Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Twenty Five

THE PRINCE

I went downstairs to breakfast the next morning to a much smaller table and considerably less girls. Most of them looked cheerful but I saw some red eyes and forced smiles. Ella was seated across from me again and she had on a much more pleasant smile than she had yesterday.

   I sat down and clinked my glass to get their attention. "Good morning ladies. As I'm sure you've noticed we're missing a, uh, rather considerable amount of people this morning and unfortunately that will just be part of the process. A part I don't like, but a part that must happen none the less. I'm truly sorry if you have lost a friend and wish to send my condolences," I nodded around and got a few nods back. "But let us carry on shall we? I'm sure you all saw the schedule posted in your room this morning, and today will be a very busy day indeed."

That seemed to spur some chatter as girls turned to each other and began talking about the schedule. After breakfast Sam would take the girls on a tour of the castle while I attended some political matters back in my fathers office. His health was much improved since the ball but the doctors as well as myself thought it necessary to keep him out of the office as little as possible to keep the stress off of him.
   After the girls tour, they would spend some time in the library learning a bit of the history of the country, and then afterwards I would join them for lunch on the Rose patio. After that they had a considerable amount a free time in their rooms or around the castle before a semi-formal dinner in the dining room followed by a surprise event.
   Well, surprise to them. One by one the girls would be lead into my office where Sam, the Duke, and myself would be conducting a series of questions. Some simple like a few history questions to make sure they were paying attention earlier and I'm not marrying someone who knows nothing about the place where she's living and the people she will be ruling; to more specific questions about the ball I was sure only E could answer.

   I had switched up the seating today, except for Ella's seat, and I turned to the new girls seated around me and started up simple conversation about how they liked the palace, where their rooms alright, and a few personal questions about their family. All of them where so nice I found myself distracted from my food until Sam walked in and announced breakfast was over and it was time to start the tour. I bid the girls ado and it was as I was walking to my office I realized I had completely ignored the other girls, as well as Ella.
   Groaning at my mistake I shook my head and tried to push the minimal amount of regret out of my head and opened the doors to my – well my fathers- office and sat down at his desk. It seemed there was twice as much paperwork than there was yesterday, and a stack of letters I needed to sign that would be sent to the girls who got sent home this morning. Pushing the probably more important work aside, I grabbed my pen and got to work on the letters.

ELLA

  The tour was only amusing because of the people's reactions as I was walking around with them. Sam was an excellent tour guide, pointing out things I had never noticed about the castle and taking us places most people aren't allowed to go. But it was when we got to the brilliant architecture of the grand ballroom, something most girls hadn't taken advantage of during the ball because of all the people, and outside to the carefully crafted gardens that the girls went nuts. Me? I was anxious to get to the library, one of the few rooms in the palace I actually hadn't seen.
   So when Sam pushed the library doors open I found myself gaping next to the other girls. The library was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. Floor to ceiling windows gave the room amazing natural light. The room itself was two stories, with a grand staircase leading up to the second level. The bottom floor was huge with tens of hundreds of bookshelves stacked so high I couldn't even read the titles of the top books. Now I had never really been a book person since the "reign of Mary", I just simply didn't have time or money to spend on books, but this room made me want to spend every waking moment I had left reading anything I could get my hands on. Even if you didn't like to read you still had to appreciate the beauty of the room.
  
"Ladies if I could please direct your attention to this side of the room," Sam called, gesturing to a cleared out space with couches and chairs spread out facing a projector screen.
   We all walked over, somewhat sulking about the abrupt end of our tour, to the chairs. I plopped down on a coach next to Grace who smiled at me as she made room. I was so thankful when I woke up this morning and went down to breakfast and I saw Grace's smiling face at the table. I was even a little glad to see June, but it was Grace I would have missed. I wouldn't exactly call us close friends, but she had become someone that made me feel a little more comfortable here in the castle; someone I knew who would save me a seat on a couch when I had no one else to sit with.
   "For the next hour and a half you will be getting a brief history lesson on the country and the royal families throughout the years. I'm sure you've covered most of this in your own schooling but this is just here as a refresher," Sam said, and passed out some small notebooks and pens for note taking. I scoffed a little when I got my notepad and pen as both of them had the royal symbol on them, even on the pages of the notebook. Typical royals, covering everything they owned with their symbol.