Spacious and bright, the insides of the palace is. With plenty of guest rooms separated from the royal chambers. With so many halls, each has different function.
Palace of Aurum shouts power; and this is where Mary Alice lives.
Maybe, someone around the same tier of age as the princess dreams of having this true-to-fairytale life. Someone out there would have wanted to be in her shoes and be fulfilled and happy respecting the responsibilities of being one.
But that is for the someone who has no chance and will never become a princess of the black sheep's empire.
Even though it sounds preposterous for such a princess to rule, there is no account or petition that could and will pull her out of the, what she believes to be, mess she's in. Even if in a million stars, a shooting one; her, becoming a commoner it is, she would not waste a millisecond to become one. She is not someone to waste such a once in a lifetime opportunity of feeling free and hardworking for a simple field life.
As they walk through the gigantic double door of the main hall, the throne room, she cleared her throat.
Clapping dust and dirt away from her plain pink dress, she stomped her royal hunting boots on the cleansing mat close to the entrance. No one is to come near the throne and the rulers unneat and looking dirty. That is some untold regulations inside the palace that since Mary Alice is the infanta, knows it from the depths of her beating heart.
If some stranger was to enter the palace unguided, that stranger is surely bound to get lost inside of the tall and high ceiling of it.
No one can accuse the royal family of stealing from the nation's fund because they're in no need of doing so. The almost total of every city's fund is just close to equivalent of their chandelier's money worth.
Mind you, there's plenty of those hanging diamonds just scattered in the palace.
"Where have you been my beloved heiress?"
King Lessandro as soon as he's seen his daughter approaching the biggest carpet placed in the throne hall.
"Father!" she cheered. Unlike other royal family where the sons and daughters are to address the king and queen as 'your highness', they're an exception. Mary Alice is such a lively and talkative if it was her mood people are to talk about. Her father, the King, won't let the monarchy be in between of his being as a father to her only daughter.
"Slowly, Mary Alice! Walk a lady," the Queen instructed as the infanta tried to run towards her parents.
In asymmetry to her father, her mother, Queen Veronica is strict yet caring woman as her birth barer.
"Yes, mother. Worry not of your adventurous daughter for she is not clumsy," she responded after rolling her eyes on her mom's reaction.
Though, she did walk a lady. She does not want to be pushed in some etiquette classes by her mother if she tries to piss the Queen into doing so.
"Toss the bad weather, my Queen. She's still young—"
"Oh, my King, she's not that young anymore! She's twenty and still has no plans to pursue other than inheriting the throne!"
Miss Granny, who's still beside Mary Alice, just shook her head sideways. The rulers of the kingdom does not fight often, they always agree with every decision that there is to be made.
Though when it comes to the naughty princess, they always take sides of different. This is also why the infanta is branded as a 'father's daughter'. King Lessandro always takes her side against her mother's judgements.
"I've decided mom, don't worry."
Because of what the young lady in the middle of the Hall had just said, everyone is stunned. Well, who wouldn't be when all they hear from her ever since she reached legal age is that she won't pursue anything.
"What is it, Darling?" "What is it then, Mary Alice?"
Her parents asked in common. She laughed to notice which one is gentle and which is not. Tipping fiddlesticks aside, she still loves the both of them and she knows she is loved too.
"If you'd permit. Uhmm, I'll want to pursue ground hunting," she cleared her throat. "I wanna be a hunter, mother, father. Please let me be."
It doesn't pretty much display on her face but she is incomparably nervous at this moment. This is the first time she ever stood up in front of her parents and announce something so valuable. A princess can hope to be able to fulfill duties of labor such as hunting, right?
Even her strong emotions couldn't be handled anymore, she forced herself to continue walking towards her designated throne just a step lower than her parents'. When she reached, she didn't sit but just stood there and stared at her parents still speechless as to what they would comment.
"Mary Alice, my dear," her father was first to recover from the shock.
This is big for everyone, a princess is usual to dream of being an artist, a singer, a ballet or a pianist. Never did anyone before Mary Alice chose to hunt.
Still hyperventilating, "yes, father?" she looked hopeful as she met her father's eyes.
"This is such a surprise for all of us. Would you mind resting in your chamber first so that the Queen and I can talk?" in a gentle low and slow voice, her father excused.
Although it is gentle and a favor, a princess must obey. So, she had no choice but to go to her chamber and wait for someone special to summon her and for her to know their say on this matter soon.
"No need to be anxious. They waited for years to hear this from you no need to think pessimistic, Alice."
She isn't to be pinned on her bed steadily. Walking back and forth is what she did the second she entered her room.