Warm pinkish light illuminated this five-star hotel room. Tall windows and shimmering curtains, exquisite dressing table with oval mirror, soft delicate linens on me could only mean a dream. That was my first impression, the impression I had every morning since coming into this land, the impression which broke like a spell as soon as my consciousness was fully function.
Oh, it's Coronale. I thought and yawned sitting up from the bed. Sharon was tidying up my always tidy wardrobe. "Good morning Sharon."
"Oh, you're awake!" Sharon rushed to me. "How are you feeling Princess?"
"I'm...fine." She seemed more nervous than usual.
She sighed. "You silly girl. You should have told us. I'm going to call Shaph. He's been holding the Princes off all night."
Sharon dashed out of the room real fast but it took only half a breath for Shaph to storm in looking all alarmed. "Princess! I'm so relieved!" He could only go that far. The rest of his words were stamped down by the stampedes of the Princes and Princesses.
Elise was the first to slip from behind Shaph jumping onto the bed and hugged me. "Kara! I was so worried!"
"Elise! Don't do that! Princess's still not well!" Eldrin came in next. He said that but I could see he was almost jumped onto me too.
Jared, Philip, Fayn, Princess Alette and Prince Valentine poured into the room at the same time. Prince Valentine seized the seat beside me and took my hand. "Thank god. Are you feeling all right?"
"Don't touch Kara!" Elise snapped at Prince Valentine. "You're the one who almost kill her!"
"How am I to know she's allergic to lobster too!" Prince Valentine said tetchily to the tiny princess and it brought back my memory. He was equally annoyed when it was my turn. "Are you out of your mind? You told me of your allergy to alcohol. Why didn't you tell me you cannot eat lobster too? You think I wouldn't believe you?"
"Umm. Yes." I answered honestly.
Prince Valentine lost words. Elise and Eldrin stared at me unable to understand what I had said. Philips kept saying he was glad I was better now. Princess Alette was instructing a maid to fetch royal doctors. Jared, like Prince Valentine, was vexed. He made me swear never to eat lobster again. Like I want to eat that thing that much!
Fayn sat opposite of Prince Valentine, at the other side of me taking my other hand in his palm. "Your skin's still red. Does it hurt?"
"No. Sorry. I made everyone worry." I said
Prince Valentine stood up suddenly. "Anyway Princess Kara, you still owe me a dinner. Yesterday was rather chaotic than romantic. I'll take precaution no lobster exists within hundred yards next time."
I meekly surrendered to his obstinacy.
Everyone got up to leave. Sharon followed them making sure nobody stayed behind. I scrambled out of the bed to the dressing table. The mirror showed red patches, the remains of the swollen on my skin. Apart from that, I seemed to be fine and somehow—a little bit different.
There was something peculiar about me. It was not because of the red skin, that much I was sure. I craned my neck puzzlingly making various faces, yet nothing made sense. I couldn't really make out what it was and began to wonder whether they did something to me while I passed out. But when the doctor came he said that he was only giving me some herbal pills to reduce the allergy. He caringly added further on that only the Light of Bila could cure this symptom. I did not really mind. I wouldn't die from not being able to eat lobster. And I tossed the thought about my kind of weird appearance aside thinking it was just an aftermath of staying in this lunatic place for too long.
Nevertheless, this off-feeling reflected out of my reflection whenever I looked in the mirror for the next two weeks. It tugged at the end of my nerves during playtime with Eldrin and Elise which turned into a sword-fighting class as we ran out of games. It pulled at me and wouldn't go with the refreshing wind at the top of the hill where I had another so-called 'date' with Jared. Even the fun with Magic from Prince Valentine's could not put it away, nor did more history and geography with Philip—actually I began to doze off during his classes. I felt kind of guilty but it was so boring.
"Shaph, may we visit the Throne Room?" Philip asked suddenly and I jerked waking up. "It would yield to Kara seeing the faces of her forebears than merely hearing about it."
Shaph seemed reluctant. The Princes were only allowed in some parts of the palace and certainly not the Throne Room part. I was interested because despite having spent time for almost a month here, I had never set a foot into that sacred part of the castle too.
"And she must be stiff from sitting in this room too many hours." Philip said feelingly. He must have noticed that I fell asleep and tried to help me.
Shaph finally agreed and we headed out along the path which was grander than most others. Gold seemed to be the dominant decorations. Slates of gold were let into the wall forming curlicue patterns. While pillars and moldings were made from blocks of gold and lacy arches from slaps of gold. Gold statues and vases sat at each interval greeting passerby with their golden smile. Gold. Gold. Gold, beyond imagination.
The yellow ray form the gold seemed to have magical effect, it made me small, or maybe it was just my feeling. Philip's servant boy, Dan, also looked rather nervous
The throne room was indifferently gold. I began to feel sick. It was such a big help that the portraits lining along the walls were big enough to cover some gold-embedded wallpaper. Dull oil painting on each canvas suddenly looked truly refreshing.
All of the people in there were either old or middle-age. Only the sixth one on the left side was a child, a beautiful light hair boy with blue eyes, probably about ten years old. He was the youngest King among his neighbors.
String of names flowed out of Philip's mouth as if everyone was his own ancestors. He introduced the little boy as King Peter. Philip said he came from my world. The name and that information gave me a sense of familiarity. Same as Queen Alice, a beautiful dark hair woman who dressed magnificently in red gown, whose painting was in the middle of the wall on the right.
There were a number of other Kings-Queens scouting from my world to help with the magic uproars, turned up as an ordinary human, ended up being a heroic ruler. The Prime King, King Li, was one of them and was the first in the row on the right. The rest were Queen Sachi, King Paolo, King XunXing, King Nasr, King Arthur, Queen Alice, King Peter, Queen Jane, Queen Wendy, and of course, Princess Carla's grandmother, Queen Nareeya.
She was an authentic Thai, Queen Nareeya. With big dark and sharp round eyes and beauteous tan skin, she could be a Miss Thailand if she were to stay back in our world, but I guessed she was better off here as a queen.
Queen Nara, the former queen, Princess Carla's mother was a half. She was even more gorgeous than her mother. Her skin was fairer and her eyes and hair were deep walnut. It was a pity that Princess Carla still had not ascended to the throne so there was no picture of her. I would very much like to meet her now, or at least portrait of the current her, to tell her about the Princes and to apologize for using her belongings. But if there really was her portrait here, Shaph wouldn't get the wrong person, I wouldn't have ended up being a fake princess.
Philip arranged outdoor study from that day onward and it did indeed make me feel less sleepy in his class. He was a good teacher.