WESLEY
I felt odd. It wasn’t the usual odd feeling that I got from being dressed by servants before a court occasion. And yes, you heard me quite clearly. I, the crown prince, was forbidden to dress myself before formal court occasions. Apparently, my taste in fashion was horribly off and leaned more toward a peasant-look as opposed to the noble heir-to-the-throne image my parents wanted to portray. Of course, once I had gotten used to the idea of five trusted male servants seeing me in the buff, it became a piece of cake. Not.
Despite my rampant fury at being treated like a child, I held still until the last godforsaken brooch was pinned. After all, it wasn’t the servants’ fault that they were assigned to deal with me.
The only thing I was allowed to do for myself was my hair. Nobody could ever get the perfectly-tousled look that I could achieve. After dismissing the man servants with a warm smile, despite my unbridled need to strangle something, I enjoyed the few rare moments of solitude I had been allowed.
Queen Elise and her court had arrived a week ago; Mother was holding a ball in honor of the occasion. I hadn’t managed to catch a glimpse of either of the elusive princesses in that time. Perhaps today I would finally meet someone I could learn to love. Though the thought didn’t make me happy, I knew that it would give Mother and Father the peace of mind they deserved. I knew they had a fear that they would pass on into the void without ever seeing me attain the state of marital bliss that they had. I knew that the chances of me falling in love were slim to none, seeing as I had developed a hatred for what I deemed as an ‘average noble woman’s attitude.”
From the day of their birth, every woman of even the faintest noble lineage was trained in the same manner. A lady was silent, a lady had to act as though she was compassionate, a lady was frail and delicate, a lady was always dependent upon her husband, and a lady must never eat enough to satisfy her hunger, a lady must never forget her place. Let us not forget the arrogance that came with being nobility.
On and on the list went, filled with ridiculous notions that I had never understood. The most ridiculous thing I found that women did was fainting. I was not quite sure how, but I was nearly positive that they had taught each other how to faint properly, so even in their state of distress, they would still look graceful and full of poise.
When I heard trumpets announce the arrival of the royalty, I allowed myself to be led by my guards to the ballroom. Pasting a welcoming expression to my face, I turned my head slightly in the direction of my favorite guard, James. He snickered lightly and nodded his head nearly infinitesimally, signifying that my expression looked genuine.
Waiting for a courtier to announce my presence, I ignored the eyes I could feel burning holes into my chest. “Announcing the arrival of his royal Highness, Prince Leonardo Wesley Whitely, Prince of the Land of Light, Duke of….” The courtier drawled on, sounding out of breath by the time he had finished listing my titles. “Or you could always call me Prince Wesley.” I said warmly, nearly smirking when I heard the light laughter filter through my ears. Apparently I had been a little late, seeing as most of the introductions were already over. “Announcing the presence of her royal Highness, Princess Solisa Mariana Alexandra of the Kingdom of Liriad, Beauteous Flower of the Land of All….” And on and on he went, gasping by the end of his recitation. Happy that the irritating introductions were over, I hurried over to Queen Elisa and the woman who had been announced as Princess Solisa.
As I drew near, I understood why everyone who had traveled into the land of Liriad raved about the beauty of the princess. She was a lovely little thing, barely reaching my shoulder, with pale hair that was blindingly bright in the radiance of the ballroom. She had an adorable little button nose, with a little rosebud mouth and a wonderful peaches-and-cream complexion, nicely offset by her daring pale green gown. And judging by the tightness around the bust, this little fairy had more than enough womanly curves to keep a man entertained. I knew by the time I had reached them, she was a perfect example of the ‘average noblewoman’s attitude’. Nevertheless, I bent over her mother’s hand first, as courtesy demanded, gently brushing it with my lips. "A pleasure, Queen Elise, to see you once more," I said crisply.
