Erivale: The Lost Princess

Chapter 7: Part 2

The next day felt stressed and crammed in a way I wasn't prepared for, and it wasn't just me. The short timeline for arranging for such a large ball meant the entire palace was beginning to run around like lost chickens. Preparations such as decorations, floral arrangements, and even guests attending from far away were starting to arrive. There were going to be over 200 guests staying within the palace and another few hundred coming the day of.

A ball such as this was not ordinary; the cost and the labor it took to set up were kept for the most exclusive of occasions. Apparently, I was considered worthy of an exclusive occasion.

I wondered why my parents were putting so much time and effort into this event, or I guess mainly just Luciana's time, and energy-Heinrich worked on other stuff pertaining to diplomacy and Ithican law. Even so, they were putting such a focus on the ball, and yet I felt like I hardly got to see them.

The dinner on my first night at the palace was the only private moment I have had with them. At this rate, I would never be able to get to know them, and I once again felt like I was being forgotten. Although I was hypocritical with my sentiments; even I was far too busy with my lessons to truly carve out some time to spend with them.

Today would be another busy day on the docket without a breath to spare in free time. Soren and Gerard had adjusted my schedule today to cancel history, literature, and language so that I could spend extra time practicing etiquette and learning about those who would be in attendance. I needed to put my best foot forward in every aspect in front of the scrutiny of the council.

Dance lessons took up another large portion of the day until I could get through the dances without stepping on Soren's toes. It wasn't the prettiest dancing in the world, but it worked, and that was all that mattered. I didn't even have time for dinner before I was rushed off to meet with Jae. Gerard had privately spoken to him about the mix up with the dress; I had tripped and accidentally torn it. Jae would be trying to fix it tonight.

Once again entering the fitting room with Gerard on my heels, I was met with the sight of Jae leaning over a table working away on a shimmering dress. "It's good to see you! Let's take a look at that dress and see what we can do." His voice sounded happy, which I was thankful for. I was afraid he would be mad at me for the tear in the dress. I handed the fabric to him.

His eyes widened slightly at the large rip that went front top to bottom of the bodice. "When Gerard mentioned the tear, he said it was bad, but I didn't realize it was quite this bad. You tripped, and it tore?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry."

"Its, okay, it's okay." He brushed my fretting off. "Go ahead and put it on, and I'll see what we can do."

I was ushered behind one of the room dividers and changed into the dress. I had to hold it up in the front again to keep it from slipping off of my body. The tear completely eliminated the hard work Jae had done to tailor the dress to fit me. Walking out, I stood in front of the mirror, and Jae simply stared for a while.

Nervous under his scrutiny, I decided to break the silence, "So, can you fix it?"

"Maybe, it won't be easy. It might just be easier to find a new dress. But I must ask again, you tripped, and it tore?"

My mouth felt dry as I replied. "Yes, I can be quite clumsy."

"The thing is, a tear like this requires a lot of force as if it was pulled purposely."

"Purposely? I don't know what you're talking about."

Jae sighed. "Yes, you do. Tell me who did it. At this point, I think I have a pretty good guess."