Everyone had days when they felt like being more productive than usual. It could be after a very good day causing them to be in a great mood. Or perhaps it could be due to a deadline coming up. But as far as Kara knew, no such thing had happened recently to the girl.
So to see the girl immediately go to her class after her meal was a sight Kara would never expect to see. In fact the closer she looked at the girl, the more it seemed that there was something different. Her hair and appearance were nothing out of the ordinary for her, but her gaze felt more fiery.
'It's definitely a good thin'. But why do I feel so odd lookin' at it happenin'?'
It was a difficult subject to bring up. After all, very few would like it if they were to be asked why they were being so good suddenly. As such, Kara decided to let it be.
Upon reaching the spare room, the girl and her maid are greeted by a tall blue haired woman in a fancy dress.
"Hello again Princess Mira and Lady Kara. Wonderful to see you again."
"I greet Viscountess Nova. It's a pleasure to see you again."
"The pleasure is all mine dear Princess."
"Well then Lady Nova, I leave the Princess in your capable hands."
"Aww… not gonna stay for this lesson Lady Kara?"
"Unfortunately not Lady Nova. I have a few things to do alongside the other maids to prepare for Princess Aurelia's return."
"Oh my, then don't allow me to take more of your time. Go on then."
Nova practically pushed Kara out of the room.
"Well Princess, how have you been? Been well?"
The girl looked down and scratched her head.
"Not exactly Teacher."
"Oh my. What's wrong Princess? Something on your mind?"
"Yeah…"
With little energy, the girl took a seat. Nova's relationship with the girl was a bit different compared to everyone else.
Though they all saw her as inferior to Aurelia, Nova thought that she was great. It was partially because she had never met Aurelia but her thoughts on her student remain the same.
"Are you going to tell me about it, Princess?"
"Hmm…"
The girl debated on whether or not she should tell her teacher. In truth she really wanted to but a dark thought crept its way into her mind.
'Is she faking it too?'
In her mind it was certainly a possibility. Though her teacher was kind to her, there was no way to tell if it was real or not. And as much as the girl wanted to believe that it was real, she could not bring herself to believe it.
After all, what reason did her teacher have to be truly kind to her? Everyone else agreed that she was a lesser of her sister's. Why would her teacher think otherwise?
It hurt her heart to think that her teacher has been faking her kindness this entire time, but it seemed to her that it was most likely.
As the girl came to an answer, she shook her head.
"It's nothing, Teacher. It'll pass."
There was little reason to tell her teacher. Apart from the fact that she too could be faking her kindness, the girl thought that after improving, the kindness that people showed her would become genuine.
"Hmm…"
Nova was a bit unsure of how to handle this situation. The girl who was so energetic during their lessons and always had a smile on her face was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in front of her was what seemed to be the girl's depressed shell. And though she wanted to help, it seemed that the girl was going to refuse.
"If you say so Princess, but please if you are having a hard time, do tell me."
That was the best Nova could do given the situation.
"Thank you Teacher."
Perhaps a bit of her worry finally got through to the girl. There was a smile on the girl's face again. It was a small one, but it was a smile nonetheless. That was good enough for Nova for now.
"Alright then. We left on Kazehayan etiquette last week."
With renewed vigor on both sides, they started their lesson.
****
Elsewhere in the palace, the staff was busy preparing for Aurelia's arrival. The messenger bird that was sent stated that they would all be coming back, so a lot more than just Aurelia was coming into the palace.
"Ya found it weird too, right Lady Em?"
"Yeah… she seemed… serious."
Even though everybody was preparing the palace, Emma and Kara essentially had no need to move. Being the deputy head of the maids and deputy right hand respectively, their workload was basically done by everyone else. Though being idle never sat right with them so they were doing some light chores where they could.
"Did anythin' happen recently?"
"I was gonna ask you about that, Lady Kara. Did something happen between you and princess Mira yesterday? She was asking if you had a sister."
"A sister?"
That was an odd thing to ask. Kara tried to think of anything that would prompt such a question, though nothing came to her mind.
"I can't say I did anythin' that'd make her ask that."
"Hmm… I wonder what's going on with her."
Try as the two might, they found no reason for the sudden change in the girl's demeanor. The change was in a positive direction, but the change felt completely unnatural. They were unsure of what to make of it.
"Well, it prolly ain't a big deal. If she wants ta start an' be a proper princess, no reason ta stop her. This is a good thing after all."
"I guess."
It was indeed a good thing, but it still felt uncomfortable to them. Much more so since there was nothing they could do. With a weird sense of powerlessness, they accepted the girl's change.
****
After a few hours, the girl's class had ended. Unlike how the girl looked during history class, this time her face was a little lighter. There were a plethora of reasons for this, one being the class she had just attended.
But the true reason that there was a bit of a skip in her step was because there was something that she was looking forward to.
"Good timing Princess. The young lord of house Laten, Lord Felix, has just arrived."
"Really?"
There was a genuine smile on the girl's face upon hearing the news from her maid.
"Yes, he is waiting by the parlor. Shall we head to them now or do you want to go get changed into something else?"
"Hmm…"
The girl took a look at herself. She was presentable enough as she was, but she wanted to be even more presentable for her beloved fiance.
"I want to change."
"Very well Princess."
As the two headed back to the girl's room, there was a smile on her face. Though this meeting between the girl and the boy happens every week, the girl still sees it as a special occasion.
"Which dress would you like to wear, Princess?"
"Hmm…"
The girl looked at the wide array of dresses in her closet. All of them were fit for her status to the point that any one of them would fit the occasion.
"Let's go with this one."
But even still, the girl had her favorites that she wanted to show off to her fiance. The girl changed out of her dress into one of her more favored ones.
"Ooh can you do my hair too Kara?"
"What would you like me to do Princess?"
"Can you braid it like you did back then?"
"Of course Princess."
As her maid started to braid the girl's hair, everything felt as it once did. As the moment continued, the girl's heart tried to calm her beating heart. She always looked forward to this day throughout the week. It was an arranged marriage as it often was with nobility, but she grew to like the boy she was engaged to.
"There we go Princess. All done."
The girl turned towards the mirror to see how she looked. Her black and red dress was swapped out for a white dress with gold highlights. A part of her hair was woven into one another, almost making it look like a flower necklace that was connected to her head. The girl smiled at what she saw in the mirror. It was the image of a proper princess, it was how she thought everyone saw her.
"How does it look Princess?"
As the maid asked the girl a simple question, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Though it was a smile reminiscent of the one from her memories, the events of yesterday had twisted them. The smile that the girl once thought was normal now seemed like it was hiding something. And to the girl, it did.
The girl would never think twice about her maid's smile before. But knowing what she knows now, it started to look like the ones her teacher's told her about. A smile with no emotion, who's only purpose was to hide one's true emotions and intentions, an aristocratic smile.
'It's scary how normal it looks.'
It felt bad to see it that way, but the girl could not deny it.
'Hoo… it's alright, it's alright. I just have to work harder to make the smile real.'
She once again hypnotized herself and buried such unpleasant thoughts. That problem was for another day. As today it was her and her fiancé's day.
"It looks great Kara."
"I am glad you think so, Princess. I am sure that Lord Felix would like it as well."
"I hope he does."
With that last confirmation, the two headed towards the parlor where her fiance was.
****
In front of the door to the parlor, the girl could not help but be nervous. There was nothing to be nervous about as this meeting happened regularly. But her heart failed to calm down.
"Are you ready Princess?"
"Hoo… give me a minute Kara."
The girl stepped away from the door and began pacing around in circles. As she fanned her reddening face, the maid merely waited for her to be ready. It was a cute display of puppy love, one that she could not help but smile at. After a bit of time, the girl finally seemed to calm down her beating heart.
"Hoo… Alright Kara. Open the door."
With her orders received, her maid opened the door to the parlor. Inside waiting was a boy with auburn hair no older than the girl.
"Hello again Felix. It's so nice to see you. I apologize for making you wait."
"No need Princess. Seeing you is well worth the wait."
The boy stood up from his chair and bowed towards the girl.
"You flatter me Felix."
The girl gestured for him to take his seat once more as she sat opposite of him. Between them an array of sweets and biscuits that they could enjoy as they talked at their leisure. The maid poured the two some tea as they sat down.
"Thank you Lady Kashina."
"Always a pleasure, Young Master Laten."
As the maid finishes pouring the two tea, she leaves the room to let them be.
"How have you been, Princess? I heard you were just sick."
The girl felt like her heart constricted itself ever so slightly. Though everyone knew that she was just sick, the reality was different. In truth it had all been an act on her side. She had her own reasons for faking an illness so she had not felt guilty about it before. But seeing her fiance worry about her health made her slightly regretful of her actions.
"Haha… I'm already alright Felix."
"That is good to hear Princess. I was quite worried to hear that you had suddenly gotten ill."
The boy's words continued to scratch the girl's conscience. She wanted to dispel the boy's worries but she had a feeling that telling anyone the truth might cause problems.
"Thanks for worrying about me Felix, and I'm sorry that I made you worry."
All she could do to ease her mind was to offer him an apology.
"It is alright Princess. It was not your fault that you had gotten sick."
The girl clenched her fist at his words.
"I am merely grateful that you are better now. Well then, what would you like to do today Princess?"
"..."
There was a small conflict inside the girl. On one hand she wanted to merely play with the boy. The past day had been quite long for the girl, so she wanted to just enjoy her time with her fiance. And she was sure that the boy would also like to be free from his own studies for once.
On the other, she had promised herself that she would use their time together to improve herself. Troubled by her indecision, she stayed silent, twiddling her thumbs for a bit.
"Princess?"
The boy's words brought the girl out of her daze. Seeing him look at her with worry in his eyes, the girl looked away and spoke.
"Sorry. Uhm… if you don't mind can we… study together today?"
Those words she blurted out stopped the boy's train of thoughts and for a moment, everything in the room was silent. Had the girl been looking at the boy, she would see that there was a look of horror and disbelief etched on his face.