The Florist And The Prince (ON HOLD)

~ 41 ~

Avery's POV

Avery swallowed hard as she looked at the long line of smartly dressed young men that stood before her and her fellow contestants. Madam Eunice and the Royal committee had to be joking, they couldn't be serious this was only there second task.

"This is Madam Beatrice Del Corre from the Royal Baudelaire Academy." Madam Eunice introduced the tall, immaculate blonde haired woman beside her. "She is a dance teacher and this fine young men are some of her students, who she has brought with her to help teach you how to dance ball-style. As you all know, a tradition for every Royal family is to host balls and our Royal family has special dance that they always perform during their main annual ball, but you must first learn how to waltz properly before learning that dance. Madam Beatrice."

"Thank you Madam Eunice." The blonde woman nodded politely.

She was a few years younger then Madam Eunice, from her visual observation Avery guessed that she was in her late twenties or early thirties.

"Good morning ladies."

"Good morning Madam Beatrice!"

"Thank you. Firstly, dancing is not only a form of art and a way to express yourself but a form of identification. Every country in the world has its own unique way of dancing that identifies them and so do we, but before we get into that I will teach you some of the basics. Henry." The dance teacher nodded to one of the boys.

Avery made sure to watch carefully as Madam Beatrice and Henry carried out the first dance, a simple waltz. She did know how to dance and wasn't terrible, but she had zero knowledge on how to waltz.

The ball room in which they all stood in was a larger oval room then the throne room with an arched ceiling that had intricately paintings on it along with two big elegant chandeliers hanging down and lining the Eastern side of the room were floor-to-ceiling windows and likewise with the West and, Northern and Southern sides had big French doors completed with a lavish creme coloured carpet that complimented the dark wooden floor. Avery stood quietly along with the others and watched as Madam Beatrice and Henry dance gracefully, and fluently to the soft, music that was being played from the record player that stood beside Mrs. Carrigan (another member of the Royal committee). They're movements were one with the music.

"Okay, that was just the basics of a waltz. Very simple and easy to learn." Madam Beatrice turned back to face the eligibles as she spoke after dancing. "The next few dances that we will run through are also waltzes but with a mix from our ancestral roots; Spain, France, Sweden and Germany. Henry."

After an hour and Avery loosing count of how many different styles of dance patterns were performed by Madam Beatrice and Henry, she found herself standing in line with the other contestants facing the boys from the Royal Baudelaire Academy.

"The young man standing opposite you will be your dance partner. Alright, please step forward and introduce yourselves to one another as you will be partners for the how many weeks that you learn how to master waltzing." Madam Beatrice said and they all did.

Looking at her partner, Avery could see that they were about the same age and just like her, he looked biracial, of part being part Asian and Caucasian. He wasn't that taller than her, only a few inches with a lean physique and jet black hair that was gelled back, golden-brown eyes and fair skin.

He gave a small bow then stood up straight and smiled kindly at her. "Hello, I'm Earl Eugene Guildford."

Avery smiled and curtsey back. "Avery Cartwright, my Lord."

The Royal Baudelaire Academy was an exclusive high school where Royals, non-royals who held titles of that sort through other arrangements and children that came from affluent families attended. So Avery wasn't surprised that she was partnered up with a royalty.

"Okay, get into the standard waltzing position please. Excellent, let's began." Madam Beatrice said.

An hour before dinner, Avery retreated back to her bedroom to take a bath before dinner, feeling completely exhausted as her feet hurt from the dance lesson. Entering her bedroom she closed the door and leaned back against it with a heavy sigh, running her hands through curls before removing her shoes and padded barefoot over to the bathroom where she sat on the edge of the edge of the bathtub and reached over to the taps, letting them run down and fill the tub. She never attended any dances over in England because she found no interest in them, she was an introvert who preferred the company of good books instead, only ever going for her best friends and cousins birthday parties only.

A few minutes later the tub was filled up and she added some bath salt, undressed and stepped into the bath sighing in content when the warm water welcomed her body like a warm hug. Laying there Avery wondered what her grandparents were doing, it was Tuesday evening so they were most probably at one of their friend's house having supper, she missed them dearly. Getting out of the bath a few minutes later she got dressed for dinner then headed outside, where she encountered into Graciella and Michelle by the railings, they obviously did not hang out together in their spare time so she went to continue pass them but Graciella stopped her.

"Avery."

She stopped and looked back at them, eyebrows dipped in question.

"It is Avery, right?" Graciella asked and Avery fought the urge not to let out a exasperated breath. She didn't know why she was pretending that she didn't know her name.

"Yes."

"Oh good, I thought I was mistaken. Anyways, we heard some rumours flying around the palace lately, isn't that right Michelle?"

Michelle nodded. "Yes."

This didn't surprise Avery but it did stir her curiosity. "Rumours? Rumours about what?"

"About you." Graciella replied bluntly.

"Me?"

"Yes."

Michelle began. "Look, they are just rumours and we don't know if they are true-"

"But as a fellow woman, I thought it better to tell you." Graciella completed and Michelle nodded in agreement, looking sincere but Avery could see right through it. "There's been word of you seeing both Prince Alexander and Prince Lucas without an audience around, and in the rule manual for the contest that we were all given at the beginning of this competition, it clearly states in it that we are not allowed to have any contact with the members of the Royal family without any audience around."

Michelle scoffed. "But that's obviously not true, I can tell that you are a smart girl."

"Yes, we'd hate for another eligible to be eliminated at the very beginning of the competition, goodness me that would be so horrible." Graciella agreed with a sweet voice.

But Avery wasn't paying attention to the gorgeous pair before her anymore because she felt as though the world was beginning to spin and could hear the blood rushing through her ears. What Graciella said was true, they were all given clear instructions, rules and protocols to follow at the start and she follows every single one of them precisely, but bumping into the Princes without anyone around was completely and utterly accidentally. She did not intent for them to happen.

"Are you alright sweetheart? You look a little faint?" Graciella asked in a concern tone that Avery heard was dripping with sarcasm.

Clearing her throat, she looked Graciella right in the eyes. "Yes, excuse me."

Turning around, Avery began to walk away knowing that they said this things to bring her self-esteem down, ever since the orphanage incident Raquel and her friends had started to show their competitive sides but she wasn't going to let them get to her. She was selected to be apart of the contest just like every single one of them and if Madam Eunice and the Royal committee members asked her about the encounters, she wasn't going to lie, she would tell them the truth even if it meant getting eliminated from the competition.

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