The guards led them to the middle wing; most of the maidens were fascinated by its size. They were a total of fifty maidens, so they were a total of fifty maids, also. Two maidens were to share a room, as there were twenty-five rooms in the wing.
Audrey stood with her luggage, trying to gauge the ladies; her eyes settled on the princess, and she sighed. The princess was beautiful and came from a royal family; she would be a competition for Audrey. But Audrey had been thought to rely on her effort and luck, so she believed she would win. She wouldn't let a royal background tie her down. She looked away from the princess and listened to the woman who had introduced herself as the official host.
She would be in charge of all the activities until they got to the stage of meeting the prince. And there would be numerous activities where each of the maidens would be evicted from the competition.
"I'll say you need to be careful while choosing your roommate as she will be your partner for most of competition. If you pick the wrong roommate, she could easily get you evicted."
Audrey frowned; she hadn't expected all these strange and sudden rules. She thought her beauty was enough to win her the competition.
The woman who had introduced herself as Ms. Peep continued, "To get the future queen of this beloved kingdom; beauty is important, but also brains are also important. I hope you pick well, and welcome to the crown princess contest."
Some of the maidens clapped, but Audrey was busy looking for who would make a perfect roommate for her. She couldn't afford to fail because she made the wrong choice. As the woman left their presence, most of the maiden ran to Princess Ella, ready to get paired with her. Audrey scoffed at her; they only cared for her royal blood.
Some had already picked their roommate and maids and got their room numbers.
While Audrey was still looking around, her eyes fell on Mia beside her; Mia had been quiet suddenly. She hadn't moved to choose a roommate or a maid for herself. She looked like she was observing everyone, just like Audrey, and that made Audrey thought Mia might be more than she wanted them to believe. And who would be the best roommate than someone a bit more sensible than the rest?
She asked Mia, "Would you like to be my roommate?"
A smile replaced the thoughtful look on her face, and she focused on Audrey.
To Mia, Audrey was beautiful, but she seemed lazy. She needed all she could to win the competition, and she couldn't tell if Audrey would be an assistance or a hindrance, but she was better than most of the ladies who looked desperate to get the princess's attention. "Fine. I'll be your roommate."
Audrey smiled back at her. "Great. Let's go pick our maids."
There were only a few maids left, as most of the ladies had picked theirs. Audrey picked a maid she thought looked neater than the rest, while Mia picked one randomly.
The maids helped them with their bags while they were led to room fifteen.
The room was big enough for two people and their maids. It looked well-furnished, and there were two sides to everything. Audrey asked Mia, "Which side would you prefer, left or right?"
Mia shrugged, "I'm fine with anywhere."
Audrey smiled; she had picked the right roommate. "Fine. I'll pick the right. Thank you."
Her maid followed her and dropped the bag on the right side of the room. Audrey dropped on her bed with a loud sigh; she felt like her hands were on fire. Yet, she knew she needed to strategize if her beauty alone wouldn't win her the contest.
She asked her maid to sit beside her, but she refused. It wasn't right for maids to sit in the same place with a young lady.
"So, what's your name? I'm Audrey."
The maid smiled, "I'm Phina, my lady." She replied with a bow.
Audrey nodded, "Nice, Phina. Can you get the bath ready for me?"
Phina bowed and left to prepare her bath. Audrey closed her eyes on the bed; today was already the most stressful in her zero and Two years on earth, but she couldn't complain if it were all the process of becoming a crown princess. She didn't bother to talk with Mia as she was too tired to do anything,
She had no idea when she dozed off until she felt someone shaking her continuously. She frowned, moving the hand off her. If there was something she hated, it was being woke up in the middle of a nice rest. But this person continued shaking her. She opened her eyes to glare at the person.
Phina stood before her, her head bowed, "I'm sorry, my lady, but your bath is ready. And we have to get ready for the first dinner in the palace. We can't be late."
She glanced at Mia's bed, and she wasn't there. "Where is my roommate?"
Phina glanced back, "She's gone, my lady. This is a competition, we can't trust anyone."
Audrey frowned; Mia looked nice enough. She should have woken her up.
She got up and started preparing. Phina helped her with her bath and dressed her up; by the time they got to the hall, most of the maidens were seated with their maids behind them. None of the royal families were present, and it got Audrey wondering when they would meet the royal families.
She took a vacant seat beside a blonde lady. The table was filled with food, and more food was being brought in.
Ms. Peep sat at the head of the table, making Audrey wonder if this was some kind of test already. Maybe the competition already started without them knowing. She saw Mia talking to one of the ladies, smiling at her the same way she had smiled at Audrey.
Audrey decided it would be better for her to communicate with the others, too; she turned to the lady beside her. "Hello, I'm Audrey Baron. It's nice to meet you."
The lady looked at her and turned towards the next person, openly ignoring her. Audrey scoffed at her and started scooping food on her plate. Most of the maidens were communicating, but no one bothered talking to her; it looked like she was already an outcast on the first day, and she hadn't done anything.
It left a bad feeling in the pit of Audrey's stomach. She wasn't listening to anyone until Ms. Peep cleared her throat to get the maiden's attention.
"Once again, you're all welcome to the crown princess competition. I want you all to know this is a competition, but we won't welcome sabotaging others while trying to win. We won't welcome cheating, stealing, or lying. If anyone is caught doing any of this, it will be an automatic disqualification. Am I clear?"
"Yes."
Ms. Peep smiled, "Tomorrow, you'll be shown around the palace, and you'll be introduced to the royal family. We will hold a celebration to welcome you all to the palace. So, I hope you all dress in accordance. Your maid will take you to the royal closet to pick whatever you need. I hope you all enjoy your stay over here." Ms. Peep withdrew her chair and left the room without touching the food. The moment she left, the room erupted in noise, and the ladies started talking.
Audrey tried joining in, but no one except Mia was interested in talking to her. Mia moved from her seat and sat beside her. "How are you feeling?"
Audrey frowned, "Down. I have no idea why everyone is ignoring me."
Mia smiled, "You haven't heard the rumors."
They just got here, and there was already a rumor about her. Audrey shook her head, "No."
Mia leaned in as if she were telling her a secret, "Everyone already sees you as the biggest competition, so they believe ignoring you will easily make you give up."
Audrey couldn't believe that was why she was getting the secondhand treatment. "How's it my fault that I was born beautiful."
Mia smiled, "It's not your fault, but it's intimidating."
"Then why are you talking to me." She asked Mia curiously.
Mia chuckled, "It's because I am your roommate and I don't really care who wins. I just believe who all have the right to try our best."
Audrey nodded. There was no way she would allow them to make her give up on her biggest dream. She didn't care what they thought; she would win the crown princess contest. She picked more food on her plate, stuffing it. She needed all the energy she could get.
"Don't think about them, Audrey. I'm here with you."
Audrey smiled at her, "Thank you for not listening to them. You already prove to be the best roommate ever."
Mia smirked at her.