The Unexpected Crown

One

Hey guys! I decided to try the first chapter of the new version! I also changed who plays Corrine! Please vote and tell me what you think!
Love you all❤️

Smack.

I cringe inwardly as Mother scolds me for the seventy fourth time about my lack of instrumental abilities. In other words, I cannot play any instrument to save my life. It's not that I'm not talented! I can sing, dance, and study for hours on end, I just can't play piano. Yet, in my mother's mind, piano is what makes you a proper lady.

"Corrine, you mustn't stretch your fingers! How many times do I have to tell you that? Keep them curled. Again." Mother doesn't try to be a heinous wench, she just naturally is. The same with most people I am surrounded by. We are one step below the royal family. It didn't matter that a few generations ago they removed the castes, invisible lines remain. Father and I are a rare exception from the high class. He has taught me to care for others and the world around us, to not only think of ourselves.

I press the keys in an unrhythmic manner while thinking back to when father first took me to the poor side of town. Lower middle class populate that area. While they weren't on the streets begging for scraps, they definitely weren't accustomed to gowns, tutors, and silly pleasures. The first homeless woman I saw momentarily stopped my breathing. Her hair was matted and her golden skin was covered in grime. Even while bundled in rags to keep from the Northern cold, you could see her bony frame. Right then and there I gave her all the money I had with me and my coat. I go back every Thursday evening to the slums to help them.

"Stop. I've heard enough of your awful playing. Now you must get ready for the Prince's ball this evening and we must do something about your dreadful hair." Mother has always fancied big and bold, so while I've kept my dark brown curled locks she has gone from brown hair to fire red and then to a blond that is just too close to resembling a lemon.

I exit the music room and take a slight detour to the stables. My haven. It is the one place where I truly feel like I belong. I can be myself and read as many books as my heart desires and sing until my throat goes raw. My only audience is my horse named Storm. She is a younger, sprightly horse that has the silkiest gray coat imaginable.

"Hey there Storm." I greet in a soft voice. I haven't been out with her recently and I am starting to feel guilty about keeping her cooped up like this all the time. She neighs in a quiet manner and walks around restlessly.

"Don't worry baby, I'll take you out for a ride tomorrow." I assure her while brushing her coat. Sadly, I must leave before mother asks me as to which gown I will wear tonight to just find out I haven't even been up to my room yet.

Just as I stand atop the final step, the floorboards creak and my mother comes out from her personal parlor room in a fury. Her brown eyes narrow at me while taking in my appearance. My brown hair now has a few straw pieces coming out of it and my green dress is now littered with dirt stains.

Thwack!

A second painful hit collides with my cheek. I hold in a gasp before she smacks me again. Her long manicured nails claw my wrist as she drags me off to my room.

"Get ready you incompetent fool! You mustn't ruin your chances with the Prince!" Mother shouts through the locked wooden door. I roll my eyes at her vanity while my maid prepares my bath.

After a few minutes I turn to the hardworking woman, and one of my only friends, "Jasmine, do you think she will ever treat others respectfully?"

She responds turned around while I slip into the water, "Probably not, Miss. She is a cruel woman and I can only be grateful that I don't have to deal with her!"

I nod along with her words while swirling the water. My mind slowly drifts off to the one and only thing or should I say person, she does put above herself.

"Yes sadly, that's very true. Jas, what do you know about the Prince? Is he as self absorbed as the rest of them?" King Cole is known for his high taxes. He might be a good man but none of the poor thinks of him as anything but cold hearted. Well, he is to everyone except Queen Georgia. She is mostly nonexistent in the palace. Only around to take care of balls, parties, and her children. The youngest is Princess Gracelyn, a cheerful, flirty sort that is well onto being a wanton herself. That is at least the gossip Mother always talks about. Then there is Prince Hunter. I haven't heard much about him other than his looks. Blond hair, extremely fit, and blue eyes that you just want to stare into.

"Well I know he's a handsome man. He accompanies his father on most trips, I reckon he'll be a lot like his father. Did you ever know that my sister, Bethany, was in his selection? I went to the palace once and he was such a kind man. Nothing like the tabloids picture him as today. Sadly, my sister married off to a wealthy actor and my parents passed leaving me without any family or money. They were gambling folk and were in debt when they died leaving me to pay them off. Be thankful for the life you have, it could change any moment." Shock consumes me as I sit quietly, thinking of something to say in response. I never really knew about her past, whenever I brought it up before she would swiftly dismiss the subject.

"Jasmine, I'm so sorry for all you've been through." Is all I can manage through a tight throat. Helping out with the lower classes makes me feel good but I don't know them like I know Jasmine. It's harder hearing sad stories from the people closest to you.

"Now dear, I mustn't depress you before the big celebration. You must look stunning for that Prince. Puffy eyes won't do at all!" She giggles while wiping a small tear that escaped from my eyes.

"I do not think I'll ever be ready for such an advantageous party. I find them quite silly. Why waste money and time when you won't remember the events in the evening in the morn?" I point out the fact that all royal parties love to have continuous glasses of champagne flowing. Never never have a glass in your hand is Mother's motto.

"Miss, many would love to go. At least enjoy part of the night dear." Jasmine exclaims while I step out of the tub and into one of my silk robes. The thought of dancing till morning makes me smile but who exactly I'd be dancing with brought it back to a flat line.

"I suppose."