30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 5

"And did you see the way he twirled her? Oh it was wonderful!" Liziath sighed contently as she fell dramatically in the fluffs of Aria's bed. 

The three sisters had been up for about an hour, blabbing about the ball last night. Or better yet, Liziath had been blabbing about it. 

Tina was only there because her young sister dragged her in with no room for escape. Tina wasn't the one for romantic talks, so all she did was agree with everything Liziath said. 

Strangely, Aria was in the mood for her sister's gushing. She couldn’t help but think about every passing second of last night's ball. The prince had been so light on his feet, and held her so flushed against him every time they danced. He would also gaze at her for extended periods of moments without saying anything, yet it was strange or intimidating. It oddly made her feel cherished and admired. 

"His friend was a bit strange," Tina mumbled as she picked on her finger nails. She felt annoyed by Joshua all night, yet she didn’t know why. "He stared at me for no reason." 

"Hhmm. Rather strange indeed," Aria said with hidden mischief in her tone. She shared a look with Liziath, and they both recognised that this was new. Normally, it was Tina and Liziath against Aria, not the other way around. 

"I think he likes you," Liziath sang with a high pitched sequel, and the look of horror on Tina's face sent both sisters into a fit of laughter. 

"I beg your pardon?"

"He fancies you and you do too." Aria picked up where Liziath left off, causing  Tina's cheeks to  burn in a bright red as she shuffled from the bed and to her feet. 

"Nonsense! I know nothing about the young man, and he knows nothing about me. You two are always so caught up in your fairytale land. I want nothing to do with it." And with that, Tina left with whatever dignity she had left. 

However, Aria and Liziath only laughed louder as the door closed. For once, someone was on Liziath's side with her romance fantasies, and Aria thought it wouldn't hurt to dream a bit. 

A knock sounded on Aria's bedroom door, and they quickly shuffled from their odd laying down position to the edge of the bed with their ankles crossed and backs straight. 

The door opened, revealing Queen Sylvia in all her beauty, already dressed and ready for the day, unlike the girls who still wore nightgowns. 

"Good morning my dears," she greeted sweetly as she gently kissed each of their cheeks. 

They hummed in reply as the queen strode to Aria's wardrobe. 

"Is something the matter, Mother?" Aria asked in slight worry as her mother furiously searched through her wardrobe. Normally her lady-in-waiting was the one who chose her day's attire and helped her get dressed. The queen only took over on special occasions for instance a ball, as she liked to help get her daughters ready for a big event. 

"Nothing to worry about," she mumbled but still searched  frantically. "I just need to find...Yes!" She beamed proudly as she pulled a peach dress from Aria's bundles of dresses. Aria didn’t recognize it, but it seemed as if it had been in there for ages. 

"Is there a special occasion today?" Liziath asked eagerly as she wanted  nothing more than another scene in this 'love story' to watch. 

Sylvia rolled her eyes at her daughter but replied anyway. "Of course. It is the first day of Aria's courting. The first day is always the most important," she explained. Liziath and Queen Sylvia beamed excitedly as Aria gazed at the dress.