It was about 8:00 am when the sun gently caressed the skin of the girl lying on the bed. She had pale skin and her jet black hair was scattered all over her white bedsheets and pillows so marvelously, one would mistake her for sleeping beauty.

She slowly fluttered her eyelashes like that of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon for the first time. Both lazily and beautifully.

She gently blinked about three times revealing her aqua blue eyes before realizing...it was the day!

"Ugh! It's the day" she groaned in displeasure as she slowly rolled her eyes and took the nearest pillow she could find and pressed it on her face.

An hour of sulking later, someone came knocking on the door. "Princess Rose, it's time to wake up." the person said with a sweet voice. "Come in!" she replied while her face was lying directly on her bed.

It was pretty obvious to this person why the princess was sad so, she didn't bother asking.

"Princess, at least get dressed...please" she sighed.

"What's even the use, Mira?" Rose asked trying not to sound too sad about it.

Mira was Rose's maid as long as...Rose could remember! She was Rose's first and only best friend due to all the restrictions at the palace. They had cried together, laughed together, and shared secrets. The things Rose would never tell anyone, she would tell Mira. She never let the fact Mira was supposed to be her maid stop her from opening up to her. They both took themselves as sisters!

If anyone from the outside world saw how they interacted with one another, one would mistake them for sisters who loved each other...A LOT!

"The use is...today is your birthday and, you have to look good. Besides, you don't want to look like the grinch on your birthday right?" Mira said trying to reason with her.

Mira started to walk towards the princess who was already sitting up on her bed as she sat on the bed. "Right?"

Rose looked like she was lost in thought so, as Mira repeated her words, she was jolted back from the land of thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Mira asked.

"Just how bad today's going to be?!" Rose was lying. She was busy thinking about how she was going to run away from the palace that night.

Of course, Mira knew she was thinking about how to do just that but she wasn't going to push it.

"By the way Mira, as I was saying. I'd rather look like the grinch than go to that ball."

"Besides, do you expect me..." she pointed at herself "to sit down quietly, like a good girl, and watch all the different princes try to woo me like...like...like I was some...prostitute?! Hell no! I wanna marry out of love. And, you can't rush love! The right guy is coming. But why the hell is he so slow?! At this rate, my father will probably get me married to some idiot before he comes. Nope! I'm not even gonna allow it. I'll wait for my one true love...my soulmate...my other half even if I'll have to wait till I'm old and grey! Till then, I'll just have to deal with all these scumbags coming my way. Men, are just scum you know that right? Scum! They're all the same don't you think?" she blinked a couple of times as she started to undress as Mira started to prepare a bath for her.

Today was Rose's birthday and she was turning 23. Her father, King Davies was going to hold a grand ball that night.

Rose tried telling her dad that he didn't need to throw her such a grand party but her father refused and said that he was throwing the party as an avenue for her to find a young man she could court and maybe even marry since he was inviting only the most eligible bachelors from far and wide.

After all, his daughter could only marry the best of the best.

Therefore, that day was given the name 'The day'. She never liked how her father treated issues of marriage. He was always rushing her into it.

She also never understood why her father was forcing her to get married at such a young age.

For crying out loud, she was just 23 years old! Her life was just beginning! This was the time she should be making life experiences, mistakes, memories, and maybe find true love on the way. And not thinking of when and who to marry but, as a princess, different rules govern you.

She tried begging her dad several times to allow her to marry out of love and just give her a little bit more time and freedom to search for him, but her father always adamantly refused.

She'd ask him why, but he will always reply the same way saying that he was getting old and that no one knows when he is going to die so, he might as well do all the things on his bucket list before he actually kicked it.

Which seeing Rose get married to the most eligible bachelor was part of it. It was even the last item on the list!

The king was just about 63 years old and yet, he was thinking about death? He was such a pessimistic thinker!