Ophelia awoke with the sun pouring in from the drapes and a book in hand. She was still sitting in her chair and her eyes struggled to pry themselves open.
She stood up and stretched out her limbs, hearing her joints pop. She turned to her lamp at her side because it was way too bright.
She walked towards her mirror.
"Today is going to be enjoyable," she said ironically to herself as she stared into her own droopy eyes.
"I have a meeting today, don't I?" she realized.
'Funnnnn,' she thought with a sigh.
She opened her drapes and the sunlight poured in, stinging her eyes, causing her to close them quickly.
She entered her bathroom, took a quick bath, then brushed her teeth while she thought about how humans portrayed their world without knowing creatures like her actually existed. She found it comedic.
'World-wise they are spot on,' she acknowledged.
'But in terms of being, it makes no sense,' she reasoned in her head. 'Why on earth would they think vampires and werewolves exist?' she wondered.
'But then again, our existence is just as weird,' she concluded.
She came out wrapped in a towel and went to look for a simple dress to wear or better yet, throw on.
She found a blush pink floor-length dress with long sleeves and a square neckline.
She put it on; the fabric completely covered her legs. The stretchy fabric clung to her comfortably, and the sleeves flared and were cut at her elbow, practically covering her hands.
She put on a pair of blush pink flats that went perfectly with the dress, even though no one would see her feet. She might have been tired, but she would at least coordinate her outfit.
She took out the low braid in her hair that she had put in last night and put her hair up in a rather messy bun.
She put on a solid gold necklace and some earrings, then placed her tiara around her bun. The only reason her tiara was on her head was because of the meeting with all the nobles, and she had to be dressed for the occasion, even though she was currently half-asleep.
She walked out of her room and met Avila outside.
"Morning, Ophelia," she greeted. "You look sleep-deprived," she added, assessing her face.
"Morning, Avila," she returned the greeting with a small sigh. "And yes, yes I am sleep-deprived," she stated, squeezing her eyes shut and then opening them as if that would make her more awake. Sage arrived at that exact moment.
"Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted, his face wearing a small smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Caddell," she greeted back with a smile.
"Mr. Caddell," Avila said with a curt nod.
"Miss Aster," Sage returned, the small smile on his face now gone.
"Wow, I just felt the temperature drop like ten degrees," Ophelia joked, trying to lighten the mood, because the lack of actual acknowledgment Avila and Sage gave each other was borderline comedic.
Needless to say, neither of them laughed.
"You have a meeting this morning, right? Your Highness," Sage questioned, but it sounded more like a statement.
"Yes, I do," she replied, nodding. "Let's go," she said and began walking, while Sage followed closely behind.
Once they were far enough, she smacked his hand.
"Gods, what was that for?" he asked.
"Could you and Avila stop acting like you want to cut off each other's heads for a moment?" she asked, exasperatedly.
"If I wanted to cut off her head, she would not have one by now," he pointed out, shrugging his shoulders, and she just turned to glare at him.
"I have no idea what to even tell you now," she shook her head, and they remained in comfortable silence until they reached the corridor of the council chamber and he fell behind her; no longer were they walking side by side.
She met her father outside the room. "Your Majesty," she curtsied towards her father.
"Princess, how did you sleep?" he asked, mainly because of her eyes.
"Funny thing, I barely got any sleep," she joked, as if it was not obvious, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them again.
"I can tell," he chuckled and she laughed.
"Let's get in," he said, and the chamberlain opened the doors. They walked in, with Ophelia trailing behind her father.
"His Majesty, King Arien, and Her Highness, Princess Ophelia have arrived," announced the herald in a loud voice... an overly loud one at that.
As soon as their names were announced, all the dukes and duchesses present rose to their feet and bowed their heads, only sitting when her father permitted them to.
There were fourteen chairs: one for the king, another for the queen (Ophelia's mother), and the third for her, with the remaining eleven for the dukes and duchesses.
The meeting commenced with King Arien asking about their respective dukedoms, ranging from their economy to how their trade routes were faring, to their current crime rate, and most importantly, the well-being of their citizens.
In her father's words, "A kingdom is nothing but its people," no matter how corny it sounded, Ophelia agreed. The people did too; that's why her father was loved. She could only pray to the gods to be just as great of a ruler as he was.
The answers were all oddly positive, and King Arien's main thought was to go and check it out himself, most likely with the use of Ophelia's teleportation.
Now that that aspect was done with, it was time for the dukes and duchesses to ask their own questions.
The main question, and probably the only question they asked, was "When is the princess getting married and taking over the throne?" which mostly came from the dukes, and Ophelia was flabbergasted, not that it had not come up before but still.
She wondered why they were so keen on that; it's not like her father was dying anytime soon and they needed someone to become ruler.
"My son is an eligible bachelor," most of them chorused, including the duchesses.
'What happened to sorority?' Ophelia thought, shaking her head.
When Duke Evander suggested his son as her consort, Ophelia looked appalled.
'Your son does not like women romantically, don't we all know that?' she questioned in her head, keeping a straight face.
"But Duke Evander, everyone is fully aware that your son, Morrigan, has been courting my son," Duchess Adlea spoke, and Ophelia was so grateful because that shut him up quickly.
"The princess will not be getting married if she does not choose to. If the time comes, she'll take the throne by herself, simple as that. Are we clear?" he asked, looking around for anyone to debate it, and Duke Evander was about to stupidly try to debate it, but he saw King Arien's face and shut up. They all nodded.
"If that is all, this meeting is adjourned," he announced and everyone rose as they walked out of the council room.
After they left, Duke Evander said, "But then again, the princess needs to get married," and everyone sighed.
"Oh, shut up Evander. Your son doesn't even like women; for god's sake, it isn't your place," Duchess Lavanya pointed out and walked out along with everyone else, as she and Duchess Adlea high-fived