floor.
“And if I do not get some sleep, I will look like a haggard old woman. Leave me. I will call when I am ready.”
She didn’t argue with me then, as she told the rest of my maids to leave and shut the door behind her. They had already
opened the curtains, and I begrudgingly peeled myself out from under the warm covers to quickly shut them.
Darkness surrounded my room, and for a moment I stood there in terror. Would he show up again now that the darkness is
back? Quickly, opening them only slightly to allow some light in, I rushed back to bed and fell asleep, or at least attempted to.
“Where is she?!” Shouted a voice that invaded my dreams.
I wasn’t sure when I managed to fall asleep. But the sudden cold as my blanket was ripped off woke me up in shock.
Opening my eyes, my mother stood over me with a red face and her arms crossed.
“Princesses donotget to sleep in when there are guests to welcome.”
“Princesseswillsleep in as my body and mind require it,” I said sharply.
I pull the covers back up, only to have them pulled back down again. I could see the small vein on my mother’s forehead
begin to pulse as her anger grew to its boiling point. I was in no mood to argue and yet, that’s all I seemed to be doing.
“Mother, please leave me. I will come down when I am ready!”
“I will do no such thing,” she snapped.
Clapping her hands, her own lady’s maids took to almost pulling me out of bed. As my feet touched the stone floor, I
wanted to cry. Being forced to smile, look pretty, and pretend that I would make a good wife was not what I wanted to do
today.
“My girls will see to it you are dressed correctly, and I will not leave until I deem you perfect.”
She put both her hands on her hips as her maids forcefully handled me.
“Kathlyn, fetch some tea and something for my lazy lump of a daughter to eat. We must work miracles for her to be ready to
secure a match.”
As two of the ladies drew me a bath, the other undressed me. They practically threw me into the water. Still slightly cold, I
took calming breaths to curb my shock. No one should be handled this way. Clearly my mother was punishing me for
something.
After being washed quite forcefully and almost too intimately for my own liking, I was shoved into a tight corset and a
royal blue dress with white trim. Corsets were meant to be comfortable, but mine was not placed correctly, so it only caused
me pain. My hair was half pinned up and curled a little while it was still damp.
Mother inspected me in the mirror and nodded as she looked. A small silver tiara was then placed on my head to show my
station. Shortly after, I was surrounded by not only my mother’s lady’s maids, but my own as I was escorted to the dining hall