The count and countess were exactly how Flora had pictured them in her mind. In fact, they were like all of the nobles she had pictured in her mind. The count was wearing an over the top outfit that looked as if he had gone to the tailor and asked them to make an outfit with a lot of money and no constraints. It must have been more than four different types of fabrics crammed into one piece, and the colors clashed horribly, a mustard yellow mixed with a lime green. He wasted his money that was for sure. The countess was somewhat better, but dressed in the gaudiest outfit Flora had ever seen. It was a green monstrosity with lace placed in awkward areas where there probably shouldn't have been any. Flora wasn't sure if there was an actual person under all of the ruffles.
Despite their appearances, they did have the etiquette to match their standing in society. However, they had an air about them as if they felt like they owned the world, or they were about to own it all. All they had to do was win over the Premonis and it would be theirs. Every word out of their mouths was different, but it felt like they kept saying, "help us win favor with the king." The ass kissing was not a favorite of Flora's. Quite frankly, it was the worst part about this whole ordeal. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go back to being feared and hated...
As the two nobles left, after a full half hour of pandering, Flora reached again for her notes to check the docket. She groaned as she saw four more names on the list for today. Two lords, a wealthy merchant, and a baron. Before Paul could open his mouth to analyze her handling of that meeting, Flora started, "I only need to know who is next." Paul pinched his lips shut in distaste, but Flora didn't care. "If you have something important to say, then say it. If not, keep your mouth shut."
The rest of the day's visits were bad, but not nearly as bad as the count and countess. It seemed that the power they held made them more insufferable than the others, but only by a little. She had no idea how she was going to survive two more weeks of these introductions. At least by the end of the week, she was supposed to have had the majority of the guests arrive from Prana. Most of the guests from her country were already in the castle for business and the like, so there wasn't much receiving to do for the Pranians. If she was lucky, she wouldn't have to interact with most of the nobles. Human interaction was just so draining.
The rest of the week went about the same as the first day. She would wake up, ignore Paul's pretentiousness, and spend the day sitting on her throne listening to people drone on and on about how great they were and how ABSOLUTELY HONORED they were to be attending the coronation. As bad as it sounded, Flora couldn't possibly care less. Most of these people cared more for their status and pocketbooks than they did for Prana.
The foreign visitors were often quite a relief. Since many of them barely spoke the common tongue, Flora let the translator handle the situation. Even better, even if they did speak the language, the conversations were usually short and succinct. Many of them knew that Flora wasn't the one they needed to impress, and they were mostly here for diplomatic relations. Maybe a soft spot for the outsiders was growing inside of Flora. At least they didn't talk as much as the Pranians.
A little over a week before the coronation, Flora awoke to a letter from Felix. She eagerly opened it, excited to hear from her brother, and also to hear if there was someone other than Paul to guide her. Flora glanced over the writing reading:
"My dearest sister,
I am thankful for your efforts to make the guests feel comfortable during their stay, a job I definitely did not want. (thank you for that Flora) On the subject of Paul... I'm afraid that his talents are best suited... in visitor relations. He will not be able to resume his duties here since he most likely will not be of use."
Flora rolled her eyes. Of course he would push the most annoying man ever off on her. Even the other advisors didn't want to be around him, not much of a surprise given his general sense of superiority. Flora shrugged it off, there wasn't much left to this whole process anyway, so she could bear it for a little while longer. She continued reading the letter:
"As a small apology for dealing with Paul, I have given you the day off from him." Flora sighed in relief. "Today you only need to greet one guest, but you will be spending the day with him. The prince of Leosta will be arriving today around eleven, and you are to receive him and his party before having lunch with him." Was Felix insane?!? The last thing Flora wanted to do was spend the day with Prince Andrei Usoro. Even Paul would be a better substitute. "Please give him a tour of the palace and see him to his quarters for his stay. You will meet him again and take him to the grand hall for cocktails and then dinner."
Flora was contemplating killing Felix right then and there. She rubbed her face in frustration. Of course he didn't want this job, no one wanted to deal with the Leostans, and why was Prince Andrei getting special treatment? What was Felix up to? Either way, she was going to do her duty and meet with the prince. Felix was definitely going to owe her one. Flora flipped over the paper to read, "P.S. I asked Rose to dress you in a more mature gown than you usually wear." Her face scrunched up in vexation. What was wrong with the clothes she normally wore? She thought she looked perfectly fine in her dresses.
When Rose entered her room, she quickly served her breakfast and then prepared her outfit for the day. She had brought in a new gown Flora had never seen before, a silk blue dress with silver trims. Flora thought it was weird that it was the colors of Leosta. Normally she would wear red to compliment her complexion. At some point, Amelia entered and helped Flora slip into the dress while Rose tightened the corset. Flora instantly felt uncomfortable. The dress was a lower cut than she was used to, and it seemed more elegant than her usual dresses. It was almost as if she were going to some fancy party. Maybe it was to save time and not redress for the dinner tonight. There were probably going to be more important people in attendance.
"That dress is absolutely wonderful!" Amelia squealed. She looked her up and down with eyes of wonder. "I don' know if I ever seen a prettier dress." Flora didn't comment since she looked just so damn excited.
It took Rose about another hour to style her hair with Amelia observing. Amelia had only done her hair a few times and had been practicing styling on other servants according to Rose. It seemed like this time Rose wasn't letting her help. Flora tried to make suggestions, but Rose said that she had already decided how it was going to look. There really wasn't any arguing with her.
About another hour after that, Rose had finished Flora's makeup. Again Flora's input was not considered as Rose had made up her mind. Amelia seemed as if she was going to burst as she cooed, "ya just look so beautiful yer highness!" She placed her hands on her cheeks lost in the look. "I heard ya were meetin' a prince today!" She squeezed her eyes shut, thrilled. "It's like a fairy tale and everythin'!"
"Amelia..." Rose chastised. Amelia promptly regained her composure, straightening her back. "That is better child. Remember you are serving the princess, act like it."
Amelia bowed her head, "I'm sorry ma'am." It was if a switch flipped. Amelia had made so much progress in the few short months she had been training. Flora thought Rose should go easier on her, but she wasn't about to say anything.
"Don't get too excited Amelia," Flora said flatly. "He is a Leostan, nothing to be so eager about."
"What do ya mean yer highness?" Amelia asked innocently.
Rose cut them off, "Flora, you shouldn't speak that way." She looked at Flora like a naughty child. "Your personal opinions should remain within yourself, and not get in the way of your responsibilities."
Flora looked away, not pleased with being scolded about a disgusting prince. Rose may have a point, but she hadn't met the prince before. Rose should know the suffering Leosta had inflicted on Prana. Nonetheless, she gathered herself. "It is nearing eleven, I should make my way to the receiving room. Flora tried to look older as she strode out of the room. She wasn't going to give Rose anything to lecture her about.
A wave of relief came over her as she stepped out of her chambers and didn't spot Paul in his usual place where he brooded. Felix knew what a terrible day this was going to be, so he decided Flora would only have to handle one annoyance in a day. Rounding the corner towards the receiving room, Flora caught a shimmer of silver out of the corner of her eye. Shit... the Leostans weren't supposed to be waiting out in the hallway. There was a back door, but Flora wasn't sure if she could make it unnoticed.
Tugging on a nearby guard's arm, she whispered into his ear as he bent down, "go distract that group of people over there." The guard gave her a tense look before she whispered again, "I only need twenty seconds." Reluctantly, he nodded and as soon as he directed their attention away from her, she bolted past the hallway and tumbled into the receiving room. Not even a moment passed for her to catch her breath as the doors swung open and the Leostans entered the room.
Flora acted as if she had just rose from her chair as she said in a restrained voice, "Welcome to Prana your highness. The king is honored to have you visiting the castle and gracing us with your presence." She curtsied quickly and breathed in deeply through her nose, trying to not seem flustered.
Prince Andrei sketched a bow, saying smugly, "it is nice to be here your highness, although you could have just greeted us in the hallway." He smirked as Flora's face reddened.
So he DID see her in the hallway, and she had just looked ridiculous trying to avoid them by running through the hall like a child. Flora swallowed hard, trying to control herself. "My apologies your highness, I prefer to do things properly." This man was really going to get on her nerves while he was here. Gods, she hoped Prince Andrei wouldn't stay for too long after the coronation. "I hope that your journey her was not too terrible?"
It felt like Prince Andrei could see through Flora's emotions, noticing that she was rattled. He sent her a snide smile, showing all of his teeth. "It was." The prince waited a moment before he started, "I would like to introduce the men accompanying me." He motioned toward a tall and lanky man with greying hair. "Lord Agin, he currently is the head of the Agin Trading Company." The lord bowed deeply as Flora nodded toward him. "Baron Rodin, who owns the main parcels of land bordering Leosta and Prana." A young blonde man stepped forward, bowing deeply. A rotund man hobbled forward as Prince Andrei called out, "Lord Garin, a magical scholar of the Academy of Risten." Before the prince could speak again, a heavily armored man stepped forward, bowing slightly. As the man righted himself, something felt off. He had violet eyes that stared intensely at Flora, making her all the more uneasy. "Finally, my personal night, Sir Sun. You will have to forgive him, for he does not speak the common tongue."
Flora nodded as she responded, "it is a pleasure to meet you all." She stepped towards the group of men, all the while looking at Prince Andrei in the eyes. There was no way Flora was going to show any signs of weakness to the Leostans. They were enemies after all. "I will now escort you through the palace. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." She flicked her head towards the door and continued walking.
The men followed her silently as she gave them a tour around the common parts of the castle. At least they didn't need to know where everything was, because the shoes that Rose put her in this morning were killing her, stupid high heels. By the time they made it back to the dining room, Flora motioned for one of the servants. "Please tell the chef that we are ready for lunch to be served." Leading them into the room, she sat down at the table, motioning for them to follow suit. As the food came out, steaming on platters, Flora really wished that this lunch wouldn't be too awkward, but that was a lot to ask.