Secretly a Princess

Prologue

"Contessa!" A shrill voice screeched. I rolled my eyes as my older sister burst into my room. She was furious, her blue eyes smoking. I looked up at her as she held up a broken tiara. "What did you do?!" She shrieked. I mushed my lips together in an attempt not to laugh.

Her gold ringlets curled around her arms as she placed em on her hips. Princess Lunarìa, was not amused. Her pale skin was for once, flushed with anger. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. "Um," my voice trembled and I giggled. She growled and her eyes turned icy. "I suggest you don't laugh, Contessa. This is a very serious matter!"

Right, a broken tiara is a serious matter.

I must have said that out loud, because Lunarìa glared even harder at me. If that was even possible. But for Lunaria, anything was. She took one step colder to me, and the temperature dropped ten degrees. Frost coated the walls, the ceiling, the hem of my dress.

"This is- was- my favorite tiara." She said quietly. "I was going to wear it tonight for the ball, but you-!" She cut herself off as she flicked her wrist and ice froze my cat. I screamed. "Tessie!!" The cat moved its eyes around drowsily. "If you want that cat to live, you find a way to fix epmy tiara before e ball." She leaned in closer. "Do I make myself clear?" I nodded shakily. My cat was instantly unfrozen and she began to shiver.

I scooped her up in my arms and heated my palms to warm her up. Lunarìa pivoted on her heel and stormed out. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. How was I going to fix her tiara. It was entirely gold with emeralds and rubies on it. I examined the problem after setting my cat down. It was split, clean down the middle, and it would take someone who knew what they were coin in order to fix this. I growled in frustration. I didn't even do anything! I knew better that to mess with her tiara collection.

When I was six and she was eight, she threatened to freeze my hair in my sleep if I touched one of her tiaras. So when she caught me. . . I woke up the next morning with my hair frozen to my bedpost. I must have spent about an hour screaming before my mom finally found me and used her flames to consume the ice. Unfortunately, my hair was gone and it took me years to grow it back to my knees.

I shook my head from the thoughts and stood. Tessie purred on my leg. I gently shoved her away. "Not now, Tessie. I have to go fix something." I left my room and requested a guard to come with me to the royal jewler.

***

"So you can fix it?" I asked. The royal jeweler, Alissia, nodded. "Of course! I can fix anything." I smiled. "Good." She took the broken tiara and said, "this will take about three hours." I froze. "What? Three hours?! No, I need that in one hour!" I whined. Alissia shook her head. "I'm sorry princess. But this takes time." I felt tears burn my eyes.

This was my one and only shot! Now, Lunarìa was going to kill my cat. I thought about Tessie, all alone at home. . .I should've taken her with me. I should've told her- "Um, excuse me, princess?" Alissia was gently shaking my shoulder. "Yes?" I said. "You might not approve, but. . . if you want I can make a fake in less than thirty minutes." I raised my eyebrows. "Yes! Thank you so much, Alissia!" I squealed and Alissia smiled. Her hands glowed. "Happy to help." Soon, she was molding a fake gold crown and using the real gems from the real brown to make it look like actual gold.

"Wait, what the weight?" Alissia and I both smiled at the pun. She smiled wider. "Don't worry. It'll be fine." I nodded and reached across the counter to hug her. "Thank you, Alissia."

***

Before the ball began, I was a nervous wreck. lunarìa AME in, holding my cat by the neck. "I know you don't have my tiara, so I'm just going to go ahead and freeze your cat to death." She hissed. My mouth dropped open, and before I could think, a wall of flame lashed out and hit Lunarìa on her arm. She screeched and dropped my cat.

"You're wrong," I breathed to her and held up the fake for her to see.

Please buy it please buy it please buy it please buy it please buy it please buy it please-

She snatched it from me. Then Lunarìa did something completely unexpected. She reached over and hugged me. "Thank you."

Then e she turned away and walked to the red velvet curtains. I trailed after her. We stood for a couple of minutes on the grand stairs, before the announcer said,"may I have your attention please?" The crowd grew silent. "Presenting Princess Lunaria and Princess Contessa." The crowd politely clapped as the curtains pulled back to reveal Lunarìa and me, the former clad in a blue white gown. I had on one of deep red that was backless.

We both smiled and waved, as usual. Even though Lunarìa was doing the exact thing I was, her ice blue eyes were cold. Especially as she spotted her blonde haired ex. He caught her eye and grinned, slinging his arm around some poor girl. Lunarìa scowled, dropping her hand. I tuned to her and plastered a fake smile on my face. "Sister, are you I'll?" She didn't answer. Lunarìa walked down the stairs and schooled her features into a blank, cold state. I hurriedly followed her, nearly tripping over my gown.

Lunarìa breezed past him, her gaze ahead of her as she continued her smooth walk to the dinner table. Women in exquisite dresses immediately moved away from my sister, as ice was coating her fingertips. She picked up an apple and with all the attention on her, she released the damper on her power and the apple froze. "Oops." She said quietly and dropped it to the ground. It shattered into blood red pieces of ice and apple. I looked up at her, gulping. I knew what Lunarìa was capable of, and that apple reminded me exactly what she would do to my poor Tessie if she realized the crown was a fake.

Speaking of Tessie, she slinked out of my mother's arms and to my leg. She purred."Hello, Tessie." I cooed. Lunarìa waved a heavily jeweled hand and said, "go back to what you were doing." The guests quickly turned away and began talking animatedly. Lunarìa was scowling at her ex, who was slobbering all over some girl's neck. She looked angry, but in her eyes I could see sadness. "Luna?" I said softly. "What do you want Tessa?" I scooted closer her. "Are you going to be. . .alright?" She took in a shuddering sigh.

Two months ago, Lunarìa starts courting this handsome lord who was awful for her. He treated her horribly and tried to rape me. Had it not been for Luna's ice, he would've had a nice crisp head. But because Lunarìa still loved him, she stopped my flames from consuming it. I could see she was now regretting it deeply, as she wavered slightly. Then she regained her composure. "Of course I'm going to be, Contessa." I looked at the ground. Lunarìa softened. "Tessa, I'll be fine."

I smiled. "Okay."

***

The party was in all swing. Lunarìa was dancing with some guy. I'm guessing I'll be hearing even more weird sounds in the room next to mine.

I stood off to the side, watching her with a smile. Its not like it was creepy or anything! A figured came into my view. I looked up into the most gorgeous grey eyes in the world. No one, I decided, no one in all of Staria had such lovely eyes. He smiled down at me and I gaped at him. "Hello," he said, and sketched a bow. I giggled. "My name is-"

I never learned his name. Because at that moment, the doors burst open and a loud boom was heard. "Contessa!" My sister shrieked and rushed to me. She immediately wrapped us in a ball of ice. "What's going on?" I asked. "Luna! Tell me!" "Tessa! Shh! Okay?" Lunarìa's ball of ice faded into the shadows and shouts were heard. I remember seein the grey eyed boy lying face down on the ground, a sword through his neck. Blood pooled around him.

It was at this moment that I began screaming. My mother was fighting the intruders. I her saw her again. My dad was dead, several spears going through him. I screamed again. My hands lit aflame with blue fire and Lunarìa grasped my hands, hers covered with ice. "Tessa, please!" !ore shouts were heard and they were upon us. A gist slammed into the ice and shattered it. I heard Lunarìa scream and I lunged for her. Her hands clasped mine again and light erupted around us.
***
Hey peeps, how you doing? The reason I chose this song is because Contessa is in a castle where no one really cares about her. Her sister is rude to her and her mom isn't really there and neither is her dad.

I also chose this song  because of the part when Alessia says she doesn't need a boyfriend. At the end of the apter before the invasion, Contessa meets this dude, buy she doesn't really like him.

And also thank you for the reads😘!