After another night of tossing and turning, I woke up to Martha parting the curtains of the balcony, letting in bright sunlight which shined straight into my eyes.
"Martha, what…?"
"Hurry it up, Your Highness," Martha urged. "His Majesty has requested a breakfast at the grand dining table."
Well, this was sudden. "Is someone else going to be there?" I yawned, putting my feet in my slippers.
"All the royal madams will be attending as well," Martha said. "Which dress would you like to wear, Your Highness?" she said, gesturing to the rack of dresses hanging in my closet.
"Wait, but wasn't Elora the only mistress?" I asked, confused.
"Of course not?" Her response was more like a question than a statement. "You didn't lose your memory because of the illness, yes?"
"Hahaha, no," I laughed, lightheartedly. If someone found out about my real identity, I would be done for. I had been pretending for a solid two days now. It felt like an eternity, though. I had to deal with so much drama on my very first day here. First, I had to deal with the palace staff overreacting because of my recovery. Then, Martha. After that, I had to handle Elora's insults which were totally uncalled for. Then the Emperor called me for some tea in the garden and stormed off afterwards. The very night, I had an absolute horrible nightmare and then Reynard came through my balcony. The dance lesson didn't go exactly well either…
Ah, why did I have to attract so much drama?
I pointed out an orange dress to Martha which hung at the very front of the closet, got dressed with Marilynne and Hetty's assistance and went off to find the dining room, accompanied by a random guard.
✿
Okay, so from what Martha had told me, there were exactly six women who I needed to look out for and who would also be present at breakfast along with me and the Emperor. By names and personalities, they were:
1. Elora Obsilia, the spoiled one.
2. Yesenia Chamillet, the mature one.
3. Christabel Virak, the talkative one.
4. Odette Atraxil, the studious one.
5. Lorelei Rovan, the artsy one.
6. Enya Neredras, the quiet one.
The guard stopped at a large door, so I did too. He let the other guard, who was guarding the door to the dining room, know that the Emperor had invited me and I was let in.
Before me, a long rectangular dining table sat in the middle of the large, well-lit room which was covered in cream colored wallpaper. I took a few steps and almost slipped because of the red carpet that covered the entire floor.
"Your Majesty, look who's here."
The Emperor sat at the very head of the table and was too immersed in a pile of documents along with his meal to have noticed me enter, but looked up when one of the six ladies that sat on either side of him spoke up. "Ah, my daughter," he said with a mouthful of food. "Take a seat."
I didn't know where to sit, but there seemed to be a seat right besides the Emperor which had been kept deliberately open. I sat myself down, right across from Elora.
Great.
A servant moved forward to pour me a cup of tea and served me a plate of food. "Thank you..." I said shyly.
"So, princess," said the woman besides me. I whipped my head to my right and was almost taken back by the face that was only an inch away from me. "How are you?"
This woman seemed to be in her mid 20s. I didn't know what her name was, but judging by the fact that she engaged me in a conversation first, she could be Christabel, but definitely not Enya. Martha hadn't specified on their hair colors of special features so I didn't know how to identify these six women, but guessing them might work.
She had cotton candy pink hair and absolutely beautiful blue eyes. So I don't think it would be Yesenia. She could be Lorelei, but I wasn't so sure. "I'm doing really well, thank you," I sipped some tea, hoping that she'd just focus on the food on her plate and not me, but then she spoke up again. "I really like your dress today, did you pick it or was it that maid of yours, Martha was it?"
"I did." I tried to smile, but my nerves refused to let my muscles do so. Instead my lips formed a one sided smirk, which was definitely not my intention. "You look lovely as well." She did. She wore a gorgeous blue dress with satin ribbons on the bodice which really complemented her eye color.
"I appreciate it, though I can't definitely surpass your beauty," she sighed. "Oh, how I'm envious of your flawless skin. Do you see these bumps on my face," she held her cheeks up close for me to inspect, "these little guys have been troubling me a lot recently. But look at you! Your face is still as smooth as when you must've been a wee baby."
For some reason, the Emperor started coughing which quickly made the pink haired woman shut up.
"Christa, pass me the bread," another mistress who sat across from the pink haired girl, said. She, I noticed, had a strong 'Everybody, stfu' aura around her. Christabel silently passed over the basket of bread, while munching on a baby carrot.
Christabel scooted her seat over to me and mumbled, "Did you see the glare she gave me right now?"
"Ahaha...erm, who...?"
"Why, Yesenia's of course! She's always glaring at me, actually. But I have to stop talking when she tells me to," she sighed, biting another carrot. "She's the eldest, after all, so she must know better. And you know how my tongue gets out of hand sometimes."
Ah, so the woman who had asked Christabel for the bread was Yesenia. See? I was getting the hang of it. "Say, Christabel," I said, "how long have you been here for?" I know I should've called her 'Miss Christabel' or something but my slip of tongue didn't seem to bother her, so I didn't say anything either.
"Hmm," said Christabel thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, I've been here for the shortest period." Christabel counted on her fingers as she recited, "Yesenia has definitely been here the longest, maybe 8 or 9 years. Odette came after her, so I'd say she's been here for 7 years. Enya and Lorelei came here the same year right after Odette. Elora came here 3 years ago and me, 2."
"But what about the Empress?" I whispered.
"Oh, hush, Your Highness!" Christabel hissed, glancing at the Emperor. "You are very well aware that this is a prohibited topic within the palace walls. The Emperor disliked talking about his deceased wife."
"How come?"
"Hey, Christabel, dear?"
Christabel and I, who had been furtively whispering to each other, both swiveled our heads around in Elora's direction. "What are you two talking about? If it's really that entertaining, why don't you share it with the rest of us?"
The Emperor perked up mid-meal as well. "Yes, my darling. Is there something you'd like to mention?"
I noticed that Christabel had gone really pale. "No, Your Majesty" she muttered. "The princess and I were just discussing the upcoming ceremony. She was telling me how nervous she is about the first dance. There'll be a lot of nobles watching, after all."
The Emperor gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, no need to fret so, my child. It isn't such a big of a deal as you make it out to be. Just remember to take care of your health."
Christabel and I, both sighed huge sighs of relief. "Erm...Thank you for your concern, Father."
"It's in two weeks, no?" a woman down the table spoke up.
"Yes, it is," Christabel chirped. "Hey, Princess! What dress are you going to wear for it? I bet it's going to be really pretty! If I were you, I'd get it made from Fleur's. She's a miracle worker when it comes to dresses. I'd be willing to go with you if you want!"
"Christa," Yesenia coughed. "The bread, please."
"What's with her and her godd*mn bread?"
"Christa I'd like the bread too!" spoke the woman who had previously asked about the ceremony. "And pass the butter here as well."
"Lorel, can't you see I'm discussing the ceremony with Her Highness?"
"Women, do calm down," the Emperor sighed.
"But Your Majesty, why won't Christabel just pass on the bread to me? It's right in front of her."
Yesenia put the bread from her plate in Lorelei's. "Just take mine."
Ah, this was such a new feeling to me, sitting with other people, having a nice meal. I never got a chance to have such an experience even after me and my sibling moved over to Incheon. Many people would assume that after moving, we'd all have pleasant meals as a family...but the hostile atmosphere didn't dissolve even after our living conditions improved.
My eldest two sisters became the bread-winners of the family, and were always out working. My other elder sister was often out partying with her friends. Me and Juwon were left at home alone most of the time. On the rare occasion that everyone was present at home, we'd just shut ourselves in our rooms and tried to keep out of each other's way.
"Cynthia," the Emperor interrupted my thoughts. "About the dress Christabel was talking about, why don't you go to town with Gradral to get it made in the coming day or two? After that, everyone will just get too busy with the preparations, so you might not get the privilege to leave the palace. What do you say?"
What did I say? It was a first for me so I was too hesitant to speak up immediately, but after thinking it over, I thought it might be fun.
"Alright, Father."