The nobles were gone. The selection was over. And Beatrice was still here.
She stood by the grand palace entrance, watching the last carriage of noble families disappear beyond the gates.
She should have felt relieved. Instead, she felt absolute dread. Because now that the selection was over, there were no more distractions.
No large gatherings to get lost in. No noblewomen gossiping about her in secret corners. No busy palace events where she could blend into the background.
It was just the royal family, the servants, and Johanna.
Which meant one thing. She had nowhere to hide. And Lila knew it.
Beatrice turned her head slowly, and sure enough, Lila was standing nearby, arms crossed, smirking.
"Looks like you're stuck here, Lady Beatrice," Lila said sweetly. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
Beatrice forced a smile. "Thanks. I already regret my life choices."
Lila laughed lightly. "Oh, you will. Trust me."
Then she walked away, looking smug.
Beatrice groaned internally. She had officially entered Phase Two of her personal nightmare: Surviving in the palace full-time.
And it was not going to be easy.
By midday, Beatrice had already been assigned her first palace duty.
It was a simple task. All she had to do was help oversee the queen's royal tea ceremony.
How hard could that be?
…Very.
It took less than an hour for Beatrice to completely ruin everything.
First, she spilled sugar all over the table. Then, she accidentally knocked over a tray of teacups.
And finally, when she tried to serve the queen herself, she somehow managed to drop the tea kettle.
Hot tea splashed across the floor.
Beatrice froze in horror.
Silence.
Queen Cecile stared at her, utterly unimpressed.
Beatrice swallowed. "I can explain."
The queen raised an eyebrow. "Can you?"
Beatrice hesitated. "…No."
Queen Cecile sighed deeply.
Lila, who had been watching from the sidelines, burst into laughter.
"You really can't do anything right, can you?" Lila smirked.
Beatrice clenched her jaw. "Listen, I was never trained for this noble nonsense, okay?"
Lila tilted her head. "So what were you trained for? Falling over? Causing chaos?"
Beatrice opened her mouth to argue, then paused. Because… yeah. That actually sounded pretty accurate.
Lila grinned. "Thought so."
Beatrice rolled her eyes.
Johanna, ever the peacekeeper, quickly stepped forward.
"It was an accident, Your Majesty," Johanna said gently. "And no harm was done. Right?"
Beatrice nodded aggressively. "Right! No harm at all! Just, uh… a very messy table."
Queen Cecile exhaled slowly, rubbing her temples.
"Lady Beatrice," she said, voice heavy with patience. "Please remove yourself before you destroy the entire palace."
Beatrice saluted out of habit. "Understood, Your Majesty."
Then she realized what she just did and immediately wanted to throw herself into a lake.
Queen Cecile just stared at her. Lila wheezed.
Francois, who had been silent the entire time, let out a quiet exhale, which Beatrice was fairly certain was a suppressed laugh.
She snapped her head toward him.
"Don't." Beatrice pointed at him accusingly. "Don't you dare laugh at me."
Francois tilted his head, his lips twitching. "I didn't say anything."
Beatrice scowled. This man was torturing her on purpose.
She stormed out of the tea room, swearing to herself that she would NEVER participate in another noble gathering again.
…Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
That evening, a new royal event was announced.
A formal court assembly was to be held at the end of the week.
And because Beatrice was now a "companion to the royal family," she was required to attend. Beatrice groaned.
"Another event? Seriously?" she muttered, pacing her room.
Lily, her maid, nodded excitedly. "Yes! A royal court gathering! It's a wonderful opportunity, my lady!"
"For what? More public humiliation?"
Lily giggled. "Well, at least His Highness seems to find you amusing."
Beatrice stopped pacing. She narrowed her eyes at Lily.
"Excuse me?"
Lily smirked. "Oh, you haven't noticed? His Highness keeps looking at you, my lady."
Beatrice flushed. "HE DOES NOT."
Lily giggled harder. "He does! Every time you make a mess, he watches you like he's waiting to see what you'll do next."
Beatrice buried her face in her hands.
"Great. Fantastic. I'm nothing but a royal court jester at this point."
Lily patted her shoulder. "Perhaps His Highness enjoys a bit of entertainment."
Beatrice groaned dramatically. She was going to die in this palace.
MEANWHILE, in the royal library, Francois sat with his father, King Marshall Montague.
The king sipped his wine, watching his son carefully.
"So," the king drawled. "How's your little disaster magnet doing?"
Francois glanced up.
"She is not mine," he said flatly.
The king chuckled. "But you do find her interesting, don't you?"
Francois said nothing. Which was an answer in itself.
The king smirked.
"You know," he mused, "I think she might be exactly what this palace needed."
Francois tilted his head slightly. "Chaos?"
The king grinned. "Entertainment."
Francois sighed, closing his book.
It was going to be a long few months.