Tense

9 - Not all that glitters is gold

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Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing
Didn't have a dime but I always had a vision
Always had high, high hopes

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"Ladies, focus!" Lady Charlotte's voice bellowed, clapping into her hands twice to get our attention as our lesson on court etiquette commenced . It has been a month since I had promised Eric to do my best to get into the contest. Ever since then my life had been a whirlwind of dancing, table manners, conversation, court ranks and more lessons Lady Charlotte subjected Yana, me and the 33 other girls to non stop. Every day after dinner I would come back to my room exhausted from the day, greeted by my maids with gleeful smiles. The morning after arriving at the palace I was woken up by a woman named Fauna. She was just a bit older than me and was in charge of getting me ready for the day with my other maid Maria, an older woman who loved to tell how she had served her majesty the queen when she had entered the contest. The two were were friendly and seemingly always in a good mood, getting my mind off my own worries when they happily talked about themselves. Both of them grew up in Angeles being honoured when they were accepted into the palace staff when they were just 16. They didn't ask many questions about my past, with Maria telling me to live more in the present than to revel in my past. And they were right. I was a Lady of America now, at least I was training to be, which came with many rules.

Firstly, there were the obvious safety rules that extended beyond training as well: Only eat and drink as well as dress in what the palace provides. There were other rules that also ensured the safety of the people around us, such as harming a fellow Lady, or anyone in court at that or the crown, in any way, which could result in immediate expulsion from the palace. While in training, we were on a tight schedule, that started at 8am every day, ended with dinner around 8pm and a curfew at 10pm. Sneaking out again was not an option anymore, not only did my maids make sure I was sleeping before leaving, but the days wore me out so much I would just fall into bed as soon as I had the possibility, this also ensured we would follow the other rules such as not exiting the palace grounds, or stepping into other buildings on the vast property, which for now were all off limits to us. We also were not allowed to have any romantic or physical relationships, as they would only distract us. Not with anyone, not even with our fellow Ladies.

The small breaks in between classes we did have, or when Lady Charlotte had to take a call I would mostly just take a breath and helped Yana or gave her tips when something came to my mind. In contrast to me she seemed friendly with a lot of the other new girls at the palace.
I mostly kept to myself or watched them chitchat, just like the 6 girls who grew up at the palace who only talked to each other. The girls, all between 17 and 21, were all beautiful and talented which was the reason for them being chosen to come, but except for the ones who had stayed at the palace for long, not many of the new girls had grace or poise to make a good impression on Lady Charlotte, who had ample of criticism to throw around. Sit straight. Chew with the mouth closed. Curtsy not wobble. Look your dance partner in the eye, not stare down the ground, and do not cling to them. Our goal: To be a lady as graceful as silk waving in the wind, instead of rigid as a fence post. These girls must have had even more exhausting days then me, as Lady Charlotte had never acknowledged me during our training sessions. I took that as a good sign as the announcement date for the contest came closer. When the training began Lady Charlotte held a big speech about a Lady's role at the palace, stating that 10 of us will be chosen for the contest, while the ones who weren't chosen, but had potential would be introduced to court, partaking in court life and keeping guests of the palace company. The rest would stay in the Ladies' House to train further and to eventually become palace ambassadors being able to work in the public eye.