Arranged

4: In The Name of Tradition

There is a light knock at the door before it is wedged open, one of the maids poking her head through the open space. "Princess, your mother is waiting for you in the fitting room."

"Please tell her I'll be down in a minute," Kalia responds and she complies, leaving the door ajar.

Kalia rose from her sitting position, patting down her not-too-short, pleated skirt, allowing it length. "Well, that's your queue to blow my brains out."

"Now, now, Kalia; that is no way a lady speaks," Ophelia imitated the voice of their father, complete with the stance.

Kalia laughs at her silliness, and makimg her way downstairs to the large double doors that led to the fitting room. The room behind it was laced with gold undertones, the ceiling hanging high with an ostentatious chandelier dangling from the centre; working with the natural light seeping through the glass wall. Clothes hung from the gold bars attached to the walls, the left side decorated with clothes tailored for His and Her Majesty, and the right was dedicated for all four princesses of the kingdom.

"Kalia, there you are," Queen Lania stood by a horde of gowns, their stylist by her side, motioning Kalia to come over. She approached them, greeted by Nathalie with a kiss on her hand, a respectful gesture.

"There's no need for that, Nathalie." Other than the title, Kalia didn't believe that she was above her in any way. She wasn't the Queen... not yet, anyway.

"Always so humble, princess," Nathalie's voice sounds out, soft and pleasant to the ear. "Come."

Kalia follows her to a rack that held arrays she hadn't laid her eyes on before. They were all dresses, of different tints, outlines, features and lengths. "Are these all new?"

"Of course. Made special for your chance with His royal Highness." Kalia resisted the urge to groan. She was not looking forward to meeting the Prince, let alone his family. Though that was true, she was still nervous. What were they like? Were they mean? Would they hate her? She cursed the succession of her inner need please others.

"Well, I have an errand. Call for me when you've made a choice," her mother, the Queen, announces as she walks toward the adjacent doors. Kalia's mouth drops.

"You're letting me choose the dress?"

Lania looks at her daughter long and hard. "I'm trusting you to choose the best one. I know you won't disappoint me."

The guilt trip. Kalia sighed.

Flicking through the dresses briefly, she noticed that they were all beautiful. Nothing short of striking, but of course this was expected when your clothes were tailored for you, to your taste. She had to complement Romeo, the royal kingdom's royal tailor, the next time she saw him; even though this didn't help with her grand scheme. Ophelia's dress would just have to be better.

Nathalie was helping her into the third dress when she decided to make conversation. "So, Kalia, how are you handling this whole deal?"

"How do you think?" It came out harsher than she desired. Nathalie didn't take it to heart.

"You know, arranged marriages aren't as bad as you might think. My sister married a man that was arranged by his parents. They fell in love and are very happy now."

Kalia narrowed her eyes. "My mother told you to speak to me, didn't she?"

Nathalie gave Kalia an apologetic smile. "What I said, it's true. It's best if you go into this with that mind-set, your life will be much better in the future."

"But what if I don't want it to work? There is nothing for me over there. I don't want to leave."

"Come on, darling. You've always wanted to travel, haven't you?"

"To Europe, Nathalie. Not fat-food central."

She laughs, handing Kalia a new dress to try on after coming to a mutual disagreement on the last. It was stunning, but it wasn't the one. "You could put on a few pounds. You're a princess, not a swimsuit model."

"I like my body the way it is, thank you very much."

Nathalie doesn't entertain her back. "You know what I mean. Here, try this one," she says, stripping Kalia out of the last and into the next.

It was gorgeous. The rose pink was a tone Kalia had never pictured to suit her, but it worked in tandem with her light honey-tinted skin. She twirled to marvel at the back, at the way the spaghetti straps wrapped around her back like a bow on a gift, holding the dress together. She had to admit, it brought her joy to feel pretty in such a lovely gown, but she wished the occasion was worthy of it.

Nathalie pulled the pin out of Kalia's mop, allowing the dark, tight bun to run loose in the form of arched locks, trickling over her shoulders, stopping at her waist. "You will make a beautiful bride, princess." 

The thought of being a bride not far down the road was a massive detour from the future Kalia had laid out for herself at the mere age of seventeen. "How about we get this nightmare of a convene out of the way before we start making promises."

Nathalie lets out a hearty laugh. "I mean it. Try to be happy. Marriage is a beautiful thing."

Kalia had always believed in accordance to that, but only with the right partner. Somehow she couldn't fathom why anyone believed that this would be the case with a man she was yet to meet, and indefinitely would be tied to in marriage, if he sees fit. It was a partial world, and Kalia happened to be so unfortunate to be on the lacking spectrum. There wasn't much to do about it now, she thought miserably, and there wasn't much logical reason to dwell on such a fate.

Looking back at the gown slick on her body in the mirror, she resigns, for now. "I suppose this is the one."

Delight filled Nathalie's eyes as she started to clap excitedly. At least, she was eager on Kalia's behalf.

"I don't know what he is expecting to find of you when he arrives, but I know this: if he can manage to keep his eyes off of you in this fit, I will ship him back to the States my self."

Kalia laughs at her old friend's bold words, and they make her feel better. Lately it had felt as though everyone in the palace that she thought was rooting for her had yielded in the name of tradition, and maybe they hadn't a choice, and maybe she didn't have one either. But she had only one shot with her plan, and she wasn't going to miss.

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