Heiress ∣ Nate Archibald

Six

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Long ago, when European royals grew bored with palace balls, they took a page from the peons and added some pageantry. Couture and canapés are just another Saturday night. Until you add a mask. But preparing for a ball is an event in itself. Why is why Queens invented handmaidens.

Stitching together yet another layer of red fur onto her ball gown Ophelia let out a sigh of frustration, she knew she should've just bought a dress instead of insisting she could make one of her own, but the raven-haired girl was determined to prove to herself that her passion could be a career. "Spencer!". The heiress called through the house, currently sat in the middle of her plush bedroom floor with her nearly completed dress and layers of material scattered around her body. "What! What's going on? Are you okay?". The panicked voice of her older half-brother came close, footsteps heavy on the tiled kitchen floor before he finally reached her room. "What is all this?". "My dress for the ball tonight but I may just wrap myself in it and throw myself in a six-foot ditch instead - have any suggestions on where I can find one?". 

"You called me in here for a fashion emergency? El I was in the middle of meeting preparations!". Spencer sighed, half of relief and half of annoyance. "I'm not going to complete this and be able to pick up my custom mask and gloves in time. Will you please do your baby sister a favor and go get them for me?". "This is why we should hire maids." The older boy huffed before continuing. "Where's Alex? Can't he do it." "As much as I appreciate him, I do not trust him enough to pick up something so delicate without my guidance. Please Spence, I'll make it up to you." 

Participating in yet another Spencer/Ophelia stare-off the heiress smirked as her older brother finally caved and held his hand out for the intricate instructions he knew she would've already written out. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I would hug you if I could move." "Yeah yeah, carry on with your masterpiece creation." The older brother encouraged before walking out of the penthouse in search of each designer store his sister had listed for him. Smiling in relief the young raven-haired girl stretched her hands out once more before taking a quick look at the remaining fabric and continuing with her creation - determination renewed once again now that she knew the rest of her outfit would be taken care of.

Ophelia spared a few glances towards her phone to check any urgent phone calls or Gossip Girl updates throughout the hours but to her relief none piqued her interest enough to deter her from her design. The heiress struggled to make time for herself most days, not in the sense of shopping or the actions she completed but in the case of her passions. The recent return of her Aunt Eleanor had inspired the teenager to start taking her own dreams seriously and what better time to do that then the party of the season - at least in the heiress' eyes. 

Several more hours passed, many groans of frustration and more curse words than you'd ever imagine before the brunette had a wide smile spread across her face alongside a rare look of accomplishment; admiring the final work she had now managed to complete. From the original sketch to the sourcing of material and each stitchwork - it was all a result of what could happen when Ophelia Waldorf-Huntington focused all of her energy, talent and determination onto one thing.