The Empire's Only Princess

Chapter 1- The preparations

"Wake up, idiot!!" Blysse cracks open an ice-blue eye to see Leon, her older brother, jumping on her bed. He laughs and runs out of the small room. "The parade is happening today! Get up, now!"
Blysse stretches her body as she sits up, her mouth opening wide in a yawn. She slips out of bed and heads over to the small end table across her room. Grabbing the makeup, she expertly covers up all of the bruises that litter her body.
"Brat! Wake up!" Blysse jumps slightly at the sound of Narcissa, her mother, yelling from the staircase. Putting on her dress-rag, she walks down the stairs and heads into the kitchen where her family is gathered.
Her parents look at her with disdain as she enters the kitchen. "Listen here, you stupid child, the Imperial Family will be appearing in the parade, and they will be choosing personal knights for the twins. You will remain out of sight and you will not ruin this opportunity for your brother, understand?" Blysse nods silently at Jake, her father's, orders, knowing that speaking will earn her a slap. Lorrina, Blysse's younger sister, giggles maliciously.
"Mother, I want to be a princess!" She says. "I want to marry a prince and be Empress!"
"Of course, dear. I can't imagine the princes could resist your charm~" Blysse lowers her head and walks to the corner, away from her family. Her mother and father ignored her, fussing over their other children. Blysse sighs silently, adjusting her bangs to keep her left eye hidden.
"Alright, let's go." Blysse follows behind her family as they make their way out of the slums and into the market of Ocean Port. As they reach their designated spot on the side of the road, they meet up with the Angevin family.
"Narcissa! It's been such a long time!" Kasmira walks up to the family and embraces Blysse's mother. Jake greets Nicholas Angevin and the Angevin twins, Spencer and Raphael, run to Leon. Lorrina and Anthony, the Angevin's youngest, hug each other and gossip.
"C'mon, kids, we need to head to some shops." Blysse follows the group into Wear and Square Boutique. Otis Canmore, the owner of the boutique, welcomes them.
"Ah, the Windsor and the Angevin families! How may I help you on this wonderful day?" Otis smiles his signature smile as the families enter.
"Mr. Canmore, we are looking for a dashing outfit for Leon, he's finally 16 years old and can be picked to be a personal knight." Otis smiles and leads Narcissa and Leon to an area.
"Daddy! I want a dress!" Jake sighs and leads his younger daughter to the dress section. The Angevin family walks around, leaving Blysse alone.
"Hey, Blysse. How are you today?" A small smile graces the young girl's lips as she looks up at Charles. Son of Tiffany Denmark, the Bookstore owner, she is well acquainted with him.
"I'm good, Charlie. How are you fairing here at the boutique." She asks in her normal polite speech. He smiles and bows slightly
"It's been fun. I actually had some money leftover from my little shopping spree yesterday, so I bought you something."
"H-huh? You didn't need to do that."
"I wanted to. You've helped me with my social anxiety. It's the least I can do."  Charles then pulls out a simple metal necklace. However, a Verhia diamond is set in the centerpiece.
Charles smiles at Blysse's sparkling eyes and places the necklace around her neck. She smiles and hugs him.
"Thank you." She whispers into his stomach before hiding the necklace underneath her rags.
"C'mon, you brat! We need to visit the jewelry store." Blysse quickly follows her family out of Otis' boutique. Otis' wife, Vesta, owns the jewelry store. She smiles and greets the families.
"Hello there, everyone. Do you need any help?" Narcissa and Karisma shake their heads and walk around the display cases with their children. The father's head outside to save their spots in the front row for the parade. Vesta smiles and walks over to the young 5-year-old girl.
"Good morning, Vesta." Blysse looks up at the older woman and smiles. She looks around, checking to make sure her family isn't looking. She then shows Vesta the necklace.
"Charlie gave it to me."
"It's very pretty, Blysse." She smiles at the little girl. I sure hope you get away from these people, Blysse. She thinks sadly to herself as Blysse follows her family out of the jewelry store.
"Alright. Everyone is ready. Jake and Nicholas are holding our spots. Brat, go to the bookstore and stay there until I come and get you." Blysse nods and obeys her mother's commands, heading into the Well Read Bookshop. Tiffany looks up from her book and smiles sadly.
"Again, lovebug?" The very small girl only nods at Tiffany's question and walks through the aisle of books. Tiffany sighs in frustration.
Blysse skips down the aisles to the fairytale section of the shop. She grabs Cinderella and walks to the bean bag chairs. Knowing no one else reads fairy tales anymore, she pushes her bangs out of the way, revealing her Mercury-Silver eye.
"No one's here. No one to call me a freak." She mumbles happily to herself as she reads the fairy tale. Tiffany watches with sadness at the young girl. She whirls around at the sound of the bell, signaling the front door opening.
Her eyes widen in shock at the person in front of her. Chester Castro, the 2nd Prince of Bialandi. She bows immediately.
"Good morning, Your Highness." The young prince waves his hand dismissively. He walks around the small store, disinterest evident in his eyes. He stops at the sound of soft giggling.
"You go, princess. Be free." He looks around the corner and spots a small girl, probably around 2 or 3 years old, reading a fairytale. He watches closely as the girl continues to read.
"What are you reading?" The girl jolts and meets Chester's eyes. The prince gasps in shock, his Mercury-Silver eyes meeting her heterochromatic eyes. But what really startled him, is her left eye. The color matches his, a sign of royal blood. The other eye, the purple one, matches his deceased mother's.
"Your Highness! The parade is about to start." The 2nd prince blinks and turns away from the little girl, heading towards the front of the bookshop.