The Princess- A selection story

Chapter 12- Adeline

The royal ball was about to begin. I stand with my uncle and aunt, as Isabella was deemed too young to attend such an event at a late time. This means I now represent the monarchy. We walk into the ball, and everyone curtsies. The Illean royals follow and the gesture is the same. Silvia is here and watching all of the girls closely, including me, which is odd but fair enough. I suppress the burning desire to introduce Silvia to my own wretched tutor here in the palace.

Soon I can leave my family's side and mingle. Young Spanish noblemen were invited, along with some foreign royalty. I do my duty chatting with some selection girls, but the second I notice princess Harriet of the German federation I excuse myself.

"Harriet!" I grin, embracing her. "Could Nicoletta not make it too?" She shakes her head and sighs "sadly not. Nic's parents have her on serious Italian business today." I shrug my shoulders "At least you made it." Harriet smirks "wouldn't miss it for the world. I do intend to scope out your competition tonight." Quietly, I sigh "cmon Harriet. We both know I'm not competing here. As long as I make it far enough, I'm free from duty." Harriet looks confused "So you don't like him?" I can't help but blush. "We are friends." Smirking at me, she prods me in the arm. "I have a feeling your perspective may soon change. The more you connect with him, the more you'll realise that he could be freedom personified, and the Illean castle your humble abode." We giggle, and I am so happy to be back with one of my best friends. "Keep this in mind though- you won't know how much you love him until you lose him." Maxon approaches us "Princess Adeline. Princess Harriet." He bows, and we curtsy. "May I steal you away for a dance Princess Adeline?" I look at Harriet, smiling "I'll see you later." She nods, eyes twinkling.

Maxon leads me to the dance floor and I ask "how good are you at dancing?" "I'm pretty good. How about you?" Smirking, I whisper "let's see if you can keep up." The following couple of dances were magical. He was truly a good dancer and we complimented each other well. When we had to separate for a while, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I refused to dance with any other men. Purely because I was now illea's property, and most of the Spanish men who asked me to dance had approached me with their intentions before. I knew exactly what they'd try to do. Later on in the night, I think Maxon has noticed this, and he comes over to me. "Are you saving all of your dances for someone in particular?" he's smiling mischievously "well yes, seen as I have met all these Spanish noblemen before and I know full well a dance isn't all they want from me." Maxon's face drops in horror "you mean..." "what I mean is that they've all been presented as suitors for me in the past, and none of them take rejection well nor do they understand boundaries so I'd rather not feed the flame here." He takes my hand. "I won't let them say or do anything to you." I smile "don't worry. They're on my turf, and they know it. I'll be fine, but perhaps you should ask some of the girls to dance. Marlee? Maybe." He nods, seeing that he must distribute his attention equally, and goes to finds her to ask for a dance.

The rest of the night goes by quickly. I enjoyed it, conversing with the other girls, catching up with Harriet, everything just felt so perfect. When the night ends, I begin to dread the meeting of the next day.

King Clarkson decided that the meeting should be early in the morning, to lessen the impact of my involvement. I wake up an hour earlier than required, as my uncle and I wanted our own discussion before the king came in. We spoke about the upcoming deal, finalising it between us. Then the King walks into the meeting room, Maxon following him. This was a surprising move, as I did not expect to see him so involved. However, we sit across from each other and allow the kings to begin. My uncle makes his offer, and I describe the terms. This is how our partnership usually works, as he is the one with the resources and I am the one who closes the loopholes. Thankfully, the offer is well received by King Clarkson. Within an hour of the meeting's end, we are ready to fly back to Illea.