Chapter III.
Esther flinched as Lily tightly bound the corset around her and went straight to work on tying the ends.
"They will be smitten, my Lady!" Lily continued smartly, picking up the stunning pale pink dress that was a personal favorite of Esther's. It loosely swirled at her ankles and the stitched lace made Esther feel older - more mature than she'd ever felt before. A few other maids worked on Esther's thick, caramel hair and twisted it into a beautiful, intricate braid with fresh flowers tucked into it and a quartz headpiece placed atop of her head.
Lily stepped back to admire her handiwork and beamed. "You are as lovely as a summer's day, mi'lady!" Esther shyly smiled at her maid and averted her eyes from her reflection.
"Thank you, Lily, you have such a knack for these things." Lily beamed at the compliment and scurried off to find jewelry embellishments. Esther sighed and slumped down in her chair. When Vera had sent a message down to inform her there was a special guest in the tea room and to dress nicely, Esther wasn't sure what to expect. All she knew was that the kohl that lined her eyes was darker, her corset tighter, and her hair pulled back to reveal her olive skin and powder blue eyes. Even with the loads of makeup, she felt more exposed than ever before. Lily returned with a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and slid them through Esther's ears.
"Beautiful." Lily commented softly, pulling at Esther's braid. There was a quick two-knock at the door and Esther called them in.
"Lady Esther, the guests have arrived." The servant said hastily, feeling the weight of the two women staring at him.
"Well," Esther smoothened her dress with a sad smile. "I suppose I shouldn't keep them waiting." Lily dryly nodded and Esther pushed open the white doors and headed down the hallway to the tea room where Vera and the surprise guests resided. The two burly guards that stood watch attentively pulled open the doors to reveal...
"Piers?"
"Esther!" The Prince jumped to his feet in surprise. "What are you - oh." He seemed to be frozen in time as the realization struck. He spun around to face King Mathias. "You don't mean..."
"Mother?" Esther whipped towards Vera, beyond shocked.
"I'm glad you've had introductions," King Mathias frowned disapprovingly, "Anyhow, marriage." Esther blinked. "Marriage?"
"Duchess, you didn't tell your daughter?" King Mathias leaned back into his seat and lifted his chin in interest.
"I was planning on it," Vera desperately said in a miserable attempt to fix things, but after realizing King Mathias wasn't impressed, "I see you didn't tell your son either."
"Mhm," King Mathias didn't look pleased. "I will have to deal with the paperwork and small details, but we can arrange for the wedding to be...September 21st?"
"Excellent, Your Majesty." Vera flashed a chilled smile.
"And when will I meet with your husband?" King Mathias leaned forward, suddenly very intrigued in hearing what Vera would say. Vera gave a sideways glance towards Esther, who was still completely clueless.
"Maid!" Vera snapped and a curly-haired dame stumbled forward. "Take Prince Piers and my daughter to the courtyard. I will send another maid out when we're finished talking."
"But - " Esther started.
"This is a private conversation, Esther. Go outside." There was no questioning Vera's authoritative tone. Esther bowed her head to the King and moodily went after the maid to the flower-filled courtyard with Piers in tow.
"I can't believe this," Esther muttered. Piers seemed just as awe-struck as she was. "I mean, why would the King want me to marry you? There's no way that I can provide aid." Piers lifted his head, swallowed nervously, then dropped his head. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Piers mumbled.
"What is it?" Esther demanded, feeling anger flow through her veins. Piers sat down in the grass, looking miserable.
"I think my father agreed to this marriage, mainly because you're of...Iranian descent." Piers said.
"What?" Esther sat down next to him, listening intently, "Then why wouldn't he arrange a marriage with Princess Katrine?"
"I overheard him talking about this, but I didn't know it was about you. He was telling the Shaah that he would arrange a marriage between me and the future queen of Iran. And he said that...Princess Katrine died of a disease of some sort, the specifics I don't know."
"Princess Katrine died?" Esther's throat ran dry. "Impossible."
"I might have just heard wrong." Piers continued, obliviously, "But I'm quite certain, because the burial was a few months ago, according to Command-" Piers stopped and carefully watched her reaction.
"Commander Javan." She said, knowingly, forcing back the frown that threatened to expose her true emotion at the fact her friend knew and didn't tell her.
"Yes," Piers hesitantly confirmed.
"I can't believe he knew," Esther replied blithely and ran a hand through her honeyed hair. "I figured he would've found a way to tell me."
"Esther," Piers managed a reluctant smile. "I think there's a bigger conflict at hand, besides the fact Commander Javan didn't tell you Princess Katrine died."
"What could possibly be a bigger conflict? There's no heir to the throne." Esther argued, her mind still distracted by the fact Princess Katrine was dead.
"That's the bigger conflict," Piers handsomely smiled at her, making her forget any Princess Katrine nonsense. "According to the King, the Shaah, and Commander Javan, since your father had an affair, evidently you're the first cousin to Katrine, so you are the heir to the throne."
Esther felt her eyes flutter open, letting the delicious breeze surround her. It was as if she didn't have a care in the world, but as soon as the excellent eyes of the attractive Prince came into her sight, the carefree feeling disappeared and the memories flooded back. She quickly sat up and Piers gently pushed her back down.
"Not so quick," he chastened, clicking his tongue with a frown. "You passed out."
"I've grown a habit of doing that," Esther muttered, wearily.
"It's understandable." Piers assured and Esther slowly pushed herself back up to a sitting position. "I mean, surely, it's a lot to take in."
Esther exhaled and smoothened her dress out as she stood up. Piers followed her movement, but reached down and plucked a red wildflower. He gently slipped it behind her ear and beamed at her in a reassuring manner.
"I...I need to go see Commander Javan and the Shaah." Esther stammered over her words, still blinded by Pier's smile. Was it even possible to have such a pearl white gleam? She shook her head to rid of the vivid imagination and forced a grim expression.
"There's a party to be upheld tonight as a small celebration. They'll be present and you will be my guest." Piers persisted, taking her hands into his own and gave her his most convincing smile. Esther felt hesitant, but Piers was the type of person she felt she could trust. A true friend.
"Thank you," Esther breathed. "Thank you for telling me and helping me."
"It's the least I could do," Piers shrugged and brushed it off like it was nothing - like he hadn't just told Esther she was the next princess of Iran. Esther lifted her eyes at the sight of a mousy-haired maid wading through the tall grass to get to them. She wasn't sure how she'd approach Vera. It was as if Piers could read her mind. "Just act like nothing's happened. It's best if Vera doesn't suspect you know, because she probably didn't tell you for a reason...or she doesn't know." Piers frowned. "If she finds out, I assume she'll bid you off to a much higher power that will offer more than even I can."
"Higher power?" Esther felt her voice drop to a whimper. Piers nodded, but said no more as the maid huffed and panted in front of them.
"The Duchess requests your presence." She curtsied, gripping the edge of her black skirt.
"Very well. Thank you, Emilia." Esther tilted her head at the familiar maid. "My Prince?"
Piers smiled adoringly at her and Esther's heart thumped at the idea of it, "I follow you, my Lady." He bowed.
