A Blessing in Disguise

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“This thing is so...damn...itchy!” the girl exclaimed exasperatedly, pulling at the lavish silk that clung to her body. The soft turquoise dress she was wearing was wrapped so tightly it was at the point of nearly suffocating her. She wanted out, and it wasn’t just out of the dress. She wanted to leave the useless, pointless, boring party that was the reason she was wearing the ridiculous dress.

However annoying though, even she had to admit the dress was quite beautiful. The heart neckline bodice was designed to hug at her curves, hips and upper thighs, emphasising them. The dress was supported by a strap on her right shoulder that split into two, one travelling down her side, the other stretching across to meet with the backless bodice on the other side. A line of interweaving swirls and curls ran down the front of the bodice from the strap to her left hip, white in colour and adorned with sequins and jewels. The silk on the bodice was elegantly pulled towards the curling design, where it supported the material. The rest of the dress was loose, falling to the ground and pooling at her feet, hiding them. Whenever she moved, the folds of the dress rustled, rippling and whirling around the floor.

She blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and continued yanking at the restricting piece of clothing. Laughter, chatter and clinks from small toasts buzzed around her, giving her a headache. She smelt wine, rich food and heavily applied perfume, and the combination made her gag. People twirled around her, constantly moving, sending her head into turmoil. She couldn’t concentrate, and she certainly could not breathe properly. Not one of her greatest days yet.

“Deal with it,” the tall young man who stood beside her replied unsympathetically, looking straight ahead. “This is the latest fashion, and as one of the highest citizens, you are at the very least expected to wear it. Now stop complaining.”

“That’s easy for you to say, pretty boy,” the girl retorted immediately. “You just get wear a nice normal suit, while I have to suffer in this annoying dress! Seriously, women’s fashion these days is so impractical! What if we’re suddenly attacked? I won’t be able to run, least of all move!”

The man turned around calmly, facing the annoyed short blonde who stared furiously up at him.

“It’s only impractical for you because you’re the only girl in the military.” He gestured towards the other hundreds of women dressed in similar styles. “They, on the other hand, are not. Their heads are full of fluff and stupidity, while yours is only slightly full of fluff and stupidity.”

“Oh, ha ha. Very funny. As the future monarch for this nation, you sure speak well of your people.”

“I think they can deal with a bit of the truth. I’m right and you know it.”

“Yeah, okay, but my head is not full of-”

A soft cough interrupted them. The two friends turned around at the same time, wearing the same guilty expressions. A short man stood in front of them, his head lowered in a respectful bow.

“Your Highness Prince Stefan, Lieutenant Ezri Waldorf, I am Corporal Geoffrey Warren. Would you please follow me? The Colonel would like to speak to the both of you. It will only take a couple of minutes to walk there,” the man said. Ezri and Stefan looked at each other, then Stefan shrugged.