Fall Into You

20

everybody's watching her
but she's looking at you

It was the night of the ball. Nicollette was anxious. She'd been to a few balls here and there, yeah, and not to mention all of the social events leading up to this. But this ball? It seemed... more important than the others. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the fact that this was her first official date with a boy - a Prince, at that. Perhaps it was the fact that everyone in Aradia and the towns surrounding it who were of any sort of importance would be there. That meant all of the Princes, Princesses, Dukes, Nobles, etc. Anyone who had any sort of importance to royalty or had the money or fame in their kingdoms was invited. It was being held away from the Sutcliffe residence, which was different than what Nicollette was used to.

Usually, when there was a social event or something she had to dress up for, she'd put on a small ball gown and head from her house to the Sutcliffe mansion, where they held all of her balls (Not including the one held at Candice's mansion). This was somewhere she didn't really care to know the location of, in a giant building. She'd be riding with Tobias in his carriage to the event, arriving with him, and he'd be bringing her home at the end of the night.

If this were any girl from the town, they'd probably be excited. And sure, Nicollette had sort of gotten used to doing royal things, but she hadn't had to ever wear a gown this puffy and big. She felt ridiculous, and what made matters worse was the fact that it was pink.

Ever since she met Candice, she hadn't been able to wear pink. She felt too insecure, thinking it didn't fit her. But, because this was her first ball, her mother insisted on wearing the color to look like a princess. And as much as Nicollette tried to come up with excuse after excuse as to why she shouldn't wear that one, it just pushed her mother more toward the decision of making her wear it.

It was beautiful, for sure, but Nicollette wasn't sure if it was right for her. Pink and puffy, with intricate designs that glittered when she moved. Sparkles were in the fabric of the dress as well, so anytime any light would hit it - she sparkled. It was strapless, and so Malia and the other maid who did her hair and makeup took advantage of it. They covered her in sparkles, matching the aesthetic of her dress. They even sprayed some glitter in her hair once they finished curling it.

She felt like a disco ball. Yeah, she was gorgeous to anyone except for herself, but that didn't change the fact that she felt too shiny. The last thing she needed or wanted was to be the center of attention, and it seemed like that was exactly what Malia and the other servant had been going for.

Nicollette watched as Malia gently latched the diamond necklace around her neck. It was the one Tobias had gifted her weeks ago when she found out about Matthias and Candice being engaged. She hadn't worn it or even taken it out of the velvety box since receiving it, but she knew it made sense to wear it tonight since it was given to her in hopes of her going with Tobias, after all.

After Nicollette was ready to go, Malia led her out of her room and down into the main room of the Terilow house. Tobias was already there and waiting - right on time as he usually was. Estella chatted with him and Merlin, all three of them dressed accordingly for the giant ball. 

It had taken a while for Tobias to notice Nicollette's appearance, mostly because he was engaged in whatever Estella was saying. Merlin was the first to notice his daughter, his lips in the usual thin line. 

Although his daughter looked beautiful, it didn't change the fact that it didn't seem like Nicollette. It was obvious she was out of her comfort zone, but because she was acting the part, he didn't say anything on his end either.