After her days of rest, Luck was to be prepared to be presented to her biological family. She needed to be evaluated and schooled in areas where she was lacking. They needed to change her peculiar appearance to fit the standards of high society.
"My goodness! What kind of work were you doing before this? Your skin is so dark. You must have been made to work fields or something, and your hair will most certainly need changing. Who thought it was a good idea to cut it in such a distasteful and masculine way? Everyone knows long hair equates to beauty!" said the professional stylist outraged.
"People actually like tan skin and short hair where I'm from!" said Luck passionately in reply.
"That's preposterous! Who wants to look like a lowly peasant?!" replied the stylist shocked.
"Well, I don't expect you to understand; this world is full of archaic views," replied Luck.
"Grencivia is a very modern society; we abolished slavery in our country 15 years ago. We were one of the first countries to abolish it, and some still haven't yet," said the stylist.
"Where I'm from we abolished it 156 years ago," said Luck.
Feeling annoyed, the stylist redirected the topic back to Luck's appearance. "You're quite lucky to have me as your stylist. As a Mage, I can completely change the faults in your looks!"
"I don't think there's fault with it," mumbled Luck inaudibly.
The room began to light up like fireworks. Blues, greens, and yellows would flash all around Luck as the stylist began her work. The spells being used did various things like shrinking her pores and lightening her skin. Luck's hair grew to reach her hips and her bangs were no more. The colors stopped flashing, and the stylist began to style Luck's hair into a proper look for a Princess. Her hair was long and golden. Her hair was golden and shiny with a slight curl. Half of her hair was up and had royal blue ribbons braided through it. The stylist began to apply simple makeup; she added a pink gloss to her full, delicate lips and rouge to her soft, plump cheeks. Last, she curled Luck's blonde lashes and highlighted the high points of her face.
"We will now take you to pick one of the selected gowns," said the stylist. The stylist guided Luck into an oval room filled with various dresses. There was pink, blue, maroon, yellow, etc. Luck was drawn to a royal blue dress with a beaded bodice adorned with ruffles and off-the-shoulder sleeves; it has several layers to the bottom half including lace, ruffles, and silk. The waist was tied with a bow and there was a royal blue choker with beaded details to match the dress's bodice. "I see you've picked the best of the bunch said the stylist. This one is by Lahngere Pransee; he's the best around. It was quite difficult to get just one design on such short notice. I had to pull several strings. If you look closely you'll notice there's a special effect on it created by magic. It makes the sheen like unto fairy wings. It's quite captivating. Wouldn't you agree?" said the stylist.
"Yes it is," said Luck feeling mesmerized by its beauty. The dress was unlike anything she had seen before. She hadn't ever seen such a dress in movies or photographs. Although the world lacked the modern thought Luck was conditioned to, it certainly had things that couldn't ever be replicated on Earth.
The maids began to help dress her in the gown, while the stylist left to select accessories to pair with it. The clothing was so complicated to put on Luck was grateful for the help. Soon, the stylist returned with a tiara, dangly earrings, and bracelet; all were gold with diamond stones. The stylist adorned her with them all while the maids helped put lace-up heels on Luck's feet. Her look was complete.
"It's time for you to see my work," said the stylist with pride. The maids lead them into another room with walls and the ceiling covered in mirrors. As Luck looked into them, she saw someone she didn't know.
"I look beautiful, but who I see doesn't feel like me. Maybe, just maybe I'll grow to like this image, but inside I almost feel sad. Maybe I'm just morning the loss of my old life. Sure, I disliked it, but it was still mine. I'm hopeful though; I'm hopeful I can feel fulfilled here in this world. I feel like I could actually make a difference here," thought Luck to herself.
"You're not saying anything? Are you disappointed Princess?" questioned the stylist concerned.
"Oh! I'm sorry! It's a big change, so I was just speechless. You did a wonderful job. Everything is beautiful," Luck reassured her.
"I'm glad," said the stylist with a smile. "I'll be taking my leave now. Goodbye."
"Bye," said Luck as a couple of maids escorted the stylist to leave.
The maid with grey hair and brown eyes approached the Princess. "Princess, I will be guiding you to your testing and basic etiquette class," said the maid whose name is Marian.
Luck took several tests, so they could figure where she needed to be further educated. They found her skills in Mathematics to be superior to what was taught to high society. Her English was superb, but they did find some of the things she said to be peculiar. She had a vast knowledge of science, but her knowledge of history was severely lacking. She also needed to be trained in etiquette as well as the language and use of magic. After her testing, she was taught the basics of etiquette in preparation to meet her biological family, the Royals, that night.
Luck was guided through the halls with much expectation. She would be meeting the people she was supposed to be with her whole life. She tried to walk and stand as she was instructed, so she wouldn't make a fool of herself. She already knew what the rumors had said about the royals, but she suspected they would be different than what she had heard. The rumors painted the King as a serious man who ruled things fairly. The Queen was supposedly gracious and kind while Prince Orson was handsome and righteous. Princess Amadea, who is the "imposter princess" was known to be weak and frail while the youngest, Princess Fyuree, was known to be rather playful and demanding. Princess Amadea would continue to stay with the family because they recognized her to be innocent. They likely also didn't want to waste her education and ability to strengthen diplomatic relations, which are often used to keep peace and encourage trade.
Luck soon reached the door to the banquet hall. The two soldiers stationed by the tall, ornate doors opened them at her arrival. Upon their opening, she felt the tense atmosphere as all the eyes in the room were on her. Once the room had assessed her, the room's atmosphere lightened in response to her looks. Luck walked into the room and curtsied to the King and Queen who nodded approvingly at her gesture of respect.
"You may join us," said the King with a serious tone.
Luck walked over while the doors closed behind her. She took her seat at the corner of the table next to Princess Amadea and the King, who was at the table's end. Everyone continued to stare at her silently, and it only added to the anxiety of the situation. The food was brought out. She glanced around the table as everyone ate in silence.
"Was the Royal Family really so distanced emotionally from each other that they wouldn't speak even at a meal? Even the etiquette teacher said that it was normal to make remarks while the meal was being eaten. I expected many different scenarios both good and bad but nothing as uncomfortable as this is. Can't someone say something? This silence is killing me! I feel sick. How many of these dinners will I have to attend?" thought Luck.
Course after course was brought, but the silence was never broken. The Kind would just nod at the servants to gesture it was time for the next course. Luck continued to become more and more uncomfortable, and she found it difficult to focus on how to eat properly. She felt like if she did something wrong, she'd be marked as shameful and undesired. Not even the tests she took to get into college made her feel as nervous and sick as she was feeling right now.
Soon, however, she would find that the rumor of the King that had painted him to be serious and fair was completely wrong, and even some of the other family members' rumors had been twisted as well. Once the last course was taken away and the table was clear, Luck anxiously waited for any comment that might be made and break the unbearable silence.