Royal Blood

Chapter Four

The palace has been a buzz ever since my mother gave the order for the ballroom to be set up for the ball. There has been a camera crew in since Thursday filming the behind the scenes for a special programme that will air an hour before the ball is suppose to start. This is suppose to show all the hard work the palace puts in but personally I think  it shows how shallow my mother is. I really do wonder how her brain her works.

I'm woken up early on Saturday by some of my maids who try and shake me out of bed.

"Your highness, it is time that you got up."

"If I am not mistaken, it is only six in the morning and I'm not even sure the sun is up." I grumble at one of them. This only result is them opening the blinds to show me that the sun is up and is now streaming through my widow.

I reluctantly get up and notice that my breakfast has been delivered to my room. I begin to start eating while my maids are running me a bath. Today is mainly going to be spent with me getting prepped and ready for the ball tonight which roughly translates to me being suffocated by my entourage for whole day.

Before I've had chance to finish eating I am practically being dragged into the bath. This is one of the things I hate the most about televised events is the fact that my maids have to be the ones who bathe me as if I am child. I guess I would be embarrassed by this but I have known these women since I was a baby. 

It takes them a while to wash my hair because of how long it is and then every inch of my body is scrubbed clean. I'm pulled out of the bath and seated in front of my vanity mirror.

"Your mother has picked out a dress for you to wear tonight along with the mask."

"Mask?" I ask my maid.

"The queen has last minute decided that the ball is going to be a masked one, luckily for you princess there are many masks within the palace from previous masquerades."

"That sounds like fun." I say hoping they believe me when in reality it sounds like my mother is trying to hide who she really is.  "When do I get to see the dress?"

"I believe it is being delivered to the palace as we speak. Louis will bring it up as soon as it arrives. You will look beautiful in it though."

"You've seen it?"

"Of course we have you highness. A photo was sent to us so we know how to do your make up. How do you want your hair?"

"I'm not sure. Do you know if Crystal is coming tonight?" Crystal is my cousin and the closest I have to a friend.

"I think she is. Why?"

"Well if we can find out how she is having her hair then I'll have mine the same way. The public have always loved it when we look the same."

Crystal and I have always looked really similar ever since we were little. Her father and my father were brothers so she has also inherited dark hair which is almost as long as mine. The main difference between us is our eyes. Where mine are a jade green, hers are a piercing blue. Her dark hair definitely makes her eye stand out.

When we were little people used to 'ooh' and 'ahh' when they saw us, especially if we were dressed the same. I'm hoping I can recreate those feelings tonight.

"We'll find out for you your highness. We'll start with your make up then." And so they do.

It feels like I am caked under so much make up but when I look into the mirror I have to admit I look good. I have smoky eye makeup on with killer winged eyeliner and my lips are a bright shade of red. Just after my makeup has finished being applied there is a knock on my door and Louis walks in carrying a dress in a bag.