦

First outing for the lɑdies ɑs contestɑnts. Yeek!
🙈

And thɑt's Avery dress at the top.