𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓃𝓀𝑒𝓉 || 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼'𝓼 𝓙𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓑𝓸𝔁 𝔁 𝓞𝓒

𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝓊𝑒

The ornate golden doors to the banquet hall swung open. Instantaneously, all movement and chatter ceased, a collective hush falling as everyr eye in the room gravitated to the group of people who strode in and stayed fixated on them. Their dazzling appearances exuded what could only be the untouchable grace of royals. Two girls with moon-white skin and lustrous pale hair, equally identical apart from the colour of their eyes flanked by five men, trailing their footsteps in a fashion similar to lapdogs at their master's heel. The nobility looked on with adoring, envious gazes.

"Ah...it's the princesses!"

"Don't they look radiant as ever?"

"I've heard that the princes from the neighboring kingdoms have all been vying for the Crown Princess's heart?"

"As expected of her Highness...not only that, the men surrounding her are also breathtakingly beautiful...!"

The first girl took in the masses that parted like the red sea for them with wide eyes. "There's many people, as usual." They ascended the dais in the center of the hall, taking their places on the twin thrones as their entourage assembled behind them. "Don't you think so, sister?"

The other girl's assessing gaze swept over the room. Instead of her sister's vibrant magenta eyes, hers were a startling aquamarine–the only thing that differentiated them–but no less sharp. "Indeed..." she stifled a yawn with her hand. "This ball seems too grand for these stuffy old men."

On her right, the man with the dark blue hair leaned down to speak to her in a low voice. "Well, this ball is a good opportunity to squeeze the pockets of these stuffy old men, so try to give them your best smile, won't you?"

She stiffened at his proximity, before schooling her features into a neutral, compliant expression, fully aware of all the eyes on them. "Very well."

"Then if you're bored, Your Highness, how about a dance with me?" The blonde with eyes as sharp as a fox's extended a gloved hand, a smile curling his lip. The crowd watched on intently. Surely, he must be offering to dance with the Crown Princess? If so, why did it seem like he was looking directly at her sister?

Another one of the men, with striking vermillion braids and a heavy build shoved the blonde aside with a hint of aggression. He jerked a thumb at himself. "The Princess will have her first dance with me, you hear?"

"Or if you'd rather, shall we take a stroll in the garden? The moon is especially lovely tonight, Your Highness." Another one of the princess's pursuers, with an ethereal beauty to rival that of the princesses knelt to clasp the Crown Princess's hand, gazing up at her face. From an unseeable angle to the gathered nobility, his honey-colored eyes flicked to the girl beside her as he said it.

"Enough. We don't want her Highness to be the subject of gossip, now do we?" The final man spoke up, eyes like liquid gold briefly flicking to the side, before they returned to looking stoically straight ahead.

"Mm. That is so." The girl with turquoise eyes agreed, as the man with white hair dropped her sister's hand and rose.

The whispers continued to flit around the room, behind fluttering fans and cupped hands.

"The Princess certainly had high standards..."

"The men in her entourage are so beautiful, just like gemstones."

"Didn't you know?"

"That's the reason why they're known as the 'Crown Princess's Jewels'."