The Five Princes - Preview

Chapter 1 - Welcome, Your Highness

"And this is the ball gown of the late Queen Cerene of Aujina, who was said to be the most beautiful of all queens in our country's history."

I bet they said that to all the queens.

I wrinkled my nose at the puffy layers of red and gold lace on the ball gown locked away behind a massive glass case. The headless mannequin was constructed to be the same size and shape as the royal queen, and if I stood in front of the glass just right, it looked like I was wearing the dress instead of the mannequin. I shook my head at my reflection. Not my style.

I stood back as everyone in the tour group cooed, snapping pictures and taking selfies.

One of the other tourists leaned in towards me. "You know," he said, "I heard an interesting rumor about the late queen ..."

"Marina!" the tour guide called over the crowd, walking towards me with her permanent smile. "What do you think of the dress? Wouldn't you like to wear a dress as lovely as this one?"

I cocked my head to the side, considering it.

That was a lot of lace.

"Nah," I replied. "I don't wear anything I can't roundhouse kick someone in."

The tour guide's smile widened, but it didn't go up to her eyes. "Well then!" she said, spinning around to the other tourists. "Let's continue!"

We continued to wander around the castle. It was stunning, to say the least. Twisted wood columns held up grand Greek arches reaching three or four stories high, while gold-and-diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Each room was decorated with traditional gold and teal flower patterns, splashed with modern pieces of cherry furniture and white linens. My footsteps echoed against the marble floor as we walked deeper into the Grand Hall.

"If you look towards the ceiling, you'll see the great history of our dear country of Aujina," the tour guide said. "Starting with the first sunrise to the building of the Cyrus Tower, now the tallest building in the world. It brings in lovely tourists, such as yourselves."

"I came here for the food," another tourist said, squeezing the tips of her fingers together and raising them to her mouth. "This country is known for its famous fisheye soup. We're actually going to eat it tonight in this very castle with a special guest! I wonder who it is? Can you believe it?"

"Fisheye soup, huh?" I replied, trying not to outwardly cringe.

"Did you see the tower?" one of the other tourists asked us both.

I nodded. "My dad planned the entire trip. A train to the countryside, cultural museums, landmarks, the Cyrus Tower, and then the castle itself."

"Sounds wonderful!"

I rubbed the side of my face, nodding unenthusiastically. It was a wonderful trip, but it felt more like a field trip than a graduation present. My parents had arranged the entire thing, but Dad had business in Hong Kong and Mom had a fashion show in Milan, so neither of them had come with me. And God forbid I was left alone for more than twenty minutes. Dad hired tour guides, escorts, and even police officers to watch me for the entire two-week trip. How do you even hire a police officer?

I guess the CEO of a massive international trade company can do anything he wants.

As the tourists began to talk about fisheye soup again, I looked up at the intricate designs in the ceiling. There was a lot of history here, so different from the simple Californian mountains. Here there were turquoise temples, myths of ancient heroes and magical dragons, people who shape-shift from human beings to animals. The ceiling showed the battles of the past and the technology of the present. There was a long string of kings and queens painted around the border of the giant ceiling mural. One of the queens was painted holding a wine glass overflowing with deep crimson wine. The painter had done a shoddy job, though. It looked more like blood than wine.